SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos

SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos (エス・エヌ・ケイ バーサス カプコン エスブイシー カオス) is a 2003 fighting game produced by Playmore (now SNK) for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It was then later ported to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, although only the Xbox port was released in North America and both platforms were released in Japan and PAL regions.

It was the third arcade game in a series of crossovers between these two companies (see SNK vs. Capcom series) and the second developed by SNK (SNK previously produced SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium for the Neo Geo Pocket Color).

The game was re-released in July 2024 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam and GOG.com, adding online rollback netcode from Code Mystics and an in-game gallery.

Gameplay
The gameplay is based on the KOF series (particularly The King of Fighters 2002), with the same four button configuration and many of the same techniques. However, the game does not use the Team Battle format, but follows the traditional round-based one-on-one format. Each match begins with a dialogue exchange between the player's character and the opponent. One new technique introduced in the game is the Front Grand Step, which allows the player to cancel attacks with a forward dash. The player can perform this technique while guarding from an opponent's attack, which will consume one Power Gauge level.

The game uses a different type of Power Gauge known as the Groove Power Gauge System, which has three levels. The Groove gauge fills as the player lands attacks against the opponents or guard attacks. When the gauge fills to Lv. 1 or Lv. 2, the player can perform Super Special Moves, a Guard Cancel Attack or a Guard Cancel Front Step maneuver. When the gauge is full, its reaches MAXIMUM level and a MAX Activation occurs. During MAX Activation, the gauge will change into a timer and the player gains the ability to cancel any of their moves anytime (in addition to Super Special Moves and Guard Cancels). Once the timer runs out, the gauge returns to Lv. 2.

In addition to the regular Super Special Move, each character also has an 'Exceed' move which can only be performed once when the player's life is less than half.

Characters
This crossover features a total of 24 standard fighters, plus 12 boss characters for a total of 36. These characters are drawn primarily from both SNK and Capcom's respective fighting game sequels such as The King of Fighters '96 and Super Street Fighter II Turbo, alongside additional character appearances from Samurai Shodown, Art of Fighting, Metal Slug 2, Athena, Darkstalkers, Final Fight, Mega Man Zero, Ghosts 'n Goblins, and Red Earth. Most of the boss characters are normally inaccessible and require the use of cheat codes to become playable, while two of the bosses, Athena and Red Arremer, are fully inaccessible in the arcade and AES releases, and can only be unlocked in the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game. All 36 characters are immediately accessible in the 2024 release.

SNK characters
• Athena

• Choi Bounge

• Earthquake

• Geese Howard

• Genjuro Kibagami

• Goenitz

• Honki ni Natta Mr. Karate

• Iori Yagami

• Kasumi Todoh

• Kim Kaphwan

• Kyo Kusanagi

• Mai Shiranui

• Mars People

• Mr. Karate

• Orochi Iori

• Ryo Sakazaki

• Shiki

• Terry Bogard

Capcom characters
• Akuma

• Balrog

• Chun-Li

• Dan Hibiki

• Demitri Maximoff

• Dhalsim

• Guile

• Hugo

• Ken Masters

• M. Bison

• Red Arremer

• Ryu

• Sagat

• Shin Akuma

• Tessa

• Vega

• Violent Ken

• Zero

Plot
Following a cataclysmic event, all life on the planet has been wiped out. In purgatory, a group of fighters are drawn into a tournament by Athena and Red Arremer, avatars for the forces of Order and Chaos, who promise that the winner will receive one wish. Now the fighters compete to win the tournament and have their wish granted, with the fate of all life hanging in the balance.

Reception
SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos has received mixed reception, such as the rushed and bland presentation of the game (as seen in stages with very few colors and devoid of "life"), and the low resolution of the Neo Geo (320 × 240) made the game's visuals considerably rough considering the game's 2003 release. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave the PS2 version a score of three sixes and one seven for a total of 25 out of 40.

In 2012, Complex ranked it as the 14th best SNK fighting game ever made, adding that "the game’s secret characters (Firebrand, Mars People, Zero, etc.) had to be the best part about this game," as well as newly animated sprites (Demitri, Earthquake, Tessa, etc.) But it was also criticized by others due to the lack of certain "token" characters (like Haohmaru, Benimaru, Zangief, etc.), and the omission of the selectable fighting styles called "Groove Systems" all showcased by Capcom, instead featuring only one-on-one modes with extended vital gauges, not giving any choice to players who favored other styles, even those created by SNK itself.

Merchandise
An eight-volume graphic novel series of translated Chinese manhua was published in the U.S. by DrMaster Publications Inc., originally created by Happy Comics Ltd.