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It's almost incredible how many retro console and arcade titles have been coming out on PC as of late. From yellow ghost-evading puck-people all the way to prolific PS2-era platformers, there's much to cherish and enjoy in 2022. Where do the Capcom Fighting Collection games fit in, though?
Today, we're taking a closer look at what Capcom's doing with its classic fighting game IPs. Slated to launch in June 2022, the Capcom Fighting Collection promises a modernized and unified beat 'em up gameplay across almost a dozen fan-favorite titles.
As is expected nowadays, players are also getting a bunch of extra features to go along with the games. There's even an artwork museum available, for those who are really nostalgic about this whole shindig. Who knew 2022 in gaming would be so inclined towards retro!
Play the Capcom Fighting Collection on launch day!
What Is The Capcom Fighting Collection?
Unlike with most other games, the title is extremely descriptive in the case of Capcom Fighting Collection. No, really, this is literally a collection of Capcom's classic fighting games. Up until now, however, it was either impractical or impossible to play these titles on modern consoles and PCs. The obvious goal, then, is to make them playable, but Capcom's gone a step beyond that.
Whereas a dedicated player looking for a retro gaming session could feasibly emulate most of the games on this list, Capcom's upgraded virtually all of them with a wide variety of modern features. We'll discuss these in greater detail below, but the important bit is that these are, effectively, fully modernized games.
Naturally, all of them still look and play much as they did back in the day. So, in theory, this is really the best of both worlds: classic gameplay with modern technology. What more could a beat 'em up lover wish for?
Full list of Capcom Fighting Collection Games
In total, there are 10 classic fighting games included in this collection. According to Capcom, they're the most famous retro competitive fighting games the company's ever produced. There's an extremely wide variety of gameplay loops present here, too. From the wacky goodness of Super Gem Fighter Mini-Mix all the way to dark and gritty Red Earth. Here's the full list:
- Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors
- Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge
- Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire
- Vampire Savior 2: The Lord of Vampire*
- Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition
- Vampire Hunter 2: Darkstalkers' Revenge*
- Red Earth
- Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
- Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix
- Cyberbots: Full Metal Madness
* Vampire Savior 2 and Vampire Hunter 2 are Japanese versions only
Each of the featured games offers a faithful reproduction of how it will have performed back in the day, on traditional arcade machines. So, there should be no fussing about with the various hardware issues and emulation doodads - Capcom is taking care of all the problems so that we can simply enjoy all their best fighting game classics in one place, easily and quickly. How neat is that?
New Features & Additions
Capcom seems to be going all-out with upgrading the games on this list. Sure enough, they'll still look, play, and behave in precisely the same way as they did back in the day, but the underlying code is all being retrofitted for a new era. To that end, each of the featured games is getting the following list of additions:
- Training Mode
- Fighter Awards (i.e. achievements)
- Display Filters
- Input Customization Options
- CPU Difficulty Settings
- Quick Save/Quick Load Functionality
Truthfully, the list is more comprehensive than we had initially expected it would be. Display filters, for one, were a given. These are easy and reasonably flashy feature that doesn't take too much development brawn to implement. AI difficulty and save states, though? Very interesting indeed, and we're sure the community will agree as well.
Taking a step back and looking at the collection's 'Museum' feature, there are more goodies to consider here:
- Original Design Documents
- Artwork Viewer
- Music Player
With these included, we've no doubt that all classic Capcom fighting game fans will jump at the opportunity to see how these games were made. To say nothing of the chance to listen to some classic tunes along the way.
Finally, there's the feature you've been waiting to hear about all along: multiplayer.
Multiplayer Availability
That's right - online multiplayer is in!
While it was to be expected that local hotseat multiplayer would be coming, there's a proper netcode implemented in each of the featured games as well. This means that you can duke it out with players from all over the world in any of the three core playlists:
- Casual Playlist
- Ranked Playlist
- Custom Playlist
These seem to be applied across the board, much like the rest of the features mentioned in the previous section. So, whether you're in the mood for some Red Earth or Cyberbots, you can rest assured knowing that there's always going to be someone to fight with.
Closing Thoughts
And there you have it - those are the Capcom Fighting Collection games! Naturally, these titles are less popular than Street Fighter proper. Mostly played on dedicated arcade machines, they simply didn't have enough room to grow into full and proper franchises. Still, they thrilled players from around the globe, and now that they're being bundled together into one up-to-date package, they're ready to enter the limelight once more.
If the idea of playing retro games sounds right up your alley, boy have we got more recommendations for you! Here are just a few articles we recently featured:
These re-releases are more than just a way for players to experience their old favorites anew, however. They're an excellent opportunity to salvage and preserve games. Keeping them all updated and running on modern hardware is no small feat.
Now that re-releasing retro collections is fashionable, though, classic game fans have got much to look forward to. In the meantime, need something to keep you busy while you wait for Capcom Fighting Collection to come out? Check out Antstream Arcade!
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