Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 once again offers a big bundle of nostalgia on a single disc. Not to be confused with a Street Fighter collection, Mega Man collection, or Puzzle collection, Classics Collection 2 compiles a variety of Capcom’s greatest arcade games onto your Playstation 2 from way back in the day.

Capcom Classics Collection includes 20 classic arcade games: 1941 Counter Attack, Avengers, Black Tiger, Block Block, Captain Commando, Eco Fighters, King of Dragons, Knights of the Round, Last Duel, Magic Sword, Mega Twins, Quiz and Dragons, Side Arms, Street Fighter, Strider, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, The Speed Rumbler, Three Wonders, Tiger Road, and Varth. There is also a bonus game called Capcom Quiz and Dragons.

All these games are offered in list form alphabetically. When choosing a game you’re offered the opportunity to access bonus features for that game, change the options, view the high scores, or simply play it. Each game has an extensive list of options, from the difficulty to the amount of allowed continues. Some even have speed options and even more in-depth gameplay tweaks. All the games even allow you to set up the controller however you want.

Under bonus you’ll initially find a short history on each title. There are also tips, artwork, and soundtracks that you can access for each game, but these have to be unlocked. In typical Capcom fashion, each bonus feature has a set objective that must be completed within that game to gain access to it. This is a great way to add some replay value, or even incentive to do well on your first play-through.

This collection has a nice mix of titles, but the majority seems to lean towards the beat ‘em ups. Most of the games featured in Collection 2 is of the “walk around and beat bad guys up” ilk. Thrown in the mix are a few shooters and puzzle games, but the main theme here is brawlers. But with games like Magic Sword, Knights of the Round, King of Dragons, and Captain Commando that isn’t really a bad thing.

As with every collection, you’re going to get some games you don’t like. It’s inevitable. Some of the games in Collection 2 are pretty bad; Avengers and The Speed Rumbler are a couple good examples. Of course this is all going to be determined by each gamer’s opinion, but I enjoyed most of the games in this compilation.

As an extra bonus title, Capcom Quiz and Dragons was included almost as an easter egg, since it isn’t featured in the main list of games. This is basically Quiz and Dragons, but all the questions are replaced with Capcom trivia. Questions about various Capcom series like Resident Evil, Onimusha, Final Fight, Street Fighter, Mega Man, and Devil May Cry pop up, and they can range from very obvious to very obscure (down to what color of pants a character wears). But doing well in Capcom Quiz can actually earn you cheats and bonus options in the other arcade titles.

Navigating the game list is extremely painless. Load times are very short, and jumping in and out of games is a breeze. The collection has its own menu that travels from game to game, so at any point during play you can access the menu to change options, save progress, or quit back to menu.

Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 has a great selection of games. Side-scrollers, fighting, shooters, and puzzle games are all represented, though most of the really good games happen to be the side-scrollers. Even when there are some stinkers, for only 20 dollars it’s hard to go wrong. That’s less than a dollar a game, and some of these are real classics.   

Gameplay: 8.3
While not all the games are great, I found that when starting one up I had a hard time turning it off. Some of the games on this collection are a lot of fun, and will no doubt bring back memories. While others aren’t very good, and will most likely not see any more than a single play, others create a balance by remaining great.

Graphics: 6.5 
I hate knocking classics for their graphics, because that really isn’t the point of retro gaming. But there’s no way to give these old graphics a high score when they’re so old.

Sound: 7.0
The quality of the sound is about the same as the graphics: old. But even so, some of the music in these old games was pretty good. 

Difficulty: Easy - Hard
The difficulty is entirely in the player’s hands. In each game you are able to alter the difficulty, number of continues, number of lives, etc. It is very possible to beat every game on the list with infinite continues, it just takes time.

Concept: 7.0 
Capcom is starting to run out of titles, and it shows when they begin to include the same titles in multiple compilations. I still love seeing classic gaming on current-gen consoles, but repetition can be a buzz kill.

Multiplayer: 8.3
The gameplay doesn’t change much when going multiplayer, it just keeps you from getting lonely. Sharing the nostalgia is always a good time, and most of these games allow 3 to 4 players at once.  

Overall: 8.0
If you’re not a fan of side-scrolling brawlers you may not find this collection quite as entertaining. There are other genres within the collection, but the beat ‘em ups are definitely what shine the brightest. Either way, if you like either Capcom or classic gaming you’ll most likely have a good time with this one.