Capcom just announced a new compilation of their arcade hits coming to the Nintendo Switch in Feb 2021. Capcom Arcade Stadium will feature 32 arcade classics, all with modern quality-of-life improvements, like gameplay rewind (YES!), save-states, adjustable difficulty & speed settings, and various graphical filters/backgrounds.

Interestingly though, they aren't simply selling the collection as one unified game. Instead, it's a free-to-download arrangement, beginning with only 1943 - The Battle of Midway. (And maybe Ghosts 'n Goblins as a "special bundle bonus"?) All the other titles sold in three 10-pack DLC bundles, with the titles in these bundles divided by the timeframe of their arcade releases.

Capcom Arcade Stadium Pack 1: Dawn of the Arcade (’84 – ’88)

VULGUS
PIRATE SHIP HIGEMARU
1942
COMMANDO
SECTION Z
Tatakai no Banka
LEGENDARY WINGS
BIONIC COMMANDO
FORGOTTEN WORLDS
Ghouls 'n Ghosts

Capcom Arcade Stadium Pack 2: Arcade Revolution (’89 – ’92)

STRIDER
DYNASTY WARS
FINAL FIGHT
1941 - Counter Attack
Senjo no OkamiⅡ
MEGA TWINS
CARRIER AIR WING
STREET FIGHTER II - The World Warrior
CAPTAIN COMMANDO
VARTH - Operation Thunderstorm

Capcom Arcade Stadium Pack 3: Arcade Evolution (’92 – ’01)

WARRIORS OF FATE
STREET FIGHTER II' - Hyper Fighting
SUPER STREET FIGHTER II TURBO
Powered Gear - Strategic Variant Armor Equipment
CYBERBOTS - FULLMETAL MADNESS
19XX - The War Against Destiny
Battle Circuit
Giga Wing
1944 - The Loop Master
Progear

And apparently Ghosts 'n Goblins can be purchased as a stand-alone title for some reason.

Aha…. Ghosts 'n Goblins seems to be getting special treatment because Capcom will also be releasing a new revival of that series in Feb 2021. Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection appears to be more of brutally difficult GnG action you know, but now with a visuals inspired by Monty Python's Flying Circus’ animated shorts medieval scroll paintings.

As the target demographic for retro game compilations such as this, I have to say that I’m genuinely excited to get my hands on this one. However, I’m honestly pretty wary of the F2P/DLC model—especially for this exact kind of thing—as I prefer physical copies of classic games, so I can preserve them for posterity. Also, with many of my favorites included here, I already have them on Switch thanks to the Capcom Beat’Em Up Bundle and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. I would still like to revisit Legendary Wings and Bionic Commando, plus finally try out Forgotten Worlds and Mega Twins for the first time (probably).

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Capcom Arcade Stadium is the titles which have been omitted. Despite being some of Capcom’s most popular arcade work, you won’t see any Marvel titles here—certainly due to licensing issues. Likewise, we again aren’t getting Alien vs Predator, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, or either Dungeons & Dragon titles (Tower of Doom & Shadow over Mystara). Perhaps Capcom’s legal team could work something out and they’ll add new bundles in the future? Seems very unlikely, but you never know…

Gotta hand it to Capcom, some of their promotional art for this compilation is adorable.

The one omission that I really don’t understand is Darkstalkers. Capcom’s fan-favorite-but-long-dead monster-mash fighting game series is their own original property, so there shouldn’t be anything preventing them from including it. But it’s not here. Why would they include three Street Fighter 2’s and Cyberbots—games of the same genre and era—but leave out Darkstalkers, I just don’t know. And I suppose the same could be said for Pocket Fighter and Super Puzzle Fighter, but those also feature Darkstalkers characters, so perhaps it’s the same issue?

Here’s hoping that Capcom is merely holding out so that, one day, they can release some huge Ultimate Capcom Fighter Bundle with all the Street Fighters, Darkstalkers, Pocket Fighter, Rival Schools, Red Earth, Star Gladiator, all the Marvel and Vs games—everything! That’s never gonna happen, but I can dream….