Capcom Fighting Collection 2 - Review

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is another release from Capcom to showcase their expansive library of fighting games from their history. The original Fighting Collection was heavily focussed on the Darkstalkers title, whereas the Marvel vs Capcom series got its own collection. As a result, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 comes with a few of the lesser-known titles by the publisher.

For the most part, every game is emulated fantastically. Every game is defaulted to look like it’s being played on an old-school arcade machine, but the variety of filters on offer allow you to choose the style you prefer. You can also choose from a variety of borders which feature great key artworks from each game.

Where some of the emulation fell apart at times was when I set the game to display the titles at double resolution. For the most part the game shined wonderfully on the Switch, though quite a few times I was met with character sprites and in-game models that glitched out due to the resolution bump. You can turn it on and off on the fly though so turning it off when the game glitches is a simple and quick process.

If previous Capcom collections are considered like branches of a family tree, you could imagine the Street Fighter collection being the nuclear family, the Marvel vs Capcom collection being the cool side of the family, and Capcom Fighting Collection 1 being like an emo side of the family. Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is best described as being the weird cousins of the family. Most of the titles that made it to the game aren’t ones you see spoken about a lot compared to other fighting games, but most are solid titles that deserve a second shot.

The big guns in the collection are the duo of Capcom vs SNK games. Built to be fast paced, the team-based matches and a solid selection of characters from the Capcom and SNK universes is great. I didn’t appreciate the games as much as they deserved when I had them on the GameCube and revisiting them has been an absolute treat.

Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper is probably the other big heavy hitter in the collection. As an enhanced version of my favourite Street Fighter game of all time, I’m pumped by the inclusion of this version of Street Fighter Alpha 3. I’m aware that Capcom initially removed crouch-cancelling from the arcade version but have reintroduced it to the collection for those into maintaining those impressive combo streams.

Other games that may be unfamiliar due to the Western naming include Project Justice and Plasma Sword. Project Justice is the follow up to the more well-known Rival Schools game, while Plasma Sword is the follow up to the not so well-known Star Gladiator game. Both titles are 3D fighting games on a 2D plane. Both games utilise a four-button set up as opposed to the traditional Capcom method of 6-buttons, and both are represented well here, even if their original games weren’t included in the first Capcom Fighting Collection.

Then there’s the two Power Stone games, which I’d heard about prior to the collection but never had the pleasure of playing before. Viewed from an isometric perspective, you aren’t limited to a 2D plane but get to run around a 3D battlefield fighting your opponent. Power Stone 1 is a focused 1-on-1 fighting game, while Power Stone 2 allows up to 4-players to engage in mayhem-filled combat. These two titles are arguably something that you would pull out at a party as opposed to being overly competitive, but the titles were a lot of fun.

Lastly in the collection, is Capcom Fighting Evolution. Critically panned compared to other Capcom fighting games, its inclusion feels important as one of Capcom’s first attempts to combine their own fighting games into one, as opposed to having a “VS” game with another franchise. What they ended up with was a mishmash of Capcom fighting game mechanics all rolled into the one game. It’s a fun game for sure, though there are severe balance issues.

All the games included do play as expected, and the inclusions are their arcade counterparts. You will not find any console versions of games within this collection, for better or worse. This means no extra characters from the console versions are present, which is a bit of a bummer. Thankfully, you can still set things like difficulty, speed, damage and more to customise every game that is included to suit your needs.

A staple that Capcom have included in their fighting games in recent years is the ability to hit a single button that is assigned to special moves and super moves. One of the greatest barriers to many of my friends and family with fighting games was always the complex button combinations needed to perform many of the moves. Of course, this could end up with your friends mashing the L button to try and Hadouken you to death!

The collection overall has a lot to offer, and I anticipate that fighting fans will be keen for the opportunity to delve into some forgotten classics of Capcom’s fighting catalogue. Though whether this has the longevity of Capcom’s other three fighting collections remains to be seen. I personally think this is the weakest of the collections that Capcom have brought out.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is a compilation of the weird, the bizarre, and the downright strange. It’s an interesting decision not to include the original Rival Schools or Star Gladiator games, opting to go straight to their sequels. If you’re looking for a variety of fighting games, you’ll find it here. 2D fighters, 2.5D fighters and 3D fighters are all represented in the collection. There are some minor disappointing decisions not to include console releases as an option, however there are strong customisation options available that make all the titles as accessible to anyone who wants to play. I would highly recommend the collection to anyone that is an avid fighting fan.

The Score

8.0

Review code provided by Capcom

The Pros

A great look into Capcom’s experimental history

Plenty of accessibility and customisation options

Responsiveness is tight

The Cons

Rival Schools and Star Gladiator are strange omissions

Console exclusives are not available

Some glitchiness when resolution is bumped up