Capcom has brought a second arcade stadium for those who enjoy retro gaming. This time around, this arcade package includes a cornucopia of different genres which slowly detail the transition Capcom went through from shooters, action games, and fighting titles. This collection reaches back to the 80s and spans both sides of the globe. There is certainly a variety here.
Now, just because you’re getting a variety doesn’t mean that everything is golden. Some of the titles are wonderful, others are frustrating good times that remind us that arcade owners wanted our quarters, and still, others seem to fall flat. The latter of which was a common occurrence in early arcading.
Let’s get right into this.
What works in this second stadium
A wise professor back in the day told me that you should always start with the positive before you bring in the negative. The Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium contains a lot of positives. Some of the bigger arcade titles for this game are as follows:
- Street Fighter: Okay, it’s a horrible game. It was horrible when it was released back in the late 80s with two giant punching bags for buttons, and it’s still stiff when compared to other games in this genre. BUT! We should appreciate it, experience it, and see it for what it was – a test run. It contains a lot of what we eventually see in Street Fighter II and beyond. It should be respected for propelling the 90s into a fighting frenzy decade, where the likes of Tekken, Mortal Kombat, and even games like Rage benefited from its failed efforts. What you see with Street Fighter is history that eventually becomes a legend. It’s like watching a cult classic film, where it is so bad that it has become good. Anyway, it really needed to be included in one of these stadium packs.
- Street Fighter Alpha – through Alpha Warriors’ Dreams: While certainly not everyone’s favorite SF games, the Alpha series brought attitude, speed, and a new style to the typically slow-moving Street Fighter It did a lot to make it feel cooler, better and created a tighter gameplay design. The inclusion of the three Alpha games is a welcomed sight, as they did deserve some love.
- Darkstalkers – Night Warriors (more than a few): I feel like I just reviewed this and Vampire Savior in another collection. Hmmm. Anyway, while this is a bit of a repeat for the most recent Capcom Fighting Collection (looking at you too, Hyper Street Fighter II – Anniversary Edition) these are the games that launched a different way to make a fighting game with a monster twist. The games introduced a tougher, faster gameplay style that improved over time, as did the mechanics and the health bar (tell me I’m wrong – I DARE YOU).
- Three Wonders: I had a viewer on our Twitch channel (https://www.twitch.tv/DigitalChumpsLive) point this game out as I was streaming for three hours. This one arcade game contained three separate arcade and genre experiences, which were Roosters, Chariot, and Don’t Pull. I had never played these games before, and I honestly hadn’t even heard of the three prior to this collection. This small W3 collection is cool for a lot of reasons, none more important than they are different genres of games. Roosters is an action game, where you play as small elf fighters that are dead set on clearing their forest area of…other elf fighters…and bullfrogs. It’s a strange game.
Chariot contains the same characters from Roosters, but isn’t a sequel, rather it is a shooter. They have taken the same concept from Roosters and made it a side-scrolling shooter. It’s all weird. Strangely, it works. The enemies are gorgeously over-detailed nightmares straight from the Land of Ooz. It has some personality and charm, just like its cousin.
And that leads us to Don’t Pull. How can I describe this one? A rabbit pushing blocks against blobs, dinosaurs, and other strange creatures. In Bomberman-like fashion, you trap enemies with objects you push at them while gathering power-ups and solving a maze. Out of the trio, this one had me the most fascinated, as its simplicity was hiding a deeper, more complicated puzzle game that required forward-thinking and your undivided attention. It made this trio work. Overall, this is a helluva collection.
- Sonson: Could this be considered the first on-rails game? Maybe. You are perpetually moving right (not by your doing) controlling a cool ninja-like animal character that is trying to rescue his friends. You hop up and down through a multi-tiered level that contains healthy foods, goodies, and French fries (it’s weirdly included, but it is 1984, so that is excused). Also, there are an endless number of enemies storming at you in all shapes, sizes, and movements. This game is frustrating as it is fascinating. It’s good, but it’s very basic, but again, it’s 1984.
- Magic Sword: I have never seen this game prior to this collection. It’s a side-scrolling poor man’s Golden Axe that surprisingly works very well. You take out enemies in side-scrolling action fashion while unlocking doors, acquiring temporary partners, and upgrading your arsenal against endless enemies while making your way up a huge This game has charm, and longevity thanks to its enemy and visual variety, and it has some good ideas that most certainly carried over to later generations of games. Plus, it’s a fun game.
- Eco Fighters: I dreaded this game, as I could see how irritating this side-scrolling shooter was going to be. You have this odd pole in front of your ship that is controlled by your right thumbstick. The pole carries your special weapon and allows for a secondary source of kick-assery. Once I played the game and got used to the controls, it became…fun. It still had moments of irritation, especially when you get the wrong special weapon power-up, but for the most part, it moved fast and was entertaining thanks to a variety of enemies and levels. And the bosses were badass.
- Super Gem Fighter and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo: Unnecessary? Oh, without a doubt. Adorable? God, yes. And fun. Whatever.
- 1943 Kai – Midway Kaisen: It’s 1943. It’s good. It’s a classic. It is fast and furious, and no matter the name, it’s always enjoyable. It is a game that reminds me of the great times I had at arcades. It works. It should be on this list.
In my opinion, the above list is why you want this arcade collection. There’s a lot to love about these arcade moments.
The in-between arcade experiences
These games in this Capcom arcade package are worth a go, but probably not your complete attention. Here are the middle-of-the-pack arcade intrigues:
- Black Tiger: I respect the amount of detail that went into this game, but the Ghost and Goblins type of frustrating gameplay makes this experience somewhere in the middle of the road. You play as a knight and traverse a variety of landscapes while getting everything thrown at you under the sun. You will be guaranteed to die during the first green pole grapple. You don’t know what I’m talking about? You’ll see. Pump this game full of quarters because you’ll need every single one of them.
- Gan Sumoku: Capcom must have been in a bad mood when they made these games in this category. This is a western game (cowboys and such – probably inspired by Pale Rider), where you’re hunting down criminals while getting shot at in what could only be described as Criminalville…because no one is your friend. This game has you pushing different buttons that represent different directions for you to shoot (left-right-forward). While the game is challenging and the inclusion of power-ups make it interesting, it is tough as nails. I’m sure the Dark Souls folks out there will go ga-ga over it.
- Side Arms: Because it’s Side Arms. It’s difficult and fun, and there are mech in it! MECH! It was like playing Macross with a purpose. This game was huge back in the day, and I could see why, but wow was it hard. There is so much happening on screen that it’s tough to figure out what you should be shooting first…right before you die. The fact that it’s a classic keeps it on this list. Also, again, mechs.
- The Speed Rumbler: It took me a few tries to understand why this game is the way it is. First, it’s a racing game that takes the concept of Rally-X and adds a bit of Mad Max to the mix. Second, the inclusion of a weapon on the car to move around and blow up your enemies, while having the ability to exit the vehicle (like some crazed Grand Theft Auto (the first) fever-dream) and take out enemies on foot is amazing. Lastly, the levels are just endless, and you can go back and forth through them trying to rescue friends that provide you with points and power-ups. Why is it on this list? The game is difficult! Are you seeing a theme here? It’s tough to control the car which means it’s difficult to avoid enemies. Fun when you get used to it, but frustrating until then.
- Rally 2011 LED Storm: It’s a weird Rally-X meets Bump ‘n’ Jump. I think there is racing involved, but you’re some weird, wanted criminal that must fight their way in a car through the future. You can knock people around with your car, which makes it fun, but like the other games mentioned in this section, it’s difficult! It is as if arcade games wanted you to keep pumping in quarters. Strange.
- Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters: I have never seen this one in action, but wow…it’s fun. The concept of just fighting bosses in a Mega Man arcade game is interesting. Once defeated, you can take their powers and use them in other boss fights, which create interesting possibilities and strategies. Both games are fun, a little clunky in controls, and short depending on how good you might be with the MM. For once, a game isn’t difficult in this section, but it goes quickly.
- Pnickies: If Columns, Tetris, and Baku-Baku had a baby, it would be Pnickies. It’s a puzzle game where you match colors to create combinations through a dual-star approach. It’s fast and furious, and it is far more fun with two players. Having said that, it’s not as entertaining and competitive as Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, but it still is somewhat exciting. Exciting enough to be in this part of the review, but not overly exciting to make it to the top. You might be entertained by it, but who knows?
- The King of Dragons: It’s a Golden Axe rip-off, but with a variety of knights. What’s neat about this game is that you get to upgrade weapons and armor, while swinging the hell out of whatever weapon you have as waves of enemies come at you. It’s a tough game, but the crux of my complaint with this one is that the levels are way too short. It’s still fun, though.
These are the games that I felt were good to decent, but not mind-blowing. They’re great inclusions with this arcade package, but probably not your first choice when it comes to digging into Capcom arcade games.
And now…we move on.
The struggle is real, save your quarters
It took me forever to find a headline that was arcade related but at the same time respectful. I’m satisfied with this one. What you may not be satisfied with is the following games:
- Savage Bees: It’s a pedestrian shooter in my mind. It does some neat things, and I could see where 1943 could end up existing through its design, but it’s just not fun. It’s like watching a failed version of Galaga…or just watching Galaxian. I didn’t have fun with this one at all, but I could see others enamored with it.
- Saturday Night Slam Masters: I have bitched and moaned about the over-complicated controls of 2K’s WWE I don’t want to use my brain that much! It’s a game. It shouldn’t be homework. It should be time to relax. That’s how I feel about the WWE series, where I think it was incredibly over-complicated. Now, having seen Saturday Night Slam Masters in action, I see that wrestling games have apparently always been complicated. The controls for this game are too complicated for fun to occur. I like the style of it and had hopes for the gameplay, but I can’t memorize the button combinations long enough to pin anyone and win. Most of my matches end up draws.
- Last Duel: Neat level design, you’re going to crash a lot. You race a car in the future, everyone wants to kill you, it’s a prelude to Fast & Furious. Careful of that random hole in the ground.
- Block Block: Arkanoid Great try, though.
- Knights of the Round: There were a lot of sword-swinging games out there like Golden Axe. This is one of them. I think that The King of Dragons was much better. This just seems a bit plain.
- Capcom Sports Club: If there is any game in this collection that I wanted to be good this one was it. You get several sports in one package, including basketball! It seems exciting until you try to shoot the ball, rebound the ball, or block the ball. *sad basketball noises* You get a slower, more cheating NBA JAM with the basketball part of this sports collection. It was neat looking, but wow I think I scored two points with my team. I’m not that bad. Or am I? The other sports are neat, but they follow along the same line.
- Hissatsu Buraiken: Okay. I understand this game, which was made in 1987, was trying to do something different with the action genre. It really did try, and I commend it fully for going outside the box. A top-down punch/kick action game is ambitious when you’re not SNK. The controls are just clunky for this timeframe and the bosses just leave something to be desired. It’s a helluva try and they nearly succeeded. You should give this a go just to see. It truly was a good try.
Having said all this in this section, please note that I don’t hate these games. I just think that they aren’t as fun or as good as the previous sections of games. They’re still arcade classics and it’s nice to have them in one place, but they’re more than likely games you won’t be revisiting.
Fun and Fancy
Beyond just the games, I was impressed with the extras included in the experience. This included the ability to rewind the game and speed it up (the latter of which is dangerous to do). The game also comes packed with leaderboards, plenty of toggle settings for the arcade cabinets, and the ability to play all the games invincible. In addition, you get some history about the game and some other little goodies that just add to the experience. These extras are worth it, and they work well with this arcade stadium collection.
Let’s wrap this sucker up.
Conclusion
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium is a spectacular follow-up to its predecessor. It is packed full of different arcade experiences covering a variety of genres and years, while also introducing some new features that help bring a bit more fun to the journey. As with any journey, it’s not always smooth sailing, but for the most part, it’s good.
