Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a mouthful but it includes some incredible games, including X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom 1 and 2, and even the Punisher arcade brawler. The collection is out later this year.
While Capcom hasn’t given a specific release date yet, the collection will come to PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Oddly, Xbox is left out for some reason and it’s not clear why. Everyone else, however, will get to experience the retro fever dreams of playing some of the coolest Capcom arcade games ever on modern platforms, including new features like online multiplayer, that uses rollback netcode for low latency matches, as well as a jukebox where you can listen to the main themes on repeat while you fall asleep every night.
Here are the seven games in the collection:
– 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
– THE PUNISHER
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has a special place in fans’ hearts. Partly that’s because it was a great fighting game that laid the groundwork for a ton of memorable and sweaty showdowns in bowling alleys, movie theaters, and neighborhood basements in the early 2000s. But it’s also because it featured some of the most incredible pixel-art animations of comic book and video game characters ever put to screen, right before everyone started making the jump to full 3D art.
Players have long lamented that Marvel vs. Capcom 2, despite its cult status and the deep affection fans have for it, has been missing from current consoles and Steam. For years, the only practical way to play it has been emulation. Calls to “free” Marvel vs. Capcom 2 were made in vain for years. In 2024 though, they’ve finally been answered. Also the rest of the collection looks pretty rad too.
Children of the Atom is one of my favorite arcade brawlers, and the earlier cross-over fighters that paved the way for MvC2 deserve to be re-discovered. Also I can’t wait to finally play that Punisher game for the first time.