Capcom Classics Collection

Having spent a good deal of the late 80s in an arcade, I have to admit that these recent releases of carefully packaged classics from Namco, Tecmo and Midway are something of a joy to this old-school gamer. It not only introduces these classics to a new generation of gamers but also gives those who experienced these games in the arcade a chance to return to the good old days of coin-op gaming without the loss of many a quarter. Now Capcom brings their collection of classics to the Xbox with Capcom Classics Collection and the lineup from the company that brought us Resident Evil, Devil May Cry and Onimusha will blow you away.

There are 22 diverse games to pick from in this compilation disc, all of them come complete with extras to unlock and a more than decent transfer that makes each game as close to the original as possible. Many of these games are true gems and it’s great to see them fully restored in all their glory. The lineup is impressive and there are many titles that will be recognizable off the bat while some have never been seen by American eyes. The result is a compilation with a lot of games worth playing.

The lineup ranges from three classic Street Fighter II games like Street Fighter II: Championship Edition, the original Street Fighter II arcade version and finally the Hyper Fight edition to various shooter ‘em ups and hack 'n slash games. We’re talking three great fighting games with favorite characters like Ryo, Chun-Li and Ken. Speaking of fighting games, Final Fight can be found in this collection as well. A wacky-yet-addictively fun brawler featuring a gang of zany bad guys like the Andre the Giant-inspired Andore Junior, Final Fight still remains to be one of those seriously fun fighting games that managed to age gracefully. 

On the shooter front there’s the perfect war set that starts with the WWII-inspired Commando, to the more modern Mercs and finally to the futuristic action of Bionic Commando (the arcade version, not the NES version). Commando is quite possible one of the hardest shooters featuring the Super Joe persona and the game still remains to be the best gun-shooting, grenade-chucking around. Meanwhile Bionic Commando, which has a futuristic Super Joe with a retractable bionic arm that allows you to swing and shoot, is good but not as great as its far superior NES brother (where Joe doesn’t look like a cyber punk). Then there’s the high-flying WWII flying and shooting action of 1942, its sequel 1943 and the Japanese-only 1943 Kai (which is a much harder and far more prettier version of 1943).

There’s even a shooter I totally forgot about until I found it among the list of titles. Gun Smoke was a shooter featuring a lone cowboy called Billy the Cowboy that scrolled up dusty streets shooting bandits and armed killers while collecting bounties. Not only is it intact but it’s another enjoyable yet challenging shooter you‘ll be playing often. One game I never forgot, however, is 1985’s Ghost ’N Goblins. It’s here in all its addictive glory. It’s accompanied by its sequel, Ghouls ‘N Ghosts and Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts. They once again find your knight attempting to rescue your lady love, Princess Guinevere, from Satan himself. These are timeless classics that never get old.

Oh, and there’s many more, like the excellent Legendary Wings. Then there’s the so-so titles like Son-Son, Section Z and Volgus. They’re not bad, not by any means, but when it comes to fighting or shooting it’s games like Trojan gamers will play the most - although Exed Exes and Forgotten Worlds is brilliant. There are games I wished were included in Capcom’s impressive anthology but it’s hard to complain when the games featured here play excellently. There’s also some great bonus material that comes in the form of each game’s history, art work, tips, a cast section and even alternative versions of each game familiar music. You got to love that

Visually each game naturally varies so there might be some games that look crude (like Son-Son) while others look surprisingly pretty (like 1943 Kai). Just about the real problem is that there’s some framerate problems. There’s also some stutter, particularly in games where enemies overwhelm you with their numbers. Other than that, though, the games look like they did when they first came out.

The sounds are what you might expect from the era, particularly when it comes to the sound effects. The shoot ‘em ups have the basic gunfire sounds and plenty of explosions. Yet it’s the music that stands out, especially favorites like Ghost ‘N Goblins, Commando and 1943. One of the neat extras is that you can unlock alternate versions of theme songs from various games and they’re great.

Capcom’s history is rich with games that are not only addictively fun but also memorable, and Capcom Classics Collection is proof of that. Sure there are some games that were left out of this anthology but there are some rare gems mixed in with classic favorites that should make this a game you must not be without.

Gameplay: 8.8
This collections brings you back to the days when simple meant fun and even years later the good majority of these games still hold up pretty well. Games like Commando and Ghouls ‘N Ghosts feel right at home on the Xbox so be prepared to relinquish sleep for countless hours of revisiting these true classics.

Graphics: 7.5
Simple just doesn’t apply to the controls seeing as the graphics are pretty primitive compared to today’s standards. Still, a lot of these games actually do look good. There’s some colorful games here with even far more colorful characters. Overall, the collection does a great job recreating each game’s overall look. 

Sound: 7.0
Each game’s music will bring back childhood memories so a lot of the themes will sound familiar. The same can be said about the sound effects, although the majority is just composed of blips.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Some of the games are button-mashers but then again there are games where timing is everything even though all you’re doing is scrolling from one area to the next smashing anyone you come across (read: Final Fight or Trojan). Many of these game are still pretty tough, which will bring back memories of cursing 1942 for consuming so many of your quarters.

Concept: 8.5
The collection’s lineup of titles is truly impressive and while some old-school gamers will wish the compilation included some forgotten gems (like the NES version of Bionic Commando, for instance) what’s here is excellent. The inclusion of never-before-seen Japanese titles is also a plus.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Just about every game has a two-player multiplayer option whether it’s the wait-you-turn styled gaming or two-players-on-screen-at-once gameplay. It’s fun having a friend join you in the action and thankfully there’s game here that encourage it like Mercs and Final Fight.

Overall: 8.5
For those experiencing these games for the first time or revisiting them several years later, the Capcom Classics Collections for the Xbox is a trip back to the early days of gaming goodness. A lot of these games are either a hit or a miss depending on your tastes but there’s no denying that the gems found here are worth their weight in gold. You’ll kick yourself for missing this one.