Capcom cameos, bizarre power-ups and spiritual connections explained…

One of the recurring questions I come across in regards to Capcom Arcade Cabinet are the games people wish were included. “Where’s Alien vs. Predator?” or “why no has super street fihgterz?!” You silly geese, CAC is something more along the lines of “Capcom: The Beginning” and its release on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network is in honor of the Capcom’s 30th Anniversebration! These are among very things ever produced by a company in its infancy, during 1984-1988, and they laid the foundation for Capcom as we know it today. And unlike a lot of other pieces of super important history, these artifacts are actually playable and fun. You gotta recognize where you’ve been in order to know where you’re going… ROOTS!

With that in mind, we wanted to showcase how games like 1943, Black Tiger, Avengers and Ghosts ‘n Goblins boldly laid the early groundwork for the games you currently play. After all, not all of us were alive to experience these games in smoke-filled, dimly lit arcades, so we have no context. Was it risky venture to use World War II as a setting in the 1980s? Would Street Fighter or Final Fight exist without Avengers? How is Ghosts ‘n Goblins connected to Black Tiger? What the hell is that little orange pinwheel and why the hell is it in every Capcom Arcade game?! We tried to find answers to some of those questions and I think you’ll find it interesting how these coin-op games of yore remain spiritually connected to the stuff you enjoy today.

Oh yeah! We’re also tossing out three Capcom Arcade Cabinet Fightstick, so if you’re a player who cares about authenticity, you’re going to want to try and win one . Capcom Arcade Cabinet is available now on XBLA and PSN . You can download it for free and play Black Tiger right now!