Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2

The new retrogaming quandary: With Wii's Virtual Console, Xbox 360's Live Arcade, and PS3's unnamed download service poised to make classic games available to gamers at the touch of a microtransaction button, is there still a place for compilation discs? Capcom's answer is clearly "yes," and with Capcom Classic Collection Vol. 2 supporting their argument, it's hard to disagree. The economics alone are fairly persuasive: You could get one game for five bucks (or the "points" equivalent thereof), or you could snap up 20 games for $30. Even if you hate half of them, that's still a better buy than a microtransaction -- and you get bonus material, a snappy interface and the materialistic joy of physical possession. But there's another advantage to this collection, which might not be immediately obvious: It's packed with obscure, unpopular arcade games, many of which have been lost to time. While most retro-downloads are likely to stick with the tried-and-true hits -- that is, the games that people will actually buy individually -- compilations offer publishers the luxury to bundle some second- or third-tier titles with indisputable classics. Call it padding if you will, but someone out there has fond childhood memories of Avengers, an objectively terrible beat-em-up which will almost certainly never appear on XBLA. But it's right here on Classics 2, along with 19 games of considerably better quality. So that lone Avengers fan can relive his undoubtedly painful youth while everyone else can skip hurriedly past to the next title in the list, the considerably more entertaining Black Tiger.

"For $20, Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2 is a scrumptious piece of nostalgia. Granted, the first release is better due to its impressive game collection. However, this package provides hours of retro amusement. Capcom fans will feel like they're re-discovering an old toy chest from their youth, and newbies won't mind peeking to see play a piece of game's past."

Classic compilations appeal to two types of gamer: the old-school, roughly 30-something player who waxes nostalgic about when these games were new, and the less discerning, volume-conscious gamer who quickly deduces, "$20? Thats less than a dollar a game!" If you dont fit into either category, move along. For those still here, after moving on from the obvious choices (Street Fighter II and a Final Fight that's still fun despite being ravaged by age) and exploring the rest of this sprawling ...

Outside of a few nitpicky graphical issues, Capcom's classic game compilations, released over the last year, are among the best on the market. No, this isn't terribly surprising considering the company's rich arcade heritage. But between the handheld and console versions, it's been hard to keep track of what classic game's on which retro compilation. And just when you thought you had it all straight, here comes yet another version to muddy the waters. Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 is more ...

"Capcom Classics Collection 2 isn't as hit-driven as the first game, but the hits that are present hit very hard, indeed."