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Following similar titles from Midway, Tecmo, Konami, Atari, and Namco, Capcom has finally decided to release a collection of classic titles. Capcom Classic Collection spans the years of 1984 to 1992, and features a mix of AAA titles, decent distractions, and a couple games that you'll never play more than once.

Several of the games are in the 1942/Galaga mold of top-down linear shooters. 1942, 1943, 1943 Kai, Exed Exes, Legendary Wings, and Vulgus are all shooters, and 1943 is certainly the best (especially when playing with two players). Exed Exes plays similarly, albeit a little slower, and it seems to be set in a futuristic beehive of some sort. Legendary Wings is just like Exed Exes, except you control a guy with wings rather than a spacecraft.

One of the higher profile games on the collection is Ghosts 'N Goblins. In addition to the original, it also includes Ghouls 'N Ghosts and Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts, and they're all just as hair-pullingly difficult as always. All three follow the two-hit death formula, which is indicated by your armor. Get hit once, you're practically naked. Get hit again, you're dead. It's a famously difficult game, and it's on this disc in all of its lance-throwing glory.

The original arcade version of Commando is included, and it's every bit as fun as the NES version. You still play as Super Joe, and roll through the battleground by yourself shooting hundreds upon hundreds of enemies in what may be the most unrealistic war game of all time. Mercs plays like Commando on steroids, and supports co-op 2-player mode. This is a blast, and players can mount turrets and pilot vehicles.

Forgotten Worlds is one of the best inclusions on this collection. You play as two horribly generic 'bad dudes' who fly around with ridiculous amounts of lasers and upgradeable weapons. Control is fairly unique, and you use the right analog stick to rotate your character, and R1 to fire. It takes a bit to get used to, but it works very well. Along the way, your characters can stop into several shops and spend 'Zenny' to upgrade your guns and buy new ones.

Bionic Commando was one of my favorite NES games, so I was happy to see it included on this collection. Unfortunately, it's a port of the arcade version, which apparently sucks in comparison. Your hook arm isn't nearly as responsive, and I just didn't get the same feeling from this version as I did on the consoles.

Of course, the big dog of the collection is Street Fighter II. SFII Hyper Fighting and SFII Championship Edition are also included, and the ports are quality. Unlike MKII and MK3 on Midway Arcade Treasures, you won't find any graphical glitches here. In fact, even the slowdown is accurately ported (that's up to you if it's a good thing or a bad thing). There's even an option to play "SF Deluxe", which essentially gives you a giant character select screen encompassing all three versions. As always, Street Fighter II is one of the pinnacles of 2D fighting, and nothing has changed here. It's still just as great as it's always been.

The game I had the most fun with on this collection is Final Fight. Yes, I know it includes Street Fighter II, but I've been playing that game constantly for over ten years, so I'm a bit used to how great it is. Final Fight, on the other hand, I hadn't played for a long time. Going through Metro City in 2-player co-op mode is still amazingly fun after all these years. I prefer to play as Hagger for humor's sake, considering he's the pro-wrestler Mayor of Metro City. I don't know if it's just me, but I find something inherently hilarious about the mayor of a city suplexing prostitutes through barrels.

Several games could have just as well been dropped from this title. Pirate Ship Higemaru plays like the NES game Kickle Cubicle, although not quite as fun. Section Z is like Forgotten Worlds if you took out all of the entertainment value. Trojan is a generic 1-player side-scrolling beat-em-up. Vulgos plays like a much slower cousin of the already lackluster Exed Exes. Son Son is just confusing. All five of the aforementioned games could have been omitted without any complaints.

Capcom Classics Collection allows gamers to choose how they'd like to see these classics. You can have it in the standard ratio, which scrunches it on your TV screen fairly small, or you can extend it to full-screen. There's really nothing to complain about as far as graphics or audio go. They're direct ports, which means Final Fight and Street Fighter look great, while Exed Exes and Section Z aren't much to look at. All of the music is great across the board, almost without exception. Sound effects are authentically replicated, so you'll hear every "Shoryuken" and "Tiger Uppercut" crystal clear.

Considering the Street Fighter II Anniversary Collection retailed at $30 with essentially only 2 games, it's a no-brainer to pick up Capcom Classics Collection for only $20. After all, what old-school gamer didn't pump at least $20 in quarters into these machines back when they were at the arcade? While it has some stinkers, the inclusion of Street Fighter, Final Fight, 1942/1943, and Forgotten Worlds makes it easily worth it. A must-have for fans of arcade games or Capcom.

Graphics: B

Audio: A-

First Play: B+

Last Play: B+

Gameplay: B+

Overall: 88% B+