Game of the Day 3/29/2016: SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighters Clash

[celerystalker]

SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighters Clash on the Neo Geo Pocket Color is a game that got me through a tough break-up in my mid-twenties. After a spectacular failure in a long-term relationship where I got cheated on, I was in a bad place, and needed something that had absolutely nothing to do with anything that had happened. During those nights where I couldn't sleep, I found comfort in getting comfortable in bed, turning on my Futurama DVDs with the commentary track on, and playing this game, and it got me through to the otherside faster by getting me so into it that it became contagious, and just about all of my friends ended up buying NGPCs and Card Fighters Clash.

Card Fighters Clash takes the structure of a simple, addictive card game, in which the goal is to play characters in your three slots, defeat characters played in your opponent's three slots, and if you have charcters undefended, directly attack your opponent's HP. Deplete their HP first to win the game. It's simple and straight forward, and special abilities for characters and action cards provide the strategic nuances to take the game beyond simply trading punches into some semblance of strategic deck building. In many ways, it's like a simplified Yu Gi Oh, but starring all of your favorite SNK and Capcom characters.

The game world is structured like a light RPG, and you roam around picking card battles in order to win new cards, or occasionally find new ones by solving puzzles or buying them from a vending machine by turning in doubles. You can, of course, also trade and battle over link cable, and there are a handful of exclusive cards to each of the Capcom or SNK versions of the game. There are also tournaments, cameos from game designers, and loads of cool abilities to discover, making the single player experience a fan-service-filled romp that's legitimately enjoyable all the way through.

The graphics feature neat portraits of each character, and it's fun to see who will pop up next, be it a Red Arremer or Roddy from Top Hunter, favorites and obscure characters are great to come across. Games move quickly, and the music is pretty catchy. The only real negative I can put out there is that there's not much to do endgame, as you eventually become way too good for the computer, and there kind of is a best formula to build a deck, so everyone ends up playing similar cards once they figure it out for multiplayer. Still, collecting the cards is tons of fun, and it's a wothwhile play even just solo.

Played this one? Do your memories feature significantly less David X Cohen?

[Emperor Megas]

I've had a Neo Geo Pocket Color for years, but no games for it. I was a gift from my late mother-in-law, so it's a permanent part of my collection. I would like to get some games for it, but I know almost nothing about the library. This game sounds like something that I would pick up though.

[celerystalker]

I've had a Neo Geo Pocket Color for years, but no games for it. I was a gift from my late mother-in-law, so it's a permanent part of my collection. I would like to get some games for it, but I know almost nothing about the library. This game sounds like something that I would pick up though.

The NGPC is one I can speak to pretty thoroughly. I've got and have played the bulk of the library that isn't slots and mahjong, so I'd be more than happy to talk about it anytime. From what you've mentioned before, Metal Slug 1st and 2nd Missions would be right up your alley, and are completely unique Metal Slug games. Dark Arms: Beast Busters is a cool overhead action/adventure game, Delta Warp is a cool, unique puzzle game... there's not a huge library, but what's there is mostly pretty great and most often unique to the system, and some of the Dreamcast link stuff was an interesting curiousity. Card Fighters Clash is in my top three on the system, though, along with Ogre Battle and Metal Slug: 1st Mission.

[Emperor Megas]

I'd get any Metal Slug games on general principle, assuming they were affordable. Thanks for the other suggestions. What's this about a Dreamcast Link though?

[celerystalker]

I'd get any Metal Slug games on general principle, assuming they were affordable. Thanks for the other suggestions. What's this about a Dreamcast Link though?

There is a Neo Geo Pocket Color to Dreamcast link cable that allows the exchange of data between a handful of games and their Dreamcast counterparts. For instance, linking SNK vs Capcom: Match of the Milennium to SNK vs Capcom on DC unlocks all characters on the portable game while sending any points earned in the portable game to the DC to be used in the unlockable shop. In King of Fighters R-2, you can link up to the DC King of Fighters 99 to unlock and upload custom character information. There are others as well, such as Cool Cool Jam/Cool Cool Toon for more unlockable content. I'll post some pictures when I get home from work tonight.

[Mayhem]

This game is essentially digital crack. Start playing at your peril

[celerystalker]

I'd get any Metal Slug games on general principle, assuming they were affordable. Thanks for the other suggestions. What's this about a Dreamcast Link though?

So, there's the link cable and how it hooks up. It's no just a japanese thing, either. The US KOF and SVC games have full compatability. The cable's kind of a bitch to find at a decent price, but it's pretty neat all the same.

[Emperor Megas]

That's nuts.