One can dream for anything to happen given Capcom’s recently announced Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection and Capcom Fighting Collection 2. Both games came from out of nowhere, and both games contain some crossovers and licensing agreements everyone thought would never happen. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 will for sure make the bigger waves among most gamers, but hot damn if I’m not excited to see the return of Capcom vs. SNK 2! Legitimately never thought I’d see that game ever get a re-release.
While content creators and fighting fans across the world are celebrating and predicting what Capcom should and could release in their next fighting game compilation, I’m thinking more broadly on the implications that no franchise is off the table. If SNK and Marvel are back on board, why not others? And why not bring back something besides fighting games? Capcom is well known for all types of video games, and side scrolling beat’em ups are absolutely one of them. With one compilation under their belt that included a paltry amount of classic games, it’s high time Capcom gave us a Beat’em Up Bundle part two. There are countless games to choose from, but a few I deem absolutely necessary are below. Come on Capcom, it’s time.
Alien vs. Predator (Arcade – 1994)
Let’s get the big one out of the way first: Alien vs. Predator is the poster child for this theoretical game. No other Capcom beat’em up has as much prestige, as much clout, as Alien vs. Predator. I was fortunate enough for my local mall to add an emulated version of this game to a remade but severely dying arcade when I was growing up, and I can attest this is a damn fun side scroller. Huge sprites, lovely visuals, satisfying combat, and so much more make this game worthy to be included somewhere, anywhere, on a sort of remake or compilation collection. Licensing with Fox (so then Disney I guess?) could work, as Capcom has worked with Disney in the past, and could stand to make a few bucks doing so again.
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (Arcade – 1993)
Our other heavy hitter is another Capcom listening game stuck in the arcades: Cadillacs and Dinosaurs. You might be like me and think there was a home release of this arcade game, but you (and I) would be mistaken. That game, called Cadillacs and Dinosaurs: The Second Cataclysm, released on the Sega CD and was nothing at all like the Capcom arcade game. For those that did play this classic in the arcades, they were greeted with multiple characters to play, a silly setting of modern era tech and literal dinosaur enemies, and that typical Capcom charm from its early 90s titles. This game’s license is sitting with someone somewhere, and honestly if you’re not going to even do anything with it you might as well let Capcom re-release this amazing game for a new audience to enjoy.
Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom and Shadows over Mystara (Arcade – 1994, 1996)
Thankfully these two RPG beat’em ups actually got a re-release back in 2013 on PS3 and Xbox 360 as part of the Chronicles of Mystara compilation. That is how I first played these games, and like many of you that enjoyed them for the first time I thought how awful these games would be if you were actually pumping quarters into a machine. It was tough but rewarding to slay your enemies, level up and earn loot and gear, and then progress through a high fantasy storyline set in the very early D&D world of Mystara. These arcade games saw ports on the Sega Saturn in Japan, but these were regarded as inferior by all means (yet still command a very high resell value). Getting these two on a compilation with some revamped online and couch co-op could be exciting!
Willow (Arcade – 1988)
I usually see these compilation style games as games preservation, and that would be the exact case with the inclusion of Willow. The game is old compared to the other games on this list, but it’s nonetheless a highlight in Capcom’s catalog. While there was an NES release in 1989 that had it’s own set of fans, it was not quite the same experience as the arcade version. As far as I am aware, this game is still stuck in the arcades with no official home console version. I don’t think the game would win over any fans with its inclusion in the dream compilation, but it would be a truly amazing addition and a first for many gamers to try!
X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (SNES – 1994)
Pivoting away from the arcades and we get to see what some regard as one of the greatest X-Men games of all time (and often on lists of greatest SNES games of all time). X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse is one I’ve sadly somehow never played despite growing up in the 90s and being a huge fan of the X-Men comics and cartoon series. I was stuck with the alright Sega Genesis version. Capcom’s take featured unique levels and challenging fights, a handful of various X-people to play as, and one of the SNES’s best looking games. Marvel clearly has a deal going on with Capcom, so this one should be inevitable.
God Hand (PS2 – 2006)
Beat’em ups sometimes get lumped in with “Retro Games” because the genre has been around for awhile and for sure was at its prime in the 80s/90s. But the genre still sees releases to this day, and did all through the 2000s as well. Case in point; Capcom and Clover Studio’s God Hand. Often cited as a meme since IGN gave it a 3 out of 10, God Hand is anything but: the game features a complex fighting system, a wacky story you might expect nowadays from developer Shinji Mikami. This game would be a great inclusion to not only represent the 3D era of beat’em ups, but to also lower the aftermarket value of the PS2 original. It’s hard to find and expensive even then.
Viewtiful Joe series (Gamecube – 2003)
I feel it is only right if we are including 3D beat’em ups on this list to then include Capcom’s seemingly forgotten first party franchise Viewtiful Joe. Visually impressive and with a comical story to boot, Viewtiful Joe is a series just begging to return to the spotlight. The gameplay is solid and features an easy to learn and incredibly satisfying combat system. Personally I’ve only played the first game, but there are four total games in the series, with the first two games being the most well regarded. And for what it’s worth, I’ve only played the Gamecube version, so I didn’t get to experience the fun little crossover with Dante from the Devil May Cry franchise that PS2 fans enjoyed. Let’s put at least the first two on this compilation, and the last two as a nice unlockable bonus!
Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems (SNES – 1996)
As one final inclusion, and one hopefully easy pull thanks to the renewed deals between Capcom and Marvel, we can get the incredibly disappointing SNES exclusive Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems. I remember seeing this game on the shelf at a local video rental store, and thinking it must be related to the amazing and at the time one of a kind Marvel Super Heroes arcade fighting game. I was offensively incorrect, as this game is nothing like the arcade game (which is coincidentally included on the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection). War of the Gems is a side scrolling beat’em up featuring several Marvel superheroes, but the game just lacks the pizzazz you’d expect from Capcom. The concept was cool, like how you actually use the Infinity Gems in a stage, but I just didn’t like it all that much. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be included on this compilation! Maybe 25 years later I’ll enjoy it!
With these 10 or so games, I think we’ve honestly covered all of Capcom’s worthwhile offerings. There are some stragglers like some Final Fight sequels and recent games like the Onimusha and Sengoku Basara series’, but nah. Those can be their own mini compilations in the future. For now, let’s dream Capcom gives us this bundle sometime soon.
Laters,
Jsick
