Once upon a time,Capcomreleased the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, which included a massive line-up of the most celebrated games in the series’ long history. Alongside this fantastic roster, the collection included an excellent rollback netcode (after matchmaking was fixed via a patch, at least).
But that collection isn’t known for its greatness. Instead, the typical takeaway is that Capcom came within a hair’s breadth of ruining an immaculate collection of games with a terrible user interface and baffling decisions. The good news is that Capcom clearly noticed how that collection was received by fans and endeavored to do better withMarvel Vs. Capcom.
The first question you’re likely to have aboutMarvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics(god, that’s a mouthful) is ‘what games are included?’. Well, this compilation features the arcade versions ofeveryCapcom-made, Marvel fighting game up to, and including, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. It also adds The Punisher beat ‘em up for good measure. All for the low(ish) price of $49.99. But as the 30th Anniversary Collection taught us, a collection is more than just the games it includes, and, thankfully, Capcom knows that now.
Here is the full list of included games…
Every inch of Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics feels like it was informed by the criticisms of the 30th Anniversary Collection. All six fighting games included have a fully-featured training mode (playable offline only, I’m afraid), all games are playable locally or online, and the online options are robust. You can even switch between different regional releases of each game, and enable handy-dandy ‘extra’ options, like enabling secret characters to be selected more easily or preventing people from being able to select them at all.
Some of the best inclusions are in the online lobby system. you’re able to choose to play one game exclusively or be bumped out to an intermediary menu where you can quickly swap games after every match. You arealsoable to select how many matches you want to play before being sent back to the selection menu. It’s nice to have options, and I appreciate that whether I want to bounce between games or grind in Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, the Arcade Classics collection has me covered.
As for the quality of the netcode itself, it is, unsurprisingly, excellent. The days of having to whine about Capcom’s strange implementation of rollback are long past us. I’m happy to say that we finally live in less interesting times.
Though not a tournament-caliber player by any stretch, every title in this collection appears to play perfectly - at least to my eyes and fingers. I have no doubt that some extremely minor differences between the versions in this collection and the actual arcade games will be uncovered by the most hardcore players - they always are - but I am confident in saying that the differences they unearth will be unlikely to affect anyone who isn’t in contention for the next Evo tournament.
What was most surprising as I was playing through the collection was just how good the less popular games play. If you haven’t touched these titles in a few decades, you may be expecting to play a less refined version of MVC2, but in fact, I’d say some of the games outright feelbetterto play than MVC2.
They manage to allow some more traditional fighting game elements to shine through, unlike the chaotic gameplay of MVC2. That is, obviously, more of a matter of preference, but what isn’t as subjective is how much better they look. The sprites in MVC2 are more compressed and less detailed, and they are placed against horribly ugly 3D backgrounds that have aged like milk. These games aren’t going to replace MVC2, of course, as nothing can really simulate the pure absurdity of that classic’s style of gameplay, but they all play differently enough to add value to the collection as a whole.
However, at the end of the day, we all know what game most people are buying this collection for: I am happy to report that being taken for that ride is still as exhilarating today as it was 25 years ago. MVC2 isn’t a looker, easily being the ugliest title in this collection, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in pure chaos. With MVC2’s 3v3 tag-style gameplay, you and your opponent will fill the screen with an incomprehensible amount of projectiles, spinning kicks, rockets, and other nonsense. It is a blast to pick up and play and works extremely well as a party game. Seeing as how there is a thriving competitive scene that is a quarter of a century old, it is safe to say that you can get super sweaty as well if that is what you are into.
The one disappointment I have is that the fan-created ratio mode, which acts as a refreshing new way to play MVC2, hasn’t been included as an extra. This mode assigns every character a point value, and tasks players with staying within a certain point budget. It does a great job balancing the game, and it gives players a reason to experiment with different team compositions. Capcom wasn’t obligated to include this mode, so it shouldn’t be a strike against the game. I just think it would have been easy to include and would have added a great deal of additional value to the end product.
Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a complete package that delivers a wonderful collection of games while adding modern niceties such as a feature-rich training mode, and high-quality online play. It’s great to see Capcom learn from its mistakes to dial things in with its most recent collections. While it is a fairly priced product, the value is considerably worse if you only buy it to play Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. So, I do encourage everyone who picks up this collection to at leasttrythe other games included. Odds are you’ll have a marvelous time.
Reviewed On PlayStation 5
WHERE TO PLAY
The legendary crossover hits are back!Jump into this collection of arcade classics from the fan-favorite Marvel and Capcom crossover games!Dive into an action-packed lineup consisting of seven unique titles, including heavy hitters like X-MEN VS. STREET FIGHTER, and MARVEL vs. CAPCOM 2 New Age of Heroes. The collection also includes the rare beat ‘em up game, THE PUNISHER.Each game in the collection can be played online or co-op!Whether you’re new to the series or you played back in the arcades, players of all levels can enjoy these timeless classics together!Included Games:X-MEN CHILDREN OF THE ATOMMARVEL SUPER HEROESX-MEN VS. STREET FIGHTERMARVEL SUPER HEROES vs. STREET FIGHTERMARVEL vs. CAPCOM CLASH OF SUPER HEROESMARVEL vs. CAPCOM 2 New Age of HeroesTHE PUNISHER
