Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium has finally come out, offering a variety of arcade games from the Japanese developers’ vaults. This time around, the offerings are a little more modern, like all three arcade versions of the Street Fighter Alpha series, and all the main entries in the Darkstalkers series. Just in case people missed the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection and Capcom Fighting Collection respectively.
However, the 2nd Stadium has a few hidden gems in its roster that are worth picking up and playing. These blasts from the past may be less heralded than the likes of Ghouls N’ Ghosts or Final Fight yet offer just as much fun. So, for anyone willing to give 2nd Stadium a go, here are the obscure offerings to look out for.
8 Gun.Smoke
The period is there to let people know it has nothing to do with the vintage Western series Gunsmoke. The game was fairly popular back in the day, gaining home ports on the NES, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Famicom Disk System, and more. It’s a vertical shooter where the player controls a bounty hunter called Billy Bob, who has to dodge obstacles and shoot bad guys as he tracks down the bosses.
One shot is all it takes to kill Billy Bob, but he can get a horse to give him an extra 2 hits, boots as a speed-up, rifles to extend his range, and bullets for faster shots. The yashichi, Capcom’s recurring power-up item, gives him an extra life but be careful not to get the cattle skull. It makes Billy’s shots weaker.
7 Avengers
Between making Kung Fu Master and the original Street Fighter, Takashi Nishiyama helped produce this brawler. Players pick from either Ryu or Ko as they fight through Paradise City to save 6 girls from the dastardly Geshita. So far it sounds rather standard, like an older Final Fight or Double Dragon. Unlike those games, it’s played from a top-down perspective like Gun.Smoke. Players can get power-ups to boost their speed or regain health, as well as weapons like shurikens, nunchaku, and a Super Punch to knock bigger foes down.
There’s even a little exploration involved, as each level has a hidden area players can break into at the sides of the screen. Nishiyama is perhaps better known nowadays for creating the Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting series for SNK. Capcom didn’t forget him though. They used Avengers’ Japanese title, Hisshou Buraiken, for one of Dan Hibiki's super moves in the Street Fighter Alpha series.
6 1943 Kai
The more well-known entries in the 194X shooter series were all on the first Capcom Arcade Stadium, but 2nd Stadium’s 1943 Kai is arguably the best. It’s a remade version of the original 1943: The Battle of Midway that was only released in Japanese arcades back in 1987. It got a PC Engine port in 1991, then appeared in various Capcom compilations across the years.
Many of its differences are cosmetic, like different colored enemies and levels, and the player’s classic P-38 plane is now an E75. Shocking, isn’t it? The game only has 10 levels compared to the original version’s 16. However, the game offers more challenge as a result, with harder AI and sturdier enemies. Mercifully, the game offers a new power-up with the Laser weapon that can pierce their shells better than the old Autogun option. It’s a treat for shmup fans and veterans.
5 Black Tiger
For some reason, this game went from being called Black Dragon in Japan to Black Tiger in the West. It’s an odd change, as the game’s barbarian hero has to save the land from three evil dragons. Still, whatever it’s called, it’s a good hack n’slash platformer with some lovely visuals and effects. The player moves in multiple directions à la Bionic Commando across 8 levels, each filled with enemies with one boss each.
They can slice up their foes, or blast them from afar, as they go on their way. Though it’s worth exploring the level for some old men. Once saved they can reward the player with extra ‘zenny’ to buy power-ups that boost attack, add extra armor, protect against poison, or give the player more time or lives to get through the game. That, or they give ‘advice’, but the possible perks are worth the search.
4 Knights Of The Round
Back in the day, Knights of the Round actually managed to outperform Street Fighter 2: The World Warrior. Albeit briefly. It’s a sidescrolling beat ‘em up that supports up to 3 players, who can choose between King Arthur and his knights Lancelot and Perceval as they fight to save Britain from the evil King Garibaldi.
Players slice their way through 7 levels, mixing strikes with blocks (back+Attack) to hurt foes, or lull them into dropping their guard. If that wasn’t technical enough for a brawler, the characters can level up as they fight, gaining extra armor, better ranged attacks, and new looks. In more familiar territory, there are Final Fight-esque special attacks that drain a little health in favor of striking multiple foes, and a few sections where the characters can ride on horses like in Dynasty Wars.
3 Saturday Night Slam Masters
Speaking of Final Fight, this fighting game/wrestling game mix features Mike Haggar before he became Mayor of Metro City. Players can pick him or 7 other characters as they brawl their way to the top of the ladder. Then, if they can beat the notorious Scorpion (not that one), they can become champion of the CPWA (Capcom Pro-Wrestling Association).
It’s a 3-button fighter; grab, attack, and jump, which is a little simpler compared to the 6-button affairs in Street Fighter and Darkstalkers. The player can use all three or use their player’s special attacks and finishing moves to cut their foe’s health down. Once their health bar is empty, the player can pin them or make them submit to win the match. The game offers a Single Match, which is basically Arcade Mode, or Team Battle Royale, where up to 4 players can take each other on in a tag match. Or 1-2 people against the CPU if some friends are a no-show.
2 Megaman: The Power Battle
Marvel Vs Capcom 3 caused a stir when it became the first, and only, entry in the MvC series to not feature a Megaman. They tried to rectify this with using X in Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite, though that game had problems well beyond which Blue Bomber to use. Though well before Capcom had Marvel fight their roster, they put Megaman and his friends in their own fighting game. Sort of.
Players pick between Megaman, Protoman, or Bass, then pick a ‘story’ where they take on a series of Robot Masters from all the classic games up to Megaman 7. They can still get special weapons after beating them, and other Robot Masters are still weak to one weapon or another. Only now a friend can join in as a second player, and players can double-team their foes from beginning to end.
1 Megaman 2: The Power Fighters
Megaman: The Power Battle is seen more as a curio today, but it was pretty popular at the time. Enough to get a sequel at any rate. Megaman 2: The Power Fighters has the same gameplay, only there’s now 4 playable characters: Megaman, Protoman, Bass, and Duo from Megaman 8. There are 3 stories to choose from, but they’re now original tales like ‘Collect all the missing parts’, ‘Save Roll’, and ‘Find Dr Wily’.
Players still take on various Robot Masters, who are trickier now with their ‘Overdrive’ mode when they take more damage. Luckily, Megaman and co now have some special moves they can pull off to inflict more hurt, as well as special summons to give them a boost. Megaman gets help from Rush, Bass gets Treble to shoot extra plasma shots alongside him, and both Protoman and Duo get Beat to give them an invincible shield for a bit.
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One