What is the Ratio system in Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001?

The Ratio system allows players to assign a numerical value from one to four to each character on their team. This mechanic replaced the rigid structure of the original 2000 release where teams were locked into fixed strengths. A team of three characters can be assigned a total ratio of four, meaning individual characters might possess less health and power than their single-character counterparts in the previous game.

When was Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 released on the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 in Japan?

The console versions for Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 arrived in Japan on the 13th of September 2001. This release occurred a month after the arcade debut on the NAOMI hardware. The PlayStation 2 version was later released in other regions without online support.

What happened in the true endings of Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001?

In the true endings, Akuma or Rugal interrupts the celebration to demand a match against the winners on top of Osaka Castle. Depending on the player's Groove, one of two scenes plays where Akuma turns into Shin Akuma or Rugal transforms into God/Ultimate Rugal. The winning team then fights the bosses in the Osaka Ruins in Flames.

Capcom vs. SNK 2: the story on HearLore

Q: What is the Groove system in Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001?

The Groove system dictates special techniques and Super Gauge mechanics and includes four new play styles. Players can choose from six distinct Grooves, each with its own Subsystems such as dashes, running, and guard cancels. This system allows players to tailor their experience to their preferred fighting style.

In 2001, the fighting game community witnessed a radical shift in team balance when Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 introduced the Ratio system, allowing players to assign a numerical value from one to four to each character on their team. This mechanic replaced the rigid structure of the original 2000 release, where teams were locked into fixed strengths. The new system required strategic foresight, as a team of three characters could be assigned a total ratio of four, meaning individual characters might possess less health and power than their single-character counterparts in the previous game. This flexibility allowed for diverse team compositions, ranging from three weak fighters to a single powerhouse, fundamentally changing how players approached matches. The arcade version initially featured 44 playable characters, but the home console ports expanded the roster to 48, including exclusive characters that were not available in the arcade release. The game also increased the number of buttons from the standard four of the Neo Geo to the six-button layout of Street Fighter, giving players more control options and requiring SNK characters to be tweaked to fit this new system. The Groove system, which dictated special techniques and Super Gauge mechanics, was augmented to include four new play styles, each mimicking different games from both Capcom and SNK. This innovation allowed players to choose from six distinct Grooves, each with its own Subsystems, such as dashes, running, and guard cancels, adding layers of complexity to the gameplay. The game's release on the NAOMI hardware in arcades was handled by Sega in North America, while the console versions for Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 arrived in Japan on the 13th of September 2001, a month after the arcade debut. Online play via KDDI's Multi-Matching service enabled cross-platform competition between Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 users, a rare feature for its time. The PlayStation 2 version was later released in other regions without online support, and the GameCube and Xbox received an updated version titled Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO, which included an Easy Operation mode for novices and progressive-scan support for the Xbox. The game's legacy continued with its re-release in 2025 as part of Capcom Fighting Collection 2, ensuring its place in fighting game history.

The visual presentation of Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 sparked controversy among fans due to the stark contrast between Capcom's reused sprites and SNK's newly drawn characters. While SNK invested in fresh, detailed artwork for their roster, Capcom opted to reuse old character sprites from previous games, resulting in a noticeable disparity in quality. Characters like Morrigan Aensland from the Darkstalkers series appeared retro and lacking in detail when compared to newly drawn characters such as Maki, Eagle, Ryu, Ken, and M. Bison. This decision was likely a cost-saving measure, but it created a visual imbalance that drew criticism from the community. The game's art department faced backlash for recycling assets, with some reviewers noting that the weak visuals would be a major turnoff for average gamers. Despite this, the game's gameplay mechanics and strategic depth kept players engaged, and the roster expansion to 48 characters provided a wide variety of fighting styles. The Dreamcast release of the game also linked up to the Neo Geo Pocket Color and SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters' Clash using the Neo Geo Pocket Color link cable, enabling players to unlock all the secrets on the Dreamcast game. This integration of handheld and console versions added an extra layer of interactivity, allowing players to access hidden content through cross-platform collaboration. The game's reception in Japan was particularly strong, with Game Machine listing it as the second most-successful arcade game of the month in the 15th of September 2001 issue. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions received favorable reviews, while the GameCube version received average reviews, largely due to the native control scheme of the GameCube controller, which was not designed for traditional fighting games. Famitsu gave the Dreamcast and PS2 versions a score of 35 out of 40, and 31 out of 40 for the GameCube version, reflecting the mixed reception of the game's visual and control aspects. Despite the criticism, the game's strategic depth and roster variety ensured its place as a beloved entry in the fighting game genre.

Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 introduced the Groove system, a revolutionary mechanic that allowed players to choose from six distinct play styles, each mimicking different games from both Capcom and SNK. These Grooves dictated both the character's Super Gauge system and special techniques, such as dashes, running, and guard cancels, known as Subsystems. The system was designed to provide players with a wide range of gameplay options, allowing them to tailor their experience to their preferred fighting style. Each Groove was designated with a letter, and custom Grooves could be programmed in home versions of the game, adding an extra layer of customization. The Groove system was a significant departure from the original game, which was based on a King of Fighters-style two-strength, four-button system of punches and kicks. Instead, Capcom vs. SNK 2 was based on the three-strength, six-button system of punches and kicks native to the Street Fighter series, and the SNK characters had been tweaked to fit the six-button style. The overall system was derivative of Street Fighter Alpha 3, but the Groove system added a unique twist that set it apart from other fighting games of the time. The game also included four bonus characters in the home versions: Evil Ryu, Orochi Iori, Shin Akuma (Shin Gouki in Japan), and Ultimate Rugal (God Rugal in Japan), which were powered-up versions of four regular characters. The Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO version removed the Roll Cancel glitch that was present in the original versions and included online play for up to two players on Xbox Live, as well as progressive-scan (480p) support. The Groove system was a key feature that allowed players to experiment with different play styles, making the game a favorite among competitive players and casual fans alike. The game's reception in Japan was particularly strong, with Game Machine listing it as the second most-successful arcade game of the month in the 15th of September 2001 issue. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions received favorable reviews, while the GameCube version received average reviews, largely due to the native control scheme of the GameCube controller, which was not designed for traditional fighting games. Famitsu gave the Dreamcast and PS2 versions a score of 35 out of 40, and 31 out of 40 for the GameCube version, reflecting the mixed reception of the game's visual and control aspects. Despite the criticism, the game's strategic depth and roster variety ensured its place as a beloved entry in the fighting game genre.

A year had passed since the original tournament known as Millennium Fight 2000, and the political conflicts of the Garcia Financial Clique and the Masters Foundation had reignited with a million-dollar fighting tournament called Mark of the Millennium 2001, also known as Millionaire Fighting 2001. All of the original fighters from both powers clashed once again, but with more fighters, both legends and newcomers, adding a new layer of excitement to the competition. The endings of the game changed depending on the player's performance, taking final score and certain conditions into account. In the bad ending, the celebration went uninterrupted, as the camera zoomed out of the stadium to a shot of Akuma or Rugal's foot. In the first true ending, Akuma or Rugal interrupted the celebration, demanding a match against the winners on top of Osaka Castle. If the player won, they commented on their strength before challenging their true rival (the other boss), as a large bombing occurred, leaving the fates of everyone unknown. In the second true ending, the celebration was interrupted by the fight between Akuma and Rugal. Depending on the player's Groove, one of two scenes played. In the first, Akuma mortally wounded Rugal, only for the latter to infuse his Orochi force into Akuma, who was driven insane by the power and turned into Shin Akuma. In the other, Rugal killed Akuma and absorbed the Satsui no Hadou from his body, his special intro showing him throwing away Akuma's corpse, transforming into God/Ultimate Rugal. The winning team went on to fight the bosses in the Osaka Ruins in Flames. Defeating Shin Akuma had him being swept into the sky by the Orochi force, while God/Ultimate Rugal's defeat resulted in Akuma and Rugal's spirits merging, turning into one being that disappeared before walking away. The following newscast coverage depicted Osaka being rebuilt, the critical reception to the Mark of the Millennium/Millionaire Fighting tournament, and the text-messaging fates of the champions. The game's story was a significant departure from the original, with a more complex narrative that involved political conflicts, powerful bosses, and multiple endings. The game's reception in Japan was particularly strong, with Game Machine listing it as the second most-successful arcade game of the month in the 15th of September 2001 issue. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions received favorable reviews, while the GameCube version received average reviews, largely due to the native control scheme of the GameCube controller, which was not designed for traditional fighting games. Famitsu gave the Dreamcast and PS2 versions a score of 35 out of 40, and 31 out of 40 for the GameCube version, reflecting the mixed reception of the game's visual and control aspects. Despite the criticism, the game's strategic depth and roster variety ensured its place as a beloved entry in the fighting game genre.

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