Capcom Classics
Collection Vol. 2 once again offers a big bundle of nostalgia on a single disc.
Not to be confused with a Street Fighter collection, Mega Man collection, or
Puzzle collection, Classics Collection 2 compiles a variety of Capcom’s greatest
arcade games onto your Playstation 2 from way back in the day.
Capcom Classics
Collection includes 20 classic arcade games: 1941 Counter Attack, Avengers,
Black Tiger, Block Block, Captain Commando, Eco Fighters, King of Dragons,
Knights of the Round, Last Duel, Magic Sword, Mega Twins, Quiz and Dragons, Side
Arms, Street Fighter, Strider, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, The Speed Rumbler,
Three Wonders, Tiger Road, and Varth. There is also a bonus game called Capcom
Quiz and Dragons.
All these games
are offered in list form alphabetically. When choosing a game you’re offered the
opportunity to access bonus features for that game, change the options, view the
high scores, or simply play it. Each game has an extensive list of options, from
the difficulty to the amount of allowed continues. Some even have speed options
and even more in-depth gameplay tweaks. All the games even allow you to set up
the controller however you want.
Under bonus
you’ll initially find a short history on each title. There are also tips,
artwork, and soundtracks that you can access for each game, but these have to be
unlocked. In typical Capcom fashion, each bonus feature has a set objective that
must be completed within that game to gain access to it. This is a great way to
add some replay value, or even incentive to do well on your first play-through.
This collection
has a nice mix of titles, but the majority seems to lean towards the beat ‘em
ups. Most of the games featured in Collection 2 is of the “walk around and beat
bad guys up” ilk. Thrown in the mix are a few shooters and puzzle games, but the
main theme here is brawlers. But with games like Magic Sword, Knights of the
Round, King of Dragons, and Captain Commando that isn’t really a bad thing.
As with every
collection, you’re going to get some games you don’t like. It’s inevitable. Some
of the games in Collection 2 are pretty bad; Avengers and The Speed Rumbler are
a couple good examples. Of course this is all going to be determined by each
gamer’s opinion, but I enjoyed most of the games in this compilation.
As an extra
bonus title, Capcom Quiz and Dragons was included almost as an easter egg, since
it isn’t featured in the main list of games. This is basically Quiz and Dragons,
but all the questions are replaced with Capcom trivia. Questions about various
Capcom series like Resident Evil, Onimusha, Final Fight, Street Fighter, Mega
Man, and Devil May Cry pop up, and they can range from very obvious to very
obscure (down to what color of pants a character wears). But doing well in
Capcom Quiz can actually earn you cheats and bonus options in the other arcade
titles.
Navigating the
game list is extremely painless. Load times are very short, and jumping in and
out of games is a breeze. The collection has its own menu that travels from game
to game, so at any point during play you can access the menu to change options,
save progress, or quit back to menu.
Capcom Classics
Collection Vol. 2 has a great selection of games. Side-scrollers, fighting,
shooters, and puzzle games are all represented, though most of the really good
games happen to be the side-scrollers. Even when there are some stinkers, for
only 20 dollars it’s hard to go wrong. That’s less than a dollar a game, and
some of these are real classics.
|
Review Scoring Details for Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 |
Gameplay: 8.3
While not all the
games are great, I found that when starting one up I had a hard time turning it
off. Some of the games on this collection are a lot of fun, and will no doubt
bring back memories. While others aren’t very good, and will most likely not see
any more than a single play, others create a balance by remaining great.
Graphics: 6.5
I hate knocking
classics for their graphics, because that really isn’t the point of retro
gaming. But there’s no way to give these old graphics a high score when they’re
so old.
Sound: 7.0
The quality of the
sound is about the same as the graphics: old. But even so, some of the music in
these old games was pretty good.
Difficulty: Easy – Hard
The difficulty is
entirely in the player’s hands. In each game you are able to alter the
difficulty, number of continues, number of lives, etc. It is very possible to
beat every game on the list with infinite continues, it just takes time.
Concept: 7.0
Capcom is starting
to run out of titles, and it shows when they begin to include the same titles in
multiple compilations. I still love seeing classic gaming on current-gen
consoles, but repetition can be a buzz kill.
Multiplayer: 8.3
The gameplay doesn’t
change much when going multiplayer, it just keeps you from getting lonely.
Sharing the nostalgia is always a good time, and most of these games allow 3 to
4 players at once.
Overall: 8.0
If you’re not a fan
of side-scrolling brawlers you may not find this collection quite as
entertaining. There are other genres within the collection, but the beat ‘em ups
are definitely what shine the brightest. Either way, if you like either Capcom
or classic gaming you’ll most likely have a good time with this one.
