Capcom Fighting Collection 2 Preview – Revisiting Forgotten Friends
Capcom is one of those game publishers with a massive back catalog to pull from, with many of its more cult-classic or niche titles inaccessible on modern platforms. While the Street Fighter franchise has always been the primary benefactor of Capcom’s reaches to the past, the publisher has spent the last decade slowly making several iconic and less-iconic releases more available on modern systems. Whether you’re talking the multitude of Mega Man Legacy Collections or the recent wave of Capcom Fighting Collections, I’ve loved having several of the games I grew up on ported to my current systems; I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed using these collections as ways to experience various games I never played before, broadening my understanding of Capcom’s rich history. The latest compilation, Capcom Fighting Collection 2, looks to do just that by delivering mainstays from my youth, as well as games I only ever read about in ’90s magazines.
The two recent Capcom fighting-game collections – Capcom Fighting Collection and Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics – felt like they were filling in the roster of some of Capcom’s most beloved entries. Those compilations focused on entries like Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, and, of course, the various iterations of Marvel vs. Capcom crossovers while also including more obscure games like Red Earth, Vampire Savior, and The Punisher. The upcoming Capcom Fighting Collection 2 carries forward this tradition by including Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper. However, that well-known title feels much more like the exception to the remainder of this follow-up compilation.
During my hands-on time with Capcom Fighting Collection 2, I could play the entire selection included in the final release save for two titles: Power Stone and Capcom Fighting Evolution. Even though I knew the full games list coming in, scrolling through the main menu, I couldn’t help but smile seeing Power Stone 2 finally playable on modern systems. The Power Stone franchise was one of my favorite Dreamcast series, and I was always confused as to why it was only ever re-released on the PSP.
Firing up Power Stone 2, I’m immediately transported back to my early high school days, sitting on the couch with three friends as we duked it out in Capcom’s arena-based fighting franchise. The frantic dash to collect three Power Stones to unlock your transformation has remained as gripping and chaotic as it was nearly a quarter-decade ago – especially with four players, myriad weapons, and vehicles. Of course, the action of a 24-year-old 3D fighter like Power Stone 2 hasn’t aged as well as the 2D fighters in the package, but that’s to be expected, as games like Power Stone 2, Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein, and Project Justice feel the most antiquated of the bundle from what I was able to play.
Project Justice has always been a point of intrigue to me ever since I found previews of the first Rival Schools game in an issue of GamePro. Finally getting my hands on Project Justice, the sequel to Rival Schools, felt like a curiosity satiated after over 25 years, though I’m somewhat sad Rival Schools is absent from this bundle. The unique story mode does a fantastic job of allowing players to experiment with different characters, and I appreciate the campiness of the characters and moves. Still, it makes me wish I could have experienced this back in 2001 when it felt cutting edge, rather than in 2025 when it feels like an antiquated relic. The same goes for Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein, which features more fluid combat (almost along the lines of the early Soulcalibur games) but repelled me much faster than any of the 2D games in the collection.
Speaking of which, I couldn’t put down the three 2D titles I had access to. Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro and Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 deliver exhilarating crossover action between the two publishers while offering unique twists on the formula primarily popularized by the Street Fighter franchise. Meanwhile, the Street Fighter series has but one direct representative in this package, but it’s a doozy. Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper is the previously Japan-only enhanced version of one of my all-time favorite fighting games, with balance updates, glitch fixes, and characters from the console version added in. I may have been most excited about Power Stone 2’s inclusion in the bundle, but Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper is likely the game I’ll most frequently return to once the full game arrives, even if I already have access to another version of Alpha 3 through 2018’s Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection.
On top of the inclusion of the eight titles, you can also customize your experience through difficulty settings, custom controls, and even enhanced sound options. You can also toggle whether or not secret characters are unlocked, adjust the display ratio to your liking, and view the arcade marquee instruction cards. I also appreciate this collection adding bonus training modes for the games, allowing you to see your input history and work out your combos so you can confidently jump into these games.
Though not every game was available for me to preview in this build, I adored my opportunity to revisit games like Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper and Power Stone 2 while finally getting the chance to pour time into games like Project Justice and the Capcom vs. SNK games. Though I don’t see myself returning to every game in this collection, these allow me to play games I long thought lost to time. Add to that the online play capabilities and the option to have one-button specials, and Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is shaping up to be a potent package.
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 arrives on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on May 16.
