Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2

8.5
Great

Gameplay	9.0	"A great collection of some arcade greats."
Graphics	7.0
Sound	7.0
Value	10

By Liam O'Connor

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When it comes to retro collections, there are two potential audiences: the people who know and love these games and the people who have never heard of them. For the former, the concern is what titles are included and how well have they been emulated. For the latter, the concern is what titles are included and whether or not they’re worth shelling out $80 for.

Because being succinct is always a good thing, I can save both groups plenty of time by simply saying that for $80 you get 20 arcade titles, including Strider, Varth, Three Wonders, and Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, from AAA developer Capcom’s golden years, and all of them are emulated perfectly and then some.

If you’re a retro junkie, then you’re going to be pleased to learn that there is finally a solid port of Varth, Strider, and Three Wonders for the PlayStation 2. You’re going to be pleased when you hear that all of these games offer a wide range of features that other developers neglect in such collections, like 60Hz modes and unlockable content. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo even offers an impressively detailed tutorial and a progressive scan mode!

If you didn’t play video games in the late 80s and early 90s (or if you weren’t alive then), then you’re going to be pleased to learn that Capcom have always been regarded as one of the best developers for both the arcade and home consoles, and that Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 contains some of their greatest work. Games like Varth and Strider still hold their own against Capcom’s newer fare, like Dead Rising and Lost Planet.

When you consider that SNES titles are selling for roughly $15 a pop on Nintendo’s Virtual Console, then you can appreciate that 20 games for $80 is a great deal, even if one or two of them are stinkers like the original Street Fighter. The only downside is that the Dual Shock controller absolutely sucks for playing these games, especially Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, so you’re really going to want to invest in an arcade stick.

Ultimately, with the PlayStation 2’s days numbered, it would be tempting to be cynical about classics collections, seeing them as an attempt to dump cheap tat on a console starving for games and sucker in those that bought recently at Christmas or cannot upgrade. However, with so many absolute classics on Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2, it’s impossible to say anything mean about it.

Well, ok, I can say the original Street Fighter sucks. But if you’re looking for some hearty content at a solid price, and if you’ve got an arcade stick or you can stand the Dual Shock’s d-pad, then you’ll want to look at picking it up. No, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo isn’t worth $80, but it easily is when it’s combined with games like these:

1941, Avengers, Black Tiger, Block Block, Captain Commando, Eco Fighters, The King of Dragons, Knights of the Round, Last Duel, Magic Sword, Mega Twins, Quiz and Dragons, Side Arms, Street Fighter, Strider, Three Wonders, Tiger Road, and Varth.

Okay, well maybe not Street Fighter.

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