The visuals of recent Capcom fighting games are always a strange mixture of good and bad. While the character sprites are usually old, recycled, and horrible to look at, the backgrounds are always stunning in their beauty. Thankfully, the reuse of character sprites actually makes sense this time around, as Capcom Fighting Evolution is a tribute to Capcom’s old fighting games. The characters are supposed to be coming straight out of their respective games; so, in this case, it makes sense to use the ten-year-old sprites and animations that Capcom is infamous for putting into “new” games.

The sound effects and soundtrack are nothing to get worked up about. If you’ve played these games before, you’ve heard all these thuds and shouts, and the music is the usual throwaway techno stuff. It would have been nice to hear some classic stage tracks, but oh well.

The basic concept of Capcom Fighting Evolution is that it includes characters from a few of Capcom’s older games, including the following: Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter III, Darkstalkers, and the never before released in America Red Earth.

Each character’s controls, style of fighting, and moves are identical to their appearance from their respective game. This means Ryu plays just like you remember him from Street Fighter II, and since Chun-Li is in the Street Fighter III section, she plays like she did in that game. This also means that only Street Fighter Alpha characters get alpha counters; I think you get the idea. Additionally, there is also a new character introduced, Ingrid. Though a new character, she plays in decidedly an old school fashion, as befits the game.

It’s the usual stuff for a fighting game as far as difficulty goes. There’s a wide assortment of difficulty settings to choose from. Aside from that, the game is as hard as the person you’re playing against makes it. Thankfully, the game’s controls and special moves all seem very responsive. This is possibly the most playable Capcom fighting game to have come out in 2004.

While there are 21 initial choosable characters in the game, as well as a few unlockable ones, it still doesn’t feel like enough. Capcom Fighting Evolution would have benefited greatly from just two to four more characters per game. Part of what makes playing these older games fun is having access to the characters you love. Without those, the game is merely an interesting diversion and not something people will likely play extensively.

While an interesting concept and a fun play, Capcom Fighting Evolution lacks the extensive character roster it requires to become a full-fledged classic.