A Knockout Nostalgia Trip
Now, I may be showing my age here, but I can just about remember heading down the arcades to have a go on the 2p pusher and 5p slot machine. Most importantly though, I was there to play video games. Granted, I was growing up in the era of Time Crisis and House of the Dead so I came along a little too late to experience the iconic sight of a row of cabinets lined up side by side in the wild.
It’s exactly this golden age of arcade gaming that Capcom Fighting Collection 2 harks back to. Granted, this scene was something of a novelty here in Britain when compared to Japan, or even America. Each game in this bundle even has an image included of the original marquee card from the cabinet itself that outlines the various button combinations needed to best your opponent. Now that’s proper nostalgia.
Featuring a collection of titles originally released between 1998 – 2004, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is made up of eight games. These are: Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro, Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001, Capcom Fighting Evolution, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Power Stone, Power Stone 2, Project Justice and Plasma Sword 2.
Crossover Clashes and Alpha Evolution
Let’s start with perhaps the most well known games in the collection where the world of Capcom trades blows with that of SNK. Emblematic characters such as Ryu and Terry can spar in this crossover which focuses on “grooves” that alter the play style and tactics depending on which of the styles you choose. This means you’ll focus on different aspects such as combos, parrying or building up your rage meter which mixes up the gameplay. You can build a team of up to four fighters and ratio towards your preferred character before heading out to take on other fighters around the globe. Oh, and you’ll likely run into M. Bison or Geese before too long.
Both Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro and Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 are deeply tactical fighters, offering almost endless combinations thanks to the 48 characters on offer and six different grooves to choose from. I had a great time with both which still stand up well today when it comes to the classic 2D fighter.
Next up, a title I remember owning for my Game Boy Advance – Street Fighter Alpha 3. This is all about the “ISMs” when it comes to your style of play, alongside an impressive roster of 35 characters. Cody and Guy also feature from the legendary Final Fight series which, perhaps controversially, are my favourite characters available here.
The graphical style leans towards the brighter, hand-drawn side and as a result is less gritty than some of the other fighters, but is no less enjoyable. Having three ISMs to choose from makes Street Fighter Alpha 3 a little more accessible and for me one of the releases that sits closely to the mighty Street Fighter II. It’s a technically brilliant fighter and solidified itself as my favourite of the collection the more I played.
3D Fracas and Schoolyard Scuffles
For something a little different, both Power Stone and Power Stone 2 make their return in Capcom Fighting Collection 2. Evoking Mario party vibes, the 3D arena battling is pure arcade chaos of a different type to the other games included here. It’s good to have both games chucked in, but the sequel is superior to the original by building on what made it so successful.
Power Stone 2 allows four players to simultaneously battle it out across a variety of different stages with moving hazards, over-the-top items to assist and the power stones themselves. Collect three of these to unleash your special attack and do serious damage.
Again, it’s a game which holds up well to this day and is a blast with friends. The short bursts of frantic action which don’t require complicated combos or intense skill level the playing field, allowing everyone to dive in for some casual scrapping. If there’s one series that’s crying out for Capcom to return to for a proper sequel, it’s this one.
Now we come to the oddments in the collection, Plasma Sword 2 and Project Justice. Visually reminiscent of Virtua Fighter, the first of these games feels stripped back compared to the bigger beasts of the collection, but is still good fun. The special move system remains, along with the familiar base attacks, but is not too complex.
The arcade mode is somewhat personalised to each character, offering up specific encounters as you progress through each stage whilst learning more about your selected fighter. It’s hard for Plasma Sword 2 to get a look in compared to some of the other games here, but it scores points for curiosity alone.
Project Justice wins the award for the most offbeat premise of the lot in Capcom Fighting Collection 2. Put simply, school fighters are being targeted in a plot by a ninja assassin to rule Japan. The arcade mode allows you to face off in battles across different schools in the area.
What makes this game interesting is the Team-Up system, as Project Justice works with a partner mechanic. This makes the special moves varied and genuinely amusing, allowing for all sorts of different combinations. The fighting is pretty tight too and again not as complex as some of the other games, but actually feels all the better for it.
Eclectic Experiments
Finally, we get to Capcom Fighting Evolution. This is something of an event, as five Capcom games crossover to produce an impressive line-up of fighters. Aside from the usual suspects, tearing up the arena as a dinosaur or squid is also possible here. Bringing so many games together has its challenges, the main one being the variety of different fighting systems and styles in play. Rather than be standardised over a handful of options, each character feels more unique and as a result some seem to easily wipe the floor with others. Guy, for example, seemed untouchable in some bouts which was fortunate for me when selecting him.
On balance, Capcom Fighting Evolution can’t quite match Street Fighter Alpha 3 or the SNK crossovers, but it does give you the opportunity to play as some truly unique characters. That alone justifies its inclusion here as far as I’m concerned.
Every game in Capcom fighting Collection 2 allows you to play the arcade mode, hone your skills in the training arena or simply jump straight into a versus match locally. Rather excitingly, you can also take each title online to be embarrassed on the global stage. What’s that? Just me? More on that in a minute.
Overall, the balance of games in Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is well struck. There are some big hitters, lesser known curiosities for the geeks out there which will likely receive less attention in the main and despite some titles being stronger than others, no absolute stinkers. Sure, you’ll find similarities in a fair few but this is a self proclaimed fighting collection after all. The truth is that there’s likely something for everyone here.
Online Arenas and Museum Treasures
In a treat aimed at fans, the museum boasts over 700 pieces of artwork from across all the games in Capcom Fighting Collection 2. These not only consist of official character and concept art, but also behind the scenes materials sketched during development. If that’s not enough, the groovy soundtrack is made up of over 300 tracks which you can spin when you like in the music player.
In a sign of just how far we’ve come over the past few decades, each title in Capcom Collection 2 boasts a suite of new features. The most significant is the ability to play every game online. The lobby experience is silky smooth, giving you the opportunity to wait in the classic fashion, or instead go and chill in the museum menus whilst the matchmaking happens discreetly in the background.
There are a few different ways to play, including casual and ranked matches as well as chasing high scores. The other big changes come in the accessibility sphere with an aim to open up these classics to all players, even those that are rubbish at fighting games like me. You can simply adjust the difficulty to your liking, or instead hit up the training mode to put the groundwork into earning those victories.
If executing the special moves is proving tricky, and let’s face it fighting games are all about mastering the combos, you have the ability to pull them off with one simple button press and focus on the enjoyment of knocking seven bells out of your opponents instead.
Unlike in the arcades, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 gives you the power to save your progress pretty much at any time, and jump back in at your convenience. This also helps you tackle each game without getting your backside handed to you and being forced to start over. Okay yes, that happened to me quite frequently.
A Polished Package Punching Above Its Weight
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is certainly a polished package, shining light on some well known and less well known titles from Capcom’s back catalogue. Instead of simply bundling a group of games together for re-release, the Japanese developer has put in considerable effort to supplement each of them with modern features whilst remaining faithful to the originals.
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is a well balanced compilation of games with broad appeal, skilfully and faithfully enhanced for the modern player.
Important Links
Round Two! Hands-On with the Capcom Fighting Collection 2 – https://www.thexboxhub.com/round-two-hands-on-with-the-capcom-fighting-collection-2/
Buy Capcom Fighting Collection 2 on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/capcom-fighting-collection-2/9N61WC19B7KF
