Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection review

As a long-time fighting game fan, Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection’s reveal had me as emotional and excited as other fans worldwide. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, so many of these were very much formative fighting games for me. I also grew up as a Marvel Comics fan — often reading Uncanny X-Men as a favorite title. Seeing my favorite heroes and villains showing up as playable characters was just such an incredible experience.

Whether the #FreeMVC2 movement had anything to do with the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting collection coming to life finally is unknown. However, it was an important move, not just for fans of fighting games, but for the future. Most of these games were incredibly expensive to purchase on older platforms — if available at all. While it’s clear that it’s now Mahvel Time, how do these games feel and look? Let’s dive into that topic together.

The Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection is six great games and one classic beat ‘em up

Any game I can play as Dan, I promise - I will play as Dan (Image via Capcom)

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The Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection builds upon the previous release of the Capcom Fighting Collection, with some noteworthy changes. Instead of more hidden gems, this is a must-have, top-tier list of some of the greatest fighting games ever produced. The following games are available to play:

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

While yes, I would have rather seen X-Men, or The Avengers as the beat ‘em up of choice, I had never played The Punisher beat ‘em up! So that was just fine for me. There was a bit of trepidation from fans going into this, though. There was some worry about whether the version of these games would feel good, but let me tell you, don’t be afraid.

Secret characters? Check (Image via Capcom)

You can also pick the English/JP versions of the games, set your controller settings per game, and play offline or online. It’s pretty clear to me that fans are online playing because I was able to pick up a few casuals in MVC2 in the early hours while working.

Speaking of controls, one thing I definitely noticed in the PC version is that I faced some control issues. My DualSense D-Pad just didn’t work at all. When I swapped to my Hitbox or other controllers, everything was fine. This was a really weird interaction that only took place on the PC.

The most important question answered: How’s the online play?

Usernames cropped out to preserve anonymity (Image via Capcom)

I’m not the only one who has drawn this conclusion, but the consensus seems clear: Online play feels amazing in the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection. The rollback netcode is great, and whether I played on PC or PlayStation 5, I had amazing quality in my matches. The only downside is sometimes people’s internet is just bad - thank god for rollback instead of delay-based netcode.

Even if I got beat, I still had a blast playing online. Some of the best gamers in the world of fighting games are jumping into matches. You might see Justin Wong online, just as an example. That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun! Even in 2024, there’s so much to learn about these games. Thankfully, you have a solid training mode to take advantage of.

There have been some reports of issues with the matchmaking on PC being very hit-or-miss, but I imagine a patch will iron this out. However, there was none of this in the PlayStation version of the game, from my experience.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection offers training mode for all fighting games

Need to practice? Get to it! (Image via Capcom)

That’s right! Much like the previous fighting collection, you can enter training mode for all six fighting games. It even shows pertinent data like the hitboxes and how much damage you’re doing. It’s not the most comprehensive training mode I’ve ever seen, but it’s solid! It certainly helps when I want to see how a team plays.

After all, there have been some reports of things not working quite the same way they used to. There isn’t a lot of this going around, but Maximilian reported that Juggernaut Glitch doesn’t work, and the Thanos team combo is broken, if he’s not on point.

Some players will be disappointed about bug fixes/glitch fixes, and some won't. It's just something to keep in mind. However, I’m grateful that I can jump into training mode and experiment while waiting for matches.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection looks and sounds incredible

Between this and the museum of amazing screenshots, it's enough to bring a tear to my eye. (Image via Capcom)

These classic games in the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection have been faithfully reproduced in a visually stunning way. Other than some very minor audio issues (EG: With Sentinel in MVC2), I didn’t experience problems with audio. It sounded crisp, clean, and exactly as I remembered it from the past.

Then there’s the graphics. These games were beautiful when they first launched back in the 90s, and that hasn’t changed. If you’re looking for one of the premier ways to play the classic Marvel vs. fighting games, this is the way to do it.

In conclusion

Other than a lack of crossplay, I’m a huge fan of the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection. It’s a brilliant series of games that feel amazing on both platforms. The PC version still has some things that need to be ironed out - some people are reporting issues with matchmaking, for example.

There are little things I really appreciate - like being able to enable Secret Characters and things of that nature. I didn’t have many issues at all while playing the fighting games on offer here. It’s a huge step forward to see memorable games made available again, that’s for sure.

Even if you’re someone who never played these games, it’s a great time to try them out; with a reasonable price, and an amazing set of games. While the PC port still needs a little love — the currently scheduled update freaks out on Steam when I try to click it — the other versions of the game feel tremendous. Even with the PC version’s issues, I still overall feel positive about the presentation and gameplay.