Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 Preview

Best of, or second best?



The first Capcom Classics Collection should have been a near-definitive retro package. Capcom's '80s and '90s arcade output was second only to that of Konami, and the disc was packed with well-known classics. Featuring the whole Ghosts and Goblins series, the whole series, 1941Gun.Smoke, Legendary Wings, and even the first three versions of Street Fighter 2, its game list was untouchable by any other compilation on the market.

Unfortunately, the presentation just wasn't up to scratch. Instead of properly converting the games to run on the PS2, for the most part Capcom simply dumped the PS1 versions of its Capcom Generations series from the mid-'90s onto a DVD, meaning the games featured many of the drawbacks of mid-'90s hardware, and had already seen better ports on the Sega Saturn. The Street Fighter games suffered most, with ludicrous loading times given their age, and the same non-arcade perfect gameplay of the earlier ports. On top of all this, the PAL version was missing a 60Hz option, inexcusable in this day and age for native 60Hz 2D games. And while the content was technically great, we'd seen almost all of it a little too much since the arcade releases – Ghouls and Ghosts and Street Fighter II being the biggest examples.

However, the soon-to-be-released Capcom Classics Collection Vol.2 has a chance to be different. Much like Taito Legends 2, its prequel has used up most of the obvious titles, but as we know from the music world's 'best of' cds, this follow-up can go either way in terms of quality. 'Best of Ricky Martin Vol 2' really means '2nd Best of Ricky Martin' (kinda like 'the 3rd level of hell'). But it can also lead to some lesser known gems surfacing, especially if the list is expansive. Taito Legends 2 went the right way, so where will Capcom Classics Collection Vol.2
sit? Probably somewhere in the middle. Its game list varies from unplayable history piece to true old-school gem, but is at least less tired than the original release's list. The full list of games on the disc is as follows:

• 1941: Counter Attack
  
• Avengers
  
• Black Tiger
  
• Block Block
  
• Captain Commando
  
• Eco Fighters
  
• The King of Dragons
  
• Knights of the Round
  
• Last Duel
  
• Magic Sword
  
• Mega Twins
  
• Quiz & Dragons
  
• Side Arms: Hyper Dyne
  
• Street Fighter
  
• Strider
  
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo
  
• The Speed Rumbler
  
• Three Wonders
  
• Tiger Road
  
• Varth

The programming of this compilation was handled by Digital Eclipse, and this time it appears every game has been emulated, rather then ported, with all the positives and negatives that come with that. On the positive side, it means most of the original code is running away in there somewhere, although under different conditions. On the negative, it means that, like most old 2D on the PS2, the visual quality takes a hit, making the games look either washed out or pixely, or both. Most games seem to run fine, and the visual quality isn't the worst, but we'll have to see a completed copy to make a full judgment. There is currently no word on whether the PAL version will have a 60Hz mode, so all we can do is keep our fingers crossed.

As for the games themselves, it's a pretty beat-em-up heavy list. Strider, Knights of the Round, Captain Commando and The King of Dragons are probably the highlights along with what's supposed to be the best ever home port of Super Street Fighter II Turbo (we'll check out that claim in our review). Other games that may stand the test of time include the Alex Kidd-esque Mega Twins, the crazy quiz show Quiz & Dragons, and the shooter Side Arms. If you remember any of the others from your local arcade then that's another plus, but not many others jump out of our memory.

On the other hand, Varth and Last Duel should probably have remained buried, and the original Street Fighter will remind you why Capcom has kept it hidden for years. At home Street Fighter is even less impressive since it's missing the arcade's crazy hydraulic button gimmick. It's hard to believe they didn't start a new series for its infinitely superior sequel, and totally understandable that they re-wrote the cannon with the Street Fighter Zero series.

The presentation seems nice enough, and from a quick glance it appeared there were a few extras to be unlocked. Overall, Capcom Classics Collection Vol.2 looks like it will sit somewhere in the middle off the 'retro collection' spectrum - check back for our full verdict shortly.

palgn.com