Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics Review – Switch, Steam Deck, and PS5 Covered

This review dives into Capcom's Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, a compilation that surprised many given the mixed reception of recent Marvel vs. Capcom titles. For those unfamiliar with the earlier games, this collection offers a fantastic opportunity to experience classic titles praised by both casual and competitive players. The inclusion of the Marvel vs. Capcom 2 soundtrack alone is a significant draw for many.

Game Lineup:

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, not a fighter). All are based on arcade versions, ensuring complete feature sets. English and Japanese versions are included, with the Japanese version of Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter notably featuring Norimaro.

This review is based on extensive playtime across Steam Deck (both LCD and OLED), PS5 (via backward compatibility), and Nintendo Switch. While lacking deep expertise in these specific games, the sheer enjoyment derived from Marvel vs. Capcom 2, even pre-release, easily justifies the purchase price.

New Features:

The interface mirrors Capcom's Capcom Fighting Collection, inheriting both its strengths and weaknesses. Key additions include online and local multiplayer, Switch local wireless, rollback netcode, a training mode with hitbox displays, customizable game options (including crucial white flash reduction), various display settings, and several wallpaper options. A helpful one-button super move option is also available for online play.

Museum and Gallery:

A comprehensive museum and gallery showcase over 200 soundtrack tracks and 500 pieces of artwork, some previously unreleased. While a welcome addition, Japanese text in sketches and design documents remains untranslated. The inclusion of the soundtracks is a significant achievement, hopefully paving the way for future vinyl or streaming releases.

Online Multiplayer:

The options menu provides network settings (microphone, voice chat, input delay, connection strength on PC; limited options on Switch and PS4). Pre-release Steam Deck testing (wired and wireless) revealed online play comparable to Capcom Fighting Collection on Steam, significantly improved over the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. Matchmaking supports casual and ranked matches, plus leaderboards and a High Score Challenge mode. Conveniently, rematch cursors retain previous selections.

Issues:

The collection's most significant flaw is the single, universal save state (not per game). Another minor issue is the lack of universal settings for visual filters and light reduction. Options are available per game, but a global toggle would be preferable.

Platform-Specific Notes:

• Steam Deck: Perfectly functional, Steam Deck Verified, running at 720p handheld, supporting 4K docked (tested at 1440p and 800p). 16:9 aspect ratio only.

• Nintendo Switch: Visually acceptable, but suffers from noticeable load times compared to other platforms. Local wireless is supported, but a connection strength option is missing.

• PS5: Backward compatibility performance is excellent, loading quickly even from an external drive. Native PS5 support would have enabled PS5 Activity Card integration.

Overall:

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics stands as one of Capcom's best compilations, offering exceptional extras and online play (on Steam). The single save state is a notable drawback.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5