Contained on Capcom Classics Mini Mix is a roster of three NES titles. Each becomes memorable for its own reasons, and those who grew up playing them fondly remember them. At a price of $20 though, it’s nothing short of absurd.
Bionic Commando, Strider, and Mighty Final Fight are the titles emulated on this cart. These are the NES versions, so Bionic Commando and Strider are widely varied from their arcade counterparts included on Capcom's other compilations. Mighty Final Fight is the obscure one here, a widely changed version of the arcade classic beat-em-up, and one of the best the NES has to offer in that genre.
Strider is a unique standout, offering some innovative-for-its-time trial and error gameplay. While the action remains the same, travel plays a key role in progression. Strider earns various power-ups, which eventually enable him to overcome various level-blocking obstacles. It’s a far cry from the pure action of the arcade game, but still fun in its own right.
Bionic Commando is more of a classic for the designers call to eliminate jumping from the game completely. All of the platforming moves are handled with a segmented robotic arm, a great change of pace from the standard run-and-gun shooters of the era. Difficulty is definitely set to fiendish, and newcomers will be stunned to learn how much skill was required to complete something this simplistic.
Mighty Final Fight was a late release on the NES, and as such, not many have seen it. It follows the same path as the 16-bit Final Fight, only with deformed characters and less action. It's a single player only affair, and there's a max of three sprites on screen at once. All the moves are here, giving the game a superb sense of variety. Boss fights don't start before some enjoyable taunting from both sides. It's a lost favorite, and it's great to see it getting another shot at increasing its reputation.
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