At the top of any arcade goer worth their salt is most likely one of Capcom’s videogames. Whether it’s one of their all-time classics outside of the genre or simply one of their numerous and incredible fighters, Capsule Company’s lineup is easily the biggest and most beloved over the 40+ years that they’re been in business. And since then, almost as many compilations have been released to commemorate that fact, with the latest being Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics.
If the title alone didn’t clue you in on what it includes, you’re in good hands with this review! It brings to consoles and the PC all of the arcade ports for their long and enduring partnership with Marvel Comics, not only encompassing all of the titles from that time, but also one of the most out there and often overlooked beat ‘em ups, The Punisher. Frank Castle along with Nick Fury picks apart the Kingpin’s criminal empire in search of vengeance, all guns blazing and yelling at the top of their lungs. Capcom’s devs clearly had a blast putting this one together.
Following in the footsteps of previously released collections such as Capcom Fighting Collection, Marvel vs Capcom sports excellent emulation, tons of options to fiddle around with, which include nine graphical filters and a handful of beautiful borders based on original artwork for each of the games. Those coupled with a packed museum gallery with design docs, character sheets and promotional material make an already attractive package even more historically respectful, something worthy of anyone’s game shelf.
Games-wise, what can I say about the ones included in this? As someone who spent quite a bit of time in arcades playing all of these, as well as through other means like their console versions and MAME, there isn’t a single one that doesn’t deserve to be here, as they show off the continuous evolution of the Capcom crossover fighting design that culminated in one of the most popular tournament games ever, one that’s still active to this day, decades after its release – Marvel vs Capcom 2.
Starting out with X-Men: Children of the Atom, we can see that Capcom put their right foot through the door, perfectly nailing 1990s X-Men in game form like no other developer, resulting in characters that were carried through each of the following releases thanks to just how good they were to begin with. For today’s audience, the game overall might feel a tad slow, but the seeds of what was to come were crystal clear even when playing inferior versions of COTA on consoles at the time.
The following title, Marvel Super Heroes, opened up the brawls to even more of the House of Ideas’ properties, introducing fan-favorite Spider-Man and a host of others, bringing an excellent fighting system based on the comics’ Infinity Gems, which changed how the game played quite radically. It’s here that I feel Capcom got in the groove that it never let go until the misstep that Marvel vs Capcom Infinite would turn out to be years later, with the speed of play that is so natural to the series moving forward.
When it came time for the Street Fighter crew to square off with Marvel’s mutants, heroes and villains from the X-Men comics had already cut their teeth in gaming and were ready to go. X-Men vs Street Fighter was the base for what we consider now to be the standard for crossovers. With an admittedly small roster, it had arcade junkies go wild as they finally could answer the question of who would win in a fight, Ryu or Wolverine, or if Zangief could handle the Colossus in the ring. Fun times were had here, and what was coming only elevated things…
Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter extended the roster to include more of the fighters that had made their debut before and pit them against Capcom’s legendary franchise. The end result was an even better fighter, and one that held the title for one of their most fun until the biggest duo of them all came about, when Capcom opened up its own doors to include not just Street Fighter, but the cavalcade of franchises under their belt, not only in fighting, but also on a host of different styles, which ended up being the absolute best of all words as they collided on screen.
That’s right, I’m talking about Marvel vs Capcom and Marvel vs Capcom 2. It’s hard to talk about one without following up with the other as one is the natural evolution of the other. With a smaller group of fighters to be had, the original set up the play so 2 could fly, with fast FAST gameplay, new and different settings for your team’s composition and a combo system that put the competition to shame.
MvC2 and its catchy character screen song that’s turned into a meme of its own is the marquee game in this collection as it could stand as its own release, but Capcom was wise enough to include all the games that came before it as a way to display the evolutionary path that shows how the game came to be. And say what you will about its sequel, Marvel vs Capcom 3, hugely popular with its own catch phrase of “WHENS MAHVEL?”, it also served as a stepping stone of its own to whatever the future might hold for Marvel and Capcom.
As the continuing renewal of licenses goes to show that the franchise refuses to die, seeing re-releases like Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics and further ports of their beloved fighters are just that, adored by the audience that continues to grow. Those in the know convert more and more into what fighting games are to those who choose to devote hours and hours to them, closely resembling a cult of sorts that everyone who partakes in are keen to bring others to.
It’s a gaming genre that has been through its ups and downs and has struggled to remain relevant and is now on the highest it has been with events like EVO and the many that follow it. It’s what makes them tick that keeps people coming back for more and with this new collection and what has already been announced as its follow-up, they won’t help not being taken to another ride. There, I said it!
