Highlight Reel: The Best of Capcom Arcade Stadium 2nd

Apr 16, 2026 6 min read

Capcom has always done a great job of curating its own history. Back in the ’90s, when video game creators had only just begun to realize that people actually liked their old work and would happily buy those games again to play on new consoles, Capcom helped lead the way with a variety of classic arcade compilations, such as Street Fighter Collection for PlayStation—some of the world’s earliest retrogaming collections.

The Capcom Arcade Stadium series has taken things to the next level, bringing more than five dozen vintage arcade titles to modern systems. Unlike most anthologies, though, the Capcom Arcade Stadium duology worked more like a buffet: players could download the base collection, which contained a single title, then selectively purchase any additional titles they wanted either as themed packs or as individual titles.

What makes the Limited Run release of Capcom Arcade Stadium and Capcom Arcade Stadium 2nd so remarkable is that they bring every single one of those selections—the base games and every add-on title—to physical media. Together, between the two titles, that’s a whopping 64 arcade classics on disc or cartridge! Never to be delisted! That is a lot of history in a single package. (Technically, two packages.) And it’s not like these are throwaway or filler titles; Capcom didn’t really deal in bad arcade games, you know? Some of these selections are stone-cold classics, and some of them are more like cult classics. Either way you cut it, that makes them classics.

We asked some of LRG’s old-timers to take us back to the good ol’ days of the arcade and share some thoughts on their favorite selections in the set.

Randy Greenback 
Senior Producer

The Speed Rumbler (1986)
Being a fan of Mad Max and The Road Warrior, this was as close as you could get to a real-deal video game at the time... and it's amazing! A post apocalyptic vehicular battler that lets you get out of your car and fight on foot... Hell yes! The difficulty level is high, and the game keeps you on your toes with whole neighborhoods of urban gangs hellbent on taking you out. It makes it all the more satisfying when you pull into your tribe's stronghold at the end of an area.

Hyper Dyne Side Arms (1986)
’86 was a good year in the arcades for sure, especially for Capcom fans. As an avid shmup player, I appreciated Side Arms’ mech-themed characters, tight controls, the power-up options and being able to turn around and fire behind me. That reverse fire mechanic opened up a lot of fun scenarios for the game designers to create patterns and levels that felt fresh in the genre. 

Audi Sorlie
Development Producer

Muscle Bomber
Muscle Bomber blends the bone-crunching mayhem of Final Fight, Tetsuo Hara's dramatic designs, and the orchestrated chaos that is pro wrestling. The result: one of Capcom's most bombastic arcade classics during the peak of the arcade era. One of the best and most unique takes on 2D wrestling gaming you'll find.

Higemaru
I was first introduced to Higemaru on the MSX, but this arcade original showcases Ghosts ’N Goblins creator's Tokuro Fujiwara's unique knack for pick-up-and-play action mechanics, responsive controls, and a healthy dose of challenge. Alongside its contemporaries, Higemaru seems quite under-appreciated, as it ranks among the most fun of the maze action games of the day.

Street Fighter
Much can be said about Street Fighter's humble beginnings, but its influence and legacy can never be denied. The large characters, the excellent music, the special moves and the now familiar cast make their debut here, and with some elbow grease it is very much worth the price of admission. Try again, kiddo!

Jeremy Parish
Media Curator

1943 Kai
1943: The Battle of Midway was one of those games that I had to drop a quarter into every time I saw it as a kid. The great visuals, intense shooting action, rousing music, and awesome risk/reward fuel mechanic had me hooked. A decade later, I learned about this Japan-exclusive sequel and had to give it a shot. Its remixed combat utterly destroyed me. Just mercilessly tore me to shreds. No pity given. But it still has all those same appealing elements as the original 1943, so one of these days, I’m gonna get good at it. Honest.

Black Tiger
When I was a kid, we’d drive across Texas to visit my uncle and aunt for a week, and that always involved Sunday lunch trips to a pizzeria with a cluster of arcade machines in the corner. The one that always caught my eye was Black Tiger, which belongs to the “barbarian platform hero” genre that was briefly a thing in the mid-’80s. But Black Tiger is way cooler than anyone else. Not only did it have faster action, more freeform stage design, and a rudimentary economy and shop system, it also gave the hero an absolutely preposterous amount of power. Normally, barbarian games limited you to a slow, short-range melee weapon like a sword or axe, but Black Tiger’s hero swung a lengthy flail that could be augmented with throwing daggers. I guess it makes sense that the company who made all those great arcade shooters would turn its muscle-man combat game into a shooter, too.

Street Fighter Alpha 2
The original Street Fighter II had me totally hooked in the arcades and on Super NES... but with each new iteration of the game, I found my skills increasingly outpaced by other players, until eventually I drifted away from the series, wrecked by more dedicated fans. Alpha 2 brought me back in. Yes, it caters to experts, too, but Alpha 2 was a reminder that Street Fighter wasn’t just about competition... it was about having fun and looking cool. With new (and “new”) characters who ran the gamut from badass (Adon and Rolento) to ridiculous (Dan and Sakura), and compellingly flashy anime-inspired visuals, Alpha 2 is a high-energy high point for Street Fighter.

Capcom Arcade Stadium 2nd is currently available for preorder on Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One through May 3 and includes the following 32 titles on cart or disc:

  • 1943 Kai
  • Avenger
  • Black Tiger
  • Block Block
  • Capcom Sports Club
  • Chariot: Adventure through the Sky
  • Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors
  • Eco Fighters
  • Exed Exes
  • Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition
  • The King of Dragons
  • Knights of the Round
  • Last Duel
  • Magic Sword
  • Mega Man: The Power Battle
  • Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters
  • Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge
  • Pnickies
  • Rally 2011: LED STORM
  • Saturday Night Slam Masters
  • Side Arms: Hyper Dyne
  • SonSon
  • The Speed Rumbler
  • Street Fighter
  • Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams
  • Street Fighter Alpha 2
  • Street Fighter Alpha 3
  • Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix
  • Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
  • Three Wonders
  • Tiger Road
  • Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire
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