The star that burns twice as bright burns half as long. And oh boy, the Sega Dreamcast burned brightly. Sega’s final entry into the console market may have been a sales disaster eclipsed by the all-consuming might of the PlayStation 2, but its small library contains an astonishingly high ratio of classic titles. 4w1m27

Many of those were fighting games. Sega’s NAOMI board was effectively Dreamcast tech in arcade cabinets, enabling perfect home ports. Capcom’s push to bring its classic fighters onto modern hardware has already seen collections featuring Dreamcast classics like Marvel vs Capcom 2 and Street Fighter III: Third Strike. Now, with Capcom Fighting Collection 2, practically every notable Capcom Dreamcast/NAOMI game has returned from the dead.

For fighting game enthusiasts, the marquee title here is Capcom vs. SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001, a bewilderingly comprehensive showdown between the two companies’ characters with a ludicrous amount of mechanical options.

But the rest of the package is no slouch. The unjustly forgotten Power Stone games are back for the first time in decades, the first Capcom vs SNK is here, as is ultra-rare Rival Schools sequel Project Justice. Rounding out the pack are the bizarre curio of Plasma Sword, an arguably unnecessary Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, and the faintly depressing Capcom Fighting Evolution.

Each is presented in the manner we’ve come to expect from the previous Capcom retro collections: you get a multitude of display and gameplay options for each title, a museum and soundtrack gallery showing off some surprisingly comprehensive development art, and impeccable rollback netcode. Sadly, despite trying, I was unable to find another online player during the review period, but after hours battling other people in last year’s Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection (which runs on the same tech), I’m assuming it’s flawless.

I played each of these games extensively on their original release, so I was expecting few surprises. Even so, there were a few things here I didn’t expect. For example, when I imported Capcom vs SNK 2 for Dreamcast my copy of Capcom vs SNK immediately began gathering dust. On revisiting the two games, it’s clear the sequel is an objectively better fighting game, but the original has better backgrounds, better music, and a more cohesive aesthetic.

Similarly, in conversations about the Power Stone franchise, it’s the sequel that unfairly gobbles up the attention. Sure, Power Stone 2 expands the player count to four and has more dynamic stages, but I had more fun with the original. There’s a purity of focus to Power Stone with its arena-based one-on-one fighting and even so many years later there’s not much else out there like it.

The Capcom vs SNK and Power Stone games in this collection alone make it a must-purchase for fighting fans, but the retro gamer in me is stunned that Plasma Sword and Project Justice have been dredged up from the Capcom back catalogue. Neither of these are landmark titles, though each is brimming with a specifically late 90s/early 00s bravado and creativity that feels like cracking open a time capsule.

You’ve probably sensed by now that I’ve had an amazing time with this collection. However, if the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection was an easy five-star release, this is a minor step down. Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper is a great game, but the arcade original was already released in the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary collection and the two aren’t hugely different. Capcom Fighting Evolution also still feels like what it is: a low-budget asset flip thrown together at the last minute. In addition, these are the arcade versions of these games so don’t include any extra content added for the home releases.

But those are small flies in a generous jar of very high-quality ointment. The Capcom Fighting Collection 2 made me smile from ear to ear, and I’ll be playing it online for months to come. Here’s hoping we get a Capcom Fighting Collection 3 featuring the Street Fighter EX titles and the likes of Rival Schools and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. After all, if Plasma Sword can make a comeback, anything can!

A glance at the news or, heck, even out of your window, will show that humanity is at each other’s throats. Rarely have people been more divided, whether that be politically, economically, or – with firm clampdowns on border travel – geographically. But perhaps there’s a ray of light in the darkness: a path we might walk to stand as one together once more…

After all, if bitter fighting game rivals Capcom and SNK could forces for the Capcom vs SNK games, maybe there’s hope for us yet!

These titles – Capcom vs. SNK and Capcom vs SNK 2 – are the jewels in the crown of the impending Capcom Fighting Collection 2, a killer retro package that also includes both Power Stone games, Rival Schools sequel Project Justice, Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, and the ugly duckling Capcom Fighting Evolution.

I was lucky enough to be sent a preview copy by Capcom, and this collection has been bringing some serious light into my life over the last week. Anyone who’s dipped into the other recent Capcom fighting game compilations – the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, Capcom Fighting Collection 1, or the truly amazing Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection will know what to expect: beautifully emulated versions of the some of the best fighting games ever made, online play (with rollback netcode), training modes, museum features, and a wealth of small quality-of-life improvements. You get the sense that the developers love these games as much as you do.

In my experience so far, and with the game still set to receive further improvements before launch, this collection isn’t going to let the side down. I am and always will be a Sega Dreamcast cultist, and as all but one of these games appeared on that doomed system, this is like catnip to me. So, let’s dig into a few to get a taste of what’s coming.

Capcom vs SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro 2w313p

Though a huge deal on its 2000 release for bringing together two sets of beloved characters, the release of its sequel just a year later in 2001 left this in the dust. Capcom vs SNK 2 is inarguably the superior game, though this is no slouch. On returning to it after so long, I loved the slick presentation, killer soundtrack, and impressive backgrounds. Capcom vs SNK 2 will inevitably be more popular in online play, but I hope this garners a mini-community of its own on launch.

Power Stone 2 e61e

Power Stone as a franchise has been unjustly ignored by Capcom. The first two titles in the series were released in arcades and on Dreamcast, and after that only ever made it onto a 2006 PlayStation Portable port. Of the two games Power Stone 2 is undeniably superior, going from two to four player brawling and with dynamic environments.

I’ve been playing this in local multiplayer with my baffled yet entertained girlfriend (sadly during the preview period, I haven’t had an online match). Most of the games in this collection are targeted at hardcore fighting game fans, but Power Stone 2 has genuine mainstream appeal and might finally get the wide audience it deserves for the first time.

Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein 621z5g

Despite owning this on Dreamcast, I never put much time into this odd duck in Capcom’s fighting library. It’s essentially “Capcom does Star Wars” and is the sequel to PSOne title Star Gladiator. I like that it’s included here as it’s a curious little title, but I doubt many 2025 gamers will be sinking hours into mastering it. But hey, who can complain at obscure titles like this being summoned from their graves and pressed back into service?

As practically every title in Capcom’s fighting game back catalogue has now been included in their recent retro ports, the chances of a Capcom Fighting Game Collection 3 seem slim. Perhaps the Street Fighter EX titles could return, along with Star Gladiator, Rival Schools: United by Fate, and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, but few in the FGC community are hankering to replay them in the same way they are the Capcom vs SNK titles.

But if this is the final entry, it looks like Capcom is going out with a bang. Further improvements and tweaks are promised between now and its May 16, 2025 launch, but as it plays right now, this is going to be yet another retro dream for fighting game fans.

A preview copy of the game was provided by Capcom.