Capcom Classics Collection
Score: 90% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Media: CD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Classic/Retro
Graphics & Sound: I can remember a time when I would beg my dad for quarters, when I would look into the dark entryway of the local mall arcade with a reverence most reserve for their place of worship. It didn’t matter that the games were impossibly difficult and that the game design was based on the premise of eating as many of my quarters as possible, it was still fun damnit! Well now the tables have turned and I can at last have my way with these games on my PS2. What can you really say about the graphics and sound in a compilation like Capcom Classics Collection? Because this is a compilation of games that range from being 10-20 years old, they aren’t pushing the envelope with normal-mapped 3D textures with 100 filters on them. Most of the sound and music use old-school midi synthed instruments that have the acoustic viability of a 1980's internal PC speaker. They look and sound like really old games, but then that’s part of the charm, isn’t it. These games wouldn’t be the classics we love if they were any other way.
Gameplay: The most common type of game in the Classics Collection are shooter games. You’re running or flying around shooting everything in sight while avoiding the blanket of enemy figures and bullets that will kill you in one hit if you so much as graze them. These are games like 1942, Legendary Wings, Commando, and Gunsmoke. Then you have your old school platformer games. They have you running and jumping around trying to avoid the bad guys while also avoiding the all too common pits and holes that will kill you instantly. Some of the ones offered here are Bionic Commando, Ghosts ‘N Goblins, Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, and Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts. Capcom really found its arcade niche with its fighting games though, and Collection offers two of the best. You have Final Fight which is one of the most beloved side scrolling beat’em ups (in the vein of Double Dragon) of all time. And, of course, no Capcom collection is without the obligatory Street Fighter inclusion and Classics Collection offers the three true classics, Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II: Championship Edition, and Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting. As an added bonus they even offer what they call “Street Fighter II” deluxe which will have any fans drooling; it offers a multiplayer mode where you can pick from any iteration of all Street Fighter II characters from all three games. Because, as any fan will tell you, Street Fighter II Guile is not the same as Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting Guile.
Difficulty: Since these are older arcade games, the idea was to let the player win just enough to keep them putting quarters in. Some of the newer games such as Final Fight and Street Fighter II may give you a sporting chance, but then you have games like Commando and Bionic Commando (the arcade version, not the one for the Nintendo Entertainment System) that are all but impossible unless you’ve memorized the exact patterns of the level. Because you have unlimited continues in every game, instead of quarters, you can “beat” (for those that can be “beaten”) any game on this list. The real test will be doing it in less than $1.
Game Mechanics: With the exception of the Street Fighter II games, none of the games offered in Classics Collection are very complicated. Most of these games only had a joystick and one or two buttons. Most of them offered a two player mode. Some had two player simultaneous play and others were two player alternating. Some of the other games offered in the collection are Son Son, Mercenaries, 1943, and others. If you’ve never heard of any of the games mentioned here, you probably won’t like Capcom Classics Collection. It’s all about reliving your misspent youth and enjoying some nostalgia. If those are two activities that sound attractive to you, I’d recommend picking this title up.
-Alucard, GameVortex Communications AKA Stephen Triche
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