Capcom has really been working hard over the last couple of years to re-release a lot of their classic titles.
There have been several anthologies over the last few years granting players the opportunity to finally get their hands on games that might have only been released in the arcades or Japan.
Capcom’s latest release is a Fighting Collection that includes classic titles that fans have been waiting to be revived.
Capcom Fighting Collection features ten classic fighting games including the entire Darkstalkers series and finally Red Earth.
The Armored Warriors spin-off Cyberbots which features Jin Saotome who fans will recognise from Marvel vs Capcom is also included.
The roster is rounded off with three Street Fighter titles that include Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition, Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo.
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo may not be a fighter but it's a great addition that just adds a bit of variety to the collection.
Even though some of these titles are already available in other collections it's a great selection of games.
But what’s even better is that Cyberbots actually features online play which wasn’t included in the Capcom Arcade Stadium release.
The beauty of this collection is that there are a few titles that are getting released for the first time in the West and outside of the Arcade.
The famed Darkstalker series was huge when released back in the 90s, introducing fighting game fans to a new roster of characters inspired by horror stories.
This collection allows players to play all five releases including Vampire Hunter 2: Darkstalkers' Revenge and Vampire Savior 2: The Lord of Vampire which were only released in Japanese arcades.
Each of the games remains untouched and retains its original revisions from the arcades.
This is a huge treat for fighting games fans, who can finally experience this cult classic series and play online with rollback netcode.
Red Earth or War-Zard in Japan is being ported on home consoles for the first time ever since being released in the arcades back in 1996.
Red Earth is a very unique game that offers two-mode play, with the single-player being an RPG-style boss rush adventure, where players will take on powerful foes in one on one battles.
The multiplayer will transform the game into a fighter that allows players to pick one of the four heroes and fight against their friends.
This version of the game retains the password system, maintaining its authenticity for new gamers.
Cyberbots: Full Metal Madness is the fighting game spin-off of beat ‘em up classic Armored Warriors that was released in 1995.
It is Capcom’s only Mech fighting game and the original game of fan favourite Jin Saotome.
Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix was a fighter that included the super-deformed characters from the Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo.
It plays like a traditional Street Fighter game including the character’s signature moves and some extra comedic ones.
The main difference here is that each match allows players to collect orbs that can power up their characters or be used as weapons.
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo is the only non-fighting game included in the collection. It’s a puzzle game where players will have to stack and destroy gems by connecting the corresponding colours.
Super deformed Capcom characters will attack each other depending on how and when gems are destroyed.
Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition is a modified version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo in which players can control any versions of the main characters from the five Street Fighter II games.
It’s a great way for players to pick their favourite version of their main character and test them out against other variants.
Capcom Fighting Collection has done a great job at keeping these games as authentic as possible.
Players will have the ability to pick between the English and Japanese versions of eight of the games with Vampire Hunter 2: Darkstalkers' Revenge and Vampire Savior 2: The Lord of Vampire being in Japanese only.
This is great as it gives players that extra option to play the game in the best way that suits them.
All the games run smoothly and I never experienced any lag or frame drops since I was reviewing this title on the Switch, playing in undocked mode was also flawless.
Capcom Fighting Collection comes with several quality-of-life additions that make the experience much more streamlined.
The most useful feature is the ability to quick save at any moment, even during a heated battle and load from that save point.
This is great as it allows players to take a break and return at any point.
There are several different display options which allow players to enjoy the game in their original aspect ratio, square (4:3) or widescreen.
I’m actually impressed with the widescreen option in this collection as previous games have really struggled with porting classic titles into widescreen, making everything look really stretched out. But here the games look natural in 16:9 making this a very viable option.
The collection also comes with seven different display filters which is a great amount of choice, but the difference between them is very minimal, with the majority of games looking their best with none at all.
This collection has extensive button customisation allowing players to literally assign buttons to whatever they want.
Players will even be able to assign specific moves to one button, which essentially grants the ability to create simplified controls for newcomers or casual gamers.
This level of customisation is fully welcomed as it makes these classics much more accessible to a wider audience.
Capcom has also included a training mode for the majority of games allowing players to practise to their heart's content.
The collection comes with extensive setting controls allowing the players to really have authority over how they play.
For instance games like Vampire Hunter 2 will allow the graphic content to be turned off.
There really isn’t much to unlock but the game features Fighter Awards, which are various tasks players can take part in for that extra piece of the challenge.
Hardcore fans will simply adore the museum which is stacked with extra content from the get-go with the likes of music, original design documents and artwork included.
Capcom Fighting Collection will also allow players for the first time to play these games online with a rollback netcode.
There are a few modes to pick for each game including spectator mode, which is amazing especially for Red Earth, considering this is its first console release.
Unfortunately, I was unable to test out the online mode while writing this review.
Verdict 4/5
Capcom Fighting Collection is a fighting game fan's dream come true with these classic titles being perfectly ported whilst maintaining all their original features.
The quality of life additions and customisation make this an accessible experience that all can enjoy.
Fans can only hope that Capcom gives their gems such as Marvel vs Capcom the same treatment.
Capcom Fighting Collection is out on 24 June for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC
