Capcom can be credited as the inventor of a third party shooter. You may really don't know how many shooters they've made in the 1980s. All were aiming for a magical place of perfection, making some of the most memorable 2D experiences we'll ever have. Around two decades later, they (and the other games included in this compilation) belong to the elite community: a group of retro games that are as good as we know them.
Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, and Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting
Street Fighter II was a game that fans remember to be one of their favorite games, but what we're simply saying is one of the versions. My absolute favorite is the SNES version, but Hyper Fighting isn't that new. The Champion Edition is the same game with four extra playable characters; the Hyper Fighting adds turbo speed and balances the game feel. Balance is a touchy subject, but Hyper Fighting has demonstrated that the slightest tweak can have the most impact.
1942,1943, and 1943 Kai
Its punishing battles and extreme difficulty made it one of those games. Big ships, giant war plans that occupied a third of the screen, enemy attacks everywhere, and only a few power-ups to get you around. The game expecting a lot from the gamer, and to this day it may be still the best shooter in the 8-bit era. His predecessor, 1942, was unforgettable, but he did not have the same bite as the sequel. 1943 Kai was a bit of a rehash, featuring the same backgrounds, locations, and challenges as the first two titles. It's worth going through, but you can't compare it to the games that led to it.
Ghosts ‘N’ Goblins, Ghouls ‘N’ Ghosts, and Super Ghouls ‘N’ Ghosts
Capcom's first foray into eerie games, Ghosts 'N' Goblins is a classic side-scrolling action/adventure title. Jumping is not an authorized method of assault. The ghouls that Sir Arthur encounters are far too deadly to be killed that way. Swords, swords, arrows, and other medieval weapons are your only means of protection. Armor shields the skin of Sir Arthur for only one strike. Even the gold armor will be lost after it has been struck. Pitfalls are common, booby-traps are everywhere, and just as you think you've hit the end of dying, you've got to start! Ghosts 'N' Goblins was an experiment in frustration, and his sequel was based on that frustration so only the most stubborn players could walk away from the winner.
In most cases, whether you had the "Super" version of the game, it wasn't necessary to have the original, but the Ghouls 'N' Ghosts and the Super Ghouls 'N' Ghosts have some interesting variants. The original version of the game has four-way attacks, but Super Ghouls 'N' Ghosts do not. There are also significant differences in stage design and layout.
Commando and Bionic Commando
Two smart games in separate genres that were meant to be part of the same series. Commando was a good shooter, Bionic Commando was a side-scrolling adventure in nostalgic games. The commando activity is nearly non-stop. Gun ammonia is unchecked. Snatch the bombs to make fun of you and your rivals. Bionic Commando, on the other hand, has involved a bit more preparation. Ammo was unlimited, but your primary weapon is a grappling hook which lets you climb over almost any object. The battle is a little like the Metal Slug, except that in Metal Slug you have endless waves of enemies and no grappling hook. The enemies of Bionic Commando are ruthless, but they are not limitless. You're going to get a breather, but not a lot of time. Challenging and addictive, both Commandos definitely had a time test.
Final Fight
Final Fight is the reason why we've had dull beat-'em-up video games. I never thought the game was very original, but back in the day, there were only a few games that suited their level of addictiveness, some of which were arcade exclusives. The gameplay is like this: pick a character and press the attack button. It's as far as the game goes. The attacks are automatic, Combos occur with frequent blows, and special attacks may be executed with only two buttons. It could be because of nostalgia value, but despite its simplicity and repetitiveness, Final Fight is still more enjoyable than any of the modern beat-'em-ups on the market. The arms element is also the best aspect of it. Every highlighted target can be picked up and swung or tossed towards the enemy. Small arms like scissors are hurled, larger items like pipes are thrown, and numerous opponents can be destroyed.
Section Z and Forgotten Worlds
These games are technically unrelated, but they have the same gameplay. Section Z is a space-scrolling space shooter that could nearly be compared to the R-Type. Levels scroll vertically and horizontally, kicking the corner when the game thinks you're doing too good. Forgotten Worlds brings the concept of sending a man to space to the next level by giving you eight degrees of control with the right analog stick. Square and circle buttons can also be used to change the direction of your weapon, but I doubt anybody would use them before they tried the analog stick mix. Forgotten Worlds may have been just another memorable port, but the Capcom Classics Collection version is the better one with this control scheme.
Exed Exes
Chances are that you haven't played Exed Exes since you've played games like that. Apparently inspired by the other Capcom shooters, Exed Exes lets you power the ship in a weird, semi-futuristic world. Movement is not limited to the bottom of the screen, which means that a lot of enemies are coming to get you out of the way.
Gun.Smoke
I'm not sure why there is a mark in the name, copyright maybe. Unlike today's games where the dot is used as a node to the era of dot-com, Gun.Smoke was a great western gunman. The top-down and up-scrolling games work just as well as you battle to shoot enemies from various viewpoints. They could be standing on the sidewalks, or sneaking a picture from the window of a two-story home.
Legendary Wings
Another 1942-style shooter, Legendary Wings, is a shooter in which you control a mystery winged man. The story is ridiculous (you must defeat the evil computer that fell out of space), and because of its slow gameplay, this is the only game in the collection that I can't be sure I'm going to play again. In addition to the titles listed above, the Capcom Classics series includes Son Son, Trojan, and Vulgus. If you played one or more of these games, this is the biggest set available.
