Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium PS4 review. When I reviewed the first iteration of Capcom Arcade Stadium just over a year ago, I stated that it was “a fresh lens to play a broad range of Capcom arcade classics.” and that sentiment remains unerringly true with Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium, too. The problem is, all of the same caveats that applied to the first Capcom Arcade Stadium, also applies to Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium as well, for better or worse.
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium PS4 Review
Though Unambitious Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium Is Fine Way To Play Some Capcom Classics From Yesteryear
In case you missed our review of the first Capcom Arcade Stadium, what Capcom has essentially done here is take a whole load of games from its arcade back catalogue and wrap them in a gorgeous, RE Engine powered shell which serves to underscore the preservationist feel of the whole affair in a bid to allow players to recreate the arcade experience of yesteryear as closely as possible. In practice, this means that each of these games is represented by age order in a series of 3D rendered Impress style arcade cabinets that you can interact with, allowing you to play each title with a variety of different visual filters, control methods, audio tweaks and more besides.
Just like last year’s collection, the standard of emulation is appreciably high with each of the over 25 different games not only being roundly playable and enjoyable, but lovely to look at on the shiny 4K displays of today. Also like the first Capcom Arcade Stadium, the barriers to play for less veteran players have also been removed thanks to a super neat rewind ability that allows you to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat (nabbing you a cheeky trophy in the process).
There’s also the same ‘CAPSO’ progression system too, which provides a form of in-game currency (don’t worry there aren’t any microtransactions) when certain feats, such as nailing a high score in a particular game, have been completed. Once sufficient CAPSO has been amassed, these digital Capcom coins can be traded in for a range of unlockables such as artwork, development materials and much more besides. In short, Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium does a more than commendable job of encouraging players to embrace that old fashioned hook of trying to get the highest score possible and honestly, that feels great to say in 2022 where satisfaction is rarely so keenly felt and immediate.
Though the presentation of Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium is roundly impressive, it’s really the numerous retro titles that sit at the heart of this collection that shine here, though it is worth mentioning that Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium itself is a free purchase and it’s the additional games which need to be purchased separately in the same way that was done with the first Capcom Arcade Stadium (though you do get one game free with Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium to get you going).
There’s no denying that the first Capcom Arcade Stadium boasts a veritable selection of stone cold classics, from the likes of Final Fight to Strider, Bionic Commando, Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins and Street Fighter II, but Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium arguably equals it. All three Street Fighter Alpha games feature, as do a number of Darkstalkers games, the superb Old West vertical shooter Gunsmoke, Megaman: The Power Battle, The King of Dragons and so many more besides.
Quite simply, Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium has an absolute treasure trove of classic arcade games for folks to get stuck into but the fact remains (as again was the case with the first Capcom Arcade Stadium), that you might already own some of these games in other collections. Indeed, the very recently released Capcom Fighting Collection which includes all the Darkstalkers games featured here, while the earlier Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Collection also includes all of the Street Fighter Alpha games that are showcased in this package. That said, while some content overlap exists, Capcom’s latest retro compilation still offers more than enough in the way of unique retro titles for players to make Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium worth shelling out for.
Though structurally identical to the previous Capcom Arcade Stadium collection of retro goodies, Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium nonetheless remains an easy recommendation thanks to its assemblage of still enjoyable and well emulated classics that are given the sort of love and sheen that each has long deserved.
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium releases for PS4 on July 21, 2022.