Despite advertising little more than a joint Indie World and Partner Showcase, Nintendo delivered game reveals to many gaming demographics recently. However, even RPG fans may not have been hit as hard by the Direct as the fighting game community. The Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection was dated mere weeks away, and, as an even bigger surprise, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 was announced for 2025. Eight retro titles may seem odd to get excited over, especially after the first Capcom Fighting Collection had ten, but these are no ordinary games.
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 makes up for its smaller scope with higher profile titles than anything in the first Capcom Fighting Collection. Plasma Sword, Capcom Fighting Evolution, and Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper are all in line with titles from the first CFC, like Cyberbots and Hyper Street Fighter 2, but both Capcom vs. SNK and Power Stone are dream releases that eclipse even the first collection’s Darkstalkers library, and Project Justice has also been a long time coming. At this point, there are only enough titles for one more Capcom Fighting Collection, though not every qualified game may make the cut.
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection Makes the Case for MvC4
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection is set to revive some of the most classic fighting games of all time, paving the way for a new game.
Headlining Capcom Fighting Collection Titles
Capcom Fighting All-Stars
If Capcom wants to match the value of Capcom Fighting Collection 2, then it needs to spearhead the third Capcom Fighting Collection with the biggest name it has left. The only thing that can match the legendary Capcom vs. SNK is an exciting title that fans were denied altogether. Capcom Fighting All-Stars was the original pitch for what Capcom Fighting Evolution was supposed to be, and was a 3D Capcom crossover fighter far enough in development to be playable and slated for release. All-Stars was canceled due to negative feedback, but now that Street Fighter 6 is openly referencing it, the time is right to bring this game out of Capcom's vaults.
Street Fighter EX
Whether or not Capcom unearths Capcom Fighting All-Stars for Capcom Fighting Collection 3 is a coin flip, but there is one other name that Capcom can draw on to match its past collections’ Darkstalkers and CvS lineups. Street Fighter EX was a collaboration between Capcom and Fighting Layer developer Arika, and formed a full trilogy of games with upgraded versions before being retired. These are known for being worse than the average Capcom-made Street Fighter, but they still have some fans, and their unusual mechanics can be exciting in motion.
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom
Capcom's collaboration with Arika for Street Fighter 5 costumes and co-ownership of the EX games means they are likely to land in a future Capcom Fighting Collection, but there is one less likely collaboration that could get an even bigger pop. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is a crossover tag fighter developed with characters from the esteemed Tatsunoko animation studio, and getting it on more platforms than Wii and arcades could earn it some new fans. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is so mired in character rights issues that a playable character was removed before its final version, so Capcom would most likely celebrate getting this heavy hitter back with a separate release.
Street Fighter X Tekken
One more big name for Capcom Fighting Collection 3 presents itself, and that name is Street Fighter X Tekken. This game was delisted from Steam years ago due to technical issues that remain unfixed, and also suffered from console-exclusive characters and gameplay-impacting DLC that made SFXT's frustrating design even more disliked. Including it in a new collection would be the chance to right many of its wrongs, even if Infamous’ Cole MacGrath, and Sony’s Japanese mascots Kuro and Toro have to be left out.
Capcom’s Third Fighting Collection’s Likely Inclusions
Tech Romancer
While there are a number of games and series that deserve to be centered on the Capcom Fighting Collection 3 box art, one title is all but guaranteed to make its roster. Despite their mechanical differences, Tech Romancer is considered the spiritual successor to Cyberbots, and Tech Romancer takes even greater influence from the popular mecha shows of the 90s. Although it doesn't have a large following, it is the last esteemed one-off Capcom arcade fighting game not featured in the prior collections, so its presence feels like a lock.
Slam Masters
As for a full series likely joining a future Capcom Fighting Collection, the honor goes to Slam Masters. The first of these two fighters, Saturday Night Slam Masters, is unique in Capcom's library due to playing more like a traditional wrestling game than a fighting game. Its Japanese arcade-exclusive upgrade Muscle Bomber Duo: Ultimate Team Battle is much the same, but Ring of Destruction: Slam Masters 2 was actually reworked to be a normal 2D fighting game, and is even implied to be in the shared Street Fighter and Final Fight universe. An anthology of Capcom fighters would feel incomplete without Ring of Destruction, so both games have a good shot at the third CFC.
Final Fight Revenge
Speaking of Final Fight, the series plays host to a single fighting game, though it's not what fans were hoping for. Final Fight Revenge is a bizarre game with scrolling 2D stage backgrounds that looked low-resolution even in 1999, awkward 3D conversions of iconic Final Fight characters, and strange gameplay that incorporates the series’ penchant for picking up weapons. Even Final Fight Revenge's supers were underwhelming and sometimes unintuitive. Not many are championing this curiosity’s revival, but it's worth including for completeness’ sake, and North America never got a console port of it.
Gotcha Force
Before jumping into the unlikely picks, there is one more cult classic that needs to be brought up. Gotcha Force is one of the rarest GameCube games, and an arena mech fighter developed by some of the people who would go on to shape the Gundam Vs. Series into the arcade hit it is today. Boasting an enormous playable roster and surprisingly compelling single-player mode, this game commands a lot of respect from its small competitive scene. Though Gotcha Force having a place in Capcom Fighting Collection 3 is unlikely due to its atypical gameplay and GameCube roots, it would be a great companion for Tech Romancer.
Uncertain Capcom Fighting Collection 3 Additions
Onimusha Blade Warriors
That only leaves the Capcom fighting games that are either low priority, or so mired in licensing issues that they may never return. Onimusha Blade Warriors is among the former, being a spin-off of the hack-and-slash Onimusha franchise, and also one of Capcom’s two platform fighters alongside Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble. While its gameplay isn't quite as solid as other Capcom fighters, it still brings impressive value as a single-player title, complete with lots of unlockable characters, costumes, and weapons by way of its various modes. Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble is better off saved for a Viewtiful Joe collection.
Street Fighter: The Movie
There is one more Street Fighter game to cover, but it isn't a major selling point for a Fighting Collection like the rest. Street Fighter: The Movie is the game adaptation of the 1994 live-action Street Fighter film, and has gained a similar “so bad it’s good” reputation. While not widely beloved, there is a goofy charm to its Mortal Kombat-like digitized actors and strange mechanics that a dedicated community has held onto for many years. Adding Street Fighter: The Movie might be another licensing nightmare due to said actors, but its return would make some people very happy.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future
The JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future fighting game is one of the highlights of Capcom's classic fighting game era, rendering the iconic Stardust Crusaders arc in gorgeous sprite art with appropriately zany mechanics. It even sports a surprisingly involved single-player story that includes opponents not adapted into playable characters. Fans are still competing in Heritage for the Future on Fightcade to this very day, but there they may have to stay. Despite JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure's ties to Street Fighter, its game rights may lie with Bandai Namco now. Combined with other possible owners like author Hirohiko Araki and Shonen Jump, securing HftF again might be tough.
Sengoku Basara X
As a strange parallel to JoJo’s situation, Sengoku Basara X may also require negotiations, but for completely different reasons. Despite Capcom being the owner of the Sengoku Basara hack-and-slash franchise, its fighting game adaptation was developed by none other than Arc System Works. The result was a strange 2D fighter that isn't as well regarded as ASW’s Guilty Gear series or even its infamous Hokuto no Ken fighter, but stands as a unique game that ties both companies together. If possible, this should be re-released in some form.
Alien vs. Predator
That's all the fighting games that could appear in another Capcom Fighting Collection, but other relevant genres are permitted, and that means a special beat-’em-up is on the table. Alien vs. Predator is a 1994 arcade game based on an early version of the similarly-titled film, and is very well regarded. Players control two cyborg Marines and two Predators to fight off an Alien invasion, and the game sports some of Capcom's best 90s beat-’em-up combat. Unfortunately, it never left arcades and the licenses involved present an issue, but it could be one of the crowning jewels of the Capcom Fighting Collection 3 if those are overcome.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 79%
WHERE TO PLAY
Ten of Capcom's most popular arcade games in one epic collection!
A wide variety of titles are included from iconic series such as Street Fighter and Darkstalkers, Cyberbots, and the first home console port of Red Earth! And of course, all titles support online play! This is the perfect collection for both arcade veterans who remember the titles, and those who want to get into them for the first time!
Fully-featured online modes
Players can aim to top the global leaderboards in ranked matches, or create a lobby with friends for casual games or just spectate some exciting matches.
Supported with a robust Rollback netcode which offers a stable and smooth online experience.
First-timers welcome
Beginner-friendly features such as training mode and one-button special move control options are included. You can also save and load any time for a quick do-over!
Additional content: The Museum
This archive features more than 500 illustrations and development materials across the 10 included titles. It also includes concept art that has never been shown to the public before, and behind-the-scenes materials that give a glimpse into the development process. Not only that, you can listen to over 400 music tracks recorded from the arcade versions of each title.
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
