Back in September, Capcom fighting game fans had a major wish granted with Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, which bundled the entire collection of 2D Marvel-centric fighting games–and a side-scrolling beat-’em-up to boot–in an all-in-one package. It was what fans of Marvel Vs. Capcom had wanted for years, particularly with Marvel Vs. Capcom 2’s inclusion, and it made multiple fighting games seemingly lost to time reappear on the scene in an instant.
Now, Capcom has the unenviable task of following it up with Capcom Fighting Collection 2, the true sequel to the first classic fighting compendium from 2022. This new collection features the same great quality-of-life additions as the others: a “museum” with concept art and design documents, a music player with each game’s soundtrack at the ready, rollback netcode, etc. However, there are only so many old fighting games in Capcom’s vault to collect, and Capcom Fighting Collection 2 has a few indicators that the well may be drying up.
The “marquee” games in this bundle–based on the key art, at least–are the Capcom Vs. SNK games, which paired fighters from the libraries of both Capcom and SNK in one big battle. Both games utilized the brilliant Ratio system, which lets you change the strength of the characters you choose. Each game implemented this system differently; Capcom Vs. SNK assigned ratio levels, from one to four, to specific characters, while the sequel let you assign the ratios after selecting your character.
From there, you can then choose between a Capcom style of play or an SNK style–or in the case of CvS2’s “Groove” system, C-Groove, A-Groove, P-Groove, S-Groove, N-Groove, or K-Groove. Each of these replicates abilities and super meters from each company’s portfolio; C-Groove, for instance, is a three-level super bar a la Street Fighter Alpha, whereas S-Groove works like Fatal Fury Special where you can charge the meter at will.
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These systems play a huge part in how well both of these games–Capcom Vs. SNK 2 in particular–carry over into the modern day. They are still as intense and engaging as they were when they first launched, as you can experiment with different teams, ratios, and grooves until you find your sweet spot. Now, you can take those preferred teams online thanks to the excellent rollback netcode as well, which makes them even more appealing.
Next, Power Stone and Power Stone 2 are two highly requested titles finally making the jump from the Dreamcast to modern consoles. These two games eschew the traditional side angle view of the other games on this list for a 3D arena-style approach, where you can freely roam around the stage, pick up items, and use them in battle. The original Power Stone allows for two players, while Power Stone 2 includes up to four at one time.
Power Stone 2 perfected the formula and is still a really fun party-style fighter when you have four players in a room together. It holds up very well today, as the chaos of the arena will make you laugh while you try to pummel your opponents. The first Power Stone, however, doesn’t hold up quite as well. It’s slower and less precise, which results in matches dragging a bit, and the CPU is particularly difficult even in the first stage of Arcade mode. Both Power Stone games deserved to be included here, but I suspect Power Stone 2 will be the one to see more screen time as more players dive into the collection.
Now we come to the black sheep of Capcom fighting games, Capcom Fighting Evolution, a 2D team-based fighter where the entire roster is made up of Capcom characters. On paper, this should have been a smash hit; Capcom’s roster is diverse enough that you could build a stacked lineup for a fighter with little issue. However, something about Capcom Fighting Evolution just feels off in execution, especially when standing next to Capcom Vs. SNK 2, which originally launched four years prior.
The characters are divided by the games they hail from, and they fight as they did in those games, super meters and all. Even the divisions are odd–Ryu is from Street Fighter 2, while Chun-Li is grouped under Street Fighter 3. The styles don’t mesh well with other characters, either, especially those from Red Earth, who are fun to play with but have a much more convoluted system to work around than, say, the Street Fighter Alpha group. It’s a weird game, and while it’s worth preserving in a collection like this, I don’t think it will catch on with such stiff competition.
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, meanwhile, is what many consider to be the peak version of SFA3 from the arcade days, as it includes extra characters from the console versions along with some balance updates. The differences won’t be obvious to casual fighting game players–the biggest change is a crouch-canceling glitch that helped a specific play style–but even then, you’re still playing one of Capcom’s best 2D fighters ever made, so it’s a win-win.
The final two games in the collection are from Capcom’s 3D era, around the time of the original PlayStation. First there’s Plasma Sword, which for many will answer the question, “What’s up with that Hayato guy from Marvel Vs. Capcom 2?” This is a fun and unique fighter with a futuristic bent, one that allows you to shut off an opponent’s super meter by landing a certain move, which also buffs your weapon for a brief period. The character Rain is notably interesting, as her staff will freeze an opponent with every hit while in this special state, making her a powerful choice.
Finally, there’s Project Justice, the previously Dreamcast-only sequel to Rival Schools: United By Fate. Rival School and Project Justice are interesting entries in Capcom’s history, which take advantage of the tech at the time for full 3D graphics and movement, along with a 3v3 team-based format that mimics SNK’s The King of Fighters. Oh, and the roster is made up of high school archetypes–athletes like baseball player Shoma, lone-wolf types like Akira and her famous skull helmet, etc.–which makes them somehow even more intriguing. While both Rival Schools games would have been welcome, Project Justice making the cut is a great decision.
Regardless of each game’s individual quality, all of them benefit from incredible emulation; Capcom’s ability to bring these games to the modern era in these bundles continues to be impressive. Nothing is lost in the process, and very few issues are gained; these are the same feature-complete games we played when they originally launched, recreated faithfully, and it’s laudable that Capcom takes such painstaking care in preserving its library.
All eight of these games benefit from rollback netcode as well, and nearly every match I fought online felt great, with very few technical issues. In fact, the only tech hiccup I noticed was in single-player mode; whenever I faced off against Guy in Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, the game seemed like it couldn’t handle how fast he was moving. I’d see graphical tears in the background, the occasional stutter, and some other small issues, but they did eventually resolve… even if that resolution involved me going to the continue screen.
It’s hard to tell how many more of these fighting collections Capcom can pursue. So far, the selection of games in each of them–Capcom Fighting Collection 2 included–has been sufficient enough that the bundle is worth the price of admission. In this case, Capcom Vs. SNK 2, Project Justice, Power Stone 2, Plasma Sword, and Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper are incredible games worthy of a renewed spotlight. Capcom Fighting Evolution, Power Stone, and Capcom Vs. SNK Pro are not bad ports; however, the games themselves show a little more age than the others, especially those paired up with their sequels.
All told, this is another great compendium of some of Capcom’s best fighting games in their history. How many more Capcom can put together, however, remains to be seen.
