Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics review: the best way to experience a treasure trove of long-lost fighting games

The fact that Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics exists is a miracle - a veritable glitch in the timeline. After both companies seemingly burned its bridges after Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite’s disastrous reception, any kind of comeback for the Versus series became one of gaming’s white whales.

And yet here we are in 2024, with a brand new collection that makes seven Capcom-developed Marvel games available to play once again on modern consoles and PC. Sure, Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes is handily the standout title here, but the other six games (some of which have never received console ports before) are plenty worth checking out for casual and curious players.

Those expecting a content-rich experience won’t find it here, though. These are your bread-and-butter arcade ports and thus lack any additions brought to various other console ports over the years. However, with casual and ranked online play support alongside in-depth training modes and music and image galleries, there’s plenty to enjoy if you want to pick up one of these fighting games for regular play.

Reality stone

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics includes seven arcade titles, and they are as follows: 

• X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994)
• Marvel Super Heroes (1996)
• X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996)
• Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997)
• Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (1998)
• Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000)
• The Punisher (1993)

The collection is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 (and on PS5 via backwards compatibility) and PC. The initial omission of an Xbox announcement was puzzling to some, but Capcom has since confirmed it’ll be coming to Xbox One (and therefore Xbox Series X and Series S via backwards compatibility) sometime in 2025.

You might have noticed that one of the games in this collection isn’t like the others. The Punisher is a two-player beat ‘em up and released at a time when Capcom was arguably the king of the subgenre, launching around the same time as the Final Fight series, Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom, and the legendary Alien vs. Predator. The Punisher beat ‘em up may not be as fondly remembered as other Capcom greats, but it’s well worth a playthrough or two here, especially if you can grab a buddy for a co-op session. 

Then you have the run of fighting games from 1994’s X-Men: Children of the Atom to 1998’s Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes. While Marvel vs. Capcom 2 may be the culmination of these games that came before it, I’d implore you not to write them off as novel curios here - especially as they offer plenty in terms of gorgeous visuals and compelling gameplay systems.

Marvel Super Heroes, for example, turns the iconic Infinity Gems into a gameplay mechanic. They drop into a match as collectible items and offer various buffs upon activation, such as increasing movement speed or adding projectiles to your attacks. Some characters also synergize with certain gems, offering unique abilities like Psylocke’s ninjitsu or temporary invincibility for Juggernaut.

The first Marvel vs. Capcom game is also incredibly good fun. It’s got one of the more unique ‘pre-Marvel 2’ character rosters, featuring the likes of War Machine and Venom on the Marvel side, and Jin Saotome (Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness) and Strider Hiryu (Strider) among the Capcom picks. Presentation-wise, MvC 1 is phenomenal and showcases jaw-dropping team attacks that change depending on your chosen team of two. 

Getting jazzy

The centerpiece of the collection is unarguably Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. As one of the most well-documented and highly-requested fighting games to receive the port treatment, very little can be said about it that hasn’t been already. While it was infamously looked down on at the time of release by seasoned fighting game players, it’s since grown to become one of the most beloved games in the community for a number of reasons.

MvC 2 might be a favorite among fighting game pros, but it always had extremely strong casual appeal. It was the ultimate ‘who would win in a fight’ game years before guest characters were commonplace in the genre - and with its 3-vs-3 tag team setup and massive 56-character roster, there are countless opportunities for team synergy and dazzling combos.

Now, it is worth noting that MvC 2 is infamously, comically unbalanced. As mentioned earlier, there is a very clear set of top-tier characters that handily outclass the rest of the roster. At the highest level of play, it’s extremely common to run into teams featuring Cable, Sentinel, Magneto, or Storm largely thanks to their strong full-screen abilities. And as the game is true to its arcade version without any kind of balance changes, it’s something you’re bound to run into if you jump into online ranked play.

By no means is this a dealbreaker; I anticipate that a whole new audience of casual fans - be they modern Marvel heads or Capcom fanatics - will be mixing and matching their favorite characters on either side of the roster. Hopefully, this’ll lead to a thriving online scene for MvC 2 that hasn’t been seen since its now-delisted Xbox Live Arcade port. 

Night at the museum

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a fantastic way to play these seven titles on modern hardware, but it’s also a great work of game preservation in itself. Each game has its own gallery of concept art, much of which has never been disclosed by Capcom before. It’s a fascinating trip down memory lane and provides superb insight into each game’s design. Full soundtracks are also available to listen to, which is always a nice bonus.

Other welcome extras include a range of display filters, side banners (though I prefer to play with these turned off), the choice to play English or Japanese versions of each game, and the ability to toggle the selection of secret characters. Furthermore, difficulty settings and the option to set one-button specials are perfect for casual players who just want to jump in for some solo arcade mode fun.

Lastly, each game features an authentic marquee card that’s accessible from the collection’s pause menu. These will give you insight into each character’s special moves as well as how to activate unique game mechanics. Full move lists and a brand new training mode can also be accessed if you really want to get stuck in and learn your favorite characters inside and out.

Accessibility

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is light on dedicated accessibility features, but what’s here is welcome. An option for one-button specials is a highlight, removing the need for relatively complex button inputs. Controls are also fully remappable for each title, and a variety of display options lets you choose a filter and aspect ratio of your preference. The Versus games in particular are known for bombastic on-screen visuals effects, and thankfully, there is a light reduction setting to help minimize the intensity of some effects.

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How I reviewed Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics

I played Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics on PC for around 10 hours. That included arcade mode playthroughs of all titles, a full run of The Punisher beat ‘em up game, and a good bit of time perusing gallery mode and some time in training mode, too. I primarily used the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro controller for gameplay and the Razer BlackShark V2 X to enjoy the collection’s robust audio and soundtracks.

First reviewed September 2024