The past few months have been packed with fresh releases, but also the revival of classic series many of us remember from our early gaming days. Yet, among the many studios and companies that have been re-releasing some timeless classics, Capcom has been at the top, with its Fighting Collections and, more recently, Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection. After finally getting my hands on these legendary titles and playing some of my favorites again, it’s clear that this formula Capcom is following is among the best to revive old-school games.
A Modern Wave Change
I got the opportunity to preview the whole Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, and as excited as I was to try every single one, I stuck to my favorites: Star Force Leo, Zerker x Ninja, and Black Ace. Right off the bat, this collection feels even smoother and more fleshed out than the previous Capcom collections, while retaining the classic feel of the original games and adding much-needed quality-of-life improvements.
First of all, in terms of visuals, most of them remain unchanged, although there are a few notable changes to some portraits, better resolution for the 3D battles, and a few other things. There’s also a classic filter of sorts, for those who really want to embrace the old-school side.
Yet, the most notable changes, and among my favorites, are the customization options in terms of the UI, and most importantly, the gameplay. For the former, you can change the game’s layout in several ways. In my case, I put my big screen on the right side and the smaller one on the right corner just to get a better look at all the details, but you can even enlarge the other screen at the press of a button if you want to.
The gameplay changes are just as great, and let you modify your adventure in several ways. For example, you can configure just how common the encounters in the Wave World are, the rewards you get, and how much damage you dish out and receive. This is perfect for those who want a more hardcore run, or those who want to focus on the story and want to blast through the collection as fast as possible.
Of course, there are even more things for players to discover, with most of them catered to the hardcore fans who followed the series from its beginnings, such as different BGM, wallpapers for your screen layout, and a few other surprises.
A Formula that Needs to Continue
Overall, and just by an early look at the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, I can say that Capcom just keeps sticking the landing with these re-releases. As someone who played a few of these when they launched, it’s almost unbelievable to see them so faithfully recreated, with even more gameplay additions and customization options.
Ultimately, I just hope we continue to see this formula return, as there are several old-school Capcom games that could benefit from it. It’s the perfect balance of catering to veteran players who experienced the original titles and also appealing to newcomers by making these timeless classics feel extremely modern.
