Marvel vs. Capcom Classics: Revived for Modern Consoles

The Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a fantastic compilation for fans and newcomers alike. This review covers experiences across Steam Deck, PS5, and Nintendo Switch, highlighting both strengths and weaknesses.

Game Selection:

The collection boasts seven titles: 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 Punisher (a beat 'em up). All are arcade versions, preserving features often lost in console ports. English and Japanese versions are included, a treat for fans.

Extensive playtime across multiple platforms confirmed the collection's enjoyable gameplay. Marvel vs. Capcom 2, in particular, exceeded expectations, justifying the purchase price.

New Features:

The collection shares a familiar interface with Capcom Fighting Collection, including online and local multiplayer, Switch wireless support, rollback netcode, training mode, customizable game options, adjustable white flash reduction, various display options, and wallpapers. A helpful one-button super move option caters to newcomers.

Museum and Gallery:

A comprehensive museum and gallery showcase over 200 soundtracks and 500 pieces of artwork, some previously unreleased. While impressive, Japanese text in sketches and documents lacks translation. The inclusion of the soundtracks is a significant win for fans, hopefully paving the way for future vinyl or streaming releases.

Online Multiplayer:

The online experience, utilizing rollback netcode, is comparable to Capcom Fighting Collection on Steam, significantly improved over the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. Options for input delay and cross-region matchmaking are available (though connection strength is absent on Switch). The online functionality, including casual and ranked matches and leaderboards, is well-executed, enhanced by features like persistent cursor positions during rematches.

Issues:

The collection's most significant drawback is the single, global save state. Another minor issue is the lack of universal settings for visual filters and light reduction.

Platform Specific Notes:

• Steam Deck: Verified and runs flawlessly, supporting 720p handheld and up to 4K docked (16:9 only).
• Nintendo Switch: Visually acceptable, but suffers from noticeable load times. Lacks a connection strength option. Offers local wireless play.
• PS5: Runs via backward compatibility, looking excellent but missing PS5 Activity Card integration. Fast loading times, especially on an SSD.

Overall: Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection is a top-tier compilation, offering superb extras and excellent online play (on Steam, primarily). The single save state is a notable flaw, but the overall package is highly recommended.

Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5