Capcom have really mastered these quality fighting collections over the last few years.

And it really shows just how deep their roster of fighting games goes, with this latest one really diving deeply into their bag of tricks.

Out of the shadows of Marvel vs Capcom and a spate of quality Streetfighter titles, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 ventures into the obscure with games you may have never played, some you once loved and some that will sure to become new favourites.

Beginning with Capcom vs SNK, which offers an interesting roster of fighters from very familiar faces to some relative unknowns, this is more of a classic 2D fighter that follows a tag team format.

From your vintage Street fighters like Ryu, Bison, Sagat and Guile to more unexpected brawlers like Sakura, Mai and Eagle, this is a fast-paced brawler that plays it mostly safe with its systems but mixes things up in interesting ways.

At the start, you choose a Capcom Groove or SNK Groove, each of which plays and caters more towards players of those fighters with Capcom Groove having a Super Combo Level Gauge System which is built up to Level 3. And at max, your specials are at their most powerful once they’re all stacked.

Meanwhile the SNK Gauge offers an Exra Gauge system  where once the gauge is fully charged, your attack level increases for additional moments until eventually you perform your super special move. It’s a great way to help the two massive fighting franchises crossover and makes sure both sets of fans have a game they can really understand dive right into. Outside of being able to play with their favourite fighters, of course.

Originally an arcade game that then went over to Dreamcast and PlayStation, you can see the game has an upgraded visual style with some stunning 3D background effects like trains coming at the screen, characters gradually populating in the background and shadows flickering against brick walls. This has one of the most stunning 2D fighting styles of any game we’ve seen in these collections to date and it has the gameplay to match.

Being able to switch the order of your fighters easily is also a really cool approach for this one that gives you some autonomy over each fight. And you’ll need it as there’s a spike of difficulty in that final fight that really grips at the throat. You are not winning this one easily.

It’s Capcom vs SNK Mark of the Millennium 2001 that further develops that formula, though, offering six different groove types to further customise that playstyle, with Super Combo Level Gauges and Advanced Power Gauge Systems, as well as three on three challenges, letting you really experiment with the much deeper roster.

The 3D effects are also much more striking, with an arena that partly rotates as you move and dirt rider cars leaping over the battleground as you fight. Even taking you inside a wrestling ring.

Capcom Fighting Evolution is an interesting mix that brings a bunch of classic franchises together such as Darkstalkers, Street Fighter, and Red Earth for tag team action and more custom combos. The game has the strangest combination of fighters yet with a flame elemental, Sphinx, T-Rex and Lion with a sword.

Each cast of fighters has a different way of playing that suits the base game, like Street Fighter Alpha’s custom combos and Darkstalker’s hard chain combos. It’s one of the easiest to get into and its characters are some of the most distinct in all the games, each playing very differently. But all in, the game is a good time.

Rounding out the 2D fighters, of course, is a Street Fighter game with Street Fighter Alpha 3 UPPER. It’s polished, fast-paced, full of the best fighters in the series, and is complete with that beautiful net code and online play.

Street Fighter Alpha 3 UPPER really leans into the combo system and lets you obliterate your opponent in fast-paced fashion, all admist stunning flashes and glimmers to commemorate the action.

As with all Street Fighter games, it’s among the most polished and highest quality of all releases and a quality fighter stood next to the Capcom vs SNK titles. It looks beautiful, plays like a dream and stands shoulder to shoulder with just about any fighter on the market today.

But that’s not the main story of this collection as Capcom move beyond the classic arcade era they’re known for and show the beginnings of their 3D fighting future with the return of Power Stone.

This series has been long awaited and highly desired by fans for years. A classic collection on Dreamcast that had been lost to time and now brought back for this collection with 1 and 2.

Playing very similarly to one another, Power Stone is an arena battler where you fight against one another, picking up colored gems to power up, using items to weaken the enemy down, then use specials to beat them. To fighting outside a pub, to an airship, Power Stone was one of the most creative, interesting new arena battlers of its time.

By picking up three gems, your fighter transforms into a super suit that makes them stronger with fusions, drives and maximum punches and kicks that munches into health bars.

You’ll also pick up swords, guns, fire bottles, bombs and whatever else you can find to use as weapons, but also grab onto poles and ceilings to get out of harms way and use the environment to your advantage.

Power Stone 2 meanwhile adds four player battles, which feels closer to the Smash Bros format and really makes this the more definitive multiplayer experience of the two. But you can also work in a team as well and actually raise a defeated character by giving them half your health. It adds an intriguing strategic layer to any tag team warfare.

The Power Stone games are among the best reasons to own this collection, but there’s still two other games we’ve not talked about yet. Project Justice is an interesting mix of a visual, interactive novel and a high school drama beat-em-up that bares more than a passing resemblance to Tekken with the rotating arenas and 3D environments.

As a group of three high schoolers you travel to rival schools to fight against other students and work together to make sure your school stands head and shoulders above the rest. You support each other by countering enemy attacks and using team ups to claim a win.

It’s not especially memorable – despite being distinct enough from the rest – but it’s not even the weakest inclusion in the collection by a long shot. It’s a decent 3D fighter despite the purposefully bad story, but it’s Plasma Sword that gets the honors of being the most forgettable game in this collection.

Seeing the high quality 2D fighters Capcom put out, Plasma Sword was a clear tricky segueway into 3D fighting. A sequel to Star Gladiator, the polygonic art style is quite distinct as is the Sci-Fi, futuristic setting with alien characters with claws for hands and glowing discs. By Capcom standards, this one doesn’t really hit the mark, though ironically it’s better than many other 3D fighters of the era that felt soulless and lifeless.

Still, when you look at the quality of the action and compare to the other 7 games in the list, it is the one weak point. That it’s also kinda bad in a good way, so worth an experience if nothing else.

So that’s the collection. It’s extensive, varied and offers some absolute bangers for the very low price point. It’s worth it and that’s before we talk about the online multiplayer, the various display settings, being able to alternate between the English and Japanese versions with ease, establish training and even check out a museum of quality material.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is an incredible compilation of quality. From the fantastic Capcom vs SNK to the return of Power Stone, this collection has it all and really shows the movement of an arcade fighting legend as they transitioned the fighting game from their roots to the emerging 3D technology.

Offering online multiplayer for all of these quality games gives them brand new, exciting ways to play and keep them fresh, though it is a shame cross-play isn’t available across all formats.

But all in all, you will not find a much better fighting collection than this one – perhaps Capcom’s previous Marvel vs Capcom, though that’s a personal preference. I absolutely adore the quality, variety and options here, and hope this sees the resurgence of one or two of these franchises for future Capcom titles. This certainly opens some doors.

Verdict

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 might just be one of the greatest fighting game collections in history. There’s so much quality here, so much value, but also complete respect in its restoration with solid online capabilities, loving recreation with display and sound options and a real look into Capcom’s incredible history, showing both the best and worst. All at a value price. Some minor weaknesses aside, this is a must-play for fight fans and a deeper reminder of just how good Capcom are and how much they’ve influenced an entire genre for years across multiple generations. 

Pros

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Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is out now on PC, PS, Switch and Xbox.

Played on Xbox Series X

Code Kindly Provided by Capcom for review purposes