Capcom Fighting Collection 2 preview: The hits just keep on coming

Ahead of the official launch, we got hands-on with Capcom Fighting Collection 2 — specifically Power Stone 2, Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 PRO and Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein. This gives us a nice variety of game types to see how they all work ahead of launch. I’m more excited for this collection than I was the first one, considering it has two of my all-time favorites in it: Capcom vs. SNK 2, and Street Fighter Alpha 3!

That’s not to say I don’t enjoy the other games as well. Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein, specifically, was new to me. I hadn’t played the game, but I knew it existed, thanks to Marvel vs. Capcom 2. While it’s still too early to tell, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 could wind up being even bigger, and better than the 2022 collection release.

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Capcom Fighting Collection 2 has an incredible variety of classic fighting games

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is an incredible bundle of so many types of fighting game styles. Do you like isometric/party games? They’ve got you with Power Stone 2. Were you, like me, a fan of multiple franchises and just wish they would come together? Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 PRO was revolutionary. Maybe you’re just a fan of classic, oft-forgotten 3D fighters. That’s where Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein comes in.

This is such a great collection of retro fighting games (Image via Capcom)

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 has something for pretty much everyone. Though I grew up on RPGs, I still got super into fighting games around Street Fighter 2 — you know, like everyone else did in the 1990s. There’s so much more to this collection, though we can’t talk about all of that today.

A previous preview session included Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001, Project Justice, and Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, and while I didn’t take part in that, I now had a chance to go back and look at those, too. Without going into too much detail, I want to highlight those three as fantastic games — though I do wish SFA3 Upper had all the great modes the console version had. I won’t ever forget the hours I spent on “World Tour mode.”

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Capcom Fighting Collection 2 offers a host of interesting/neat features players should take advantage of

Training Mode is a godsend for some of these games! (Image via Capcom)

One of the great things about Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is that it doesn’t just cater to the hardcore fans who know everything already. Training Mode benefits everyone, for example. Being able to hop in and practice is something more fighting games should have had earlier on. For us old folks who like to reminisce, you can look at the Marquee (instruction) cards for the games as well.

You can easily access the move lists for any character in Capcom Fighting Collection 2's various titles, and if you’re finding some of the inputs are too difficult, each character also has a preset One-button special attack button and a One-button super button. I’m also a fan of Quick Save, simply because I may not always have time to finish an arcade ladder in one sitting and might want to come back to it.

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Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 PRO is one of the best games in Capcom Fighting Collection 2

The stages, sprites, and combat are all superb (Image via Capcom)

Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 PRO answered so many questions when it came to fighting games — who would win? Sagat or Geese Howard, for example! Now we have the answer. Whichever side of the fence you were on with the two companies, you could show your loyalty or mix up a team of the best fighters and pit them against one another.

I liked the Ratio System, too. Some characters are simply too powerful to be put in a group of 3 or 4 fighters, after all. It gave the game some sense of balance. It was such an important fighting game, and it belongs in this collection. Honestly, this is the game I played the most during my preview time.

It’s also a game where I was never so happy to see a training mode. It’s been years, possibly decades, since I last played this game, so being able to just pick a character and give them a spin to see how they played in-game.

A truly remarkable game, it belongs in this collection, and fans of the original will no doubt appreciate how smoothly it plays. I only wish I could have played online to test the netcode, but there’s always a next time in Capcom Fighting Collection 2!

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Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein is a chunky, classic late-90s 3D fighter

I played as a few characters in Plasma Sword, but Bilstein was definitely my favorite (Image via Capcom)

Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein is the game I knew the least about going into the Capcom Fighting Collection 2. I knew it existed, and I’ve seen footage, but I don’t have any real recollection of playing it. It probably wouldn’t have been something I enjoyed at the time, being that I was very snobby about 2D fighters being superior.

However, I also played a lot of the Soul Blade/Edge/Calibur series too, so who knows what would’ve happened? Nonetheless, I quickly fell in love with this clunky, chunky, big-damage fighting game. Plus, it has Jin Hayato, who, as many know, was in Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

A solid 3D fighter, it’s a four-button game: Two weapon buttons, a kick, and “guard defense,” which can be used to turn the tide of an incoming attack. With a solid roster of weapon-wielding characters and satisfying juggles, I think fans of 90s 3D fighters will have plenty to love here if they missed out on the original release.

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Power Stone 2 is a four-player battle royale classic

Pure. Unfiltered. Chaos. (Image via Capcom)

I didn’t play the original Power Stone 2 in the arcade, but I did have access to a Dreamcast, and thus, got to dive into this back in the early 2000s. The Power Stone games were surely unique compared to other fighters of the era. Players were able to use one of a wide roster of characters, and pick up all manner of weapons, and of course, the Power Stones.

It’s just as chaotic and wild as I remember it being. This is one I, unfortunately, didn't have a chance to test with my colleagues, as things have been incredibly busy. I can tell you that the local gameplay is fantastic, and so are the fights with the CPU.

Whether throwing bombs, picking up giant swords, or throwing enemies off of the map, there’s always something ridiculous going on in Power Stone 2. I think this one will be a pretty interesting title for both online and offline play.

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Final Thoughts

Ever wanted to challenge friends across the globe to Power Stone 2? Now you can in Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (Image via Capcom)

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is shaping up to be an all-timer. I loved the first collection, and this one feels just as good. The ability to play all of these classic games online, whether it’s casual or ranked, is really just amazing.

It’s such a great time to be a fighting game fan. Even though there is no shortage of great modern games, it’s important to be able to look back, and appreciate where we came from. While sure, I love Street Fighter 6, and I’m looking forward to Elena, I’ve been dying to get hands-on with Street Fighter Alpha 3 on modern hardware — and now that’s easier than ever.