The Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a phenomenal compilation for fans of the series and newcomers alike. This review covers experiences across Steam Deck, PS5, and Nintendo Switch, highlighting its 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, ensuring complete feature sets, and include both English and Japanese language options.
Cross-Platform Impressions: Extensive playtime across multiple platforms reveals a consistent, enjoyable experience. MvC2 alone justifies the price. While lacking the expertise to deeply analyze gameplay mechanics, the sheer fun factor is undeniable.
New Features: Building on the Capcom Fighting Collection's foundation, this release adds online and local multiplayer, Switch wireless support, rollback netcode, a robust training mode with hitbox displays, customizable game options, adjustable white flash reduction, diverse display settings, and wallpapers. A helpful one-button super move option caters to newcomers.
Museum and Gallery: A comprehensive museum and gallery showcases over 200 soundtrack tracks and 500 pieces of artwork, some previously unreleased. While Japanese text in sketches and documents remains untranslated, the sheer volume of content is impressive.
Online Multiplayer: Rollback netcode delivers smooth online play, comparable to Capcom Fighting Collection but significantly improved over the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. Matchmaking supports casual and ranked modes, leaderboards, and a High Score Challenge. The persistent cursor memory for character selection after rematches is a thoughtful touch.
Issues: The single, global save state for the entire collection (not per game) is a significant drawback. Lack of universal settings for visual filters and light reduction is another minor inconvenience.
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. Local wireless is a plus, but the lack of a connection strength option is a minus.
- PS5: Runs via backward compatibility; looks excellent but lacks PS5 Activity Card integration. Fast loading, especially on an SSD.
Overall: Despite minor flaws, Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a top-tier compilation, offering exceptional extras and online play. The single save state is its most significant shortcoming.
Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5
