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Capcom Arcade Stadium

Capcom Arcade Stadium is a staggeringly good port of many solid games, breathing new life into them with unique challenges and through a robust suite of difficulty options.
65%Game Brain Score
graphics, gameplay
music, optimization
49% User Score Based on 2,840 reviews
Critic Score 80%Based on 28 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 4Xbox OneXboxSteam DeckWindowsPlayStation

About

"Capcom Arcade Stadium offers 1943 -The Battle of Midway- and 31 other classic Capcom games, from shooters to fighting games. Customizable display settings and new features like gameplay rewind, speed adjustment, and online leaderboards enhance the retro arcade experience. Every game is saveable/loadable, providing a fresh take on these timeless favorites."

Capcom Arcade Stadium screenshot
Capcom Arcade Stadium screenshot
Capcom Arcade Stadium screenshot
Capcom Arcade Stadium screenshot
Capcom Arcade Stadium screenshot
Capcom Arcade Stadium screenshot
Capcom Arcade Stadium screenshot
Capcom Arcade Stadium screenshot
Capcom Arcade Stadium screenshot
Capcom Arcade Stadium screenshot
Capcom Arcade Stadium screenshot
+6
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49%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,840 reviews
graphics25 positive mentions
music16 negative mentions

  • Capcom Arcade Stadium offers a nostalgic experience with a collection of classic arcade games, allowing players to relive their childhood memories.
  • The emulation quality is generally good, with features like save states, rewind options, and customizable display settings enhancing the gameplay experience.
  • The ability to purchase games individually rather than in bundles has been added, making it more accessible for players to choose their favorite titles.
  • The initial offering included only one free game, 1943, with the rest locked behind expensive DLC bundles, leading to frustration among players.
  • The user interface is often criticized for being clunky and unintuitive, making navigation and game selection cumbersome.
  • Some games have been reported to have performance issues, including input lag and crashes, particularly on certain hardware configurations.
  • graphics
    135 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the nostalgic pixel art and customizable display options that enhance the arcade experience. Players appreciate the smooth performance and faithful emulation of classic titles, though some express disappointment over the lack of authentic cabinet artwork and clunky interface. Overall, while the visuals are generally well-received, there are calls for improvements in authenticity and performance.

    • “The graphics are amazing and the games are easy to play.”
    • “The retro pixel art of each game is wonderfully preserved, but the new graphical features let you polish the games with a modern touch, keeping the nostalgic vibes intact while offering a smoother presentation.”
    • “The graphics are perfect; you can set the screens to look old, CRT display, or top resolution graphics for your modern PC - whatever way you like it, retro or modern.”
    • “Graphics are horrible, there is no way to turn off music and the controls are weird.”
    • “My main gripe is you cannot make the machines look as they actually did, no original artwork, no custom models, just generic bland trash.”
    • “Unfortunately here they have been put behind a bloated UI that requires an i5 to run in order to animate the generic ‘arcade’ cabinet graphics.”
  • gameplay
    100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in this retro arcade compilation is a nostalgic blend of classic beat 'em ups, shooters, and fighting games, preserving the original mechanics while introducing modern enhancements like rewind options, speed adjustments, and customizable visuals. While the emulation quality is praised for its accuracy and responsiveness, some games are noted for their brutal difficulty, which may deter casual players. Overall, the collection offers a tailored arcade experience that balances vintage charm with contemporary features, though it requires additional purchases for full access to the game library.

    • “With modern features, arcade-style presentation, and timeless gameplay, this collection brings back great memories and proves these classics still hold up today.”
    • “The classic gameplay has been preserved, capturing the authentic arcade experience with its challenging difficulty and fast-paced action.”
    • “One of the standout features is the inclusion of modern gameplay tweaks—such as a rewind option to correct mistakes, speed adjustments to control the pace of play, and save/load functionality—so you can approach each title on your own terms.”
    • “It's not because I think that time is special to casual readers, it's more like this would probably be understandably boring to other people. The games are limited, and some of them are notoriously hard, like the first Ghosts and Goblins. These are games designed to make you drop coins in them; they're seemingly pointlessly hard, and the gameplay will seem very limited or simple because it was early days.”
    • “- Brutally hard and unforgiving gameplay to the point of being unfair.”
    • “Confusingly, the normal system of extra lives has been replaced with an ever-diminishing energy meter which must be replenished by grabbing floating power-ups. I personally prefer the more classic extra life/aircraft Galaga-esque style of gameplay over health or power meters in bullet-hell type games, but for me, this is 1943’s only major downside besides the fact that it is an old game.”
  • music
    88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in this game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players finding it annoying and repetitive, particularly criticizing the inability to mute it. Users expressed frustration over the main menu's dance club-style music and the lack of classic arcade sounds, suggesting that the overall soundtrack detracts from the gaming experience. While some appreciated the nostalgic elements, the general consensus is that the music is poorly executed and not fitting for the game's theme.

    • “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
    • “Mini-albums are soundtracks for the arcade games.”
    • “The music in the main menu.”
    • “Omg this is super annoying.... crappy music that you can't turn off, help menus open automatically one after another... 6 minutes in I lost it, ctrl+alt+del and killed task... uninstall... never again.... whole experience is like trying to find Waldo while being hit repeatedly in the head with a hammer.... reminded me of that famous red-blue scene of pocket monsters that gave seizures to hundreds of kids.... and I was just looking for simple old games.”
    • “And to make it even more frustrating you cannot mute the awful music.”
    • “Music is unmutable and near cruel and unusual after 2 minutes.”
  • optimization
    76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the games has received mixed reviews, with many praising the smooth performance and crisp visuals that honor the original pixel art. However, significant concerns have been raised regarding the impact of newly implemented DRM, which reportedly decreases performance by 10-15 fps, causes stuttering, and hinders modding capabilities. While some users report no performance issues, the overall sentiment suggests that the DRM has negatively affected the experience for many players, particularly on certain platforms like the Steam Deck.

    • “The games have been faithfully emulated, with smooth performance and crisp visuals that maintain the original pixel art’s charm.”
    • “Capcom Arcade Stadium runs smoothly across all platforms, with minimal issues.”
    • “These games have basically been improved by the RE Engine, with clear images and smooth performance.”
    • “This DRM decreases game performance by 15 fps, causes frequent stuttering, and blocks modding.”
    • “Capcom are retrospectively adding DRM to their games which significantly impacts performance and is likely to prevent previously Steam Deck certified games from being playable.”
    • “Unplayable - the games suffer stuttering, frame skipping, and input lag.”
  • monetization
    56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization model of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with many reviewers expressing frustration over the reliance on DLC purchases and aggressive advertising for additional content. While some users find the option to buy games individually somewhat redeeming, the overall sentiment leans towards disappointment, citing excessive microtransactions and a lack of value in the initial offering. The game's monetization strategy has led to a negative perception, overshadowing its potential enjoyment.

    • “I'm personally completely fine with the monetization in the collection; buy what you want to play, but the whole 3D cabinet does not jive with me, and not being able to change it at all hurts the experience for me.”
    • “But now, since you can order each game individually, I don't see any reason to criticize the monetization.”
    • “Amazing concept, but the monetization of this game makes it not recommendable.”
    • “Bad things: apparently, if you don't buy all the games, it will spam ads at you to buy the ones you don't own.”
    • “Shameless cash grab, got it on sale for like 3-5 bucks without knowing it was going to be a minimum of an extra $15 to play anything other than the 1 absolutely horrid game they give you by default.”
    • “Very misleading, it's just a hub/advertisement to buy DLC games.”
  • humor
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the reviews is largely centered around the absurdities and frustrations of the game, such as its overpriced nature, limited controls, and generic designs compared to nostalgic arcade experiences. Many find it amusing how the game's shortcomings lead to relatable complaints, while others appreciate the nostalgic charm of playing classic titles, even if they acknowledge the genre's decline. Overall, the humor is a mix of frustration and nostalgia, highlighting both the ridiculousness of the game's execution and the joy of revisiting beloved classics.

    • “It's hilarious as an experiment, but the most frustrating thing if you are trying to play for real.”
    • “Hilarious how bad this thing is.”
    • “Laughing so much at the complaining complainers.”
  • stability
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of the game collection has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting frequent freezing issues, particularly on lower-end devices and the Steam Deck. While some players note that the default game "1943" runs smoothly, others express frustration over persistent bugs and performance problems that hinder gameplay. Overall, the collection appears to have significant stability concerns that detract from the user experience.

    • “The default game 1943 runs great, however.”
    • “Doesn't work correctly on my potato laptops in that it freezes every 10 seconds.”
    • “On Steam Deck, it just freezes after a few minutes and then you need to restart the machine.”
    • “I've done everything suggested in the troubleshooting guides and nothing makes it run.”
  • replayability
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The collection offers substantial replayability with 32 retro games and a leaderboard system that appeals to score-chasers. However, the absence of online multiplayer and Steam achievements limits social engagement and overall replay value. Mods enhance the experience, but the lack of online features is seen as a missed opportunity for greater replayability.

    • “With 32 games to choose from, the collection offers substantial replayability, particularly for fans of retro games.”
    • “Mods greatly improve games, increasing their replayability.”
    • “That said, it's an excellent trip to the past, with a good amount of content and tons of replayability.”
    • “However, the collection lacks online multiplayer, which is a missed opportunity, as it could have added replay value and connected players worldwide.”
    • “The leaderboard system adds an incentive for score-chasers, but the lack of online multiplayer limits the social replay value.”
    • “The collection lacks Steam achievements for each game, which ends up making the games lack replayability, unless you want your name on the online ranking.”
  • story
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews highlight a lack of depth in the story, with one user noting that while the game starts strong, it becomes tedious due to an abundance of levels and minimal narrative development. The overarching moral emphasizes resilience and the unpredictability of life, but the game's storytelling aspect is generally considered weak.

    • “And I'm already on my quest to do it again on the Steam version.”
    • “Story - no story, just games.”
    • “1943: Battle of Midway started out strong but gets boring later as there are too many levels and too little story.”
    • “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users noting its nostalgic and immersive qualities that effectively recreate the vibrant feel of a bustling arcade. The attention to detail in emulation and display options contributes significantly to this engaging environment.

    • “It’s clear a lot of love went into making sure these games were emulated perfectly and to recreate the atmosphere of a bustling arcade.”
    • “[perfect emulation, tons of display options, excellent atmosphere]”
  • character development
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development is noted for its nostalgic appeal, reminiscent of the iconic designs from "Gunstar Heroes," suggesting a blend of retro aesthetics with modern gameplay elements.

  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users report that the launcher is excessively slow, particularly on machines with integrated graphics, leading to a frustrating experience.

    • “The launcher is grindingly slow to even get that far on a machine with integrated graphics.”
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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 28 critic reviews
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79h Median play time
54h Average play time
15-100h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs
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