Capcom Fighting Collection

Those who have waited for a proper rerelease for several of the fighting gems featured in Capcom Fighting Collection can rest assured knowing the collection delivers. What could be a decent Darkstalkers compilation is made even better by the inclusion of titles so rare that those that have played them probably haven’t in over twenty-five years. With the inclusion of adjustable settings and a museum that highlights the art and music of each title, it becomes an immensely solid collection. Even the pickiest of fighting gamers would be hard-pressed not to find several titles in this collection they can easily sink their teeth into for hours.

Repetition aside, Capcom Fighting Collection acts as a great companion piece to the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, bringing out all of the other non-licensed fighting games the company has done over the years to a variety of platforms. The overall selection is solid with a bevy of presentation options, while the extras feel comprehensive if you aren't looking for movies or the histories behind the games. The online play performs well thus far, so fans of 2D fighting games will be happy.

With eight classic games (and two alternate roster expansions), Capcom Fighting Collection has a lot of great 2D fighters to sink your teeth into.

Besides being a darn good collection, it all comes down to whether or not you’re interested in the games. For fans of Darkstalkers and Capcom’s fighters in general, the improvements and first-time ports are worth it, plus the museum has some nice goodies like concept art and design documents. These games are still visual treats with lovely spritework and animations, too. And while I don’t think this will net a tonne of newcomers into fighting games and Darlkstalkers, ports for today’s hardware (with good improvements!) are always welcome.

I never thought we’d see love for Darkstalkers again outside of something like another Vs. Capcom game. Not only am I happy to have been wrong, but I’m glad it came in such generally high quality as Capcom has given us here in the Capcom Fighting Collection. More than that, having Red Earth, Cyberbots, and Super Puzzle Fighter alongside options like training modes, one-button specials, and other quality-of-life features is just excellent. I lament the lack of crossplay, and some might not be fond of the arcade-hard mentality of some of these games. Still, Capcom Fighting Collection is a delicious buffet of classic fighting goodness that plays quite well across the board.

With far more hits than misses, Capcom Fighting Collection does what few other collections can really do: satisfy gamers who feel some nostalgia for the titles in question, while at the same time presenting titles with real potential to capture the attention of the fighting game fan.

As someone who never played most of these games before, the Capcom Fighting Collection package has been excellent to experience over the last few weeks. The Museum and Fighter Awards are nice additions that complement the new features like training and more added to a lot of the titles in this package. Hopefully the online holds up well, because Capcom Fighting Collection has been a joy to play on Steam Deck so far.

The Capcom Fighting Collection has some of the greatest CPS2 and CPS3 titles ever to be released, but this barebones package leaves something to be desired. It’s the best legit way to play these games, but don’t be surprised if it leaves you wanting more – unless you like Darkstalkers.

The Capcom Fighting Collection is a nostalgic trip through fighting game history enriched with new features like online multiplayer and an extensive Museum Mode that breathe new life into these all-time classics. The lack of cross-platform play and the extremely limited single-player modes, however, make the collection a worthy purchase only for those who live and breathe fighting games.