Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics Review (Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One)

Although it felt like Xbox almost missed out on the Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection, in the end, things got sorted and now roughly four months after the original release, the Xbox One version is ready to take you for a ride.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is made up of seven titles including six classic fighters and one Marvel-themed beat ‘em up. Arguably the main reason to get this collection though is the inclusion of Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, which originally debuted in the year 2000, and was previously made available digitally during Xbox’s past generations. Although this version might not necessarily match the original experience (or earlier versions) for certain fighting game players, it should be more than enough for the average fan who just wants to access this title on modern Xbox hardware. It’s got 3-on-3 battles, a roster of 56 characters, and is still just as fast and frenetic – offering up seemingly unlimited matchups. And like other fighters in this collection, it’s got rollback netcode for online, and both the Japanese and USA ROMs.

Leading up to this release is Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (1998), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes (1996) and X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994). It’s a gradual evolution of the Marvel vs. Capcom universe – with the first title starting out with a simple roster from Marvel’s comics (including characters like Wolverine and Cyclops) and far more basic combos and move sets.

Marvel Super Heroes (1996) mixes it up with not only Marvel’s regular cast but also air combos and Infinity Gems giving each character powerful attacks they can unleash in battle. X-Men vs. Street Fighter doubles the action with 2-on-2 battles including hyper and cross-over combos, and Capcom then follows this up with the Marvel cast in a similar format. The stakes are raised again with the all-star battle of “Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes” including new duo attacks and characters like Mega Man. If you played any of these games back in the day, the memories should come flooding back. The controls also translate well, although if you’re going to take this seriously, you might want to at least hook up an arcade stick.

Last of all is The Punisher, dating back to 1993. While this title would have perhaps been just as fitting in certain other Capcom collections, it’s still an interesting slice of beat ‘em up history. You’ll mow down mobs as The Punisher cleans up crime with guns, baseball bats, and more against a variety of enemies. And to top it off, you can also play co-op online or compete via online leaderboards.

Old-school fighting game enthusiasts will also likely appreciate the history, in general, built into this latest collection. Not only can you work your way through roughly a decade of classic arcade fighters, but you can also sift through an entire museum of artwork for each game (including the original arcade system’s marquee cards), as well as each title’s soundtrack – much like previous Capcom collections. There’s also a built-in award system for milestones in each of the seven titles (which Xbox achievement hunters should enjoy), training modes featuring hitboxes, and other tools to improve your competitive form. And on top of this, there are the usual display filters and difficulty options which you can change on the fly. First-timers can resort to single-button specials as well.

As amazing as it all is, there are some areas in this collection where the experience may not match expectations. Firstly, the entire package only has a single quick save slot available – meaning, you can only save progress of one game at a time. While it’s not a major problem, having more save slots or one for every game wouldn’t have hurt. Apart from this, there’s also no crossplay – so in other words, don’t expect to encounter players on other platforms outside of the Xbox ecosystem. And with the Xbox version late to the party, it will likely cut the lifespan of online play.