I'm switching from Java development to C++ and feel I've learned the basics of C++ and want to test my knowledge by creating a few basic 2d games. I want to find a solid engine to use so I can focus on just practicing the language. Any suggestions?

Look into HGE. I haven't used it myself, but it seems like what you need, and it seems to be good.

While SFML is not an engine, but rather a framework, I think it is a great starting point anyway. It has a large community, good tutorials and follows object oriented design principles. Setting it up is quite easy and getting something to show up on the screen is a matter of minutes.

It doesn't have an editor, physics or anything else a proper game engine might have though.

FWIW, for 2d Games, I used SFML for graphics, audio, input, and windowing, I use a 2d physics library (chipmunk-physics is what I use, but box2d is good too) for movement and collision. You can look into Tiled to build nice tile-based maps, and I use tinyxml for parsing xml file used in configuration, etc.

FWIW, I detail making a 2d game in my Old Blog (linked in my signature) where I use SFML, chipmunk-physics, and tinyxml.

Good luck.

I do have one gem for ya:

http://www.compilgames.net/

Although at first glance it appears to use "No programming necessary" style events, it does compile these events with C++. And, if you like, you can go out on your own and write real C++ code - without much hassle.

Things like a lack of mobile support do cramp my style somewhat. But, for desktops only, it is C++, easy to use, and includes all you need to create most any game.

So if you want an 2D engine, and you require C++, this is all I know of.

Try Oxygine: http://oxygine.org/

It is open source Modern hardware accelerated 2D C++ framework for mobile and PC platforms.

Features: OpenGLES 1/2, compressed textures, atlases, complex animations/tweens/sprites, scene graph, fonts, event handling, build tools, and others. Can be built on top of SDL2.0 or Marmalade SDK.

Pure C++: http://www.polycode.org/

For a list of a bunch of C++ engines, have a look at this website: http://devmaster.net/devdb/engines

You can do a search by language and it will give you a list of all the languages.

Try cocos2d-x. It's a cross-platform 2d game engine. once you're done with your game, you can easily port it to iOS and share you game to the world :) Happy coding!