Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded Slot Machine

Slot

Great games, great extras, awful luck.

Sony's dimunutive and sorely underrated PSP was a great device for retro gaming, with all sorts of lovely compilations finding a home there. Many of these were scaled-down versions of home console releases, andCapcom Classics Collection Reloadedfalls into that bracket. It's actually the second Capcom compilation to hit PSP - followingCapcom Classics Collection Remixed- but I'm going to coverReloadedfirst because it's my column and I can do whatever I want (No you can't. - Ed).

What a collection this is. Nineteen games are featured and the only ones that aren't really, really brilliant areVulgusandExed Exes, which aren't so much brilliant as they are truly archaic.Vulgusis a welcome inclusion for its historical importance as Capcom's very first game, butExed Exesfeels like it could have been swapped out and little of value would be lost. To allExed Exesfans now calling for my head, I apologise profusely.

Product Information. Capcom Classics Collection: Reloaded is a compilation of 19 arcade games originally released between 1984 and 1991. All games offer a choice of aspect ratios, control configurations, and some include local wireless play using the handheld's Ad-hoc mode.

It's a drop in the ocean though, because this UMD is stacked with quality. Landmark series are thoroughly represented. Terrific platform games inGhosts N' Goblinsand its two major sequels. Formative shmups in1942,1943and its spruced-up re-release1943 Kai. Groundbreaking fighting games inStreet Fighter IIand its revisionsChampion EditionandTurbo. And that's not even getting into the many further offerings representing Capcom's diverse, fascinating output. The hard-as-nails masterpieceCommandoand its incredible follow-upMercsare joined by the brilliantGunsmoke. More obscure titles are represented by the wonderful side-scrollerSon Sonand top-down barrel-'em-upHigemaru. The list goes on.

When it comes to retro compilations, though, the games aren't usually the focus of my interest. I'm familiar with them. What I want is meaningful extra content, bonus material to enhance my experience. And there's no shortage of it packed intoReloaded.

Every game has production art, a music gallery and most interestingly, cheats associated with it. For example, you can access a cheat forGhouls N' Ghoststhat will let you switch weapons by hitting Triangle. This is a fantastic and transformative addition that totally gives new life to what was already a very good game indeed. I wish all retro compilations had this sort of feature; it doesn't totally break the experience -Ghouls N' Ghostsgames are hard even when tooled up – but offers a fresh take on it. There are dozens of cheats like this across all the included titles and they're awesome. The only problem is how you unlock them.

Playing a game in Reloaded will grant you 'coins', based on too many factors to list. Score, time played, number of total titles played, whether or not you cleared the game, etc. You can boot up, play for a few seconds, quit and get a stack of them. They aren't hard to come by. What are they used for? You'd hope some sort of shop system to buy the bonus content at your leisure, but no. You have to play a stupid f[Language! - Ed] slot machine. Just sit there pinging in coins, spinning the reels and hoping you get a result. Simply winning isn't enough - you need to win correctly. For example, getting three BARs will unlock theHigemarusoundtrack, while three Chun-Lis nets the cheats forKnights of the Round. It's arbitrary, random, time-consuming and beyond irritating. It's really the only meaningful negative I can attribute toCapcom Classics Collection Reloaded, but it's a doozy.

Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded Slot Machine Machines

A brilliant compilation with lots of awesome supplementary content, but be prepared to spend a lot of time hunched over a virtual one-armed bandit if you want to see any of it.

Capcom Classics Collection Xbox One

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The original (and quite impressive) Capcom Classics Collection Remixed has just hit stores, and Capcom's already announced a follow-up. That's hardly a problem, though, as Capcom has no shortage of excellent classic arcade games to draw upon for these retro compilations.
The List
CCC Reloaded's lineup starts off with a lot of the games that were featured in Capcom Classics Collection for PS2 and Xbox, which themselves were drawn from the older Capcom Generation series on PS1 and Saturn. For those of you who aren't sad retro-game nerds who keep track of this stuff, that means you can expect PSP renditions of 1942, 1943, 1943 Kai, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Gun.Smoke, Commandos, Mercs, SonSon, Pirate Ship Higemaru, Exed Exes, Vulgus, Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II Champion Edition, and Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting.
Whew, still with us? Good, because then there are the new additions, which haven't been seen in any other arcade compilations to this point. These include The King of Dragons, Knights of the Round, ECO Fighters, and at least one other action-packed arcade game, the identity of which Capcom is being surprisingly coy about publicizing.
Features Aplenty
Unlike the American-made CCC Remixed, CCC Reloaded has been developed by Capcom's internal studios in Japan. Luckily, a cursory playtest showed that the quality of the recreations and emulations is in the same impressive neighborhood as CCC Remixed. In fact, they've actually gone in and spiffed a few games up a bit for this compilation. The main example I noticed was Street Fighter II, which not only has home-friendly features like a training mode, but also multiple screen modes that allow you to tailor the game's appearance to your liking. The default is a 4:3 mode, which resembles past home ports. However, a toggle in the video menu lets you stretch the action to fill the entire screen or play in the original arcade game's oddly wide resolution.
You'll also find the usual extras that we saw in CCC Remixed, such as unlockable game tips, cheat codes, and art galleries. One weird new addition comes in a virtual slot machine. You can only play it by earning tokens through playing the collection's games, and each game rewards you with a unique type of token. The aforementioned goodies are unlocked by winning at the slots, but the token type used determines which prizes you can win. Bottom line, you'll have to play a lot of everything if you want to unlock all that stuff. If you don't feel up to that, that's cool too, as the rewards are just pleasant fluff rather than whole playable games. At least, that's how it looks right now.