Club Benefits
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Daily (Mon-Sun)
Tom's Guide Daily
Sign up to get the latest updates on all of your favorite content! From cutting-edge tech news and the hottest streaming buzz to unbeatable deals on the best products and in-depth reviews, we’ve got you covered.
Weekly on Thursday
Tom's AI Guide
Be AI savvy with your weekly newsletter summing up all the biggest AI news you need to know. Plus, analysis from our AI editor and tips on how to use the latest AI tools!
Weekly on Friday
Tom's iGuide
Unlock the vast world of Apple news straight to your inbox. With coverage on everything from exciting product launches to essential software updates, this is your go-to source for the latest updates on all the best Apple content.
Weekly on Monday
Tom's Streaming Guide
Our weekly newsletter is expertly crafted to immerse you in the world of streaming. Stay updated on the latest releases and our top recommendations across your favorite streaming platforms.
Join the club
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
This article is part of Tom’s Guide’s inaugural Gaming Week, an entire week of content dedicated to all things gaming. From insights into the latest hardware, guides to the best games you can play today, to the essential accessories we can't play without. Tom’s Guide Gaming Week will guide you through the world of video games in 2025.
I’ve been having the time of my life playing Capcom Fighting Collection 2. Like Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection before it, this latest compilation features some of the company’s finest arcade games in one package. It’s fantastic not just for fans of these games, but for those who are brand-new to the likes of Capcom vs. SNK or Power Stone.
I’ve been a fighting game fanatic since the Street Fighter II days, but I didn’t get to play most of the games in Capcom Fighting Collection 2. Some weren’t released in North America until years later, or weren’t ported at all. Except for Street Fighter Alpha 3 and the two Power Stone games, this collection packs a bunch of titles that are brand-new to me.
But while I’m just now getting acquainted with games like Plasma Sword and Project Justice, I’m also experiencing nostalgia for one of my all-time favorite gaming consoles thanks to Capcom’s latest collection. As you can see from this article’s headline, it’s none other than my beloved Sega Dreamcast.
That might seem random, but there are good reasons why Capcom Fighting Collection 2 takes me back to the glorious Dreamcast days. Read on to find out!
The games I remember
The most obvious reason Capcom Fighting Collection 2 reminds me of the Dreamcast is that most of its games were available on Sega’s final console.The main game that takes me right back to 1999 is the original Power Stone.
Playing on Falco’s “Londo” stage reminds me of the countless hours my friends and I sunk into a Dreamcast demo disc featuring that level. The game’s colorful graphics and unique art style, which are way more imaginative than some current titles, were and are a grand showcase for what the Dreamcast was capable of. Power Stone is as fun now as it was back in the day.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing about Power Stone 2. I hoped that the intervening decades since I’ve played this sequel would make me appreciate it. But just as when I originally played it, this game is far too hectic and random for me to enjoy. I realize having four characters brawling on perilous stages is the main draw, but it’s too frantic for me. Aside from its fun graphics, I still can’t get into Power Stone 2.
Then we have Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, which is the last arcade version of this game. I played the North American version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 on Dreamcast but didn’t play Upper, which was only released in Japan. Still, since this is the same basic Alpha 3 experience, replaying it in this collection also took me back to the early ‘00s.
Sega Naomi
The Sega Dreamcast had the same hardware architecture as the Sega Naomi arcade board. This made it easier for developers to port Naomi-based arcade games like Project Justice and Power Stone to the Dreamcast. Sure, the Naomi system had increased main memory, graphics memory and sound memory, but Dreamcast ports were virtually identical.
The way Dreamcast generated polygons, textures, colors, and sound gave its games a distinct feel. If you’re like me, you can likely spot a Dreamcast game from a mile away. It’s for that reason that Project Justice and the Capcom vs. SNK games made me even more nostalgic for the Dreamcast, even though I’ve never played them. They’re the embodiment of what the Dreamcast (and Naomi) could do.
While on this topic, I want to single out Plasma Sword, which utilized the PlayStation-based ZN-2 hardware. While this Star Wars-inspired 3D fighter has a slightly different look than the Naomi-based 3D games in this collection, it still gives me that Dreamcast feel.
Lastly, let me bring up my favorite games on this collection: Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 and Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium. The latter, which is overall the better of the two, features 2D sprites and 3D backgrounds like Marvel vs. Capcom 2. However, it does a much better job of melding the two. It’s an excellent example of how well the Dreamcast was at generating 2D and 3D elements.
Sometimes you can go home again
The Sega Dreamcast only lasted for a year and a half in North America before Sega bowed out of the console race. Despite its untimely demise, it’s a system I still cherish due to its excellent graphical prowess and library of incredible games. Playing Capcom Fighting Collection 2 takes me back to my late teens/early 20s, when things seemed simpler and purer.
If you’re also a Dreamcast fan or someone who just wants to play some awesome old-school fighting games, do yourself a favor and pick up Capcom Fighting Collection 2. I promise you’ll have the time of your life.
More from Tom's Guide
- Here are my top 3 current favorite fighting games (and controllers)
- I swapped my controller for an arcade stick
- This is the most customizable PS5 and PC arcade stick I’ve tested
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
