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Tom's Guide
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 makes me nostalgic for the Dreamcast
This article is part of Tom's Guide's inaugural Gaming Week, an entire week of content dedicated to all things gaming. From insights into the latest hardware, guides to the best games you can play today, to the essential accessories we can't play without. Tom's Guide Gaming Week will guide you through the world of video games in 2025. I've been having the time of my life playing Capcom Fighting Collection 2. Like Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection before it, this latest compilation features some of the company's finest arcade games in one package. It's fantastic not just for fans of these games, but for those who are brand-new to the likes of Capcom vs. SNK or Power Stone. I've been a fighting game fanatic since the Street Fighter II days, but I didn't get to play most of the games in Capcom Fighting Collection 2. Some weren't released in North America until years later, or weren't ported at all. Except for Street Fighter Alpha 3 and the two Power Stone games, this collection packs a bunch of titles that are brand-new to me. But while I'm just now getting acquainted with games like Plasma Sword and Project Justice, I'm also experiencing nostalgia for one of my all-time favorite gaming consoles thanks to Capcom's latest collection. As you can see from this article's headline, it's none other than my beloved Sega Dreamcast. That might seem random, but there are good reasons why Capcom Fighting Collection 2 takes me back to the glorious Dreamcast days. Read on to find out! The most obvious reason Capcom Fighting Collection 2 reminds me of the Dreamcast is that most of its games were available on Sega's final main game that takes me right back to 1999 is the original Power Stone. Playing on Falco's 'Londo' stage reminds me of the countless hours my friends and I sunk into a Dreamcast demo disc featuring that level. The game's colorful graphics and unique art style, which are way more imaginative than some current titles, were and are a grand showcase for what the Dreamcast was capable of. Power Stone is as fun now as it was back in the day. Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing about Power Stone 2. I hoped that the intervening decades since I've played this sequel would make me appreciate it. But just as when I originally played it, this game is far too hectic and random for me to enjoy. I realize having four characters brawling on perilous stages is the main draw, but it's too frantic for me. Aside from its fun graphics, I still can't get into Power Stone 2. Then we have Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, which is the last arcade version of this game. I played the North American version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 on Dreamcast but didn't play Upper, which was only released in Japan. Still, since this is the same basic Alpha 3 experience, replaying it in this collection also took me back to the early '00s. The Sega Dreamcast had the same hardware architecture as the Sega Naomi arcade board. This made it easier for developers to port Naomi-based arcade games like Project Justice and Power Stone to the Dreamcast. Sure, the Naomi system had increased main memory, graphics memory and sound memory, but Dreamcast ports were virtually identical. The way Dreamcast generated polygons, textures, colors, and sound gave its games a distinct feel. If you're like me, you can likely spot a Dreamcast game from a mile away. It's for that reason that Project Justice and the Capcom vs. SNK games made me even more nostalgic for the Dreamcast, even though I've never played them. They're the embodiment of what the Dreamcast (and Naomi) could do. While on this topic, I want to single out Plasma Sword, which utilized the PlayStation-based ZN-2 hardware. While this Star Wars-inspired 3D fighter has a slightly different look than the Naomi-based 3D games in this collection, it still gives me that Dreamcast feel. Lastly, let me bring up my favorite games on this collection: Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 and Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium. The latter, which is overall the better of the two, features 2D sprites and 3D backgrounds like Marvel vs. Capcom 2. However, it does a much better job of melding the two. It's an excellent example of how well the Dreamcast was at generating 2D and 3D elements. The Sega Dreamcast only lasted for a year and a half in North America before Sega bowed out of the console race. Despite its untimely demise, it's a system I still cherish due to its excellent graphical prowess and library of incredible games. Playing Capcom Fighting Collection 2 takes me back to my late teens/early 20s, when things seemed simpler and purer. If you're also a Dreamcast fan or someone who just wants to play some awesome old-school fighting games, do yourself a favor and pick up Capcom Fighting Collection 2. I promise you'll have the time of your life.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is a celebration of early 2000s brawlers
Fighting games fans thought it would never happen. But then the first Capcom Fighting Game Collection came out last fall with remasters for some of the most important titles from the mid to late 90s (plus one from the 2000s) — all in the same package. We're talking about absolute classics like X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes and most importantly, Marvel vs. Capcom 2. But the goodness doesn't stop there because in a few months, another anthology is due out — the Capcom Fighting Collection 2 — which features an arguably even stronger lineup of brawlers from the early 2000s. And after getting the chance to preview the game prior to its official release on May 16, this assemblage is both a tribute to fighting game history and a great way to waste time smashing buttons. Before we get in too deep, I should mention that only three out of the eight total titles were playable during my demo (Capcom vs SNK 2: Mark of the Millenium 2001, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper and Project Justice). Regardless, here is the complete lineup of games in Capcom Fighting Collection 2: Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 PRO Capcom vs SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 Capcom Fighting Evolution Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper Power Stone Power Stone 2 Project Justice Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein Now I'll be the first to admit that I don't have a ton of experience with SFA3U or Project Justice compared to some of the other titles in this collection, but even with the latter featuring what looks like crude graphics by modern standards, it's clear there's an interesting fighting game beneath those big blocky polygons. Plus, thanks to a huge catalog of extras like classic instruction cards and move lists, it was easy to pick up the basics while getting additional context into the game's development. I can't wait to play more. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Meanwhile, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper represents a version of the game that was hard to get outside of Japan and features a complete roster, including the six characters that were only available in certain home console releases. Notably, there's also a fix for the glitch that allowed easy infinites when using the V-ISM mechanic, which is an oft-cited reason why the game didn't catch on (especially in the West) as it upset balance and allowed people to abuse custom combos. But without a doubt, the crown jewel of the entire collection is Capcom vs SNK 2, which, in my opinion, is one of the top 10 fighting games of all time. From its funky character select screen with those iconic diamond tiles to an incredible soundtrack filled with bangers like the songs for the New York, Barentsburg and London stages, it's got more style and personality than it knows what to do with. Seriously, put those tracks on and if you aren't instantly bobbing your head to the beat, you might be dead inside. CvS2 also offers more polished takes on the ratio system from its predecessor and the ISMs from SFA3 with the Groove system that gives you a wealth of playstyles for every character. So even though I only had 30 minutes to play, I couldn't help but grin every time I got to unleash a custom combo using A-Groove Ken or troll the CPU with ratio four Haohmaru. The controls are tight, the graphics are super crisp and the game plays just as well as I remember. Better, even, considering today's controllers and arcade sticks are more precise than anything we had 20+ years ago. While I didn't have a chance to test it, it's also important to note that the collection is adding online multiplayer with rollback netcode to every game. This should be a huge upgrade when compared to alternative solutions such as apps like Fightcade, which often aren't as stutter-free as proper in-game matchmaking (as evidenced by some of the hiccups in the clip above). My one small complaint is that while I appreciate little details like having a bunch of visual treatments that make the game look better when played on modern LCDs compared to old-school CRTs, I wish they came with more descriptive labels instead of simply being listed as Filter A, B, C, etc. But perhaps most importantly, by putting all these games in one place, it's so much easier for people to access titles like CvS2, which have been hard to find since its original release back in 2001. Honestly, I'd pay $40 just to have a modern version of CvS2 and Power Stone 2 that I can play without dusting off a PS2 or Dreamcast (the latter of which I don't even own). So to get both of those alongside six other titles with tons of original art, improved training modes, a couple of bonus songs and a limited edition comic book (only for physical copies, though) feels like a truly excellent value. Sure, these games might just be rereleases, but for those with fond memories of early 2000s fighting games, it feels like this is true love we're makin' all over again. The Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is available for pre-order now with official sales starting on May 16 for $40.
