Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics (Nintendo Switch) Review

As it says on the tin, this latest bundle of joy features a host of arcade games between the two companies, with the full list of titles as follows:

Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
Marvel Super Heroes
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter
X-Men vs. Street Fighter
X-Men: Children of the Atom
The Punisher

These seven titles emulate Capcom's previous collections in that both Japanese and English versions are playable for each game, where expert players will notice the individual differences in gameplay and character moves. The broad range of options for every title is extremely impressive, catering to every type of player, whether they pumped dozens of coins into arcade machines back in the day or have never played a fighting game before.

Buttons can be fully customised, with shortcuts for special moves able to be assigned to vacant buttons; unlockable characters can be selected immediately; and difficulty, attack power and gameplay speed can be freely adjusted.

Every game has its own training mode, as well, with the extra helpful tool of hit boxes able to be displayed over characters to add an extra layer to mastering each character's moves, along with the usual attack data and input display options. The online and local multiplayer choices deliver when it comes to all types of players, too, be they casual, advanced or expert, and the testing of network play revealed this aspect to run very smoothly.

The exception in this crowd of fighting games is The Punisher, which is a beat 'em up of quite enjoyable proportions, complete with bonus stages and two-player mode. The chunky characters and variety of moves and weapons is a real treat when smashing through the goons of this one, and is a good change-up from the versus battles found in the other games.

There are some standout performers in this collection, with a highlight coming in the form of Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which showcases both companies' rich history, where even Jill Valentine (Resident Evil), Tron Bonne (Mega Man Legends) and Hayato Kanzaki (Star Gladiator) make appearances alongside Cable, Storm and Marrow.

Playing these games today, it is extremely satisfying to see how well the X-Men and other Marvel characters have been adapted as video game combatants. Swinging around the screen as Spider-Man and smashing through bodies as Wolverine with moves that have been accommodated so well from their movie and comic book appearances is a treat. It must be commended that things still hold up so well.

For the cherry on top of this delicious cake, the museum section features not just an incredible amount of music from all the featured games, but also a treasure trove of promotional artwork, instruction manuals and development materials that fans will spend hours zooming in and out of. It cannot be stressed enough that these kinds of bonuses beg to be included in ports and remasters of past games, so it is pleasing that Capcom has made great effort in cramming as much content as possible into yet another top collection of hits.