Capcom Fighting Collection 2 Preview – Preview

Please Note: This preview was written based on a PC copy and may not be indicative of final Switch release performance.

I’ve come to really appreciate Capcom’s recent efforts to preserve their fighting game catalogue by bringing them to current platforms. My thumb is intimately familiar with the forward, circle-forward motion, so another chance to dip into a catalogue of fighting classics, oddities, and bonus treats is always welcome. Capcom Fighting Collection 2: features some series I’ve long sought to try, so I jumped at the opportunity to take the preview through its paces.

I started with Power Stone 2, originally released on the Sega Dreamcast with the only prior port being the now ancient PlayStation Portable. The four-player isometric beat-em-up deathmatch is played through a series of levels, most of them industrial, and a cast of characters that are very anime. Sword fighters abound, but i largely played with Gourmand, a cartoonish chef with cast iron skillets as weapons. Items are littered everywhere over the span of the match, and if you collect three gems your character levels up with a power suit that grants them special abilities for a limited time. Gourmand’s spinning fire attack was very silly. There are levels where you’ll not only be fighting each other, but the level itself, including being chased by a boulder a la Indiana Jones.

Next I dipped into Capcom vs. SNK: Millenium Fight 2000 Pro. As a big fan of vs. games, I was eager to dip into this one after missing the opportunity before. This is not a tag battle, rather more akin to king of fighters where you select two characters and play as one until the life meter is extinguished. I was tickled by the reimagining of Ryu as an SNK character. Combat is quicker paced, if not as manic as a Marvel vs. Capcom, but it felt like just the right tempo to allow for some really crisp, technical fighting with sound design that gave each pump a pop. With my limited time playing the demo, I was grateful for their one- button super move button input, not having a lot of affinity for SNK. I’ll be eager to get more acquainted with them in the future.

Finally, I took a brief tour of Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Blistein. This game feels very similar to some other of the early 3D fighters, which a stiffness and clunkiness that doesn’t feel feel good in action. Even choosing one of the more nimble characters, the sluggishness weighed things down that didn’t befit the kind of play style I’d expect. This one felt more along the oddities lane, but I’ll put more time into this title for a fuller set of impressions in the review.

Like the other collections, this one includes artwork and music from each game in the gallery. There’s also a robust training mode, with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from Capcom. Broadly, this is shaping up to be another solid compilation for the fighting game enthusiast. Capcom Fighting Collecfion 2 arrives on Switch May 16th.