In 2022, Capcom released the Capcom Fighting Collection to a surprised but welcoming audience. There were lingering concerns after the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection launched in 2018 with delay-based netcode, an odd structure for online matches, and somewhat high input lag, but the Capcom Fighting Collection improved on all those aspects. It's a good thing it did, because now Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics and Capcom Fighting Collection 2 are using the first CFC’s framework, and both sport highlight titles that have been unavailable for years. Beginning with Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection in 2024, a new age of classic Capcom fighters is underway.
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is supported not just by the first Fighting Collection, but also years of love from MvC fans and developers. For the first time since the PS3 and Xbox 360 for some games, and the PS1 for others, 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 Super Heroes, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes are all at fans’ fingertips. Throw in the first direct port of Capcom's 1993 arcade beat-’em-up The Punisher, and the MvC Fighting Collection looks like a must-have package.
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is supported not just by the first Fighting Collection, but also years of love from MvC fans and developers.
If any of that looks or sounds enticing, the good news is that Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection is exactly what it claims to be. All the modern conveniences and Museum goodies the original Capcom Fighting Collection offered are equally present in this collection, for better and for worse. Everything is in service of preserving the MvC Fighting Collection’s seven games in their ideal state, and that is it. There are some extra touch-ups that set the MvC Fighting Collection apart from its predecessor, but the older collection’s owners will quickly notice just how little has changed.
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection Is Capcom Fighting Collection 1.5
For the most part, that's a good thing. Running the PS4 version on PS5, every game in the collection holds a smooth 60fps. Players can opt to reduce flashing lights and skip past boot-up screens for each game, and the collection’s loading is short across the board. Granular options for the resolution and VCR filter allow everyone to make these classics look right for them. Distinct sidebars can be set for each game if the resolution allows for them, and every title also has its marquee art available for a quick gameplay refresher. That does mean the tutorials a modern fighting game needs are absent, but a simple, yet effective, training mode persists for all six fighting games.
A hitbox viewer, rollback netcode, and Museum mode’s hundreds of art pieces and music tracks are nice, but they all meet the baseline expectations for another Capcom Fighting Collection. Marvel vs. Capcom's influential name will likely bring a lot of newcomers to this bundle, so disappointment at a lack of improvements won't be widespread, but there is a worrying amount of complacency here for what should be a sequel. Issues like all seven games sharing a single quick save slot offline are still around, increasingly-standard online crossplay is absent, move lists now lack “Air OK” callouts for ground-and-aerial specials, and even navigating the sub-menus of the collection feels like it should have improved over the past couple of years.
This heightened scrutiny is due to the collection's high-profile Capcom-made Marvel games, and the surrounding missteps do little to harm their worth. Japanese and English ROMs offer slightly different balance for every title, and some new bug fixes, mostly for MvC2, have resolved crashing issues while also creating new tech for competitive players. Of special note, however, is Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter’s inclusion of the comedian guest fighter Norimaro in its Japanese version. It's the first time this joke character has officially left Japan, and demonstrates effort beyond the first Capcom Fighting Collection's failure to include a version of Darkstalkers 3 with its complete roster, or secret character Dee.
It only takes 20–30 minutes to clear the fighting games’ arcade runs, but expect The Punisher to take 50–60 minutes.
Improvements like these ensure that this is the definitive collection of Marvel arcade fighting games, though just making these legendary games available on modern hardware again is the only thing the MvC Fighting Collection needed to do. While Marvel vs. Capcom 2 stands above the rest as a casual and competitive powerhouse, each X-Men, Marvel Super Heroes, and Vs. Title has something unique to offer. Whether it's stages with dynamic transitions, unique team supers, or attacks and animations that were removed in subsequent games, these titles, their characters, and even their secret fighters and arcade runs are all worth remembering.
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection Has Something For Everyone
While players whittle away the hours in these classics, they will frequently earn Fighter Awards. These are in-game medals with no rewards or progression beyond some PlayStation Trophies or Steam Achievements, but they can act as pointers towards some of the more obscure parts of the collection. Every game tracks which fighters have reached the end of their respective arcade modes, but the challenges on the initial shared menu are where the real fun lies. Combo count or point-based goals may lie beyond some players' reach, but the MvC Fighting Collection does what it can to get them closer.
Capcom has imported a version of Street Fighter 6’s impressive Modern controls into every fighting game present, including special and super move buttons on controllers by default. These, like any button, can be remapped to not just button combinations, but specific special move inputs for every character in the collection. Said shortcuts involve simulated organic inputs for balance's sake, which can cause some unintended movement for charge motions, but that's a small price to pay for such a great accessibility feature. They can also be used to circumvent a collection-wide bug preventing “tap rapidly” inputs from registering as specials, but that’s a rare input and Capcom will probably fix it quickly.
Difficulty options and the aforementioned quick save should make completing the various arcade ladders a breeze, but when players really want to test their mettle, online mode is waiting. Stable rollback netcode and plenty of search parameters, including restricting boss characters, were features the first Capcom Fighting Collection left to its sequels. Only a few people were online irregularly during the review period, but the matches The Best War Games found felt good. Players can set their preferences and then enjoy an offline mode while matchmaking, or join up to eight others in a custom lobby. A high score challenge can also be attempted, though only one title in the MvC collection offers split leaderboards for solo and online co-op, and it isn't a fighting game.
The Punisher Stands Out From Its Fighting Game Brethren
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 may be the undisputed star of this package, but like Red Earth and Puzzle Fighter in the first CFC, the MvC Fighting Collection’s deviant entry shouldn’t be slept on. The Punisher is a 1993 Capcom beat-’em-up, predating the 1994 X-Men: CotA as the oldest title present, and emulates its arcade version on consoles for the first time instead of the inferior Mega Drive and Genesis ports. When players want a break from the Fighting Collection’s competition, they can take Frank Castle, Nick Fury, or both on a crime-stopping joyride that should not be missed.
The Punisher is arguably a hidden gem among Capcom's beat-’em-up backlog, and worth the price of admission for action enthusiasts. It plays like a refined version of Final Fight, with Frank and Nick sharing an expansive moveset that combines Cody and Guy’s styles. What sets The Punisher apart from its genre is a potent dodge roll that compliments offense and defense, a low-health comeback state in defiance of typical beat-'em-up quarter munching, and a context-sensitive third-person shooter moveset. It sounds straightforward, especially compared to arcade legend Alien vs. Predator, but The Punisher provides an accessible experience that allows anyone to ease into the genre.
Six Marvel fighting games and one obscure beat-’em-up might sound like a downgrade compared to the other, larger Capcom Fighting Collections, but the star power of Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics makes it more than worth investing in. Despite a lack of evolution compared to its predecessor, the respect for these titles is felt regardless, and it makes the case for an MvC4 better than anything else. Anyone with an interest in the fighting genre should find something to love here, and The Punisher might even spark love for a different corner of Capcom's catalog. A thorough Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection has been a long time coming, and its arrival feels like the celebration it should be.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- September 12, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Drug Reference, Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Engine
- MT Framework
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Marvel Vs. Capcom
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
- Genre(s)
- Action, Fighting
- Every game included is a classic
- Optimized performance and netcode
- Button shortcuts are well implemented
- Collection features are still bare bones
- Menus are often confusing or unhelpful
- Rapid-tap specials are bugged
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics launches digitally on September 12 for PC, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, with an Xbox One release slated for 2025. The Best War Games was provided a PS4 code for this review.