The Golden Age of Fighting Games: A Look at the Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection

We are currently enjoying a golden age of fighting games. The latest releases in long-running series like Street Fighter, Tekken, and Guilty Gear are fantastic. Even newer titles like Dragon Ball FighterZ and older classics like Street Fighter 3rd Strike and Guilty Gear +R are receiving updates that add rollback netcode, allowing fans to enjoy the best player-to-player connections possible. With many new games being ported to nearly every platform, it’s easier than ever to play what you want, with who you want, whenever you want.

However, some games have long been neglected and rendered unplayable on modern hardware, leading the fighting game community to call for developers to re-release or update them to be more accessible. One notable example is streamer Maximilian Dood’s #FreeMVC2 movement, which has successfully advocated for the return of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age Of Heroes. This classic game is being re-released as part of the Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, which also includes 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 The Punisher.

Growing up, I dabbled in MvC3 and logged thousands of hours on Dragon Ball FighterZ, a spiritual successor to MvC. However, my access to Marvel Vs. Capcom was limited as it wasn’t available at my local arcades or friends’ houses. I was curious to see how these older games would hold up for someone without nostalgia for them, but my fears were laid to rest after playing them. I spoke with Shuhei Matsumoto, the producer of the MvC Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, who confirmed that newer players like me are a key part of the collection’s target audience.

The preview build I played at Evo granted access to three games from the collection: X-Men: Children of the Atom, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, and Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. These games from 1994 to 2000 hold up remarkably well. While they lack the balance polish of newer games, where most characters are competitively viable, the MvC games are brimming with character and style, making them incredibly fun to play. The unbalanced gameplay is part of their charm.

All the games in the collection are faithful recreations of the original arcade versions. MvC2 features fluid and responsive controls that match its gorgeous sprite-based graphics, making it easy to jump from one part of the collection to another. Games like X-Men: Children of the Atom and X-Men Vs. Street Fighter are slightly less chaotic but still offer chunky, fun attacks and dynamic movement. The diverse characters, with their varied powers and fighting styles, add to the excitement.

Playing as Iceman in Children of the Atom was a blast, especially when calling down massive boulders of ice on opponents. Cyclops can shoot optic blasts across the screen, and Storm can summon whirlwinds and lightning, keeping enemies on their toes. Street Fighter characters generally play similarly to their Street Fighter 3 versions, with some notable differences. For instance, Ken’s grounded fireball doesn’t go fullscreen in every game, but in X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, both Ken and Ryu can throw fireballs in the air, with Ryu’s going straight ahead and Ken’s moving downwards at an angle.

For newer players, I recommend starting with X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, and Matsumoto-san suggests trying Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter or MvC2. Marvel Vs. Street Fighter has a smaller roster and fewer complexities, making it a good starting point for players who are more familiar with 1v1 fighting games like Street Fighter, Tekken, or Mortal Kombat.

Although the collection is releasing this year, Matsumoto-san mentioned that the team has been working with Marvel for three to four years to bring this collection to modern platforms. Each game is a port of its arcade version, chosen carefully based on their popularity among fans. Instead of being simple ports, this collection includes several quality-of-life improvements.

The games have special menus for adjusting settings like arcade screen scan lines, aspect ratios, and sidebar art. Accessibility options include single-player difficulties, flashing light reduction, different coin modes, secret character and hidden color toggles. One-button supers are available for those who want to jump in and start playing without learning standard inputs or for those who lack the physical dexterity. Quick save and quick load functions allow you to stop playing and resume later.

The collection also features a training mode with startup information for moves, hitboxes, hurtboxes, and input readouts, making it easier to learn new combos and situations. You can even enter training mode with two players, which is a nice touch.

Some changes have been made to align the content with modern standards. Matsumoto-san mentioned that certain parts of the game have been modified to maintain appropriate ratings. However, game balance and gameplay elements remain faithfully reproduced.

Much like other Capcom collections, the Marvel Vs. Capcom Collection includes a gallery where you can view design documentation, past promotional illustrations, and music. A music player lets you listen to each game’s soundtrack, and legacy art and assets are included.

While I couldn’t test the online play, if Capcom’s previous work on Street Fighter 6 is any indication, we can expect a smooth online experience.

The popularity of mechanics and features in modern tag-team fighters owes much to the MvC games. The future of Marvel Vs. Capcom looks bright, and if this collection sells well, we may see a new game in the series. Matsumoto-san expressed excitement about the prospect of new characters and gameplay elements, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the series’ fun, party-like atmosphere with a variety of characters and personalities.

Player love for Marvel Vs. Capcom has remained strong, with long lines to play the collection on the Evo show floor demonstrating continued enthusiasm. From my preview time, it’s clear that Capcom shares this love and is putting out a high-quality collection. I’m looking forward to playing more and convincing my friends to join me online when it comes out later this year.