PS4/Switch "Capcom Belt Action Collection" Review [Now That I Want to Play! Nostalgic Retro Games Part 2]

For those of you who enjoy playing dot-picture retro games on the latest hardware that offers the best graphics, this is the second installment of "I want to play it now because it's now! Retro Games of the Past" for those of you who enjoy playing dot-picture retro games on the latest hardware with top-of-the-line graphics.

This time, we will be looking at the "Capcom Belt Action Collection," which includes seven Capcom belt-scrolling action games, including "Final Fight," which was released by Capcom in 1989 and became a big hit. First, let's take a look at the titles included.

Final Fight
Final Fight" was released in 1989. In this action game, Jessica's father, Mayor Hagar, Jessica's boyfriend Cody, and their friend Guy fight against Mad Gear in order to rescue Jessica, who has been kidnapped by the criminal group Mad Gear.
The appeal of the game is the exhilaration of defeating enemies with dynamic striking and throwing techniques. Simultaneous play is possible for up to two players.

The King of Dragons
Released in 1991. Originally developed as an arcade version of "D&D," the original title was later changed to "The King of Dragons.
The five player characters are Derek the Fighter, Aldo the Cleric, Lege the Wizard, Lavelle the Elf, and Vargas the Dwarf. 3 players can play simultaneously, and the objective is to defeat the last boss, Gildis the Dragon, and win the treasure.


Captain Commando.
Released in 1991, the game is set on Earth in the year 2026, and the objective is to wipe out the criminal superheroes who cause problems throughout the universe.
The four player characters are Captain Commando, Baby Commando Hoover, Ninja Commando Sho, and Mummy Commando Genety, and four players can play simultaneously. Each character can use their own special moves, and the basic system also features a dash function.


Knights of the Round
Released in 1992. This medieval fantasy action game takes its character and world motif from "Knights of the Round Table" in "King Arthur's Tales. The objective is to set out on a journey in search of the Holy Grail, which is said to have unlimited power.
The three player characters are Arthur, Lancelot, and Percival, and up to three people can play simultaneously. The game is characterized by the fact that equipment and character appearance change with each level up.


TENCHI-CHIOKU II: Battle of Red Cliffs
This is a sequel released in 1992, following the first arcade version released in 1989.
The previous title was a belt scroll action game in which the player rode a horse and attacked with only weapon attacks and no throwing techniques. The five player characters are Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Chou Yun, Huang Zhong, and Wei Yan, and three players can play simultaneously.


Powered Gear
Released in 1994. The player's ship is a variant of armor, a mobile weapon that can be used by stealing parts from the enemy. The exhilarating experience of using powerful weapons taken from enemies to defeat them is the hallmark of this game.
Players can choose from four variant armors, Brodia, Leptos, Galdin, and Fordy, and up to three players can play at the same time.


Battle Circuit
Released in 1997. The story follows a group of bounty hunter cyborgs who become entangled in a battle over the activation disk of the "Celestial System," which allows them to control all the computers in the world.
Up to four players can play the game simultaneously: Cyber Blue, Captain Silver, Yellow Beast, Pink Ostrich, and Alien Green. The title "Circuit" means "circuit" in this game, but it is also a remnant of the game's early days as a racing game.


The title "Circuit" refers to the circuit in this game, but it also refers to the fact that the game was a racing game in its early stages of development.
Final Fight," where I lost money like hot water through coin-operated games with friends.
This time, I'd like to write about "Final Fight" among the seven games included in the "Capcom Belt Action Collection. Of the seven titles in the "Capcom Belt Action Collection," "Final Fight" was probably the one that many of you purchased for the first time. Of course, I was one of them.

When "Final Fight" first came out in arcades, my friends and I would go to the 50-yen arcade near our school and load up the machine with coins we had exchanged, and we would enjoy playing through the game repeatedly. At the time, I thought, "This is a game that makes me spend money like hot water (......)," but it is a different story that I experienced a fighting game boom later that made my money decrease at a faster rate than "Final Fight.


Final Fight" was originally titled "Street Fighter '89" and was the game that was showcased on the show and introduced to the media. Many of you are probably familiar with this in itself. Screenshots and other information were also published in the arcade game magazine "Gamestop" under the title "Street Fighter '89," but the title was later changed to "Final Fight" and released. Apparently, Capcom USA wanted the sequel to "Street Fighter" to be a one-on-one game.

Apart from that, there were also many users who looked at the screenshots in the media and said, "It doesn't feel right that this is a sequel to Street Fighter.


As a result, "Street Fighter '89" became "Final Fight," and later "Street Fighter II," the official sequel to "Street Fighter," was released and became a huge hit.

Having said that, as an arcade game fan, I would like to see what the arcade scene would have been like in a world where "Final Fight" was released under the title "Street Fighter '89" and "Street Fighter II" was never released. As an arcade game fan, I would like to see what the arcade scene would have been like in a world where Street Fighter II was not released. Perhaps shooting games and action games were still thriving in the 1990s. But this is only the fantasy of the author, a shooting enthusiast. ......

■The appeal of "Final Fight" is its light and speedy feel for the size of the characters!
The belt-scroll action genre had existed even before "Final Fight" appeared in arcades. Examples include Technos Japan's "Double Dragon" and Sega's "Golden Axe.

Based on side-view side-scrolling action, these games are characterized not only by left-right movement, but also by the depth of the space in which the character can move. It is said that the name "belt-scroll action" came from the fact that the floor and ground with this depth resembles a belt.


The factors that made "Final Fight" a hit were the flamboyant appearance of many large characters on the screen, the exhilarating feeling of being able to beat enemies to a pulp with light controls, and the fact that players could play so vigorously that they did not mind taking damage from their enemies.

I would also like to add that these elements were made possible by the CP system, Capcom's latest board at the time. The default setting of two remaining machines is so severe that if you are not careful, the game will be over in a matter of seconds. The game was also very well designed so that when a friend was playing, you would be tempted to put in some coins and join in the middle of the game. I'm sure many of you have experienced that you couldn't find the right time to quit the game and kept playing until you beat the last boss, as you did every time. ...... Of course, this is also my experience.


■Online and local cooperative play is the most fun!
Another reason for the popularity of the game was the three player characters in the game, Cody, Guy, and Hagar. In addition to the striking and throwing motions prepared for each character, Hagar's exclusive piledriver , a technique for grabbing an enemy and throwing from a jump, is so addictively fun that once you learn it, Hagar is the only character you will ever need to use. Once I learned this technique, Hagar was the only character I would use. I would often fight over Hagar when playing cooperative games with my friends.


I mentioned that the game is fun to play by spending a lot of money and continuing to play, but of course, like other arcade games, it is also a real pleasure to aim for a "tough strategy" to clear the game with a single coin. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that round two of "Final Fight" begins when you reach that point in your thinking.

In the beginning, the game tends to rely on striking techniques, but when the strategy is to clear a single coin, the player is required to effectively use throwing techniques that can damage other enemies as collateral damage. Incidentally, the best I have ever done is the first half of the fourth level with one coin, so I have a lot of respect for players who can clear "Final Fight" with a single coin. I would love to play "Final Fight" for the "Capcom Belt Action Collection" together with such a player in cooperative play.


Now that I've talked about cooperative play, I'd like to say out loud that the most important feature of the new "Capcom Belt Action Collection" is the ability to play cooperatively over the network. In particular, online cooperative play is great fun, and the experience of playing online with friends who used to play "Final Fight" together in the arcade brought back many memories of our high school days and the scenes of the arcade we used to play at, and I was immersed in a nostalgic feeling. I was immersed in a nostalgic feeling. For those of you who were exposed to "Final Fight" in real time, online cooperative play is definitely something you should try.

Local cooperative play is also possible, of course. The generation that enjoyed "Final Fight" in real time is now married with children. We hope you will enjoy playing "Final Fight" with your game-loving wives and children. The appeal of "Final Fight" is that both women and children can enjoy playing it.


Incidentally, I have recently been playing "Final Fight" during my pre-bedtime game time. I enjoy about 30 minutes of boozy, chaotic play, and when I am satisfied, I go back to bed. In my dreams, I play as Hagar and try to hit the enemy with a piledriver. I would like to send the biggest "Thank you" to Capcom for releasing such a great game that keeps me hooked even as an adult.

＜Writer's Profile
■Kaze no Iona
Editor and writer who made her media debut as an editor of a game magazine in 1996 and has been active for 22 years since. She is especially fond of games, music, travel, bicycles, and baseball (Hiroshima Carp), and was in charge of editing the booklet and composing liner notes for the "Final Fight Original Sound Collection" released in 2015 by the composer of "Final Fight. Incidentally, I am also the director of the idol group "Planetary Gimmick.

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Product Information
Capcom Belt Action Collection
Platform: Nintendo Switch / PS4 / Xbox One / PC (Steam)
・Release Date:
　DL version: Now on sale (Thursday, September 20, 2018)
　Package version: December 6, 2018 (Thursday)
・Price:
　 Downloadable version: Switch / PS4 / PC (Steam) 3,056 yen (excluding tax), Xbox One 3,080 yen (excluding tax)
Package Normal version: Switch / PS 43,300 yen (excluding tax)
　Package Collector's Box: Switch / PS 45,800 yen (excluding tax)

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