Summary
Fighting game fans and comic book devotees alike had big reasons to celebrate following the launch ofMARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Classics: Arcade Collection.The compilation brings togethersome of the best fighting titles ever madein their original arcade format, without having to sacrifice piles of coins to get ahead and complete the game.
All of these games have something to offer and are each classic in their own right. Some of them do the job slightly better than others, from the straightforward brawling action ofThe Punisherto the majestic heights reached by all-time classicMarvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age Of Heroes. With several to choose from, it’s best to know which stands out the most, so here is a guide to all the games on offer in the collection.
One of the most unlikely candidates for a brawler,The Punisheris normally associated with guns, bombs, and slaughtering bad guys in hordes with automatic weapons. In this 1993 arcade classic, he talks for the most part with his fists, as he fights his way across his nativeNew Yorkbefore an epic showdown with the final boss, The Kingpin.
Playing as either Frank Castle or pre-MCU Nick Fury, this wholly satisfying beat ‘em up still feels fresh in the present day. It sits at the bottom of the list only because it’s the simplest of all the games in the collection, but still boasts a ton of brutal special moves and a setting that feels like the classic comic book come to life. As an arcade title that had a limited run, it’s a gift to have it back in front of a wide audience, and it does its source material proud.
Marvel Super Heroestook the blueprint laid down byX-Men: Children Of The Atomand added icons from the wider Marvel Comics roster, including Iron Man,Spider-Man, and the Hulk. There were some weird choices in the starting line-up of fighters, hence it’s appearing lower down the list; ultra-obscure characters like Blackheart and Shuma Goth are included, capable fighters both but not unrecognizable by anyone other than hardcore Marvel fans.
Despite these anomalies, the game does a solid job and introduces a gem-collecting mechanic that adds depth to the gameplay and provides a satisfying climactic encounter with the one and only Thanos. Fittingly, it was dedicated to pioneering Marvel artist Jack Kirby, who died a year before the game was released in 1995.
Jaws across the arcade floor must have dropped when this title first appeared, as it brought together two of the biggest entities in pop culture,X-MenandStreet Fighter, for an unprecedented fighting spectacle long before linked universes were a staple of mainstream entertainment. The attract screen’s image of Ryu and Cyclops shaking hands was so iconic that it was recreated as a robust bro clench for the cover ofMARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Classics: Arcade Collection.
Players could use tag team mechanics to switch between fighters at any point during the round, forever changing the structure of future Capcom fighting games and laying down the template for other games to come. This paradigm shift was accompanied by some gorgeous graphics and the perfect gameplay balance, though Capcom was still figuring out how to perfect the formula, hence its ranking in this slot.
Game developers continued to build on what had come before, backed up by an even wider selection of characters, some of which were Marvel fan favorites, as War Machine and Venom made their fighting game debut. Similarly, Capcom decided to open its doors beyond theStreet Fighterfranchise,including characters fromMega Man,Darkstalkers, andCaptain Commando.
Another gameplay mechanic was introduced in this iteration, the Variable Cross, allowing the player to attack both characters simultaneously for a limited time. They can also use the Hyper Combo Gauge, a colored meter towards the bottom of the screen which allows the player to perform several special techniques, allowing them to pull off multiple Hyper Combo moves, which deliver heavy damage to the opponent and makes for stunning conclusions for matches.
Cashing in on the early 90s pop-culture phenomenon ofX-Mencomics and an animated series,Children Of The Atomwas Capcom’s first attempt to pit comic book characters against each other in one-on-one battles. To make the experience more authentic, voice actors from the series reprised their roles, and artwork by legendary comic book artist Jim Lee was used in the game.
It was a bold move on Capcom’s part to take a beloved property and try turning it into a fully-formed fighting game, but the gamble paid off, and the end result is a triumph so it earns its higher position. With a starting roster of ten characters, includingmainstays like Wolverine, Storm, and Cyclops, players duke it out before a final gauntlet of unlocked bosses until a face-off with Magneto. The game’s graphics still look great all these years later, and the fan service and ultra-fast fighting moves meant that Capcom was onto a winning formula.
It was the logical next step to take the winning formula ofX-Men vs. Street Fighterand cram in a load of extra Marvel heroes, replacing most (but not all) of the X-Men. The game kept the tag team mechanic from its predecessor but also added another element - Variable Assist, where the player can summon an off-screen character to perform a special move without changing their current character, opening up brand-new possibilities for combos.
Variable assist had a huge impact on the franchise going forward, The fighter selection was expanded to include seventeen characters, although once again not all of them are the hottest picks (U.S. Agent, anyone?). Nevertheless,Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighteriterates on the groundwork laid down by previous games to winning effect, to the point where the gameplay feels almost as sublime as the next title in the list.
It all came together forMarvel vs. Capcom 2. A huge selection of characters, with the granular fighting tactics from previous games polished to perfection. The latest tweak in this game was known as the Snapback, which forced the opponent to switch characters during the match. Also, instead of the usual Capcom provision of three pairs of low, medium, and high attack buttons, players instead had four for attack and two for assists.
The arcade version adopted some RPG mechanics via an experience system that unlocked hidden characters after a certain number of experience points were earned. All in all, it made for one of the best fighting and superhero games ever created, a title so seismic that Capcom would not make another game in the series for at least ten years. It earns its slot at the very top for good reason.
