Capcom has a long history with fighting games and after celebrating Street Fighter’s 30th anniversary with a collection of Street Fighter games, the company is back to highlight its other fighting games. Collected here are ten of the most underrated Capcom Fighting Games and a unique Street Fighter, and the overall package is amazing.
While the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection was well regarded, it did fall short in some respects. Many took issue with the way the online was handled in that collection, and it felt like some quality of life improvements should have been added where they were not. Capcom Fighting collection fixes both of these issues with flawless rollback netcode for all the games, numerous quality of life improvements and more.
Each game included both the Japanese and western versions (with the exception of two titles that never left Japan before), and include multiple touches such as options to remap controls, multiple screen options for borders and multiple filters to find the visual look right for you such as once that replicates the arcade screen look. The games now contain save states and in-game achievements, and like with previous collections, there is an extensive museum mode with lots of art and music to explore. The emulation of the games themselves is perfect and without any input lag, and the only real issue is the lobby system which can be frustrating to use when looking for online matches.
As for the games themselves, well among them is Red Earth, which never left arcades before. Red Earth, or War-Zard as it was called in Japan, is actually a neat hybrid of fighting game and beat ‘em up game, with interesting mechanics. There are two modes here, the versus mode which sees you choose one of four characters and go at it against another player. This mode can be played online in the collection, but it is not the main draw of the game.
The main draw of Red Earth/War-Zard is the quest mode. This mode is essentially a boss rush beat ‘em up game with a detailed story mode. This mode makes heavy use of RPG mechanics, such as levelling up characters and there are multiple endings for each playable character depending on your actions. Red Earth/ War-Zard is a gorgeous game to look at as it has enormous characters and detailed art and everything pops off the screen, and the music is amazing. This is a brilliant game that made use of its limited roster, to create something new in the genre.
Obviously, the main allure of the collection for many is the inclusion of multiple Darkstalkers games. This series of monster-themed fighters have always had a devoted hardcore fanbase who have been clamouring for new entries. While no new entries are coming yet, the inclusion of five games in the series with great online is a real treat. Darkstalkers, Nightwarriors Darkstalkers Revenge, Vampire Savior, Vampire Savior 2 and Vampire Hunter 2 are the games included, with the last two previously being Japan-only titles.
The Darkstalkers games are home to fast-paced combat and beloved characters such as the succubus Morrigan, the cat girl Felicia, the Chinese vampire Hsien Ko and of course the werewolf Talbain. The games show a clear evolution from game to game to the point where Vampire Savior disposed of the two-round system in favour of a double health bar and more speed. These are combo-heavy games with absolutely gorgeous artwork, animation and music, and stand out still as a fighting game fan’s ideal series.
The reason for Vampire Savior 2 and Vampire Hunter 2’s existence is actually rather interesting. Multiple versions of the third game were needed due to the CPS 2 board not being able to handle all the characters and data at once. It was not just a case of character swaps, as the two additional versions also swapped out gameplay mechanics as well, making each version different.
There was a complete version of the game but it was released on Sega Dreamcast with later versions on PS2 and PSP. This version would be a great inclusion as DLC or for a fighting collection 2 down the line. As it stands out, Darkstalkers is a horror-fighting game series with great lore and excellent fighting mechanics that anyone can get the hang of, and with the right filters, the series shines brighter than ever here.
Also included is Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, which is a neat little spinoff. This is a tile-matching game where pulling off combos will result in your character performing attacks on your opponent. This is a very competitive puzzle game against either the computer or an opponent.
Strategy is key here, and some exploits exist that are great to find out about and learn how to use. This is a game that you learn by playing and it is extremely satisfying. The addition of online makes this game stand out even more due to it being very different from the other games on the collection, and the lag-free experience makes this a competitive puzzle gamer’s dream come true.
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo used a chibi art style for the characters and that art style was reused for Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix, aka Pocket Fighter. This is a comedic fighting game which makes use of gems that can be found throughout the matches to power-up characters, akin to Red Earth/War-Zard, while also taking concepts from Darkstalkers in the form of elemental hits. The characters come from both the Street Fighter and Darkstalkers series, and also an appearance from Tessa from red Earth/War-Zard, giving that game more attention.
Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix is incredibly easy to learn and fun to get into. Characters will reference other Capcom series, such as Felicia briefly taking on the appearance of Mega Man for instance, and Chun Li into Jill Valentine. What makes this game so accessible is its unique control scheme which used dedicated special buttons for instance, and yet still provided depth to players who put in the effort to excel at the game.
Cyberbots: Full Metal Madness is actually a sequel to the beat ‘em up game Armored Warriors, one of the better beat ‘em ups the company released. Cyberbots is a unique take on fighting games as you actually select two characters technically before you start the fight. There are six characters to choose from, but then you must choose one of four mechs to use and then one of three armour suit types for the mech, and the different choices for the mechs add some great variety.
In single-player mode, the game has a detailed story mode for each of the pilot characters, and as you play, you will always see the mech you are currently using in cutscenes, even if you switched out the mech due to using a continue. The mechs themselves have a great amount of variety to them, and a good amount of weight making the game feel different than a fighting game with human characters, but rather a true mech game instead.
Cyberbots seems like a bit of a basic fighter at first, but it soon becomes clear how deep the mechanics are. From intense combos to full-screen supers and finishing moves, Cyberbots has a lot to offer for fighting game fanatics. One interesting element, for example, is the fact that the mechs limbs can be knocked off which prevents moves from being done until they are picked up again, which was originally from Armored Warriors, while moves and weapons will have a cool-down effect in play as well.
The various mechs and their abilities all make for a fighting game that is very different from the usual Capcom fare, even when taking stuff like Red Earth/War-Zard and Darkstalkers into account, and it deserves a follow-up. There actually was a spiritual sequel made by Capcom, but it was a 3D fighting game and the weight did not have the same feel to it. Playing this one online will make you realize just how creative some of the mechanics here are.
And lastly, we come to Street Fighter. Hyper Street Fighter II collects every single playable character from the five full arcade versions of Street Fighter II, and also adds selection menus for the speed of the game and what style of game you want to play. This is essentially a Steet Fighter II collection in its own right, while at the same time being a best-of version. The game was first released on PS2 then given an arcade release in Japan in 2003 and was made using the CPS-II (CP System II) board for an authentic feel.
You can jump into multiple styles and rosters of Street Fighter II versions, including “Normal” which contains the eight characters from the original Street Fighter II, and does not allow mirror matches, “Champ” (or “Dash” in Japan) which is based on Champion Edition and adds the four Shadaloo Bosses to the roster. “Turbo” is of course based on Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, while “Super” adds the new characters introduced in Super Street Fighter II. Lastly, there is “Super T” ( known as “Super X” in Japan) which saw its gameplay be based on Super Street Fighter II Turbo and of course added Akum to the roster.
Selecting a style will also determine the way your chosen character works, from the moves to animation and voice acting, which means while there are 17 unique characters, you will in fact have 65-character variations in all. This is Street Fighter II at its arcade best and the online play works amazingly here. While it should have been included in the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, it is good that it was brought to the Capcom Fighter Collection where it can shine,
Conclusion
All in all, the is a fantastic collection of fighting games, and the addition of tutorial modes to adjust to the controls is a nice inclusion. As mentioned earlier, the lobby system for online matches is not the best, due to some cumbersome interface options, but that is the most that can be criticized. Everything plays well here and it is clear a lot of love was put into the product.
All this being said, some fighting games were not included and it would be good to see a second collection with more fighters. Ideally, this would include Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower, the aforementioned complete version of Darkstalkers 3, the Two Saturday Night Slam Masters games (which are coming to Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium along with many of the fighters here), and yes even Capcom Fighting Evolution for as flawed as it is. It would also be great to see many of the console versions with exclusive content such as the Dreamcast version of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo be added and of course the 3D fighting games like Star Gladiators and Plasma Sword, Rival Schools. Project Justice, Power Stone 1 and 2 and Tech Romancer, the aforementioned spiritual sequel to Cyberbots, all deserve a collection as well.
For a fighting game fan, this collection is a doorway to paradise, with the amount of love, devotion and care put into the package. Even if you are not a super fan of fighting games, these are easy to get into and Super Puzzle Fighter II and Red Earth have something else to offer, while Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix is a great introductory fighting game to learn and master. This collection is highly recommended.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.
Available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch.
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch