The Capcom Fighting Collection is an all-around excellent collection of lesser-known Capcom fighters that fighting game fans and retro enthusiasts will love. A bit more variety outside of Darkstalkers might have been nice, but I really can’t complain about the stellar roster of titles and the way in which they’re presented.
Capcom Fighting Collection
Developer: Capcom
Price: $40
Platform: PS4 (reviewed), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
MonsterVine was provided with a PS4 code for review
Nobody makes fighting games like Capcom does. That’s not to say that companies like SNK and Arc System Works are lesser, by any means. Rather, I’m saying there’s just a certain charm to old-school Capcom fighters that you just won’t find elsewhere. This is true of every title in the Capcom Fighting Collection, which is a great compilation of some of Capcom’s somewhat forgotten titles.
Half of the collection (literally) is Darkstalkers games. Personally, I think this rules, because Darkstalkers has never really gotten its due. At the same time, I think a bit more variety wouldn’t have hurt, as casual fans may not see much difference between some of these games. Vampire Hunter 2: Darkstalkers’ Revenge and Vampire Savior 2: The Lord of Vampire both see their first release outside of Japan here, so not only are they fun to play, but they’re historic releases for Capcom.
All five of the included Darkstalkers games have an unbeatable aesthetic, mixing the spooky, Halloween-esque tone with cool-looking anime ghouls and ghosts. The fighting mechanics are solid, the sprites are iconic (and have stood the test of time, as they’d be reused plenty in future crossover fighters), and the music is grand. It’s one of Capcom’s strangest and best fighting game series, and I look forward to playing more of it with friends through the Capcom Fighting Collection.
“I’ll be playing plenty more of Cyberbots and Red Earth, as they truly are the stand-outs here.“
The other included games are Red Earth (which has never launched outside of arcades), Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness, Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition, Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix, and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. Most of the games in the collection also include handy training modes, while they all include visual filters and difficulty modifiers to make the experience as nostalgic or accessible as you want it to be. You can play the Japanese versions of each game too, which is a nice touch.
Gem Fighter and Puzzle Fighter II have a similar chibi art style, and differ greatly from the other games in this collection. Gem Fighter is a more straightforward and cutesy fighter that features characters from Street Fighter, Darkstalkers, and Red Earth, and some interesting gem-based experience mechanics layered into the combat. It’s a fun little fighter overall, but Puzzle Fighter II is even better. It’s a puzzle game in the vein of Columns, but with cute little sprites of iconic Capcom characters brawling in the middle as you match colors. It’s addictive, visually memorable, and it has great music, so I can’t recommend it enough.
Hyper Street Fighter II is something of a mash-up of every previous version of Street Fighter II. It has a huge roster, and it’s all sorts of crazy to play. It’s the best version of Street Fighter II, and I can see myself having some goofy local fun with friends playing it. The visuals here are probably the roughest in the collection, but they still have appeal.
Finally, there’s Red Earth and Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness, which are the two coolest games in this collection. Red Earth is more of a boss battle-centered fighter where you pick one of a few fantasy characters and battle folklore-inspired and just plain badass foes. It plays super smooth and looks incredible, and is the single biggest reason to purchase the Capcom Fighting Collection. Cyberbots is a mech-based fighter, where you battle various other mech suits as one of several memorable characters. It’s a much heavier fighter where the hits all feel impactful, and the aesthetic is completely unique. I’ll be playing plenty more of Cyberbots and Red Earth, as they truly are the stand-outs here.
There’s a whole Museum mode that features concept art, music, and other neat additions for retro enthusiasts. There’s a lot of content in there, and I enjoyed looking through the different pieces and learning a bit more about these classic games.
The Final Word
The Capcom Fighting Collection is a strong grouping of Capcom’s smaller fighters. Red Earth and Cyberbots alone make this a very neat collection, but the entire package is truly worthwhile. Fighting fans of all stripes will find something to enjoy here, though Darkstalkers fans will be especially happy.
MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Great
