Capcom Fighting Collection Review

That's a lot of Darkstalkers

Reviewed by A.J. Maciejewski playing a PS4 on June 22, 2022 👊

Capcom Fighting Collection is also available for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch

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When you think Capcom fighters, Street Fighter likely comes to mind but there's more than that so here's Capcom Fighting Collection.

Capcom Fighting Collection

Before getting to the games, let's look at Capcom Fighting Collection as a package. For starters, it has a very attractive presentation with playful artwork that you can browse in a gallery and intuitive menus where you can dive into online multiplayer straight from the main menu. I also like that you can listen to each game's soundtracks as there are some rockin' tunes in these fighters. Meanwhile, there are some excellent options such as the ability to practice most games in a special mode, change difficulty and other DIP switch style settings, and remap controls. It's all emulated great, too, and this is the kind of stuff that I look for in a compilation; awesome work, Capcom! v1d30chumz 18-232-59-38

Darkstalkers

The main event in Capcom Fighting Collection is obviously its assortment of Darkstalkers games considering the whole arcade series is included with Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge, Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire, Vampire Hunter 2: Darkstalkers' Revenge, and Vampire Savior 2: The Lord of Vampire. The fact that all of those titles sound similar actually matches their content because some are simply minor variations of the same game which is kind of disappointing. However, there's no denying that these are great games and I actually have more fun playing them than I do Street Fighter. Am I allowed to say that? 😅

Specifically, the collection of wacky characters is incredible and they all have a vast array of off-the-wall moves that look as spectacular as they are satisfying to pull off. After enjoying these titles as much as I have while playing this collection, I wholeheartedly understand the fandom and all of the cosplaying that goes on around the Darkstalkers universe. What a weird and fabulous series of fighting games.

Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition

Oh, so there's at least 1 Street Fighter game in Capcom Fighting Collection and it's a good one. Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition debuted back in the early 2000s which makes it the newest game here and it's basically a refined version of Capcom's most iconic fighting game. Its neatest feature is that you can play as any version of every character so if you're a long-time fan, you can pick your favourite character from the iteration of Street Fighter II that you're most comfortable with in order to kick ass with optimal style. 💥

Chibi chums

If you know me then you know I like my video games cute and silly so thankfully, Capcom Fighting Collection includes 2 such titles. First, Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix is a full-on fighter featuring pint-sized iterations of classic Capcom combatants that has a nifty system where you collect gems to power-up. I like it a lot as it feels like a true frantic arcade experience. Next, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo isn't a fighting game at all but it's also my favourite featured game as it's one of the best competitive arcade puzzle games ever made. It kind of plays like Puyo Puyo although with special tiles that detonate regular blocks according to their colour. It's top-notch puzzle fun! 😊

Arcade rarities

Last but not least, Capcom Fighting Collection includes some oddities and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. Cyberbots: Full Metal Madness is a spin-off of Armored Warriors that was featured in Capcom Beat 'em Up Bundle and fighting in mechs makes for quite an enjoyable change of pace. Speaking of which, Red Earth is another breath of fresh air as its fantasy theme and colourful cast make for one unique fighting experience. Its boss battles are epic, too, but you can only play as 4 characters which is a bit of a bummer.

Capcom Fighting Collection features a solid collection of games; particularly, when it comes to Darkstalkers. That's actually its main issue because it could use a lot more variety but considering the package is as fun and sleek as it is, I still recommend giving it a go.