We’re gearing up to relive a big part of Capcom’s history on the arcade with this collection that’s packed with options, but one that doesn’t offer too many extras.
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Switch version analysis . The PS4, Xbox One and PC version (s) are not yet out.
We all know the importance of preserving the history of video games. Capcom would not be where it is today if it had not launched some of the best arcade machines in history, and many of them continue today to endure the passing of the decades with enviable ease. Now we can enjoy them anywhere thanks to this complete collection, Capcom Arcade Stadium , which offers us many ways to rediscover these classics, although we need to delve deeper into their history .
32 games to kill your nickel coins
Capcom Arcade Stadium is a compilation of 32 Capcom arcade machines, tracing 25 years of arcade history. The collection is divided into three packs of ten games each, with two titles that can be downloaded for free , 1943: The Battle of Midway and Ghosts’ n Goblins , although the latter will only be available at no additional cost until the 25th, when the new installment of the saga, Resurrection , will be launched. Each pack separately costs € 14.99, and we can also buy the complete collection for € 39.99.
Many of these games made it to consoles, but some lost a lot along the way. In the case of ‘Chiki Chiki Boys’, it lost the multiplayer in its jump to Mega Drive.
The three packs are:
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- Pack 1: Dawn of the Arcade (1984 to 1988): Vulgus, Pirate Ship Higemaru, 1942, Tatakai no Banka, Legendary Wings, Bionic Commando, Forgotten Worlds, Ghouls’ n Ghosts.
- Pack 2: Arcade Revolution (1989 to 1992): Strider, Dynasty Wars, Final Fight, 1941: Counter Attack, Senjo no Okami II, Mega Twins, Carrier Air Wing, Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, Captain Commando, Varth: Operation Thunderstorm.
- Pack 3: Arcade Evolution (from 1992 to 2001): Warriors of Fate, Street Fighter II ‘: Hyper Fighting, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Powered Gera: Strategic Variant Armor Equipment, Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness, 19XX: The War Against Destiny, Battle Circuit, Giga Wing, 1944: The Loop Master, Progea.
We can put the Switch vertically (or the TV, of course) and enjoy the games vertically, with or without a frame.
As you can see, it is a fairly complete selection, although there are a multitude of beloved and important titles that are sorely missed . Even so, we believe that it is a varied selection, and with many quality titles that will keep us glued to the screen for many hours, especially thanks to the options they have implemented to get us to bite ourselves more than ever, and that we will comment below.
A multitude of options to dominate them all
Most of these games have been released a thousand and one times on a thousand and one platforms, and Capcom has tried to offer new options to enjoy it . The most interesting thing is that each arcade has a series of challenges that will change every week, ranging from playing with a single life, to playing without special attacks, to playing with the screen upside down or at double speed. Playing these challenges –as well as playing arcade games normally– we will get CASPO, some points that help us to compare our exploits against other users in rankings over the internet.
‘Street Fighter’ could not miss.
CASPO seem to measure more how much we play than how well we do it, but we find it an interesting addition to encourage us to try more games and rediscover them under certain conditions . Apart from these points, we also have individual leaderboards for each game, which does more objectively measure the dominance we have achieved in a specific arcade. Of course, we can modify these options at will, modifying the speed or difficulty, even rewinding at any time, to play as we like.
We can choose between the Japanese and Western versions of the titles, as long as they have one.
Besides, we have visual options. From playing on a three-dimensional machine to playing with the Switch vertically to perfectly fit the titles that bet on this screen format. We also have several successful CRT filters to simulate the appearance of these titles on old tube TVs, something that we personally love as it helps us to visualize the graphics as intended, rather than as “naked” pixels.. The more we play, the more customization elements we will unlock, although it is true that there is nothing too relevant and everything is merely decorative, such as backgrounds for when we play 4: 3. It is nothing revolutionary or anything that we have not seen before, but it is appreciated that Capcom has taken care to introduce all these options to personalize the experience.
There are titles for all tastes, and most, thanks to straightforward and straightforward gameplay, have aged quite well.
Of course, we also believe that there are important shortcomings. We have already mentioned that some titles are missing that we consider essential in the history of Capcom and arcades, but, from our point of view, we miss some extras that honor almost three decades of arcade games . We have absolutely no information on each game beyond the number of players or the release date.
If your patience has worsened with age, not only do we have infinite credits, but we can rewind at any time.
In a celebration of Capcom history we were expecting some detail about the creation of the game, some illustrations or even a viewer of the original machines; something more than the possibility of playing three dozen titles that, as we said, are available in a thousand and one similar collections. Surely it is something that does not matter to many players, but we believe that preserving history can and should be more than collecting titles, and more when all these illustrations and photos of arcade creation are present in a video where they can hardly be appreciated .
Every week we have a series of challenges to rediscover certain games with new conditions.
Reimagining memories
Capcom Arcade Stadium is a very careful collection of classics, full of options to rediscover them in the way that we like the most. It has some important shortcomings, such as the absence of big names on the list or extras to review such a rich and extensive history, as well as exclusively local multiplayer, but otherwise it is a very good compilation of the history of Capsule Computer in arcades .
