Capcom Fighting Collection 2
Review
A Celebration of retro fighting games
by Ingvi Snædal
reviewed on PC
STANDS THE TEST OF TIME
When these games were released, throwing your controller at the screen in frustration was not a problem. Cathode ray TVs could take a beating, much like the controllers of yesteryear. Today, a momentary lapse of judgment spells doom for both your flimsy flatscreen and the delicate sensors and gizmos in your controller.
Playing Capcom Fighting Collection 2 against my 7-year-old daughter made me acutely aware of this risk. The urge to throw a fit was constant.
CLASSIC COLLECTION
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 includes Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro, Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001, Capcom Fighting Evolution, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Power Stone 1+2, Project Justice, and Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein.
Each of these games serves up a varied roster of characters you'll remember from Capcom's library of fighting games, including many of those featured in 2022's Capcom Fighting Collection. If you're looking for your Marvel character fix, though, 2024's Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics will scratch that itch.
PARTY LIKE IT'S 2001
Booting up Power Stone again to play with my daughter felt like unlocking a time capsule. One second you're on the character select screen, the next you're dodging furniture. Nostalgia hits harder than a wooden chair to the face.
But the true testament to the longevity of these games is that it took no time for my daughter, who usually plays Roblox and Minecraft, to pick up and learn the controls in a matter of minutes. The art style is so colourful and fun, she barely noticed that the image on the 75" TV looked like a moving mosaic. I have to commend the team for not going the 'remastered' route and instead focusing their efforts on making the game run smoothly with online multiplayer support.
MODERN TECH, OLD-SCHOOL HYPE
Matches feel tight, even when you're fighting someone across the world who still thinks mashing buttons is a strategy, and with High Score Challenge mode, your skills are always compared to the global population of players, so claims of greatness can and will be fact-checked.
Online lobbies let you squad up, throw down, and spectate the action as it happens. Co-op tag-ins work great, and that one friend who always blames lag has no excuses (at least none to be taken seriously).
But the way these games are meant to be played is sitting side-by-side, on a couch, within striking distance of a flying bowl of popcorn and preferably close enough to be partially deafened by the primal screams of whoever is getting their dériere kicked.
And that's where I found myself as my daughter picked the cutest, pinkest characters in every game, and then mashing the buttons until I let out a sound she'd never heard before and mimicked chucking the controller to the ground.
And the worst part...
...I saw myself in the grin on her face. I felt exactly the same beating my brothers at these games 20+ years ago.
MORE THAN FIGHTS
Between the unlocked artwork, dev notes, and over 300 original bangers in the music player, this is a celebration of retro fighting games. A celebration that proves these games will never not be legendary.
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7.0
fun score
Pros
Lightning-fast roundhouse kick to the nostalgia bone
Cons
Very little variety and no progression
