Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics Review (PS4) – Taking You for an Incredible Ride

With the return of X-Men: The Animated Series and the MCU’s Deadpool and Wolverine, it felt as if the return of other Marvel universes was inevitable. In 1993, during the era of many versions of Street Fighter II, Capcom and Marvel decided to form an alliance that lasted for nearly a decade. During that time, seven 2D titles were produced by Capcom, which brought Marvel characters to a new platform in a way many didn’t think was possible.

Also, to answer more directly the question of who would win in a fight: Magneto or M. Bison? One of them changed the face of fighting games forever by introducing a tag team mode that was more robust than Fatal Fury’s 2-player cooperative mode. With super jumps, huge projectiles, and an array of hand-picked characters from both sides, the Marvel vs. Capcom series was born.

Game Name: Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam), Xbox One
Developer(s): Capcom
Publisher(s): Capcom
Game Type: Fighting
Release Date: September 12, 2024 (Digital – PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch), November 22, 2024(Physical), Early 2025 Xbox One
Mode: Single Player, Multiplayer
Price: 49.99

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has garnered cult critical acclaim for both the game itself and the community it has built. Since its reveal earlier this year, excitement has been building up to this very week for the release of Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. I have to admit, I screamed in excitement too.

All seven games are included with no loading times whatsoever. The issues that plagued PlayStation and Saturn ports in the past are virtually gone for the first five fighting games in this collection. Tagging is fully functional, and animations are intact. Turbo mode is still available but is mainly used to slightly speed up the game’s tempo. Here’s what this action-packed series delivers:

• The Punisher
• X-Men: Children of the Atom
• Marvel Super Heroes
• X-Men vs. Street Fighter
• Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter
• Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of the Super Heroes
• Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

Each game features crisp sound and original aesthetics. When you hear Wolverine, the Ryu of the series, call the opponent “Rookie,” you’re hearing Cal Dodd reprise his role from X-Men: The Animated Series as clearly as ever. There’s a story behind that, too. Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics provides access to the full 2D Marvel vs. Capcom saga. Each game is directly from its arcade port, with options to switch version types by region and the usual overlays.

Frank Castle Started It All

Capcom’s inclusion of The Punisher is a surprise. Capcom had an iron grip on 90s beat ’em-ups, with titles ranging from Final Fight to Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara (one of my favorites) and Alien vs. Predator. At its release, The Punisher was considered highly violent and faced censorship, but this version feels slightly closer to the arcade original. Although many of the other games in this collection eclipse the Frank Castle and Nick Fury buddy cop adventure, it’s worth noting that this collaboration started with The Punisher.

While The Punisher is the odd one out, it’s been restored and included here. There’s no need to settle for the Genesis port to experience the fight against the massive Kingpin. Though it’s about five levels long, it’s a valuable addition compared to the main attractions of the Marvel Fighting series. Unfortunately, Frank Castle was later relegated to cameos in other Marvel vs. Capcom titles after this.

Here Comes Hidden Characters

The best feature about the options is that all the hidden characters can be unlocked directly through the menus. This is both a gift and a curse. For instance, Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes has all 56 characters unlocked from the start. There’s no need to wait around or grind for points as we did with the original release. While this may seem to reduce replayability, there are still other goals and challenges to pursue in the game.

Cyber Akuma’s toolset is a blast to use for tossing opponents around in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter. As overpowered as he was in single-player mode, the Master of the Supreme Fist can dominate opponents in handicap matches with his formidable zoning capabilities. Anita from Darkstalkers and Akuma from Super Street Fighter II are also available in Marvel Super Heroes and X-Men. Akuma’s inclusion in X-Men: Children of the Atom may have inspired the ideas that led to the epic crossovers in later games.

The X-cellent Extras

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection offers several quality-of-life improvements. For example, there’s an option to display the initial boot screen, which is quite unexpected. Switching the aspect ratio or scanline density is straightforward. There’s also a light reduction option that removes visual flashes per hit and other effects, such as those seen when Wolverine performs his Berserker X super or on the Headquarters of Evil stage. Additionally, a Special and Hyper Combo button option makes gameplay easier, similar to Street Fighter VI‘s Modern style.

Each fighting game in the collection features its own training mode. The training modes include modern features like hurt box and hitbox displays. You can use the CPU as a punching bag in each game, and training can be easily accessed from the select screen. This collection includes all the conveniences expected from modern fighting games.

The Museum section features the most extensive collection of off-fight content in the game. Each game includes a wealth of concepts, sketches, and official artwork in all their glory. Bengus, one of Capcom’s esteemed artists, has provided some of the most iconic artwork for the series, and it can all be enjoyed here. Instead of hunting down the highly sought-after Marvel vs. Capcom: Complete Works artbook, you’ll find most of the series’ art included in this collection. It’s packed with love letters to the franchise in visual form. Arcade marquees with move lists and how-to-play guides are also available, with the X-Men vs. Street Fighter marquee in particular evoking a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

The soundtracks for each game are also included. Whenever you want to hear Chun-Li’s theme from Marvel vs. Capcom, or any other track, you can play it through the music player.

Missing Pages in Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection

There are a few areas where Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics falls short of perfection. For example, some hidden character features are not clearly explained. I found it challenging to figure out how to access the hidden characters in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter. While characters like Cyber Akuma, Heavy Armor War Machine, Shadow Lady, and Gamma Hulk were relatively easy to unlock, other rewards might not have appeared complete after achieving them in certain games.

Additionally, the Light Reduction feature needs to be activated separately for each game. While there were other minor alterations, this seems more like a nitpick. We were unable to test some of the legendary bugs, such as infinities and game-breaking items like Gambit’s float, so these may still be present, for better or worse. It’s best to leave that to dedicated players in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, we also couldn’t test out matches, but there may be an opportunity to do so soon. Sadly, crossplay is not available in this game.

Conclusion

Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics does what it’s set out to do by giving fans old and new alike the most accessible way to enjoy a paramount series with online capabilities. No need to get a 1UP Arcade cab to take in the coin-ops at home. Whether one started with X-Men vs Street Fighter, or during the MVC2 Mahvel 2 hype, the 2D part of the series is all here. Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a definite must-own for its’ run. 

Review Disclosure Statement: Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics was provided to us by Capcom for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.