While driving my brother to the mall one night, we were discussing my final score for Capcom's Capcom Fighting Evolution for the PS2. I was arguing that the game deserves a very low score because it doesn't have any interesting modes, to which my brother angrily replied, "What modes would Capcom put in a fighting game? Name one mode that'd make that game better?"

I didn't have an answer and there's a good reason for that. Historically, aside from some intense tag team action in Marvel Vs Capcom 2, many of Capcom's 2D fighters have lacked fun modes to check out. It's always been about the fighting, so as I began this review for Capcom Fighting Evolution, I decided to cut it a little slack. Note that I said "a little" because it still has numerous shortcomings that you shouldn't put up with in 2004, especially from a 2D fighter. However, at the same time this game's a lot of fun to play, and is worth picking up if you're a fan of Capcom, 2D fighters, or using Ryu to pound on a giant T-Rex named Hauzer.

Capcom Fighting Evolution is a crossover game that pits fighters from six of Capcom's best games against one another in a winner takes all smack down. Featuring 20+ characters from Capcom Fighting Evolution, Street Fighter II, Darkstalkers, Street Fighter III, Red Earth, and Street Fighter Alpha, the list of fighters is skimpy, but good enough that you'll be able to find someone that suits your taste. If you're a die hard Street Fighter fan, then you'll be able to do some damage with familiar world warriors Ryu, Guile, Chun Li, Yun, and Zangief, among others, and if you want to experience something a little on the wild side, Felicia and Anakaris from Darkstalkers are in the game (as well as a few other whacky looking characters). Of course, if you really want to go nuts I recommend checking out the bizarre cast from Red Earth, which includes such cool fighters as Hauzer the dinosaur and Hydron the...the...thing. They spice things up a bit and keep the game from looking like just another Street Fighter rehash.

Truth be told, there's a lot of Street Fighter in this game. In fact, it's too much. With so many colorful characters from other 2D games, it would've been nice if Capcom tossed in more fighters. Compared to MvC2, Fighting Evolution's roster is razor thin.

As for the game's graphics, how do you feel about the mid to late nineties? Were you a fan of 2D animation back then? If yes, I hope you still like it, because Fighting Evolution is one ugly game. The character animation is fantastic, but all of the fighters are a washed out and pixilated mess, and the backgrounds are even worse. Aside from the people watching you, nothing moves, so it's like you're battling in front of a painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. What's even worse is how Capcom teases us by including fighters in the backgrounds who aren't in the game! Oh! Nice to see that E. Honda, Dhalsim, and the rest of the Street Fighter family showed up to watch my fight (and cheer with their three frames of animation)! Hey guys, why don't you get your lazy butts to the character select screen!?!

If you're looking to do anything aside from one-on-one fighting, you'll be sorely disappointed with Fighting Evolution's skimpy selection of modes. You have Arcade Mode (of course), Vs Mode (duh), and Training Mode (doy). Oh wait! I almost forgot about Options Mode, where you can tinker with the game settings! In fact, the only exciting thing about this game is being able to switch characters between rounds, which isn't thrilling to begin with.

Let's be honest about this though. This game's all about the one-on-one, and thankfully Fighting Evolution delivers the goods. It's ugly as sin (and online play is mysteriously absent), but the game's a lot of fun to play, and pitting the characters against one another and learning their moves will keep you busy for a while. Just seeing Sakura beat the crap out of a dinosaur that takes up almost half the screen is worth the price of admission. Also, if we know anything about Capcom, this game is merely a test to see if we'll bite, and if we do, the chances are pretty good that the company will release a sequel that has 89 characters, a fast-paced tag-team mode, and horrible elevator music, to which I say; bring it on!

Here's the bottom line. Yes, Fighting Evolution looks like garbage and doesn't have anything interesting to mess with outside of its standard one-on-one fighting, but think about this logically. Even if the game had 58 billion characters, would you really play as more than seven at the most (seven, not seven billion)? Its features are few, but the game's still fun and for $29.99 it's definitely worth a look. Not on par with other 2D fighters, but still pretty damn solid.