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Lately, Capcom has been knocking it out of the park with every new game. Yet, that doesn’t mean oldies aren’t equally great. I had the opportunity to play a few of the games coming to Capcom Fighting Collection 2. In short, these ports are some of the best out there. Not only do they capture the arcade days of yore, but they also bring many new systems that make every entry feel as modern as every other fighting game out there. Whether you grew up with these titles or are trying them for the first time, you’ll have a blast with how smooth each one feels.
For this preview, I tried Power Stone 2, Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro, and Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein. However, these aren’t the only games coming at launch. Yet, these were enough to convince me that this collection will be a blast for everyone and one of the best we’ve seen recently.
Power Stone 2
I started with the 2000 classic, especially since I love the battle royale-type games from those years. Power Stone 2 pits four players in an ever-changing arena, and you need to make your way through the many perilous levels by grabbing power-ups, grabbing items that fall from the sky, and using the environment against your enemies.
Out of the three games, this is the one that grabbed me the most. It was way too addictive. I never played the original, mind you, so I was a bit nervous about whether I’d get the hang of it quickly or not, but I did. Pulling off combos was easy, and grabbing the bubble-shooting guns and other items was highly intuitive. Furthermore, the movement was as snappy as it can get. Since this one works in a 3D environment where many things are happening, I expected a bit of jank. But it never happened. I could pull off air combos, grab a weapon, and run effortlessly to the other end of the arena.
Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro
While the above one is the one I spent the most time on, this one surprised me the most. I’ve spent dozens of hours in Street Fighter 6 and have become familiar with the modern controls. Most of these are quite accessible to new players or someone like me who isn’t a fighting master. Imagine my surprise when the controls of this game felt like that. I kid you not. Playing Cammy here felt like I was using her back in SF6, with less VFX, that is. Yet, the moves, the combos, and even the special attacks felt quite familiar and intuitive. Speaking of, I went in blind without reading the control guide, and I was beating the ever-living heck out of Rugal without breaking a sweat.
While I stuck with my favorite characters, I used as many as possible from SNK and Capcom. Every single one felt responsive. Even those that should have the most challenging moves to pull off didn’t feel too challenging. Yet, I played only in Arcade mode, so I imagine skilled fighters out there will wipe the floor with me once Capcom Fighting Collection 2 goes live. But as someone who plays these types of games casually, I found it great to see that this one was so easy to grasp. On top of that, the character models looked gorgeous in all their retro glory, so that was a massive plus for me.
Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein
The last one I tried for this preview was Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein. I must shamefully admit I had no idea it existed until I saw it in Capcom Fighting Collection 2. Still, it was one I loved as much as the previous two. This one is a full-blown 3D fighter with over-the-top characters and quite an interesting story. Once you pick a space gladiator, you’re thrown into a stage against another sci-fi fighter and duke it out until there’s only one left standing.
Again, I expected this one to be quite complicated, especially since this is the only one I did not know of. Yet, I pulled off special moves every chance and swept the floor with every fighter the game threw at me. Like Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro, controls were highly intuitive here. I only needed two fights to grasp my character, and when I switched to another one, learning their moves was as easy. Out of the three, I felt this one was the most difficult, not in terms of controls, camera movements, or mechanics, but due to late-game fighters throwing all sorts of combos at you. Still, I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.
A Collection of Retro Greatness
Ultimately, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 does a terrific job of blending retro with modern, which isn’t something that many games are able to pull off. Often, we see some ports with almost no new additions or frustrating controls. However, this collection does the opposite. It brings the titles some of us grew up with but adds many hints of modernized features to make them feel like they launched recently.
While there are still games to play in this collection, these three perfectly showcase the amazing job Capcom has done to revive the classic fighting era. Whether you want some battle royale adventures with over-the-top boss fights and chaotic arena or prefer some good old 2D fighting with flashy combos and a lot of strategy, you’ll find these things and more right here, albeit with modern features and other welcome additions to make the experience feel nostalgic and fresh at the same time.
