Capcom Fighting All-Stars
  

   
STORY:  The shadow of fear was approaching Metro City. A man only known as DEATH, was running around Metro City with a bomb. The bomb was codenamed Laughter Sun. Mayor Mike Haggar contacted well known fighters in order to locate and defeat DEATH and then defuse the bomb. Codes were needed to disarm the bomb, and that is where the Code Holders subtitle of the game comes into play. D.D. and his teammates, Rook and Ingrid, were the Code Holders. Their codes are Ogre, Fallen Angel, and Isis.

 

  
ABOUT:  Capcom Fighting All-Stars: Code Holder was a 3D fighting game planned for release in arcades and on PlayStation 2. All-Stars was a project designed to blend Capcom's trademark 2D formula with a 3D engine — including a sidestep mechanic comparable to modern 3D fighting games like Virtua Fighter and TEKKEN, along with Capcom's own Rival Schools / Project Justice.


In 2002 and 2003, Capcom held beta tests for Capcom Fighting All-Stars in Japan and London, but the game was poorly received from players, a factor that ultimately lead to the game being officially canceled in August 2003. In the years to follow, Capcom would transition the project into 2004's 2D mash-up fighting game, Capcom Fighting Evolution.
   

 

Capcom Fighting All-Stars was set to bring together an iconic roster of Capcom icons from Street Fighter, Final Fight, Darkstalkers, Rival Schools, Strider Hiryu, and more. Developers who came over to the project from SNK were in charge of the new characters designs such as Rook / Luke, D.D. and Ingrid... which is why they have an "SNK / KOF style" to them. Additionally, it was revealed that a guest character from The King of Fighters series (either Kyo Kusanagi or K') would also appear on the roster. Apparently, SNK "signed off" on this guest character, as the Capcom Vs. SNK saga was still going strong... with Capcom Vs. SNK 3 still in the planning stages. As history would have it... CVS3 and this game were both canceled.


The health system of Capcom Fighting All-Stars was 3-tiered. If the player lost one tier, a "break moment" would occur and the fight would resume. The health system was also linked to the power gauge, and for each tier lost, a character gained an additional level in their super combo gauge. Super moves were also handled in three tiers, each super costing one, two, or three levels to use.
 
 

  
While All-Stars unfortunately never saw an official release... the theme of Capcom's own characters in a crossover title would be instead be used in Capcom Fighting Evolution, released in 2004. Only one of the original characters from Capcom Fighting All-Stars, Ingrid, instead made her fighting game debut in Capcom Fighting Evolution (and would later appear in Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max).

 

Page Updated: January 7th, 2023 Developer(s): Capcom Publisher(s): Capcom Platform(s): Arcade, PlayStation 2 Designers: Toyohisa Tanabe   Director Artwork By: Senri Kita     Character Art / Posters Shinkiro        Poster Art Release Date(s): 2003     Limited Beta test - Canceled August 2003 Characters:  Ingrid, Rook/Luke, D.D., Ryu, Chun-Li, Batsu, Akira Kazama, Strider Hiryu, Mike Haggar, Alex, Charlie, Poison, Demitri, Akuma, Death Featured Video: Related Games: Capcom Fighting Evolution, Project Justice, Rival Schools: United By Fate, Street Fighter EX, SFEX2, SFEX3, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max, Final Fight: Revenge, Darkstalkers 3, Vampire Chronicle For Matching Service, Marvel Vs. Capcom, Capcom Vs. SNK, Capcom Vs. SNK: Pro, Capcom Vs. SNK 2, Virtua Fighter 4, TEKKEN 4, Street Fighter 4, Street Fighter 5       Overall Graphics  8.0 / 10 Art Direction  8.5 / 10         Final Words: The stunning artwork, hype roster, and the fact that Capcom Fighting All-Stars was set in Metro City really got my hopes up back when it was first announced. CFAS was ready to combine their universes for an epic crossover of Street Fighter, Final Fight, Rival Schools and Darkstalkers... with 3D mechanics inspired by the likes Virtua Fighter and TEKKEN. Interestingly enough, Capcom's own Rival Schools and Project Justice introduced a 3D sidestep system and was, in a way, an early "test run" for this incoming project (and/or the canceled CVS3— also rumored to be a 3D game). CFAS was looking to be a "successor" to Rival Schools in terms of gameplay engine. Unfortunately, Project Justice would be one of the last 3D fighting games ever made by Capcom. Capcom Fighting All-Stars presented a gritty vibe... which I thought was fitting and felt "modern" at the time. The new SNK-style characters looked pretty interesting (and still do). The new designs seemed to take inspiration from other fighting game franchises as well... including D.D... who had a Mishima-style Electric Wind God Fist. Yes, there was definitely some TEKKEN inspiration going on here. On that note, the recently released TEKKEN 4 had a "darker tone" and was a highly successful and influential arcade and PS2 title of the era. Judging from the overall look of CFAS and particular special moves from the new characters, it's pretty clear the CFAS developers were inspired in some ways by TEKKEN 4. Regardless whether or not CFAS would've been one of Capcom's best sellers or best efforts... Capcom Fighting All-Stars could've been at least "competitive" if not better with some other recent fighting games of the era. At the very very least, it would've been an entertaining trip for us old school fans who grew up with all of these Capcom franchises. Too bad the folks who played this game gave such bad feedback to Capcom. Maybe they weren't in tune with how to play 3D fighting games? Or maybe CFAS was really that bad. (I'd bet money on the first of the two.) Sadly, we got stuck with Capcom Fighting Evolution instead... Call me crazy, but I think All-Stars would've turned out better than that rushed mess of a game. It's a real shame the developers came so far, had Shinkiro and the team draw such badass artwork, designed exciting new characters (even alternate costumes), not to mention a roster filled with iconic, fan-favorite Capcom icons... only to have the entire project canned. *As Gordon Ramsay would say*... "WHAT A SHAME." This game had potential. ~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen      Click Here for all character art! Click Here for all posters / movelists!                                          Click Here for all magazine scans! FOLLOW    ON:                             TFG NEWS CHARACTERS GAMES