Capcom Classics Collection Remixed is the finer (at least, in my opinion) of the two CCC's released on the PSP. The format of this compilation is one of the stronger points. Each of the games are selectable right off the bat, with a medium sized "History" description of each of them also available as soon as you pop the disc in. A basic write-up of the game is given, in addition to the genre, year released, number of players, hardware it was released on, et cetera. Controls are easily modifiable once you hop into the game, allowing you to map any action to any of the PSP's buttons, as well as allowing you to save your configuration and enable rapid-fire. High scores are easily saved, as well, and there are simple and easily accessible options for wireless play with your friends (which I'm unfortunately unable to review how well that works, since I don't know anyone else with this compilation). One of my favorite parts about the format, however, is that it has something akin to the Xbox 360's "achievement" system. Each game has 3 "achievements," typically following this schematic: 1. Get X amount of points; 2. Do a random task/reach the halfway point; 3. Beat the game. In addition to tracking whether or not you've done each of these things, the game will also unlock tips, artwork, and music (respectively corresponding to each "achievement"), which adds replay value to each game. Where some of the games weren't quite fun enough to warrant a full playthrough by themselves, the addition of these little extras made me give them some additional play-time. Quick bit of info, Sam Roberts, the guy who runs The Light Sword Cypher Mainframe (a superb Strider website), appears in the credits for this game for contributing to the Strider unlockables.

Last Duel: Whether driving or flying, you still get to blast the crap out of everything. That's the important thing.

Each of the games emulate extremely well, with no additional slowdown, have changeable screen sizes, and all have their multiplayer intact. They each also come with adjustable difficulties, as well, making the majority of them challenging enough for the hardcore bastard in you or easy enough for the newbie in you. Most of the games have 2-player simultaneous play, while a few have 2-player alternating play... except for Captain Commando, which allows you to play simultaneously with up to 4 of your friends. As I said previously, I don't know anyone else with the compilation, however. I'm unable to actually test these modes, but considering the PSP's wireless has served me well for internet purposes, I can imagine that they run pretty damn smoothly if you're within a decent proximity of each other. The selection of games that are available on this particular compilation makes it nothing short of "must buy," especially considering that it's generally found for under twenty bucks at a GameStop and even cheaper on eBay. Classics like Strider, Final Fight, Section Z and Forgotten Worlds are complimented by truly fantastic hidden gems like Three Wonders and Last Duel.

1941: Once again, Capcom takes liberties with history to create an entertaining game.

The games that I enjoyed the most on this compilation were Varth, 1941 and Last Duel. Varth is a game I had never played before, or even heard of before, and loved the dickens out of. It plays very much like a futuristic 194X game, and fans of that series are sure to find a treasure in this if they'd never played it. It's a bit on the lengthy side for a shmup, especially considering that the game has checkpoints and you can't just plow through the game with your infinite credits, but it's well worth completing. 1941 is my personal favorite 194X game and is a great deal of fun on here, I love the futuristic, fantasy WW2 settings and the core gameplay is great. Last Duel is a bit of an interesting title, which is half... car-shmup and half plane-shmup. While the car portions can run a bit weak, it's an interesting experience I'm surprised I didn't see more shmups take on. Anyway, you're likely already familiar with a few of the more easily recognizable titles on here and are judging your desire to purchase solely on how much you want to play Strider and Final Fight on your PSP, but let me assure you, this compilation comes packed with fun surprises and is worth it even if you're not a fan of the big names. Fun fact: This game was handled by Digital Eclipse, which later merged with ImaginEngine to form Backbone Entertainment, the developers of the recent Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 and 1942: Joint Strike.

Varth: It's like a 194X game, but in the future. Yay Capcom!

Worth the purchase: Absolutely. Unless, of course, you hate old school Capcom, in which case, why are you even looking at this review?

Diversity: A great array of different games to play, with a bit of a curve towards shmups.

Playability: Fantastic, no need to worry about emulation problems here.

Hidden gems: Several. Varth alone is a big enough one.

Screenshots courtesy of The Killer List of Videogames.