Capcom Arcade Stadium was a dream collection that featured over thirty classic titles from the developer's illustrious back catalogue.
It included so many big titles that fans have grown to love over the years such as Bionic Commando, Ghosts 'n Goblins and Street Fighter II.
After the success of this collection, Capcom has been working hard to release several other classic titles in different bundles such as the Capcom Fighting Collection.
But as there are still several classics that have yet to be collated, it only made sense for Capcom to release the follow-up to Capcom Arcade Stadium.
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium is another grand roster of legendary arcade titles. It features a new selection of thirty-two games from 1983 to 2003.
Many of these titles have been ported into compilations in the past but Capcom has done much more to recreate the original arcade experience.
A massive bonus is having the ability to play gems like Mega Man: The Power Fighters or Saturday Night Slam Masters on the go on the Nintendo Switch.
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium comes with several quality-of-life additions that allow players to dictate their overall experience.
First thing is that the CASPO system returns where players can earn points by completing various challenges.
All the points that have been collected will place a player in the world CASPO ranking. The bonus points are rewarded by meeting certain conditions like completing games with no continuation or getting a really high score.
This is a great increase in the competitive nature of these games and by adding that extra challenge Capcom have greatly extended the longevity of this collection.
Aside from these CAPSO bonuses, there are extra challenges that can be attempted online and offline.
The online challenges will allow players to compete with others around the world in another global ranking.
The Special challenges are a good touch but I felt they were a bit repetitive and could’ve been more game-specific.
If that wasn’t enough the game also includes its own trophy system which can be unlocked once players hit a milestone.
There is just so much on offer in this collection and Capcom has done an outstanding job at developing countless new experiences for these classic titles.
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium features extensive display options with the big selling point being able to play them in 3D arcade cabinets.
This is a cool gimmick as you can even see the coin being put in, however, I feel the player will have to squint due to the condensed display.
Thankfully Capcom has also included an option to display the games in their native 4:3 aspect ratio with a border or 16:9.
Players will certainly appreciate being able to play in the 3D cabinets but it's not ideal for long periods of time or if they want to beat those challenges.
Like before there are several other filters that imitate different types of TV displays, allowing players to recreate the way they first played these games.
The different filters are a nice addition but I feel players will only switch between a couple of them as they can feel a tad unnecessary at times.
The ability to control the speed returns enabling players to test their skills at double or even triple the speed.
This is a fantastic feature as it grants the player the chance to add an extra layer of difficulty to their experience.
The time manipulation also grants players the ability to rewind the game back to a safe spot so they can redo a particular moment or level.
I have mixed feelings about this feature as yes players will be able to redeem their mistakes but it can also feel a bit cheap to complete games that way.
Players can track how many times they used this feature and there are special rewards for not using it.
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium comes with various multiplayer options that aim to recreate the game's original experience.
There still isn’t online multiplayer which is a massive omission as the Capcom Fighting collection has this feature.
Each of the titles comes in two different versions, English and Japanese, this is great as it allows players to experience the games how they choose to.
There are also extensive settings allowing players to have full authority over how they play each game.
Capcom has really outdone themselves with the different settings on offer, as this just drastically increased the amount of playtime on offer.
Verdict 4/5
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium is a fantastic collection, introducing players to games they might not have heard of.
The endless customisation and challenges on offer will provide so much replayability for hours on end.
Capcom’s online multiplayer omission is a weird one as they have included it in other retro collections.
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium is out on 22 July for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows
