Capcom Fighting Collection 2 Review

Last month, we previewed the upcoming Capcom Fighting Collection 2 and had the chance to experience the majority of the game. Now that we’ve got our hands on the full release, has anything changed? Initial impressions were positive of the overall package, but this review will go a little more in-depth, looking at all of the eight available titles.

Each game offers a variety of features, from screen filters that recreate the arcade visuals to being able to quick save and pick up where you left off in single-player. As well as the ability to completely remap your button layout, a new setting that allows for one-button special attacks has also been added; very useful for newcomers! Then, there are the galleries that let you check out things such as concept art and music tracks for each game. If you’re someone who has fond memories of these titles, then these little extras are always welcome.

If online is your main focus, then this collection has an impressive amount of options to play around with. Casual and Ranked matches are, of course, included, with these allowing you to find opponents in any or all of the games. Custom matches open up the parameters more, giving players the freedom to set specific rules or spectate their friends. Then, High Score Challenge has you vying for a place at the top of a leaderboard by competing under set rules. All titles employ rollback netcode that results in a much smoother experience, which competitive players will be very pleased about!

It’s also worth noting that there have been some additions since the preview. The main one being an offline Versus mode, which is always a bonus if you just fancy a quick scrap. Other nice touches include being able to change the resolution and the option to perform a quick restart, rather than having to quit to the main menu.

First, let’s look at the 2D titles, starting with Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro and Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001. What makes these interesting are the Ratio and Groove systems. Ratio allows you to have one to four team members, depending on their Ratio Points. With a maximum of four points per team, it makes for an intriguing system when selecting who to play as. For example, Akuma has four points, meaning you’ll only be able to have him as your sole fighter, but characters such as Cammy and Yuri only cost one, allowing for more variety in your team.

The Groove system determines the type of Super Gauge you have. The first game has a choice of two, with the Capcom Groove charging the gauge the more you attack, whilst the SNK Groove must be manually charged. Each has its own pros and cons, and this is further developed in Capcom vs. SNK 2 when there are six Grooves to choose from! It’s not exactly newcomer-friendly, but with the dedicated training mode and marquee cards that give players a run-down of each Groove, it wasn’t too difficult to get to grips with.

Next up from the 2D games is Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, available on Western shores for the first time ever! Whilst this may seem similar to the Capcom vs. SNK titles at a surface level, this time, instead of the Groove mechanic, we have Ism’s. First, there’s X-ism, where maintaining distance and waiting for the perfect time to strike is the name of the game. The second is A-ism, which focuses more on techniques and allows up to three gauges to be stored. Finally, V-ism is all about creativity, creating your own combos whilst on the offensive.

Again, it’s not forgiving to newbies, and I did have to do some online research in order to decipher just what each Ism’s strengths were. Once I’d got to grips with them and figured out which one was for me, Alpha 3 Upper became one of my favourites from this collection and the one I dedicated the most time to mastering.

Capcom Fighting Evolution is the final 2D brawler, a game that features characters from five different Capcom titles: Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter II, Street Fighter III, Darkstalkers, and Red Earth. Fighters from each title have their own unique fighting systems taken from the respective games, which not only gives players a variety of mechanics to get to grips with, but makes online play almost impossible to plan for! You’ll pick a team of any two fighters, with the option to select either one between rounds, even if they lost the previous one.

It’s absolutely frantic at times, especially against other players, and this was one that I felt I needed to learn more about the most. Making sure you’re up to speed on the best defence for a certain character and the gauge they have can be crucial, but it was exhilarating once the hard work paid off!

Moving on to the 3D titles, first up is Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein. The oldest game in the collection and perhaps the most visually unique, this has a fantastic sci-fi aesthetic and is more akin to something like the Soul Calibur series. Unfortunately, like many early polygonal fighters, it feels clunky to control, and fighters were a little sluggish. Its large roster of varied characters and the Plasma Field mechanic — which transforms your combatant for a limited time, granting them a unique attack or buff, such as turning into a giant or stopping time — are impressive features, though.

Not a terrible game by any means, but perhaps the weakest in the collection and suffers the most from the limitations of its era. Still, pitting aliens and robots against each other with legally distinct lightsabers will never not be cool.

It’s Project Justice’s turn now, and much like Plasma Sword, this is a 3D fighter that doesn’t hold up quite as well in today's gaming landscape. Project Justice is a battle of trios, and the most interesting mechanic here is the Team Up techniques. By utilising your other fighters mid-battle, you’ll be able to unleash some crazy team combos, as well as counter an enemy Team Up manoeuvre. It’s a fun system, and mixing different fighters to see which team I played best with was genuinely enjoyable and felt very rewarding once I’d locked in my three mains.

Finally, the two games that are most unlike the rest in this collection: Power Stone and Power Stone 2. These are the titles I have the fondest memories of playing on the Dreamcast, and I'm surprised how well they still play. Granted, they certainly feel like a product of their time, but they are undoubtedly a blast to play today. The first title pits you one-on-one, with the second game being a four-person manic brawl. Both play the same, with the objective each round (other than KOing the opposition) being to collect three Power Stones in order to supercharge your character. This then lets players unleash more powerful attacks, as well as a Power Fusion, which is sure to decimate anyone unfortunate enough to get too close.

Aside from that, there's a feeling of the Super Smash Bros. series thanks to the array of weapons and items that litter the arenas. From bazookas to giant mallets, these transform what is a relatively simple fighter into all-out chaos. An absolute blast to play with others!

Overall, this is a collection of eight (mostly) solid fighting games, and there isn’t really an overwhelmingly bad one amongst the bunch. Sure, some might have aged better than others, but the full package is more than just a nostalgia-fuelled trip. Perhaps the greatest addition is the ability to play every title online, with more than enough options to customise to suit every player.