Sometimes the most unexpected crossovers make for the most fun and enjoyment.

Take X-Men and Street Fighter for instance. It’s one that makes perfect sense with both sets of warriors fighting tooth and nail, each with special abilities that can see them through battle. It may not have been a crossover anyone expected or could have hoped for at the time but by golly are we ever glad it happened.

Because thanks to Capcom, it set the stage for one of the greatest fighters of all time – Marvel vs Capcom. A fully fledged two vs two fighter that lets you experiment with all sorts of weird and wonderful combinations, blurring the rich IP and characters from both Publishers. Ever wondered how effective a team of Gambit and Mega Man could be? Probably not but someone out there can live that fantasy.

And while the first game has a fairly humble roster compared to the more recent Infinite, it truly did set the stage for many dream ‘what if’ scenarios and engineered one of the finest Arcade games ever made.

This latest collection from Capcom has been a long time coming and, you imagine, was more than a small headache to get approved considering all the licenses involved. Going as far back as X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes, players can see seven classic brawlers, each rich with iconic characters like Wolverine, Spider-Man, Hulk, and even the likes of Thanos and Doctor Doom.

All ports are treated lovingly, offering you a whole range of options to customise how you see fit. Everything from adjusting the game difficulty, to your attack power, the timer speed, maximum rounds and even the option for adding in secret characters, as well as experimenting with various display and resolution options.

Each fighter also feels unique in its own way. X-Men: Children of Atom is a full one on one brawler, whereas MvC2 puts you three versus three! And then there’s The Punisher which is basically Streets of Rage. Wonderful!

I think the thing about these games that immediately stands out to me, though, is almost how timeless they are. I felt the same playing the Turtles Arcade Game from the 90s, but the art style is so closely reminscant of the animated show, it’s still striking and captivating in 2025. And the same can be said here of X-Men: Children of the Atom, a game from 1994.

You can tell this one was ripped straight from the arcades and was capitalising on the popularity of the epic animated show, throwing in fighters like Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Cyclops, and even the likes of Silver Samurai and Psylocke.

It’s a game of vibrant yellows and flashing lights as you punch, swipe, and drill your way through enemies, using laser blasts, sparkling swords and ice beams. Character portraits feel very stylised and each character’s muscles and creases pulse and pump energetically with no slowdown in sight. It’s surprising how ageless the game appears and is a real testament to its visual style. Even the backgrounds vibe elegantly from bright sunsets to rundown factories.

Even gameplay wise, this is still a great fighter with base combos and dazzling finishers, throwing around your X-Powers, enabling each character to have their own distinct flavour, truly putting you in the shoes of these legendary characters. Wolverine, especially.

In fact, some of the older fighters have aged better than Mv2, a game which many may buy this collection solely for. Though if you had to pick the weaker titles in this pack – Marvel Super Heroes and The Punisher would probably top the list.

Marvel Super Heroes was an important step to get to MvC, naturally, but the Infinity Stone Gem mechanic, while a unique way to seperate it from other fighters, doesn’t quite work as well as you’d hope and often feels a bit convoluted and cluttered, restraining in some ways while later games make your epic attacks feel more natural while still taking the necessary time to build them up.

Still, the game launched at an interesting time in the mid 90s where 3D was really starting to emerge as the go-to for gaming, but the visual style, once more simply feels timeless compared to some other games we’ve seen recently remastered of the era. Even at their lower points, Capcom were still nailing video games and visual styles and doing it better than most games finer efforts.

The Punisher, though, is different from everything else in the collection as a side-scrolling shooter where you can co-op with Nick Fury to take down the Kingpin and his cronies. As Frank Castle you shoot and leg sweep through various levels fighting your way through New York City. It’s a decent enough side-scroller and has higher production values than most with its speed and creative attack possibilities.

If nothing else, it’s interesting to see a version of Nick Fury that doesn’t look like Samuel L Jackson, these days. And it’s a fun enough diversion from the other games in the collection – and even makes for a blast in co-op – though it is a tad short and levels do feel a bit repetitive at points.

But the big reasons to invest are, of course, the Marvel vs Capcom games. And having Online play in all six of the fighters is something quite incredible, with the potential for cross-region matchmaking and the option to choose between the English and Japanese versions of the game, wherever you feel most comfortable.

It just adds a huge amount of replay potential for games you’re already eager to dive back into after years away and surely means you’ll be playing these classics for years to come.

Many people felt the recent MvC offerings weren’t quite up to scratch and didn’t hit the highs of the classics, though sadly there was no easy way for people to play.

This incredible collection solves that, between the classic SF2 vibes and feel, the combos, the tight roster that doesn’t feel too diluted and the memorable stages that defined a childhood. This is absolutely the definite way to play these amazing games and they’re a welcome, assured return to Capcom’s fighting roots. As great as Street Fighter 6 is, nothing hits quite as hard as those 2D fighters we grew up with and this collection is the best possible celebration we could have hoped for.

Verdict

Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Collection is a fantastic collection of 7 games that celebrate Capcom’s legacy with the Marvel franchise and remain some of the best games made using the license. Each fighter feels wholly distinct in its own way, with its own rosters, mechanics, visual style and movesets, and all combined remind you of just how good 90s Capcom really was and how much they dominated and defined a genre. With online play, timeless visuals and still some of the best fighting you can find on the market, this is a must-own collection whether you’re new to the franchise, a modern day Marvel fan or just appreciate gaming history.

Pros

+ Each game treated lovingly and with deep respect through various option types
+ Online multiplayer for most of these games is an incredible, very welcome addition
+ Aesthetically all games have aged wonderfully and mechanically most hold up extremely well
+ A fantastic value package with 7 games, some only playable on select systems before.