While the delay of GTA 6 is a real blow to gaming fans, 2025 has actually been a pretty banner year for new releases.

Atomfall, Expedition 33 and Blue Prince have all been pleasant surprises, while the Switch 2 with games like Mario Kart World and Metroid Prime 4 should keep the momentum going.

Another game that has blown me away is Capcom Fighting Collection 2, which contains eight mostly fantastic arcade fighting games from an era when I was most in love with genre.

The games include excellent crossover titles like Capcom vs SNK Millennium Fight 2000 and its sequel, as well as arena brawlers Power Stone 1 and 2, and 3D fighters project Justice and Plasma Sword.

The collection is rounded out by 2D fighting games Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper and Capcom Fighting Evolution.

Personal highlights for me are Power Stone and the Capcom vs SNK games, which have commanded most of my attention since the game launched earlier this month.

While I prefer Capcom vs SNK 2, the original game is arguably the more interesting of the two, featuring a ratio system that lets you select up to four characters based on their rankings.

For example, you could select four characters with a ratio of one for a combined team ratio of four, or you can pick two characters with ratios of two apiece, or a three and a one and so on.

Experimenting with different characters and ratio combinations is what makes this game so much fun.

It could be that you sacrifice a couple of one ratio characters when playing against a four, but do just enough damage that your remaining two ratio character comes in and gets the job done. It’s a great gimmick.

Capcom vs SNK 2 also features the ratio system, only this time you set the ratios after selecting your team.

While I prefer the sequel and have more nostalgia for it, I do kind of like the original’s preset ratios and feel it results in a slightly tighter experience.

Still, both games are superb and almost make this package worth the price on their own.

However, my absolute favourite game in the collection is the original Power Stone, which is a 1v1 arena brawler with very slight shades of Smash Bros.

Players fight through a series of one on one battles in arenas littered with furniture you can throw at your opponents, as well as random items that drop in like rocket launchers and swords – a bit like the aforementioned Smash Bros.

You can also pick up gems that power your character up, before completely transforming them into super versions with devastating special moves.

It’s an enormously fun and addictive game that holds up extremely well despite launching more than a quarter of a century ago.

The sequel understandably expands on this format, but loses something in the process.

Instead of 1v1 battles in smaller areas, Power Stone 2 feature four-person brawls in much larger and arenas that transform as the battles rage.

It’s pure chaos and is brilliantly suited to multiplayer, feeling more like a party game than a serious fighter.

Sadly, Power Stone 2 doesn’t work as well in single-player, and actually exposes one of the problems with these kinds of collections.

While the Dreamcast original had the four-person battles, it also had a more traditional 1v1 mode similar to its predecessor.

The second Capcom Fighting Collection only contains the arcade modes with multiplayer and online, which is fine for most of the games, but makes Power Stone 2 inferior to the Dreamcast original.

Still, it’s a great game to fire up if you have three other players and controllers to spare.

Project Justice is an excellent 3D fighting game and one that will cost you an absolute fortune if you wanted to add it to your Dreamcast collection.

Plasma Sword is a solid 3D brawler with some interesting characters, although maybe due to a lack of personal nostalgia, it’s not one I can see myself returning to very often.

Then there’s Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, which is another brilliant 2D fighting game, albeit one that will likely be overshadowed by the Capcom vs SNK games (in this particular collection).

Capcom Fighting Evolution easily the weakest game of the bunch, thanks in no small part to the awful backdrops that looked dated back in the early 2000s, yet alone now.

Needless to say, the game also comes with a few customary extras, such as soundtracks and galleries. There’s also an ability to change the resolution and play in widescreen, although I prefer the original 4:3 aspect ratio.

While there are a couple of issues – primarily the lack of game modes for Power Stone 2 – Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is a superb compilation featuring a largely excellent selection of games.

VERDICT: 4/5

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is out now on PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Rossini’s Barber of Seville has always been one of my favourite comic operas. It is genuinely funny and the music is a delight but I doubt that any production has ever been as enjoyable and well received as the one the audience were treated to to open this year’s Glyndebourne Festival. Everything about it was simply magnificent.

American tenor Jonah Hoskins, as Count Almaviva, demonstrated from the start a glorious tenor voice that was a joy to listen to, especially when accompanied by genuine comic acting ability. The opening scene, in which he attempted to serenade the lovely but elusive Rosina, suggested that we were seeing something special, but this became extra-special with the entry of Figaro, played by Mexican baritone Germàn Olvera, who sang almost as well as Hoskins but showed perhaps even greater comic talent.

He also surprised us when he played the guitar with great skill and Flamenco flamboyance. When Figaro accompanied Almaviva in his serenading, it was glorious to see him in full view rather than the usual fake of miming his strumming while a member of the orchestra was playing the guitar music.

Often in this opera Figaro and Almaviva fall short of being a good comic double-act, but Hoskins and Olvera were glorious together and when their act was joined by Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Molinari, they inspired each other to form a great comic trio. And all of them showed superb singing ability that made Rossini’s most tonsil-tangling music seem simple.

With Rory Macdonald conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra at an exciting pace that increased the difficulty for the singers, they all passed the challenge brilliantly. Italian baritone Fabio Capitanucci was particularly impressive as Dr Bartolo in singing the fastest passages of all at breathtaking speed with Macdonald faultlessly managing the task of keeping the singer and orchestra together.

On top of all this, the director Annabel Arden deserves great credit not only for attracting a cast of such quality for the leading roles, but for spotting some excellent talent among the Glyndebourne chorus members and adapting their roles to take advantage of their abilities.

Despite all the praiseworthy features of the main characters, a particularly loud cheer from the audience at the end was reserved for Irish soprano Ailish Tynan in the role of Bartolo’s housekeeper Berta. Embellishing her single real aria with gloriously seductive behaviour and a flash of a green suspender belt provided perhaps the best of all the comic moments of the evening.

Great music, delightful singing, superb casting, delicious humour, imaginative direction: I do not think that I have ever seen an opera performance as perfect as this one. I wish I had more than five stars to give it.

The Lion King has been crowned the greatest movie soundtrack of all time – beating Saturday Night Fever and Titanic to the top spot. The 1994 Disney classic roared into first place, with The Greatest Showman and The Sound of Music rounding out the top five, according to a poll of 2,000 Brits.

Other beloved soundtracks to feature high on the list include Top Gun, the Star Wars franchise, The Bodyguard, Pulp Fiction, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Fans also gave credit to the magical music of the Harry Potter films, the retro-inspired playlists of Guardians of the Galaxy, and the gritty hits of Trainspotting.

The research, commissioned by Dolby Laboratories to mark its 60th anniversary, revealed the vital role music plays in the enjoyment of a film – with 79% saying the soundtrack significantly enhances the viewing experience. And 76% agreed a film is more likely to be seen as a classic if it features music that stays with you long after the credits roll.

A memorable melody was voted the most important element of an iconic soundtrack (41%), followed by a catchy chorus (26%) and a lively rhythm (24%). Others said it’s crucial that the songs are well known (19 %), while some love a climactic crescendo (12%).

Nick Watson, technical director, content relations of Dolby: “Sound has always been the invisible thread that binds a film’s emotion, tension, and excitement. Some sounds and soundtracks are just as iconic as the visuals – they’re instantly recognisable and deeply emotional.

“We’ve spent the past 60 years pushing the boundaries of audio, so audiences don’t just watch a movie – they really feel it. We often say we ‘watch’ a film, but in reality, we listen just as much.

“A great soundtrack can elevate even the most modest production, drawing the audience in and heightening every emotion. On the other hand, poor sound can distract and diminish even the most visually stunning scenes.”

It emerged movie soundtracks continue to resonate beyond the cinema, with 25% saying they enjoy listening to them while relaxing at home. A further 19% tune in while driving, and 16% even put them on while tackling household chores.

Four in 10 have discovered a new artist or band after hearing them in a film, while one in five have attended a live concert dedicated to a movie score.

The research also found that 75% believe immersive sound is important when watching a film, whether at home or in the cinema. More than a third (36%) say it adds to the suspense and tension of a scene, while 35% think the overall sound is essential in bringing the movie world to life.

Others said it makes action scenes more thrilling (33%), the film more dynamic (31%), and enhances the emotional impact of the storytelling (32%).

When asked which film sounds have left the most lasting impression, the iconic “dun-dun, dun-dun” from Jaws topped the list (38%), followed by the haunting whistle from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (20%). The lightsaber hum from Star Wars (19%) and the screeching shower scene from Psycho also featured among the most memorable.

Nick Watson, technical director, content relations of Dolby, added: “The most unforgettable moments in film are often tied to sound – whether it’s a simple musical motif or a carefully crafted effect.

“The best sounds spark the viewers’ imagination, giving the freedom of interpretation. The suspenseful ‘dun-dun’ in Jaws is the perfect example. Many sounds become part of the story, like the crack of Indiana Jones’ whip, or the hum of a lightsabre. They’re cues, characters, and emotional anchors all in one. That’s the power of sound and it’s what drives everything we do.”