Capcom's Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics delivers a knockout punch for fighting game fans. This collection, a surprising release given recent franchise history, offers a fantastic opportunity to experience classic titles for both newcomers and veterans. My experience across Steam Deck, PS5, and Switch reveals a compelling package, though with a few minor shortcomings.
A Roster of Classics:
The collection boasts seven games: 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, Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, and the beat 'em up, The Punisher. All are arcade-perfect versions, preserving features often lost in older console ports. The inclusion of both English and Japanese versions is a nice touch, notably offering Norimaro in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter's Japanese version.
My 32 hours of playtime across multiple platforms (Steam Deck, PS5, Switch) solidified the collection's value. Marvel vs. Capcom 2's pre-release fun alone justified the purchase price.
Modern Enhancements:
The user interface mirrors Capcom Fighting Collection's design, unfortunately inheriting some of its flaws (more on that later). Key additions include online and local multiplayer, Switch's local wireless support, rollback netcode, a robust training mode with hitboxes and input displays, customizable game options, a vital white flash reduction setting, and various display options. A helpful one-button super move option caters to newcomers.
A Museum of Marvels:
The included museum and gallery are impressive, featuring over 200 soundtrack tracks and 500 pieces of artwork, some previously unreleased. While a treat for fans, untranslated Japanese text in some design documents is a minor drawback. The extensive soundtrack is a welcome addition, and hopefully a precursor to vinyl or streaming releases.
Online Play and Netcode:
The online experience, tested extensively on Steam Deck (wired and wireless), is comparable to Capcom Fighting Collection on Steam, a significant improvement over the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. Rollback netcode ensures smooth gameplay, even across distances. Matchmaking options include casual and ranked matches, along with leaderboards and a High Score Challenge. The persistent cursor memory for character selection after rematches is a thoughtful detail.
Minor Issues:
The collection's most significant flaw is the single, universal save state, a carryover from Capcom Fighting Collection. The lack of global settings for visual filters and light reduction is also inconvenient.
Platform-Specific Notes:
- Steam Deck: Verified and runs flawlessly, supporting 4K docked and 720p handheld (16:9 only).
- Nintendo Switch: Visually acceptable, but suffers from noticeable load times. The absence of a connection strength option is disappointing. Local wireless is a plus.
- PS5: Runs via backward compatibility; looks great but lacks PS5 Activity Card integration. Loading is fast, even from an external drive.
Overall:
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a fantastic collection, a high point for Capcom. The extras are superb, the online play (on Steam particularly) is excellent, and experiencing these games for the first time was a joy. Despite minor issues like the limited save states, this is a must-have for fighting game enthusiasts.
Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5
