Introduction

After SNK's "rebirth" following their massive pullout of the US market, they got together with Capcom to plan the fourth SNK and Capcom crossover. The fruits of their labor came in 2003 when "SvC Chaos: SNK Vs Cacpom" was released for the NeoGeo. Unlike the Capcom VS SNK games (where Capcom acted as the developer), SvC was developed by SNK-Playmore (SNK also developed the NeoGeo Pocket Color game "SNK VS Capcom: Match of the Millenium"; the first Capcom/SNK fighting game). That said, SvC sports a decidedly SNK tone. The game is faster than the average Capcom game and is based on a modified King of Fighters engine. SNK redrew all the Capcom characters in their own style and it shows. SvC sports a roster of over 35 characters and takes its characters from various sources in the Capcom and SNK stables. The game also features a very unique dialogue tree where every character in the game has specific comments for all of their opponents (who reply in a unique manner as well), a feature that should be included in more fighting games.

Game Mechanics

Terms you'll need to get used to

You have a joystick with 8 directions on a arcade. The inputs of the joystick are called:

u = up
d = down
f = forward
b = backwards
uf = up-forward
ub = up-back
df = down-forward
db = down-back

With all these directions, you can make inputs. The basic inputs are called:

QCF = quarter circle forward = d, df, f
QCB = quarter circle back = d, db, b
HCF = half circle forward = b, db, d, df, f
HCB = half circle back = f, df, d, db, b
DP = dragon punch(Ryu's Shoryuken) = f, d, df (It's not hard to do, really.)
RDP = reverse dragon punch = b, d, bd
360 = full circle motion

If you want to play, you need to know those guys below, they're important to begin your combos, some strategy stuff, and other things.

"cr." = This means that the character needs to be on a crouching state
"s." = This means that the character needs to be on a standing state
"cl." = This means that the character needs to be close to the opponent
"f." = This means that the character needs to be far from the opponent
"j." = This means that the character needs to be on a jumping state
"sj." = The character needs to do a super jump

Some Other Terms

Light Attack Chain/Combo = This is a term that you'll read a lot on some sections. As the name states, it's just a combo with the character's Light Attacks involved. Some characters need it in their game, and some characters can't even do it, that just varies.

Link = First, remember: Link isn't a chain. Link is just comboing two moves, being them normals, Command Moves, Specials, Supers, and things like that. Some characters can link one normal into another one, or one Super into another Super, and there we go.

Knockdown = It's just a move that knocks down your opponent and gives to him the opportunity to do a recovery roll.

Hard Knockdown = A move that knocks down your opponent, but won't give him/her the opportunity to recovery roll. It will have a different animation from a regular knockdown(Something like a slamming animation on the ground), so you can see the difference.

Reset = A move that hits the opponent and will send him in the air, but he will land with the standing animation, unlike the two knockdowns. It's very useful to mixup the opponent.

Basic Strategy

Basic Rules/Mechanics

Rounds - Each battle on this game consists of a fight of (up to) 3 rounds between you, and your opponent(A "friend" or the CPU). At the beginning of the round, each player's life is full. This bar, in fact, is made of two bars: A yellow one, and a red one. The red one will only go down once the yellow one go away. The first player to take the life of his/her opponent to zero, wins the round. The first player to win 2 of the 3 rounds, wins the match.

The Controls

Attack Buttons - The buttons on the arcade have the traditional Neo Geo style:

A and B - The Light Punch(LP) and Kick(LK), respectively.
C and D - The Hard/Heavy Punch(HP) and Kick(HK), respectively.
In general, the Light attacks are less powerful, but they're faster, and the Hard/Heavy attacks are more powerful, but, in general, slower than the Light attacks.
If you're used to the Capcom style(With 3 buttons for punch and kick), I'm sorry, but the Neo Geo games don't use 6 buttons.
(Important note: I'll most of the time, use LP instead of A, LK instead of B, and there we go, mainly for the Capcom players, because the Neo Geo players are already used to the ABCD layout.)

Moving Your Character

The Joystick - Moving with the Joystick is something simple. If you press left, your character will move to the left, and if you press to the right, your character will move to the right. Simple. But it's not just that. You need to know that here we don't use left and right. We use BACKWARD and FORWARD here. So how can I know where is backward and forward? Simple:

If your character is facing to the right(that means the side of the second player), then pressing left on the joystick means backward, and pressing right on the joystick means forward.
If your character is facing to the left(that means the side of the first player), then pressing left on the joystick means forward, and pressing right on the joystick means backward.

Blocking

With the Joystick - To block an attack, a player must hold backwards before/at the same time the opponent attacks(Before is better), otherwise, you'll just move away from the opponent. If a player blocks while standing, he can block middle, high, and air attacks(But you'll be vulnerable to low attacks). The block can be used while crouching, and this stance will block the low and middle attacks(But you'll be vulnerable to the air attacks, and the ground overhead attacks). Some high attacks can miss against certain crouching characters(Like Choi, the smallest character in the game).

Guard Meter - Well, every successful block will decrease your Guard Meter(The green meter). It can be refilled slowly if you don't block any attacks. The Guard Crush happens when a character blocks too much, which makes the character stunned for a little time, leaving him/her wide open for any combo. After the Guard Crush, the Guard Meter is refilled. You can refill your Guard Meter by doing a CD counter as well.

Advanced Strategy

Dash - Something basic, but advanced anyway. To use this just press ff(To dash forwards) or bb(To dash backwards). Your character will do an quick dash/running animation, and this looks simple, but it's not only that. You can attack or use any special move while dashing forward, but not backwards(Mostly characters with air special moves can do this), but don't abuse this feature. You can jump while dashing too, and the character will jump higher with this(See the High Jump section for more details).

Autoguard attacks (Aka Armor Attacks) - Autoguard is when a character automatically blocks an attack while performing a Command/Special move. Most of the moves that have this feature don't make go to a block pose, instead a block animation appears on the screen, with a brief pause, and then the move continues. Like in the normal block, triggering the Autoguard makes the Guard Crush gauge go down.

The Super Meter/Bar - Any character's meter starts on the level 1 at the beginning of the match. You can fill it up when one of those things occur:

If you take damage (Excluding the regular throw's damage);
If you use any special move;
If you use any normal attack that hits your opponent;
If you make an attack that is blocked (excluding the Super and exceed moves);
If your opponent successfully taunts you (Gives you something like a quarter of one level, I think).

The meter will decrease if some of this things occur:

If you use a Normal Throw(A+B or C+D) that misses (Costs a quarter of one level, I think);
If you use the GCF (Guard Cancel Frontstep) with ff (Costs about 20% of one level);
If you use the GCF (Guard Cancel Frontstep) with A+B (Costs about 60% of one level);
If you use a Guard Cancel Attack(See below);
If you use a Super Move(Costs one level).

Guard Cancel Attack(GCA) (aka CD counter for the KoF players) - To perform this, just press The HP(C button) and HK(D button) while blocking any attack. It costs one level of the Super Meter, so use with caution. When you do the input while blocking, your character does an attack(Like the CD on the KoF series) that knocks your opponent across the screen. It don't do any damage, but it'll refill your Guard Crush Gauge(Which is useful in case you're feeling pressured). You can normal cancel the attack if it hits or if it's blocked.

Guard Cancel Frontstep(GCF) - This thing is important in this game, so you need to master this technique. There are 2 ways to use this(Choose only one, please):
First Way : Do ff while blocking, it's like a dash, and it's harder to do while blocking(It's strange to stop holding back), but you can save the Super Meter if you master this(As I said, this costs about 20% of one level).
Second Way: Press LK(B button), and HP(C button) while blocking. It's easier to do while blocking, because you don't have to worry about the directionals to use this. As I said before, this costs about 60% of one level. A good choice for beginners.

High Jump - The fighters of this game can perform two different jumps: The normal jump(Just press up on the joystick), and the High Jump. To do this jump, quickly move the joystick down and then up(This works with up-forward and up-back), or do a forward dash(f, f), and then just jump. If you do that, your character will jump higher than average. Although the engine used in the game is KoF-based, there is no short hop(Which is sad).

Throws/Throw Escapes - In this game, each character have at least 2 throws with different cominations. The first is A+B(The two Light attacks), which throws your opponent forward. The second one is C+D(The two Heavy attacks), which sends your opponent backwards. Just go to someplace near the opponent and press one of those two(Some characters have command throws, but let's use only those two now). Throws are unblockable, but you can escape from them. How? I can only say one thing: It's hard. To escape from a throw, you need to press the exact combination made with the throw(Note: You can't do that with Command throws, you won't need to do a 360 motion to escape from Hugo's Exceed) immediately after the animation begins. If a player used LP(A button) and LK(B button) on a throw, the other player must use the same buttons(And only them) in order to escape the throw(You can use cheats too, but cheats are wrong).

MAXIMUM Mode - This one is the most important thing in this game(It is just one of the things that make it broken). When the Super Meter reaches the level 3, the gauge will show the word "MAXIMUM" and will start flashing. At this time, the meter will be red, and the bar begins to decrease. You can cancel/supercancel most moves at this time, so this mode is made to do combos(Sadly, not any character can do combos on this mode... R.I.P Sagat's combos too). If you perform any move that "drains" the meter(go to "The Super Meter" section for details), the gauge will decrease as well. During the MAXIMUM mode, you can use a move that decreases the meter even if you don't have enough power left(Like doing a Super move when you have only 1% of the bar). After the bar reaches zero, the Gauge will revert to the normal and almost boring Gauge. Once this gauge is empty, it will go back to the level 2, and you have to gain more power afterwards. If you refill it again, you'll go back to the MAXIMUM Mode.

Exceed Moves - Exceeds are like Super Moves, but you won't need any meter to use it. The requirement to use this are: The name of the character needs to be flashing. This will only happen with you when you lose your first bar(The yellow one), and you have only the red one. There's something important in the Exceeds: You can use them once in the battle(No, not in the round, it's in the battle itself... That means, if you use an Exceed on the first round, you cannot use on round 2 or 3, so USE WITH CAUTION!!!!)

Recovery Roll - This is something easy, and good to begginers. It's a normal thing on the KoF series, so if you're used to it, it's a good progress. But if you don't know, just press A+B in the time that you land(If you're in a knockdown state). This allows your character to recover on their feet quickly instead of being knocked down. You can even punish the opponent on certain situations.

Move buffering - This is something tricky, but important. This strategy allows Super/Special/Exceed moves to come out with a different input(Sometimes it can be hard), and can make you get near your opponent after doing the move. A nice example is dashing in the middle of the input, for example... Let's use Ryu's Shinkuu Hadouken. You probably know the input,right?(If you don't know, which can be rare, here it is - QCF(2x)+P). Now let's try to add a dash in the middle of the input. How? Just do this input: QCF, ff, QCF+P. You got it? If not, just practice with another move/character(It works with every character, and almost all of the Super/Special moves in the game, so you have many choices, but can be hard with some characters).

Game Versions

Tier List

--God Tier-- (The "brokeniest" characters in the game, and no, they are not tournament banned, because the game is broken by itself)

Geese (Stop using him, we don't like to see cl.HP > f+HK infinites in a match.)
Zero (He is tied with Geese, and has a huge amount of options for any matchup.)

--Near God Tier-- (Broken as well, but has not enough level to be a "God".)

Orochi Iori
#Shin Akuma (A stronger Akuma with infinite meter can't be broken, right?)

--Top Tier-- (Those are just the "unfair" characters)

Demitri
#Red Arremer (Freaking zoning/movement character. He just isn't above Demitri because the Vampire can easily defeat his minions, in the ground or in the air; Shin Akuma has infinite meter, which means infinite Super projectiles; Geese can just infinite him to death; Zero has a lot of options; and O. Iori is just fast enough to stop him.)
Violent Ken
Chun Li
Goenitz
Guile
Terry
Kim
Kyo
Akuma

--Upper mid-- (The Upper Mid guys are probably the coolest characters to play in my opinion, as they are not that unfair -Tessa and Shiki are kinda-, and not that bad to play)

Tessa
Shiki (Death Kiss for ya)
Mai
Iori
Ryu
Earthquake
Dhalsim
Mr. Karate

-- Mid tier -- (The "balanced" guys. It's kinda hard to work with them sometimes, but they can be broken on the right hands)

Ken
Sagat
#Serious/Shin Mr. Karate (He could be Top Tier, because he is a boss character - Say that to Athena -, but... He needs to be on MAXIMUM Mode to do his things, which is kinda hard for him if the opponent likes rushing down. Oh, he can't cancel normals too, making him almost useless outside of MAXIMUM Mode.)
Ryo
Mars People
#Athena (Not sure if she is Low Tier, but I'll put her here, because I like weak bosses.)

-- Low tier -- (The hypest characters in the world. Why? Win with one of them, and you'll see how hype it is. Low tier matches in SvC can be pretty cool too, but it will rarely happen, because everyone loves SvC Geese)

Kasumi
Genjuro
Choi
Hugo
Claw
Boxer
Dictador (Outside of the MAXIMUM Mode, he is tied with the guy below him, probably.)
Dan

Characters with a # are selectable only on console versions of the game. I'm not sure if this tier list can be accepted(I'm updating it from time to time, and I'll make sure that the Tier List is as accurate as possible. I think that the Low Tier part is okay), but anyway. Some Low Tier chars can win against characters from higher tiers, because what matters is the player, not the character(Well, the problem is just... The game is just broken). For the console-only characters, it's just my opinion on where they are located.

The Characters

Akuma/Gouki (Offensive-based shoto character, but has low stamina, like on other games. It's one of those "Glass Cannons".)
Balrog(Boxer) (Has interesting combos, but he isn't that good in this game, sadly. He isn't free to jump a lot too.)
Choi Bounge (The smallest character in the game, and one of the fastest ones as well. If you learn how to use him, you'll be a small target jumping around any direction of the screen in an insane speed. He is not for beginners, but he is very fun to play once you learn how to use him.)
Chun-Li (It's Chun, the Capcom lady, which means she is strong, has easy combos, and she is very easy to master. In my opinion, the SvC Chun-Li is one of her strongest versions.)
Dhalsim (Hard to play, but has great reach on his attacks. He has a huge amount of normals, which makes him one of the hardest characters to master.)
Earthquake (This guy is from Samurai Shodown, and he is SNK's big target, but he is really fast and strong, unlike most big characters in fighting games. We just call him "EQ" for short. For intermediate players.)
Genjyuro Kibagami (He is kinda fun to play, but... Umm... Where is Haohmaru? He is a big target as well although it doesn't looks like, and most zoning characters are very happy when they fight against him.)
Guile (You know what he does, and he is still strong for beginners, and even on high-level matches. SvC has the worst Sonic Boom too.)
Hugo (This is Capcom's big target. If you like grapplers with 360 moves, he is yours. Oh, he can parry moves too. Zangief would be a better option, but we are okay with that. Not for beginners, but if you like grapplers...)
Iori Yagami (One of the most loved SNK characters. He has probably one of the best special anti-airs in the game, and if you like those Rekka characters, Iori is a great choice for beginners.)
Kasumi Todoh (She is based on counter moves, but she has some combo options. I don't think she is for beginners.)
Ken (Coolest character in the game, losing only to his Violent version. Has the best Shoryuken, and his fireball sucks. That's the Ken we know. Good for beginners.)
Kim Kaphwan (Another Rekka character, but he is way more offensive, and be used on defense as well. Very easy to use, and I really recommend him for beginners.)
Kyo Kusanagi (He is using the "school boy" costume, but he doesn't have the classic playstyle, which is sad... Rekka Kyo sucks. He is another easy-to-use Rekka character with great combo options in MAXIMUM Mode.)
Mai Shiranui (The SNK lady, but she isn't that easy. I can say that she is for intermediate players.)
M. Bison(Dictador) (The worst version of Dictador. Has little-to-no combo options, his Exceed can't be confirmed, and his regular Psycho Crusher has no priority. The Dictador is not for beginners.)
Mr. Karate (A SNK character with the Fireball/Uppercut gameplan. He doesn't have many combo options, but he is very easy to learn, I recommend him for beginners.)
Ryo Sakazaki (Another SNK shoto, but he is harder than Mr. Karate. I can say that he is for intermediate players, because you'll need to know how to parry and counter almost any move.)
Ryu (It's the shoto we all know. You don't know who you want to use? Just stick with Ryu to get used to the game, and one day you'll probably find your main.)
Sagat (The strongest SF boss here. Sagat is just a zoning character, like on any other game. If you like to spam projectiles, Sagat is yours.)
Shiki (Another Samurai Shodown character. Her combos are easy in my opinion, but she is a big target, sadly. You can begin with her if you like easy combos.)
Tessa/Tabasa (So... Another zoning character? Well... She is kinda hard to learn here, so I won't recommend her for beginners.)
Terry Bogard (Basic and classic. An easy and strong character to pick. I recommend him for beginners. "Power Wave!" "Crack Shoot!")
Vega(Claw) (Worst version of Claw, that's what I can say. He is not for beginners, but if you're already used to his playstyle, go ahead.)

Sub-Bosses

Geese Howard (Strongest and easiest character in the game. Has infinites, easy MAXIMUM loops, and more stuff. If you're one of those tier whores, use him. Note: If you use Geese, only Geese players will like you.)
Leopold Goenitz (How to use Goenitz: First step - "Koko desu ka?". Second step - Repeat the first step, but use another button. Good for beginners, and in case you like spamming things from far away, he is a great character to choose.)
Mars People (Another zoning character, but I think he... "It" is the weakest one. For intermediate players.)
Orochi Iori (Fastest character in the game, and a strongest version of Iori. Top 3 in the game. The regular Iori is easier to use in my opinion, but their playstyle is pretty similiar.)
Dan Hibiki (He is not exactly a joke here, but he is still the weakest character in the game, probably tied with Dictador. Oh, I almost forgot to say that the Gadouken got nerfed. He is not for beginners, obviously, but very fun to use.)
Demitri Maximoff (Another Shoto, but this one is very zoning-based. Demitri is probably the best zoning character in the game, thanks to the "Fire!, and the "Demon's Cradle!". Easy to use, and has some good combos too. He is Top 4 in the game, and yes, some hidden characters are just broken.)
Violent Ken (Coolest character in the game, is obviously stronger than ther regular Ken, but... To do his things, you'll need good hands. For intermediate players.)
Serious Mr. Karate (The regular version was a Fireball/Uppercut character, so... Is this one the same thing? "No." He can't cancel his normals outside of the MAXIMUM Mode, which means that his game is based on that mode. Can be good for beginners, assuming that he can charge his meter.)
Rockman Zero (On the "Strongest SvC characters" list, Zero is probably tied with Geese, but he is a little harder to use. You'll need some experience to use him.)
Shin Akuma (Stronger Akuma version. He is offensive-based, has double air fireballs, most of his Super Moves won't cost meter, and has an unblockable Exceed, the Misogi. That's Shin Akuma.)

Final Bosses (Only playable on the home versions)

Red Arremer (Another zoning character, but he can put so many things on the screen... Demitri is better anyway. Not for beginners, and has no crouching animation too.)
Athena (She is not the KoF Athena, but I know what she is. She is the weakest boss in the game. Definitively not for beginners, but she can spam things on the screen with her summon specials.)

After you click in one of those above, put the cursor in the character's animation to see his/her best win quote(In my opinion, I mean).