Capcom certainly
has a lot to be proud about considering their back catalog of classic titles
that have entertained us for years. Gamers that remember plucking quarter after
quarter in Ghosts ‘n Goblins or Street Fighter II remember these
games fondly so when Capcom announced that they would package a collection of
these classics on the PSP, an old-school gamer such as myself can only cheer.
Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded is this fine company’s second offering
of classic games and, so far, one of the best yet.
Many things can
be said about Remixed, Capcom’s first collection of classics, but the
biggest gripe just happened to be that there was no real favorites gamers fell
in love with back in the day. Thankfully, Reloaded manages to give us all
the games we wanted the first time around including some obscure (1943 Kai
was released in Japan only) or forgotten titles (such as Son Son).
This time around there are 19 games that we have wanted to play again since they
announced the Classics Collection and thankfully they play wonderfully on the
PSP.
Reloaded
brings us the World War II aerial combat shooter 1942 as well as its
sequel 1943 as well as 1943 Kai. Then there’s the Nazi-blasting
shooter Commando, the action shooter Mercs as well as the cowboy
shot ’em up Gunsmoke. For those who loved Capcom’s early flight shooters
there’s Exed Exes, Vulgus as well as 1994’s Eco Fighters.
Fans of the Ghosts n’ Goblins games will be happy to find that game as
well as the sequels Ghouls ‘n Ghosts and Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts.
Street Fighter fans aren’t left behind either with Street Fighter II
plus the related Championship Edition and Hyper Fighting
upgrade. Finally there’s the forgotten classics like The King of Dragons,
Pirate Ship Higemaru, Knights of the Round and Son Son.
As far as
collections on the PSP go, Reloaded does cram in all these classics
without altering them or messing with the levels. These are the games you
remember playing and its good to see them in all their glory. The Street
Fighter II and the Ghost ‘n Goblins games alone are worth the price
of admission while the rest just give you more bang for your buck. Even after
all these years it’s still fun to storm the enemy stronghold in Commando
as Super Joe or hoping on your horse and shooting down bandits as Billy the
Cowboy in Gunsmoke. Fans of Street Fighter II will love the fact
that all three editions of the game play just as well on the PSP as it did in
the arcade.
Really, Capcom
does a masterful job of translating each game on the PSP with a few visual
sacrifices along the way. It’s not to say that this is an unattractive
compilation but naturally means not all the games fit on the PSP widescreen as
well as they should (more on that a bit later). What the game does perfectly is
tallying up your score for each game to allow you to unlock extras for each
game. These Coins you earn can be used to win a bonus prize in a slot machine to
win prizes such as cheats or extra lives. Believe me when I say that there are
literally hundreds of unlockable goodies in this collection. There’s also
wireless multiplayer that works nicely, especially when you want to challenge a
friend to a fight in Street Fighter II. Capcom also added Game Sharing,
which allows a friend to download some of the games without having to buy a
copy.
As far as the
visual translation is concerned, a large majority of the games look excellent on
the PSP screen but then again some games seem to have been shrunk considerably
like Gunsmoke, 1942 as well as Commando. This isn’t really
bad seeing as you can still make out grenades tossed at you in Commando
and the visuals are nicely colorful. Secondly, while dated, the visuals for
games like Knights of the Round (a side-scrolling Golden Axe
rip-off starring King Arthur and Lancelot) are still pretty impressive and are
easy on the eyes. Even the overall presentation and menu screen are nice to look
at and many of the classics do have dazzling effects.
The same thing
can be said about the game’s sound, which is composed of synthesizer music and
over-exaggerated sound effects. It’s pure 80s/early 90s arcade-styled noise and
music and for some reason it never really annoys. For some the opening tunes for
games like Ghosts ‘n Goblins or Commando will bring back great
memories of when you first played and loved these games. There are some music
remixes that are actually nice when unlocked and inserted in the game but they
are no substitute for the old scores and sound effects.
Capcom
Classics Collection Reloaded
brings us a collection of favorites gamers new and old will
definitely want to experience on the PSP. While there are still some forgotten
gems that haven’t made it to the collection (again), there is very little to
complain about seeing as the games presented here are the type of classics we
would love to have with us wherever we go. Add wireless multiplayer and plenty
of unlockable goodies and we have a PSP game worth our hard earned cash.
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Gameplay: 8.5
The collection
of games featured here play really well on the PSP and many of them feel more
comfortable on a portable format. Capcom’s first collection bundle included some
great titles but Reloaded adds the ones we have been wanting to replay
again such as Commando or even the almost forgotten Son Son.
Graphics: 7.0
The majority
of the games actually do look good on the PSP widescreen while the others do
look like they were crammed in uncomfortably (see Gunsmoke or 1943).
For the most part many of the games still do look very good (see Knights of
the Round or The King of Dragons) but remember that some of these
games were released in the early to mid 1980s.
Sound: 7.5
If you grew up
with these games you’ll still remember most of each game’s music that might seem
prehistoric to most but still endearing to those that loved these games. Capcom
actually tries hard to bring out the sound effects through the PSP speakers as
well as add alternate music and does a great job in the process.
Difficulty:
Medium/Hard
Some of these
game were so challenging back in the day that each cabinet would eat every
quarter in your pocket before you knew it and some of these games are actually
still challenging today. Games like Gunsmoke and Super Ghouls ‘n
Ghosts alone will have you trying hard to get through the first level.
Concept: 8.5
There are
still some classics missing from this collection but what is offered here is
still nothing to complain about. It’s hard to complain when you have a game that
includes Ghosts ‘n Goblins as well as both the Hyper Fighting and
Championship Edition of Street Fighter II. The wireless
multiplayer mode and Game Sharing feature are just too, well, totally awesome.
Oh, and the loads of unlockable extras are enough to make a gamer drool.
Multiplayer:
8.5
Aside from
giving you flashbacks of dropping in quarter after quarter at your local arcade
or pizza joint, you’ll also remember how fun it was to have a friend join you in
Commando or fight a friend in Street Fighter II. These games were
meant to be shared then and they certainly are still fun sharing them now.
Overall: 8.5
Capcom finally
strikes retro gaming gold with Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded for
the PSP. Not only does it cram in dozens of unforgettable classics into one
tasty package but the games featured here still hold up wonderfully after all
these years. Really, if you grew up with any of these cool games buying this
collection is a no-brainer.
