Capcom certainly has a lot to be proud about considering their back catalog of classic titles that have entertained us for years. Gamers that remember plucking quarter after quarter in Ghosts ‘n Goblins or Street Fighter II remember these games fondly so when Capcom announced that they would package a collection of these classics on the PSP, an old-school gamer such as myself can only cheer. Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded is this fine company’s second offering of classic games and, so far, one of the best yet.

Many things can be said about Remixed, Capcom’s first collection of classics, but the biggest gripe just happened to be that there was no real favorites gamers fell in love with back in the day. Thankfully, Reloaded manages to give us all the games we wanted the first time around including some obscure (1943 Kai was released in Japan only) or forgotten titles (such as Son Son). This time around there are 19 games that we have wanted to play again since they announced the Classics Collection and thankfully they play wonderfully on the PSP.

Reloaded brings us the World War II aerial combat shooter 1942 as well as its sequel 1943 as well as 1943 Kai. Then there’s the Nazi-blasting shooter Commando, the action shooter Mercs as well as the cowboy shot ’em up Gunsmoke. For those who loved Capcom’s early flight shooters there’s Exed Exes, Vulgus as well as 1994’s Eco Fighters. Fans of the Ghosts n’ Goblins games will be happy to find that game as well as the sequels Ghouls ‘n Ghosts and Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts. Street Fighter fans aren’t left behind either with Street Fighter II plus the related Championship Edition and Hyper Fighting upgrade. Finally there’s the forgotten classics like The King of Dragons, Pirate Ship Higemaru, Knights of the Round and Son Son.

As far as collections on the PSP go, Reloaded does cram in all these classics without altering them or messing with the levels. These are the games you remember playing and its good to see them in all their glory. The Street Fighter II and the Ghost ‘n Goblins games alone are worth the price of admission while the rest just give you more bang for your buck. Even after all these years it’s still fun to storm the enemy stronghold in Commando as Super Joe or hoping on your horse and shooting down bandits as Billy the Cowboy in Gunsmoke. Fans of Street Fighter II will love the fact that all three editions of the game play just as well on the PSP as it did in the arcade.

Really, Capcom does a masterful job of translating each game on the PSP with a few visual sacrifices along the way. It’s not to say that this is an unattractive compilation but naturally means not all the games fit on the PSP widescreen as well as they should (more on that a bit later). What the game does perfectly is tallying up your score for each game to allow you to unlock extras for each game. These Coins you earn can be used to win a bonus prize in a slot machine to win prizes such as cheats or extra lives. Believe me when I say that there are literally hundreds of unlockable goodies in this collection. There’s also wireless multiplayer that works nicely, especially when you want to challenge a friend to a fight in Street Fighter II. Capcom also added Game Sharing, which allows a friend to download some of the games without having to buy a copy.

As far as the visual translation is concerned, a large majority of the games look excellent on the PSP screen but then again some games seem to have been shrunk considerably like Gunsmoke, 1942 as well as Commando. This isn’t really bad seeing as you can still make out grenades tossed at you in Commando and the visuals are nicely colorful. Secondly, while dated, the visuals for games like Knights of the Round (a side-scrolling Golden Axe rip-off starring King Arthur and Lancelot) are still pretty impressive and are easy on the eyes. Even the overall presentation and menu screen are nice to look at and many of the classics do have dazzling effects.

The same thing can be said about the game’s sound, which is composed of synthesizer music and over-exaggerated sound effects. It’s pure 80s/early 90s arcade-styled noise and music and for some reason it never really annoys. For some the opening tunes for games like Ghosts ‘n Goblins or Commando will bring back great memories of when you first played and loved these games. There are some music remixes that are actually nice when unlocked and inserted in the game but they are no substitute for the old scores and sound effects.

Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded brings us a collection of favorites gamers new and old will definitely want to experience on the PSP. While there are still some forgotten gems that haven’t made it to the collection (again), there is very little to complain about seeing as the games presented here are the type of classics we would love to have with us wherever we go. Add wireless multiplayer and plenty of unlockable goodies and we have a PSP game worth our hard earned cash.

Gameplay: 8.5
The collection of games featured here play really well on the PSP and many of them feel more comfortable on a portable format. Capcom’s first collection bundle included some great titles but Reloaded adds the ones we have been wanting to replay again such as Commando or even the almost forgotten Son Son.

Graphics: 7.0
The majority of the games actually do look good on the PSP widescreen while the others do look like they were crammed in uncomfortably (see Gunsmoke or 1943). For the most part many of the games still do look very good (see Knights of the Round or The King of Dragons) but remember that some of these games were released in the early to mid 1980s.

Sound: 7.5
If you grew up with these games you’ll still remember most of each game’s music that might seem prehistoric to most but still endearing to those that loved these games. Capcom actually tries hard to bring out the sound effects through the PSP speakers as well as add alternate music and does a great job in the process.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Some of these game were so challenging back in the day that each cabinet would eat every quarter in your pocket before you knew it and some of these games are actually still challenging today. Games like Gunsmoke and Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts alone will have you trying hard to get through the first level.

Concept: 8.5
There are still some classics missing from this collection but what is offered here is still nothing to complain about. It’s hard to complain when you have a game that includes Ghosts ‘n Goblins as well as both the Hyper Fighting and Championship Edition of Street Fighter II. The wireless multiplayer mode and Game Sharing feature are just too, well, totally awesome. Oh, and the loads of unlockable extras are enough to make a gamer drool.

Multiplayer: 8.5
Aside from giving you flashbacks of dropping in quarter after quarter at your local arcade or pizza joint, you’ll also remember how fun it was to have a friend join you in Commando or fight a friend in Street Fighter II. These games were meant to be shared then and they certainly are still fun sharing them now.

Overall: 8.5
Capcom finally strikes retro gaming gold with Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded for the PSP. Not only does it cram in dozens of unforgettable classics into one tasty package but the games featured here still hold up wonderfully after all these years. Really, if you grew up with any of these cool games buying this collection is a no-brainer.