Another year, another classic collection. Last year's Capcom Classics Collection for the PS2 and Xbox surprised many, what with its staggering list of choices that any Capcom fan boy would drool over. Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2 follows suit, even if the game feels like a "what's left" package. This collection is slightly weaker than the first, marred by a few alternatives that feel like afterthoughts.

Volume 2 includes many favorites that the Capcom faithful can easily recognize. Fighting fanatics won't be able to resist Super Street Fighter II Turbo (the game that introduced super moves in the series) or Street Fighter and its garbled voice effects ("All wight!"). Action fans will want to relive their arcade days with Black Tiger and the epic adventure Strider. Those who love beating up hundreds of thugs will want to indulge in The King of Dragons, Captain Commando and Knights of the Round. Shooter fans haven't been forgotten, thanks to Side Arms, Varth, and 1941: Counter Attack. Then there are the oddballs, games that reside in their own genres. These games include the quirky but lovable trivia title Quiz & Dragons, the multi-genre adventure Three Wonders, and the Arkanoid wanna-be Block Block.

As previously mentioned, not every game in the collection is a winner. The top-down brawling game Avengers feels like a wasted afterthought. Its unappealing main characters (wrestling rejects) and repetitive enemies won't assure constant replays. Last Duel and Speed Rumbler are car-based shoot-em-ups that get stale after a couple of stages. As for Block Block...um, never heard of it. This collection probably would have benefited from some more preferred choices. If there was any place for U.N. Squadron, Carrier Airwing, and a solid port of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo to be grouped together, it easily would have been here.

Aside from those bizarre selections, Volume 2 packs lots of fun. Furthermore, a second (or even a third) player can jump in at any time for quick co-op play. This is best when it comes to a brawling game like Captain Commando. Where else can one player take the role of a mummy while the other helms the graceful ninja character? It's just a shame that Capcom failed to include online play, as it would've been an ideal farewell to the original Xbox Live service.

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