New to Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO is, of course, the E.O. – Extreme Offense. Since the game is being ported to a console with a large young audience, Capcom wanted to make sure anyone could get to grips with the complex control of a 2D fighting game. When players select the GC-ism, special moves can be pulled off solely with the camera analog with the push of a direction. To determine the level of strength for each special move players will need to push the analog trigger down. The further you push down, the more strength for the special move. Now, the control is completely unorthodox to use for pro players, but it’s a way for beginners to have fun without stressing over the controls. If you don’t care about the EO feature at all, just pick the AC-ism and every button on the controller can be mapped out accordingly.

Fighting fans have to right to be a bit angry with the GC controller – it’s just not built for fighting games. The tiny d-pad makes it difficult to move and pull off exactly what you want, when you want. The other option, the analog pad isn’t as precise, but actually feels better than the d-pad. There are some troubles with hitting the corners but the analog is accurate. Another peeve is that the analog triggers have to be pressed all the way down for the hit to register.

EO is pretty much the same as Capcom vs. SNK 2 on PS2. There are 44 characters from the Capcom and SNK franchises. Each character is balanced out so as not to have one company’s characters completely overpower another. Players can choose from different grooves to configure how they want to charge their super meter – Capcom grooves allow automatic build-up, while SNK grooves require a manual charge. The load times are about the same as the PS2 version – quick and snappy.

The visuals are very bright and clear, though the character sprites are drawn in varying degrees of quality. Some sprites seem more pixilated (i.e. Morrigan) than others. It’s a treat for fans to see Capcom characters drawn by SNK artists and vice versa. Most characters are also voiced by their respective voice actors to keep the continuity of each personality.

2D fighters aren’t easy to come by. Pick up Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO if you haven’t experienced a high quality fighting game. Just be wary that the GC controller isn’t the best for it.