Capcom Fighting Collection 2 makes me nostalgic for the Dreamcast
This article is part of Tom's Guide's inaugural Gaming Week, an entire week of content dedicated to all things gaming. From insights into the latest hardware, guides to the best games you can play today, to the essential accessories we can't play without. Tom's Guide Gaming Week will guide you through the world of video games in 2025.
I've been having the time of my life playing Capcom Fighting Collection 2. Like Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection before it, this latest compilation features some of the company's finest arcade games in one package. It's fantastic not just for fans of these games, but for those who are brand-new to the likes of Capcom vs. SNK or Power Stone.
I've been a fighting game fanatic since the Street Fighter II days, but I didn't get to play most of the games in Capcom Fighting Collection 2. Some weren't released in North America until years later, or weren't ported at all. Except for Street Fighter Alpha 3 and the two Power Stone games, this collection packs a bunch of titles that are brand-new to me.
But while I'm just now getting acquainted with games like Plasma Sword and Project Justice, I'm also experiencing nostalgia for one of my all-time favorite gaming consoles thanks to Capcom's latest collection. As you can see from this article's headline, it's none other than my beloved Sega Dreamcast.
That might seem random, but there are good reasons why Capcom Fighting Collection 2 takes me back to the glorious Dreamcast days. Read on to find out!
The most obvious reason Capcom Fighting Collection 2 reminds me of the Dreamcast is that most of its games were available on Sega's final console.The main game that takes me right back to 1999 is the original Power Stone.
Playing on Falco's 'Londo' stage reminds me of the countless hours my friends and I sunk into a Dreamcast demo disc featuring that level. The game's colorful graphics and unique art style, which are way more imaginative than some current titles, were and are a grand showcase for what the Dreamcast was capable of. Power Stone is as fun now as it was back in the day.
Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing about Power Stone 2. I hoped that the intervening decades since I've played this sequel would make me appreciate it. But just as when I originally played it, this game is far too hectic and random for me to enjoy. I realize having four characters brawling on perilous stages is the main draw, but it's too frantic for me. Aside from its fun graphics, I still can't get into Power Stone 2.
Then we have Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, which is the last arcade version of this game. I played the North American version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 on Dreamcast but didn't play Upper, which was only released in Japan. Still, since this is the same basic Alpha 3 experience, replaying it in this collection also took me back to the early '00s.
The Sega Dreamcast had the same hardware architecture as the Sega Naomi arcade board. This made it easier for developers to port Naomi-based arcade games like Project Justice and Power Stone to the Dreamcast. Sure, the Naomi system had increased main memory, graphics memory and sound memory, but Dreamcast ports were virtually identical.
The way Dreamcast generated polygons, textures, colors, and sound gave its games a distinct feel. If you're like me, you can likely spot a Dreamcast game from a mile away. It's for that reason that Project Justice and the Capcom vs. SNK games made me even more nostalgic for the Dreamcast, even though I've never played them. They're the embodiment of what the Dreamcast (and Naomi) could do.
While on this topic, I want to single out Plasma Sword, which utilized the PlayStation-based ZN-2 hardware. While this Star Wars-inspired 3D fighter has a slightly different look than the Naomi-based 3D games in this collection, it still gives me that Dreamcast feel.
Lastly, let me bring up my favorite games on this collection: Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 and Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium. The latter, which is overall the better of the two, features 2D sprites and 3D backgrounds like Marvel vs. Capcom 2. However, it does a much better job of melding the two. It's an excellent example of how well the Dreamcast was at generating 2D and 3D elements.
The Sega Dreamcast only lasted for a year and a half in North America before Sega bowed out of the console race. Despite its untimely demise, it's a system I still cherish due to its excellent graphical prowess and library of incredible games. Playing Capcom Fighting Collection 2 takes me back to my late teens/early 20s, when things seemed simpler and purer.
If you're also a Dreamcast fan or someone who just wants to play some awesome old-school fighting games, do yourself a favor and pick up Capcom Fighting Collection 2. I promise you'll have the time of your life.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Upturn
5 hours ago
- Business Upturn
Devil May Cry Season 2: Release date speculation, cast and plot details – Everything we know so far
Netflix's Devil May Cry animated series has taken the anime world by storm, bringing Capcom's iconic video game franchise to life with slick animation, intense action, and a rebellious punk vibe. After the explosive first season premiered on April 3, 2025, fans were left buzzing with excitement over a major cliffhanger and the official confirmation of Devil May Cry Season 2. If you're eager to know more about the upcoming season, including release date predictions, cast details, and potential plot points, here's everything we know so far about Dante's next demon-slaying adventure. When Can We Expect Devil May Cry Season 2? So, Netflix gave the green light for Season 2 on April 10, 2025, like a week after Season 1 exploded onto our screens. That's a good sign—they know this show's a banger. But here's the kicker: no official release date yet. Bummer, right? Still, we can play detective and piece together a rough timeline. The show's big shot, Adi Shankar, worked on Castlevania , which usually took about 15 months between seasons. If Devil May Cry follows that pattern, and word on the street is production kicked off around summer 2025, we're probably looking at late 2026 for Season 2. Expected Cast for Devil May Cry Season 2 The voice cast in Season 1 was straight-up fire, and most of 'em are probably back to bring the noise in Season 2. Here's the lowdown on who we expect to hear in the new season. Johnny Yong Bosch as Dante Scout Taylor-Compton as Lady (Mary) Robbie Daymond as Vergil Chris Coppola as Enzo Ferino Hoon Lee as White Rabbit Kevin Conroy as Vice President Baines The Japanese dub is stacked too, with Toshiyuki Morikawa as Dante, Fumiko Orikasa as Mary, and Hiroaki Hirata as Vergil. Plot Details and Expectations for Season 2 Devil May Cry Season 1 ended on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger: Dante, betrayed by Lady, was placed in cryostasis by DARKCOM, a government organization aiming to control his power. Meanwhile, Vergil, revealed as 'The Knight' of the demon realm, declared war on humanity, setting the stage for an epic sibling showdown. Here's what we can expect from Season 2's plot based on the finale and the game's lore: Dante and Vergil's Beef: These twins are always at each other's throats, and Season 2's probably gonna lean hard into that. Vergil's demon alliance and war talk scream bad blood. The show's in its own timeline, but it might pull from Devil May Cry 3 's brotherly feud, with some fresh spins. Their mom's death messed 'em both up, so expect some emotional gut-punches. Busting Out of DARKCOM: Dante's not staying frozen forever, right? Season 2's gotta show how he breaks free. Maybe Lady flips sides and helps him, or Vergil's demon squad crashes the party. DARKCOM's up to no good—probably experimenting with demon juice—so figuring out their deal will be a big plot chunk. New Faces, Game Nods: If Trish or Nero pop up, it'll tie the show closer to the Devil May Cry universe. That mystery client from the finale could be a game character or someone new. Shankar's 'Bootleg Multiverse' thing might sneak in Castlevania Easter eggs, but don't expect Alucard to crash the pizza party. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
《魔物獵人 荒野》更新文字從複數魔物變單數也能吵？網：以前就是這樣了
Capcom（卡普空）《魔物獵人 荒野》（Monster Hunter Wilds）官方日前宣布，將在 6 月底帶來新魔物的加入，並且首次曝光了「海龍」的一部分截圖。然而最近 Capcom 釋出的更新時程圖中，卻被發現原本預告的魔物是用「複數」，在最新圖片卻變成了「單數」？ 相關新聞：《魔物獵人荒野》Steam已跌落「大多負評」，兩大怨言成主因 相關新聞：海龍要來！《魔物獵人 荒野》宣布6月底第2次免費更新，玩家笑稱：就一隻新魔物？ 今年 6 月 10 日時，《魔物獵人 荒野》官方英文 X（推特），宣布第二次免費更新將在 6 月底推出，並貼上了「海龍」的一部分截圖。其中在提到新魔物時，用的是「new monsters」，加入了「s」代表複數，讓許多玩家非常期待。 Hunters, Free Title Update 2 will release at the end of this month!We're excited to share with you that TU2 will release at the end of June, bringing new monsters to the hunt, plus layered weapons and other adjustments and improvements announced in the Director's Letter! — Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) June 10, 2025 然而時間到了 6 月 15 日時，Capcom 再次提醒玩家 6 月底的更新，但附上的更新時程圖中，魔物卻變成了「Monster」，也就是單數的意思，引起部分玩家的討論：「現在"Monster"沒有加"s"了」、「拜託是真的新 Monster"S"。每隔 2、3 個月才一隻新魔物太無聊了」 不過回應中，也有其他人指出，先前《魔物獵人 荒野》公告只要是圖片都不會是複數，只有文字才會加上「s」，原本第一次更新說 1 隻 8 星歷戰王，最後也更新了 5 隻。甚至還有網友貼出挖掘檔案後的發現，貌似不會只有海龍出現，或許是 Capcom 還在藏。 ICYMI, #MHWilds Free Title Update 2 will release by the end of June! Stay tuned for more details to come. — Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) June 14, 2025
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
‘Monster Hunter Wilds' Collapses With 1% Of Launch Players, 82% Negative Reviews
Monster Hunter Wilds While Monster Hunter Wilds received a lot of praise at launch, the longer-term fortunes of the game four months later have been dismal. Both review sentiment and playercount have collapsed. On Steam, recent reviews are just 18% positive, giving the game the dreaded Overwhelmingly Negative classification and dropping its overall reviews to 'mixed.' Playercount is even crazier. Monster Hunter Wilds now has fewer concurrent players on Steam than the seven-year-old, 2018 Monster Hunter World, which fans have deemed the superior long-term game. The negative reviews are largely split into two camps. The first is the fact that PC performance is horrible, and for many, seemingly getting worse over time with Capcom's fixes failing or not coming fast enough, even months after release. Here's one excerpt: That seems to be the more pressing issue, but further complaints highlight a lacking endgame that has not been expanded enough over time, despite Capcom's stated plans to add more interesting and engaging content. Speaking from personal experience, as someone who sunk maybe 10 total hours into past Monster Hunter games, I found myself reaching the end, grinding the best gear, and running out of stuff to do relatively quickly into what was supposed to be the endgame. Despite some new monsters and new difficulty increases, it's just not enough, and so fans are heading back to Monster Hunter World. Monster Hunter Wilds Wilds launched with 1.38 million concurrent players. It's now peaking at around 17,000 a day, around 1.23% of launch. Some may now cite the old 'you can't judge a game's playercount this far after launch' idea, but yes, in this case, you absolutely can. As evidenced by Worlds, the seven-year-old game, this is a series meant to be played and grinded for an extremely long time. Dropping to 1% of its playercount just four months after release, and below Worlds, is absolutely abysmal; there's just no getting around that. Monster Hunter Wilds will be releasing its second title update at the end of this month. Title Update 1 briefly tripled the game's players but soon lost them, and sentiment around the game has gotten increasingly worse since then. Unless this new update comes with a huge amount of fixes and content, it's unlikely to reverse the game's fortunes, and Capcom needs to pull back and figure out what went wrong here and how to truly fix it. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
