The new editions for these franchises were cornerstones for the fighting game community's recent story line of immense growth and prosperity, sending us in to the booming chapter we find ourselves in now. Momentum continued, and we got yet another installment for each series over the last two years. Other major household fighting game mainstays outside of Capcom have been chugging right along with a little more consistency than the aforementioned titles, as Tekken and King of Fighters have seen more regularity in their releases. They too have been affected by the current age's attention to and appreciation for fighters as well as the ever growing influence of eSports in the FGC, granting all new levels of exposure. Overlap and crossover has been a theme in this genre of gaming for most of it's 30 year lifespan, and many titles continue to welcome guest characters in. Tekken 7, in particular, boasts both Capcom's Akuma and SNK's Geese Howard.
SNK 3: Ultimate Tournament 2017 is the sequel to Capcom vs. Heaven Kyo (SNK secret boss, uses able to create fire in different colors, mixes KOF'94.
The tweet below has been making the rounds as of late, reminding us of a series we last saw nearly 17 years ago. Not only did it make us laugh, it also got us thinking. Click images for animated versions. SNK, or perhaps more specifically the 2001 sequel, is one of the most referenced fighting games of old by players who were active in the scene circa the turn of the century. With a massive roster featuring characters from (you guessed it) both Capcom and SNK games, CVS2 brought players from different regions of the FGC together in competition.
The series' Groove system added further depth to the 49-character roster, giving players the freedom to express themselves with any one of six different power up perks, any single one of which would suffice as a sole comeback mechanic by traditional standards. Grand Finals set from EVO Moment 37 Reloaded between CVS icon BAS took on FOX Justin Wong.
Though the CVS games didn't offer much in the way of original characters, these games would be integral in the furthering of charismatic build up for now household names like Sakura and Sagat. With SNK releasing King of Fighters 14 back in 2016, and Capcom games chugging right along as they are, perhaps 2018 is the perfect time for yet another melding of the two. SNK 3 would surely bring a few old school competitors out of the woodwork, and the current FGC boom has tons of new faces that would certainly be open to trying out such a title, especially after hearing the praises seasoned FGC members sing for the series.
Given our love for cross-overs, guest fighters and tried and true favorites, it feels as though a new installment could go over exceptionally well. Street Fighter was 2016, MvCI was 2017, so what do you think of the prospect for a CVS3 in the coming year? We'd love to hear the perspectives of both new and old fighting gamers, so please sound off in the comments with your thoughts.