Capcom Vs. SNK 2 seems like any old fighter, but what sets this game off from the mediocrity of most fighters is it's 44 characters, with a good mixture of both Street Fighter and King of Fighters characters. This game will keep you interested trying to master everyone. But not only do you need to master the characters, but all six grooves of the game as well.

Graphics: Both the backgrounds and the characters aren't too stunning. The backgrounds are simple, yet exciting. From both the crowd arena to China in flames, the backgrounds almost interact with your character. A sand buggy might jump over your characters as you fight in the desert, a ship crashes near you in a glacier, or cameras light up to film you in an arena. The character models too are only 2D sprites, but that doesn't detract from the game. This is a 2D fighter, after all.

Gameplay: This is where this game really excels. With six different grooves, 44 characters, ratio mode, and up to 20 moves, the combinations are enormous. It can take up to three hours just to master one character. Out of 44. From six different grooves. Ratio mode lets you choose up to three characters, and assign 4 ratio between the ones you choose. The higher the ratio, the better they are at taking damage and dishing it out. Arcade mode plays as Ratio mode, and you fight all 44 characters in a row, progressively getting harder as you go along. Boss mode lets you play Ratio mode against Ratio 4 'Evil' characters, such as Bison, Shin Akuma, and God Rugal, all accompanied with extremely smart AI. Vs. Mode allows you to own your friends in either 3v3, 1v1, or Ratio mode.

There's a total of six grooves now, compared to Capcom Vs. SNK 1's two grooves. You can get anything from the standard C groove, letting you execute more powerful super specials as it charges, K groove, which puts you in powerful 'rage' after a certain amount of damage, or S groove, where you can pressure your opponent with nonstop Super Specials when you have low health. Grooves also let you do certain actions, such as rolling or evading. And if you think all the grooves are pisspoor electronic crap that should be burned? Make your own custom groove!

Controls in this game is very solid. You've got the D-pad, and the regular Weak, Medium, and Hard Punch/Kick. Some moves require very good coordination and timing to execute them, but for the most part, aren't too challenging to do.

Earning new characters, options, or modes is done by playing Arcade mode and earning Groove Points. Groove Points are possibly the easiest thing I have ever done. I'm sure that a mentally deficit monkey could unlock secret characters with CvS2's system.

Audio: Superb. The kicks and punches all sound very realistic, actually making you feel that you are beating down on Blanka's hairy green ass. The music is techno for the most part, except with parts like London's jazzy tune. The announcer gets repetitive and old after a while, but the voice isn't annoying like most fighting games.

Overall, Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is worth the the $40 it costs, and should definitely please any Capcom or SNK fan out there. Unless your super obsessed with FFX quality graphics, there isn't too much in this game that will turn you away. This game will take you hours upon hours to master all of it's characters and game modes.

- - Mr. Disturbed