Compilations of classic games seem to be the "in" thing in this new modern age where we can now put a price on nostalgia. Capcom has decided to jump on the bandwagon by offering this collection of 22 classic titles from mainly its arcade library (although there is a Super Nintendo game to be found within as well).
So what exactly is awesome and what's rotten in Capcom County? This collection offers quite a range of titles, the majority of which are pretty decent and play well. Absolute classics such as Bionic Commando, Final Fight, Ghosts 'n Goblins, and (of course) Street Fighter II all rear their heads and are presented in fine form, although having three different versions of the arcade Street Fighter II seems a bit excessive when Digital Eclipse could have been using their limited development time more wisely in bringing a wider range of games to the forefront. (Maybe they were just saving things for Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2.) Of course, there are always a few stinkers among these compilations, and Capcom Classics Collection is no exception — games such as Vulgus (Capcom's first game), Pirate Ship Higemaru, and Son Son all are definitely showing their age and pale in comparison to some of the more exciting additions here.
This collection, while certainly showing a good representation of Capcom's arcade experience, also shows the rather confined nature of their library. There is a sense of imbalance on this collection, in that there are far too many space-shooters and on-the-ground shooters too. Plus, as I mentioned before, having three different versions of Street Fighter II that are practically the same is a joke; just Hyper Edition would have sufficed. The same goes for three Ghosts 'n Goblins games. It may just be the case that Capcom was not very diverse in its arcade game development strategies back in the day. "Go with what you know" may have been their motto. But this motto leads to tedium when you end up playing all the games here... and repetition sets in.
Featured here: Final Fight and Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Every game in this collection has some extra stuff to go along with it. First off, before you begin playing, you can customize your experience by selecting the difficulty level, number of lives, and any other little specifics they may have. And every game has its own set of additional bonuses that can be unlocked by achieving certain goals in the games (like completing a certain stage, or attaining a certain score) -- you can see the historical information about the game, artwork, tips, and remixed music! Yes, that's right -- there's remixed music in this game! Sweet. Also featured in this collection are a few trailers for other Capcom products. That's...nice advertising, eh?
The graphics are very well recreated, as far as I can tell. They look just like their arcade counterparts, as they ought to. It's hard to read some of the in-game text on my petite 19" TV screen though. As for the sound... well, the UNremixed music is just as abrasive as in a regular arcade, so if you're looking for absolute accuracy, you'll probably find it here. Be sure to turn down the volume to a reasonable level, or you'll be hearing annoying chinging sounds for the rest of the week. And the menu system is very basic; don't expect anything elaborate here beyond minimal functionality.
To conclude this now particularly lengthy review, I'll say that this compilation is a mixed bag. If you love shooting things, you probably don't need any other collection in your entire life. But if you're like me, and want to see all the genres that Capcom has touched upon, there are grand discrepancies here in that regard. Capcom Classics Collection shows what Capcom excelled at, but it also highlights the gaps in Capcom's library...
