Game: Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2
Console: Playstation 2
Developer: Capcom
Release Date: 24th November 2006
This is an interesting collection of Capcom Arcade and Home Console games, a lot of which never saw the light of day in Europe. It features mostly fighters, beat 'em ups and shoot 'em ups, although there are some exceptions to that. I'll be giving a short review on all of the 20 games included, and since this is a collection which includes full games, I'll be rating the games for inclusion on my all time games list, rather than rating the collection as a whole since including 20 games makes it appear much better than it is overall. A lot of these, being japanese or arcade games are relentlessly difficult, however infinte continues are provided which makes things easier. So, onto the first game;
Game: 1941: Counter Attack
Console: Arcade
Developer: Capcom
Release Date: 1st February 1990 (JP)
The 3rd game in Capcom's 19XX series, 1941: Counter Attack is an incredibly fast paced vertically scrolling air combat shooter. There's tons of enemies on screen at any one time, against your one aircraft, and sometimes it can be hard to even see what you're doing with the number of shots, explosions and military vehicles crowding the long, thin screen. Your aircraft is able to shoot normally, charge a more powerful shot and use a special attack which takes one stripe off your health bar.
With 6 ever more challenging levels, its a short but fairly difficult game which would have been expensive to complete in arcades. You can increase your rank by destroying lots of enemies throughout the levels, and this gives you more health, which gives a very basic stat/rpg element to the game. It looks great for 1990, and controls pretty well also. The sound effects are a bit overpowering at times, I was pretty sure I could hear some music behind them, but it wasn't easily discernable.
Overall 1941 is a fun concept which looks and plays well despite it's difficulty and short length. I had fun beating the game, and although the gameplay was starting to become a little samey, at no point did it begin to feel boring. I'd definitely have tried this in arcades if I saw it, but it'd have cost a great deal to actually complete.
Rating: 65/100 Continues: 22
Grade: C Status: Completed
Game: Avengers
Console: Arcade
Developer: Capcom
Release Date: 1988
Avengers is a top-down view beat 'em up, where you aim to rescue 6 girls from the clutches of Geishita and banish him from your town. There are 6 different levels in which you fight enemies using either your punch or kick attack, both of which can be done whilst rotating in a circle. At times, however the game does make you wish there was more of a choice when it comes to attacks. A lot of the time your punches and kicks aren't enough to stop you from taking damage as you're swarmed with enemies.
The bosses in the game are easy on the whole, the first 4 pose hardly any challenge whatsoever; much less than the regular enemies even. It's also easy just to walk through a lot of the stages, without taking damage due to some poor AI choices. The graphics are pretty advanced for 1988 and there's a good soundtrack, its just a shame that the gameplay lets it down, there's really not much fun to be had with this game, it gets monotonous fast. I gave up on the 5th boss as he was incredibly hard to even land any damage on.
Rating: 31/100 Continues: 10
Grade: E Status: Gave Up
Game: Black Tiger
Console: Arcade
Developer: Capcom
Release Date: 1987
Black Tiger is an incredibly difficult, not particularly rewarding fantasy platforming game. You guide a hero through a dark kingdom, fighting all manner of creatures and beasts, including the three dragons that plunged the kingdom into darkness, in order to restore light to the kingdom. The real problem with the game is that from the outset, you're given a difficult path to follow with many creatures attacking you, and only 2 hits worth of health.
You're allowed to buy items from merchants who you unfreeze, but not only are they pretty expensive, considering the money you make from killing creatures, they only last until the next continue (which is inevitably 5 seconds away). It's difficult to appreciate games with such a high amount of challenge because there's frustration at not being able to progress, and they're usually just trying to compensate for their lack of length or depth. Overall it's not a bad game, but there's not much fun here, only pain and misery.
Rating: 45/100 Continues: 24
Grade: D Status: Gave Up
Game: Block Block
Console: Arcade
Developer: Capcom
Release Date: October 1991
There's always at least one game on collections which doesn't impress as much as the others. In this instance, putting a breakout clone on a collection which features a lot of fast paced and fantasy based games seems like a strange move. While the game was only released in arcades just as the other games on the collection were, it doesn't control anywhere near arcade standard, in fact at some points, the ball goes right through the paddle, and it's difficult to move it precisely.
There are 8 levels in the beginner selection and 50 in the normal selection. While each stage is different, just as with breakout, the gameplay is essentially the same. The game isn't difficult save for the controls being a pain, and the organ music behind the game is fitting. The real point for me here is that a lot of versions of breakout are better than this, and were released earlier. Especially as part of this collection, the game sticks out as of lesser quality and interest.
Rating: 45/100 Continues: 11
Grade: D Status: Completed (Beginner's Mode)
Game: Captain Commando
Console: Arcade
Developer: Capcom
Release Date: 1991
Ever wanted to take on a legion of intergalactic supervillains as a baby in a robotic suit? Now you can! With up to 4 player support, this beat 'em up is a great addition to the collection. Not only does it have a high retail price for both SNES and PS1 which it was ported to, those versions are reportedly less enjoyable. In the same sort of vein as Streets Of Rage and Final Fight, this is a fast paced ultra-violent ride through space, taking on a whole host of different enemies with guns, rocket lauchers, robotic suits and more.
The four characters featured in the game (Captain Commando, Mack The Knife, Ginzu the Ninja, and Baby Head) all control slightly differently, with advantages and disadvantages to their styles. All of them are able to do short and long range attacks as well as throws and weapon attacks (akin to the playstyle of Streets Of Rage). The graphics in the game look much like 4th generation consoles of the time, and are presented well.
With a harder difficulty than a lot of the console Beat 'Em Ups, the infinite continues provided on the collection is welcome. My only real criticism of the game would be its difficulty as loss of health is a regular occurrence and there's not many food power-ups. The soundtrack to the game is as catchy as it is fitting, fast paced and exciting; it really sets the mood for the fighting that is portrayed and works well.
Overall this is the first game to really impress me out of the collection and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to play it (as mentioned before the other only options are costly SNES or PS1 versions). This really is a great Beat 'Em Up despite the difficulty. Adding in some friends will add to the fun, and allow you to experience the true arcade excitement of the game.
Rating: 83/100 Status: Completed
Grade: B Continues: 16
Game: Eco Fighters
Console: Arcade
Developer: Capcom
Release December 1993
The final game in this part of the collection review, Eco Fighters is a shoot 'em up based on saving the environment from an evil corporate dictator who is farming land for its worth and leaving "death spheres" in place of planets. You pilot a strange looking ship with a rotating arm, which can fire all sorts of weapons and attempt to take down all of the henchmen before meeting with the final boss and putting a stop to his eco-terror for good.
The game plays pretty smoothly, and like 1941 there's a lot going on onscreen at any given time. It's difficult to avoid all of the attacks aimed at you, so you should find yourself going through continues fairly quickly. Apart from this though the game plays well, the controls are simple and once you have the hang of the arm rotation it's actually quite an inventive way to play a shoot 'em up. You're also allowed to upgrade your weapon via the jewels collected from destroying enemies which adds another dimension to the game.
Both graphically and stylistically the game is fairly impressive with 16 bit style graphics and a very mechanical feel to enemies and upgrades. The music in game is fast paced and generally enjoyable, with more tense pieces used for boss battles. With 6 levels, like most of the other games it feels pretty short, but any longer may begin to feel monotonous, so Capcom got pretty much the right length for the game.
Overall it's not quite as enjoyable as games such as Fantasy Zone, which feature slightly less frenetic action scenes (although just as many enemies), but it has a fun feel to it, and if you don't mind working your way through several deaths it's pretty rewarding.
Rating: 70/100 Status: Completed
Grade: C Continues: 37
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