The latest of CAPCOM's Street Fighter original soundtracks, for the most part, have ranged from adequate to exceptional. Although the compositions for each game have been well written, some of the recorded music has suffered from sounding cheap. This time around composer Satoshi Ise (sound designer Street Fighter III 3rd Strike) has crafted a powerfully charged, techno tour de force. Easily the best soundtrack of the in-house composed Street Fighter games brought to the next generation (32 bit and up).

The music for CAPCOM vs. SNK keeps intact CAPCOM's recent use of techno and urban genres, but Mr. Ise, has also infused the grittier electronic styles employed by the sound teams of NAMCO's recent Tekken entries. The majority of pieces here are instrumentals, although some songs do incorporate vocals. "Chun Li vs. Mai" and "Ryu vs Ryo" are a couple of great tracks (29,30) with cool music (the former having the better music) backing the best tuants and battle cries the guys and girls have to offer. "Stage of Final Fight" is a hard rappin' tune that is exceptional, but not for minors. The final two selections on the disc are not listed in the booklet, but both songs are excellent. Track 31 is a straight forward club mix, while track 32 has a smoother and more sophisticated sound.

CAPCOM vs. SNK is a turning point for Street Fighter music and is defiantly a worthwhile addition to your game music library. It deserves domestic release (although the import Suleputer CD cost about $23) so more people can enjoy Mr. Ise's groove.

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CAPCOM V. SNK is owned by CAPCOM