I, like many of you out there, were about as hyped up as physically possible when Nintendo and Capcom announced the Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics collection. Well, after a bit of playing through the titles, I can safely say this is the best way to play these classic games outside of having a physical arcade cabinet. During the press preview, I got the chance to play through a bit of X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom, and Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. The other game on the collection is The Punisher, but that wasn’t playable during this preview.

So for anyone that grew up in the ’90s, Marvel vs. Capcom was an institution. It was one of the most popular fighting games in arcades and at home. This new collection brings all the games together in one package with new quality-of-life improvements like difficulty levels, quick save, one button special moves, online play, achievements/trophies, and a museum/gallery of special artwork. Going through each game, they’re emulated nearly pitch-perfect to their older counterparts.

Jumping In With Marvel Vs. Capcom Collection

No matter what game you choose in the series, it’s likely most people gravitate towards Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, they all play like a dream. No matter if you’re an experienced player in these games or someone just picking them up for the first time. They’ve all been scattered across systems in varying degrees of arcade playability, but you get everything under one roof here.

The other interesting thing about the collection is that you get to see the evolution of the team-fighting game genre as it went on. The difference between Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 and X-Men vs. Street Fighter is stark. That evolution is a nice bit of nostalgia to play through each game in order.

As someone who’s not the best at fighting games, I really appreciated the difficulty level slider for each of the games. Retro fighting games are hard to go back to if you’re not a seasoned veteran because of the difficulty. Now, you can actually get through the arcade mode without the CPU beating up on you too much. It just makes for a better gameplay experience, and you can always ramp up the difficulty level as you get better.

Overall, if you’re a fan of these games, or even just one of these games, it’s well worth your time to grab the Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. You might just find some new fighting games that you’ll love.

The digital version of Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics releases on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam on September 12th. The physical version arrives on November 22nd, 2024.

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