The Video Game Revue

Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2

Christmas is just over a week away, and while I've been pretty good so far about not buying anything for myself, I did break down a little today and pick up a cheap copy of Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2. As you might recall, I'm a sucker for those PS2 collections of old arcade games, and while my library of them is far from exhaustive, I have managed to cover a lot of bases.

In a nutshell, Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 pales in comparison to Vol 1, and while it's not a bad compilation overall, it only needs to be seriously considered for purchase by dedicated Capcom fans. I'm certainly glad that I picked it up, but if you don't already have and adore the original Capcom Classics Collection, you'd be well advised to start there. The original Capcom Classics Collection features many A-grade titles including Street Fighter II (and Turbo), 1943 (and Kai), Ghosts 'n' Goblins, Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, Gun.Smoke, and Final Fight. Right there you've got your bases for shooters, fighters, and brawlers covered.

What Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 offers, for the most part, are more shooters, fighters, and brawlers of the B-grade variety. The headliners for this collection include Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Strider, Knights of the Round, 1941, and Captain Commando. Of the various other games, there are many duds, and a few games that are more interesting for historical purposes than because of the gaming experience that they offer--such as the original Street Fighter, and Quiz & Dragons.

SSF2T is certainly nothing to scoff at. It was one of the pivotal titles involved in the development of the Street Fighter II series moving into the late 90s and the 32-bit generation of games, and it is still a viable option for tournaments today. As such, SSF2T one of the few "must have" games on this collection, but unless you're a 2D fighting game fanatic, that's probably not a big enough draw to sell you on the collection as a whole.

Strider is another great game, and a personal favourite of mine; I'm really glad to see it in this compilation. It may seem clumsy and awkward at first, but actually the controls, graphics, and nearly everything about this game are top-notch for the era in which it was made. Once you get the hang of it, Strider is an addictive and rewarding game experience that will draw you back time and again.

Knights of the Round is a solid brawler, and Captain Commando is even more-so, but although they are fairly good games, neither has the subtle genius that makes Final Fight such a classic. On the other hand, if you like old school street brawlers and Final Fight alone isn't enough to keep you happy, Knights of the Round and Captain Commando should serve you well. Because street brawlers are one of the most accessible genres of classic arcade games, I imagine that these two titles in particular will draw the attention of most gamers who rent, borrow, or buy this collection without knowing in advance what they're in for.

As for 1941, it's one of the best 1942/1943 series titles that I've ever played, but it remains lacking compared to 1943 and 1943 Kai. Like so many of the other titles in this collection, 1941 is a solid game that provides a few hours of quality diversion but doesn't offer much in the way of lasting appeal. There's a line somewhere between a game that's good and a great game that sticks in your memory, and 1941 lies squarely on the "good game" side.

One great thing about Capcom Classics Collection Vol 2 are the options and extras. The collection maintains separate high scores lists for different game settings (one for "normal" settings, one for "custom" settings, and one for "hardcore" settings), as well as allows the player to save and load the current game state at any time for any game in the collection. These two features alone are things that I've wished for in every other retro games compilation that I've played. One can also unlock tips, art, and music features for each game, which is a nice touch although not overly exciting.

There are two extras in particular that really go the extra mile in this collection. The first is a remixed version of the Trivial Pursuit style game Quiz & Dragons in which all of the questions are about games published by Capcom. So instead of being bothered about US Presidents and what movies from the 1950s through 1980s won Academy Awards, you get questions about Resident Evil, Mega Man, and countless other wacky Capcom subjects. The second is a short series of tutorial videos by David Sirlin on how to seriously play Super Street Fighter II Turbo. In a value priced retro games compilation such as this, these bonus features add a lot of value for a gamer such as myself.

Given all of that, it shouldn't surprise you to hear that I'm very glad to have picked up Capcom Classics Collection Vol 2. I recognize that the title has a very limited appeal, of course--it just happens to have exactly the right kind of appeal to be worth my while. Most gamers would probably be bored of this compilation within an hour, unless they're either big Street Fighter fans or especially patient with old games. Still, it's worth renting on a rainy day, or if you loved the original Capcom Classics Collection and are looking for more of the like, you may find this one appealing as well.

posted by Parappa @ 6:40 PM