Capcom Fighting Collection 2 Has The Variety I Love - Preview

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I have been on a 2D fighting game kick recently, and it has only emboldened my desire for more with some of the games coming out soon. I have been excited for Fatal Fury: The City of Wolves for a while, but sometimes, I want to go back and play the classics that defined the genre. With this in mind, I was super lucky to have the opportunity to preview the next classic collection from Capcom: Capcom Fighting Collection 2. I have been excited about this one for multiple reasons, but the addition of Capcom Vs. SNK made me especially enthusiastic about this version.

In my preview, I was able to test out three of the included games: CAPCOM VS SNK: MILLENNIUM FIGHT 2000 PRO, Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein, and Power Stone 2. The last two games I had never played before, so it was interesting to try them for the first time, and I have some thoughts on all of them. However, one thing is for certain: I can't stop playing them.

Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein

While I have heard of Power Stone and Capcom Vs. SNK, I have never heard of Plasma Sword. The game was originally released in arcades in 1998 and at home on the Dreamcast in 1999/2000. Unlike Capcom Vs. SNK, it's a 3D fighter where you fight against one other person, and it's crazier than I expected.

One of the biggest reasons I was drawn to Plasma Sword, and why it's one of my favorite games to play in this collection, is the absurdity. The character selection menu is where it started, and I was met with my new favorite character to fight as: Saturn. I still have no idea what they are, but the crazy design was enough to hook me in and start learning how to fight as this character. We also have the weird brainy cow Gore and a bird named Zelkin, so there are choices!

The gameplay itself is more similar to Soulcalibur than anything. You are locked into 1v1 matches on a 3D plane, where you can move sidestep around the platform. You have multiple different attacks and special moves, as well as a bar that goes up as you attack, to do different super special moves to destroy your enemy.

I played as two characters, starting with Saturn. He has a yo-yo that he uses to attack and a weird, super-special move where dolls come out and explode whenever I attack. It seems each character has this disco ball attack that gives the user a special effect temporarily if it lands. For example, Saturn shoots out dolls, Rain turns people to ice, and Hayato's sword gets long. I also played a bit as Hayato, who uses that aforementioned sword, and did a couple of matches with him.

I enjoyed playing this one the most. The mechanics are solid, it feels good to play, and the craziness of some of the characters helps keep the experience unique. Compared to other 2D Capcom games, this was a nice change of pace. While the actual mechanics are on the simpler side, it still felt tight and exciting to play. I can see myself coming back to it and playing online with others.

Power Stone 2

Next, I wanted to try Power Stone 2, a 3D fighting game from 25 years ago I hadn't tried before. Seeing it in action reminded me of Super Smash Bros, but in 3D or One Piece Grand Adventure from the GameCube. You pick a character and run around on a 3D map, fighting different characters with simple combos, using items, and picking up stones to activate your powers and eliminate the 3 other fighters on the field.

It's much more open-ended; you can run around the entire map, unlike Plasma Sword, but that doesn't change how enjoyable it is. The character designs are interesting, Jack very much reminds me of Voldo from Soulcalibur, and it's a lot of fun. This is the game I would default to for parties where four people can all join in and go all out. Some of the items stick out and feel great. I love the gun you can get to shoot people from further away, and the special moves are fun to play around with.

I also really enjoyed the variety of stages. There are different locations, like on a pirate ship or in a factory, but they all change as you continue fighting. The pirate ship stage had us freefalling and attacking each other in the sky after awhile, and the factory stage had us needing to platform as the camera continuously pans upwards.

Power Stone 2 is chaos, pure chaos, and for a party game, I love it. It isn't as technically sound as the 2D fighting games or Plasma Sword, but that doesn't stop it from being a great time. I like having the variety of different types of experiences in a collection like this, so if I want something more chaotic, casual, or for a group of friends, this will be my go-to.

CAPCOM VS SNK: MILLENNIUM FIGHT 2000 PRO

I ended my three-game bonanza with Capcom Vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro. I had played this game before and the mechanics are in-line with what I expect from Capcom's fighting games. It's on a 2D field, the characters and stages are vibrant sprites, and it's very technical. Combos take a lot to master, but when you do, it can feel fulfilling and be devastating to an opponent's health bar.

I found a couple of interesting differences in this game compared to other fighters. I love how you select teams. You can have up to four fighters on your team, and each one has a number associated with them. The stronger they are, the higher the number. Your team's number can only go up to 4, so you have to balance the powerful people on your team to build it. You could choose 1 power level 4 person, 4 power level 1, 2 power level 2s, or 1 power level 3 and 1 power level 1. It's a cool concept, and I enjoyed having to strategically build to fit my playstyle.

The cast of characters ranges from Capcom's Street Fighter series to SNK's Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters. They all look and feel great to play, and with the Collection's enhancements, it's easier to pull off combos thanks to dedicated buttons that will trigger them. It does make gameplay a bit more accessible for casual gamers, but still gives veterans the option to ignore or create different combos without as much strain.

If you've played Marvel Vs. Capcom or the original Street Fighters, this is all going to feel very familiar. It's awesome to be able to play Capcom Vs. SNK like this, and it's one of the main reasons why I was so excited about this collection.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 Steam Deck Performance

Now, before I close out this article, of course I have to talk about the performance on the Steam Deck. There's still more testing I need to do before making a definitive call, but I would say Capcom Fighting Collection 2 on par with the Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection. It will easily hit 60 FPS on any of these games and it doesn't seem to be draining too much battery either. I don't think it will be any issue on the Deck, but until I can test the full game, I don't want to make any definitive statements.

Still, I can't see this not being great on the Deck.

While I went in excited for Capcom Vs. SNK, I came out loving the variety so far. Plasma Sword and Power Stone 2 feel so unique compared to the rest of the games I have seen in this collection and others. Having a change of pace is really nice, and with all games having online multiplayer support, I can't complain. I have a good feeling the Capcom Fighting Collection 2 will be my favorite of the collections Capcom has released so far.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 can be pre-ordered for $39.99 ahead of its May 15th release. It is already rated Steam Deck Verified.

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