I don’t think any entity in the video game industry has a better catalog than arcade classics Capcom. These are just facts. The rose-tinted glasses shone in a time when those titles reigned supreme in bowling alleys and various other pixelated entertainment venues. As a fan of modern and classic fighting games, oldies hold a special place in my heart, even though I’ve never been able to play them in their heyday.
So when I get a chance to preview Capcom Fighting Collection, an upcoming package deal with many of the company’s most popular games of the era, I can’t miss. Even if at first glance the compilation screams like a love letter to the games inside, whether it’s enough to make these games shine — and how it technically holds up — remains a mystery.
Complete packaging, bursting with style
Let’s start with the complete package. The Capcom Fighting Collection contains a total of 10 classic fighting games. While this isn’t the first time Capcom has worked hard to bring some of its more popular classics to the modern system, here are some gems that have still disappeared over time, or are unique to Japan.
You can get all the entries in the Darkstalkers series here, including Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge, Vampire Savior: The Lord, vampire Hunter 2: Darkstalkers’ Revenge and Vampire Savior 2: The Lord. The last two have never been offered outside of Japan, so it’s great to be able to get in and test them 25 years after they first came out.
You don’t have to be a fan of vampires, mummies, ghosts or ghouls to get value from games in Capcom’s Fighting Collection. Some of the more niche titles in Capcom’s repertoire are faithfully reproduced here, such as Cyberbots, Gem Fighter, and Super Puzzle Fighter II: Turbo. If you’re more inclined towards a more traditional fighting game experience, you’ve got Super Street Fighter II: Anniversary Edition and Red Clay. For those unaware, this last one is especially notable, as this is the first time the game has been pulled from arcade cabinets for a home console version.
As far as game selection goes, it’s hard to find issues. Darkstalkers are the clear winners here, and the existence of the entire series is sure to cause the scary community that still resonates with the series to push back into their sleeping coffins. The effort to include a game that was previously stuck in the arcade on the other side of the world was enough to make me giddy enough to start it. Gone are the days when random tourists and English teachers posted on forums and recorded titles like Red Earth and Vampire Savior 2 with their handheld cameras. Being able to actually jump into these titles and have them work effortlessly has been an invaluable experience.
Speaking of, you’ll be happy to see that I haven’t had technical glitches on any of the titles. Everything runs at a smooth 60 degrees, no frame skips, no freezes, no issues. Of course, this is the standard you should expect. The game consists of arcade games from more than 20 years ago and is not very dense for modern hardware. My computer isn’t particularly sturdy, but it runs silky smooth.
Add and adjust
The Capcom Fighting Collection isn’t just about ten titles slapping together, as the package includes some much-needed quality-of-life changes to smooth out the bumpy transition from arcade to cozy home. With the exception of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, every game has a training mode that you can use as you like. For those looking for an easier journey through the past, quick saves and customizable controls, there are customizable difficulty options.
These are great additions for those who want a sneak peek at these games without objecting to the challenging gameplay the genre is known for.
A treat for super fans
For those of you who are absolutely ingrained in the games in the Capcom Fighting Collection, there’s a lot here – it’s all available in the museum. This part of the game is filled with official art, concept work, design files, and previously unreleased material that you can spend minutes or hours staring at. With all the high resolutions and gifts packaged in the iconic style we mentioned earlier, each game has plenty to enjoy outside of combat. We’re talking over 500 art pieces and 400 music tracks here – more than enough for those super nerds who like to search on these things.
For those who pre-order the game, there’s some exclusive art and music available (we can’t show it in this preview, you’ll have to pick up the game yourself to see them), but it’s a really impressive extra Content For those of you who are clueless about the headlines appearing here. Is the appeal of in-game museums a niche market? Yes, but if we’re being completely honest, the crowd that might pick up Capcom’s fighting collection will most likely fall into the crowd that can stare at Morrigan’s early photos, or sit there with their mouths wide open and look at some Red Earth promotional material.
what is still uncertain
Right now, this is just a preview, which means some aspects of the game are untested and the quality is uncertain. The biggest question mark is online multiplayer, which was still unheard of in the time I previewed it. While the game does have rollback networking code — which is some high-quality networking software that goes a long way in establishing a stable connection between players — it’s not an automatic pass. After all, Street Fighter V has been rolled back, but your experience in Capcom’s contemporary fighter could be very different.
So we can’t talk about how the game is doing online, that’s important! Even before the pandemic, the idea of meeting and playing a classic fighting game was impossible for many people. Believe it or not, in every city in the world, there’s usually not a large group of people who come down to meet and play Dark Stalker in person. So we’re eager to learn more about how the game handles online multiplayer ahead of launch.
If it works, multiplayer games look rich. It comes with ranked and casual queues, custom lobbies, and dedicated spectator modes. So for those with competitive intentions or a group of friends looking to fight it from time to time, this is likely to be the best part of the long game.
Additionally, we can only test the PC version of the game in this preview. While the Capcom Fighting Collection will release on PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and Steam, we can’t test all but the last of the performances right now. I stand by the quality of the game on my computer, but can’t speak to how it runs on anything else.
Overall, from what we’ve seen, the Capcom Fighting Collection is a fantastic combo for those with a past. Unless the online or other version tragically disappoints the whole product, it’s an easy piece of advice for someone who eats this kind of stuff.
Capcom Fighting Collection PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Steam launching on June 24.
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