Capcom Fighting Collection 2 Review (PS5) – Keep It Up!

There’s something to be said about a bundle. It’s defined as ‘a collection of things or quantity of material tied or wrapped up together’ on Google, so you know that’s the truth in 2025. Still, when a collection of old school games are thrown together to create something bigger, there’s magic that happens. Being able to jump freely between your own memories is something quite exciting, and it’s never truer than when tearing through a Capcom Fighting Collection. 

Whether it be the recent Marvel Vs Capcom Fighting Collection Arcade Classics which housed every classic MvC game (and became one of the most wanted bundles ever), it was never quite out of the question that some of the more obscure Capcom fighting games from yesteryear could possibly make an appearance on modern marketplaces. 

Enter Capcom Fighting Colleciton 2, the difficult follow up to the hugely successful first release and whilst this package may not have the starry line-up of the original, there are some absolute gems included that make this package well worth checking out. 

It’s packed again with gorgeous artwork in the museum, a music player to relive those classic and wonderful soundtracks. We know full well that Capcom have been firing on all cylinders in the last decade and the dedication to making this a true celebration of that era doesn’t go unnoticed. 

So what’s the diamond in the sand in this collection? Well, you could argue the inclusion of Capcom Vs SNK is probably where we should begin. Bringing together the roll call of both franchises into one was a hallmark moment back in the day along with the then revolutionary ‘ratio’ system, which allowed you to mess with the power of your fighter.before deciding on your fighting style of choice. Are you more familiar with Capcom or SNK-style fighting? Never fear, you can choose what you like thanks to the sequel’s Groove mechanic. This included super meters and abilities from the back catalogue and they still play like an absolute dream.

Of course both companies have moved on and revolutionised these mechanics today, but in my mind old school fighters never really got better than in this era.

If you’re after some pure unadulterated Street Figher though, the almighty Street Fighter Alpha 3 is here to remind you that arcade beat-em-up’s never really got much better than this. Perhaps the most ‘complete edition’ of the games included, SFA3 features additional characters from the console releases, sure to make any hardcore fan happy and remains a brilliant fighter. And well, if you’re in the know, they’ve removed the crouch glitch allowing for spamming of just kicking your enemy in the shins until they give up. Sorry guys. Still, it’s one of the best fighting games ever made, so you should be just fine without it. 

Which leads me to perhaps the more obscure fighters that are the kind your parents pick up accidentally when you ask them for something else. Still, Capcom Fighting Evolution is a Capcom fest which offers a team-based offence to take into battle, allowing for a multitude of team-ups varying in strength and skill. It’s certainly not the best fighter here – whilst you can mix styles, it doesn’t mean you particularly should – and feels like they found it in a drawer and asked nicely if it could be included. 

And I won’t forget the PlayStation-era inclusions, Plasma Sword and previously Dreamcast-only release Project Justice. Both are wildly different from anything else included and whilst it’s great that they’ve been included and preserved for all time in this collection, they simple don’t live up to the quality of everything else that’s included. Plasma Sword is fun for sure, being able to kick out your enemies super meter with a flick of the analogue stick never really gets old, but this futuristic fighter offers little else in comparison to the 2D classics featured. And well, Project Justice – the sequel to Rival Schools: United By Fate – is quite the choice when the two Rival School games perhaps made a little bit more sense to move to a new generation. A 3D-ish fighter like Plasma Sword, Project Justice is one for the purists.

And well, talking of Dreamcast-only releases…

This is what got me excited about this collection. Whilst I have a small history with CvS, I was definitely more of a MvS kid (teenager?), but suddenly the eyebrows raised when the almighty Power Stone and Power Stone 2 were included in this collection. The absolutely barn-stormingly good fighter’s from the Dreamcast era, Power Stone and its incredible sequel are now available once again for the first time since their original releases.

As a Dreamcast defender and staunch hardcore fan (I’m staring at mine right now as I’m writing this, a copy of Power Stone still in its original case on the shelf alongside Shenmue and Sonic Adventure), Power Stone took classic Capcom fighting mechanics into a 3D space and allowed you to fight with absolutely everything on screen, building up your own strength with ‘power stones’ until you could go super and unleash devastating attacks on your foes.

It was a cult fighter that lived on in hope that we would see it again and thanks to this collection we can finally play these fantastic fighters on modern consoles. Ah Capcom, you do know how to make an old man happy.

Of course, time may not always be kind to video games and the original Power Stone isn’t quite as precise as I remember it being. There’s definitely a blueprint in that game that Capcom were working towards, and Power Stone 2 is the realisation of that goal. An absolutely fantastic fighter that allows for up to four players to go absolutely nuts on each other in a 3D space, shooting rocket launchers and throwing chairs, essentially doing anything it takes to claim victory. It’s fast and furious, a manifestation of what Power Stone laid down, and it’s the absolute cherry on top of this collection for me.

So it’s a mixed bag then, but there’s no denying the quality of Capcom v SNK, SFA 3 and Power Stone 2 making this Collection a worthwhile purchase. Each game plays very well on modern systems, the emulation is top tier and once again showcases Capcom putting the work in to ensure everything they release is of a genuinely high standard overall, even if the games selected don’t quite all match up with each other.

Now, I’m off to play some Power Stone 2 again. And again.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5 (reviewed), PC and Nintendo Switch

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.

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