We’ve given the latest Capcom Fighting Collection an early look last month, but now it has released in full, it’s deserving of another, more holistic look. Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is the first true sequel, but the third actual release, in this budding franchise, each one bringing a different selection of titles from the developer’s extensive catalog of fighting game classics. But how does Fighting Collection 2 stack up to its predecessors, Capcom Fighting Collection and Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics (and really, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection too if we’re being honest)?
Capcom Fighting Collection 2
Developed By: Capcom
Platforms: Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: May 16, 2025
Largely, it stacks up pretty favorably. Capcom has gotten pretty proficient at repackaging these classic fighters for the modern era and giving them a chance at a second life. They aren’t without their flaws, but many times, those flaws are what make these older games so memorable in the first place, and Capcom is great at realizing when this is the case and when things can use a bit of a fresh touch.
A Solid Selection of Scuffles
These retro collections live and die by the games they have on offer. Even so, it’s not as simple as more equaling better. Capcom Fighting Collection, with its preponderance of titles from the Darkstalkers series, was a bit of a miss despite having a large number of games to play, and Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, despite having the fewest games available, is still fairly highly praised because one of those games is the always-beloved crossover classic Marvel vs Capcom 2. This time, I think Capcom did a fantastic job in splitting the difference between quality and quantity.
For starters, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 features a game that’s consistently in the conversation for best fighting game of all time: Capcom vs SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001. Sporting one of the largest rosters in a fighting game not called Super Smash Bros., CvS2‘s team battling style means that there are enough characters, combinations, and approaches to the game for everyone to find their unique style. It’s a great little fighter that still holds up to this day.
It’s far from the only banger in the playlist, either. CFC2 also sports CvS2‘s predecessor, Capcom vs SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro (fighting games have weird names sometimes, it’s a whole thing.) CvS1 is arguably better than its sequel in some ways, and is worth a try if only to see where all of Mark of the Millennium‘s best features grew from. There’s also Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, which is likely the best version of the best game from the Alpha series of Street Fighters, and Project Justice, a 3D fighter that has aged incredibly well despite its somewhat dated appearance. Even the jankier games in the roster, like Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein, have a certain charm to them that deserve a few run-throughs of the arcade mode, at the very least.
And then, there’s Power Stone.
Both the original and its far more chaotic and far more famous successor (the aptly named Power Stone 2) are packed in here as well, and for my money, these unique “free-roam” fighting games are more than worth the price of admission on their own, especially if you have friends you plan on playing with regularly.
All in all, it’s hard to say that there’s anything more important when it comes to reviewing a collection of games than the quality of those games, and Capcom Fighting Collection 2 probably has the best selection they’ve come out with so far.
Classic Controls with Contemporary Changes
When it comes to the controls, it’s easy to just say something like “it is what it is.” These games are largely one-to-one reproductions of their respective arcade releases, and so they control with about the same precision that they did back in the day, for better or for worse. In some games, that’s great news! In others, well…
Capcom did go the distance to add a training mode to every single game, however, so players can learn the ropes in a controlled environment or lab their combos once its time to get serious. For some of the games, they really went all-out, too, providing lots of attack data, including hitbox and hurtbox overlays. The lack of obvious frame data, which is crucial to understanding combo attacks, is fairly conspicuous against everything else being made so transparent, however.
There’s also the global inclusion of one-button special moves, allowing the newer and less mechanically-adept players to get into the action with their friends and still be able to hang. These easy-access attacks still emulate every single button press required to complete the attacks, however, meaning that the character still has to go through the motions even if the player does not. This means that players using them won’t be at a significant advantage against a player who knows how to perform the inputs. Even so, they are able to be turned off for random online bouts, so there’s no excuses when you lose!
Speaking of online, every game features online connectivity complete with rollback netcode, a near-must for online fighting games. This means that, no matter which game in this collection you wish to master, you’ll be able to rise the ranks and challenge opponents across the globe and maintain a relatively smooth connection!
Pixelated Presentations with Musical Mastery
Visually, the games are, once again, pretty faithfully reconstructed from their arcade screen days, so they look about how you’d expect them to look. If these old-school 2D sprites and pixel-based 3D models aren’t your bag, you probably picked up the wrong game to begin with. For what it’s worth, though, Capcom was widely considered one of the best sprite-makers in the game for the largest part of this era. The Capcom-created versions of the SNK characters in the Capcom vs SNK games were some of the best around, sometimes even upstaging the other company’s actual games. Sure, some of the 3D fighters look a little janky at this point, but Project Justice in particular stands out for being visually impressive even all these years later.
Where this collection really shines in this regard is in its musical capacity. Not only are these classic Capcom grooves faithfully recreated, the in-house band CAP-JAMS came up with a handful of all-new music, both for the menus and also just to be listened to within the game’s built-in jukebox. If there’s any criticisms to be found here, it’s that despite the robust nature of the music player and the massive selection of tracks to play, you cannot take your choices back out into the menus or the games themselves to listen to your specific tastes while perusing or playing. I can understand wanting each game’s music to shine in its own setting, but not being able to blast Soy Sauce for Geese while looking through the menus or the art in the Museum feels like a misstep to me.
Final Thoughts
All in all, it’s easy to say that these Fighting Collection games are really hitting their stride. With a solid selection of potently reproduced arcade classics, and a bevy of fun little additions and quality of life inclusions to boot, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 stands above its predecessors as a hallmark of what the series is all about. If you’re into old school fighting games, there’s sure to be one here that scratches an itch for you. Plus, at the price tag of $40 USD (that’s one half of a new Mario Kart!) you’re looking at a game-to-dollar ratio that’s quite favorable for gamers on a budget.
