Marvel vs Capcom: Arcade Collection Finally Answers a Long Forgotten Question

Marvel vs. Capcom fans have been left out in the rain since the good old days of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, especially when its successor, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, dropped the ball as hard as it did. It bombed because of bland visuals and missing one of the most important groups of characters from the Marvel universe, the mutants, yes, that includes Wolverine. That was the final nail in the coffin for the franchise, or so we thought. Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics came out of left field and left fans stunned at the Nintendo Direct Showcase 2024, giving hope for a sequel we never thought possible. 

The Nintendo Direct Showcase was no slouch, it had some amazing announcements including the new Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but both of those titans were overshadowed by an old timer making its unlikely return, Marvel vs. Capcom 2. 

What Is Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics & Why Is It a Big Deal

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is reviving the long-dead Marvel vs. Capcom series while throwing some extra goodies in there for good measure. The collection will come with the following 7 games:

• 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 the Super Heroes
• Marvel vs. Capcom 2
• The Punisher

Although it is not hard to see what the odd one out is on the list above, The Punisher is still a welcome addition to the collection. What makes it even better is the ability to play co-op online and partner up with Nick Fury. All other games in the arcade collection will have their own dedicated Jukebox section that will let you listen to the entire library of music, an artworks section, a traditional training mode, different online multiplayer modes, and most importantly, rollback fighting game netcode.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has been stuck in an unplayable state for years, and the community thought it was relegated to the retro graveyard, only to be played by those who frequent FightCade. But its return sent shockwaves through social media as the fighting game community reacted to their favorite fighting games being exhumed. Maximilian’s reaction blew up, and the video of him screaming like an absolute madman went viral.

For so long it seemed it wasn’t a priority for either Marvel or Capcom, but this change is a big deal because it doesn’t just relate to the series’ past, but also its future. Not only is a sequel to Marvel vs. Capcom 3 a possibility, it is an inevitability at this point. The companies wanted to test the waters by bringing back the classics, and they found a raging torrent that wasn’t tempered by time one bit.

Why This is the Right Time For a New Marvel vs. Capcom Sequel

The fighting game genre has always been something of a niche, but the tides are changing and the community is going through something of a renaissance. Capcom is making the big bucks instead of struggling like back when Street Fighter V and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite came out, and other fighting games keep popping up left and right. 

Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Guilty Gear Strive, and now even Riot is throwing its hat into the ring with 2XKO, the 2v2 League of Legends fighter, that didn’t just take a page from the Marvel vs. Capcom book, it tore a ream with half the spine attached. This just goes to show that Marvel vs. Capcom has been an integral part of the fighting game community, and its return is the missing brick from an otherwise sturdy foundation.

This coupled with Fatal Fury characters coming to Street Fighter 6 in season 2 shows that crossovers in fighting games are back, and they’re here to stay. But not all the news we have received so far has been in such a positive light.

For some inexplicable reason, Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics will only come out on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles. The Xbox consoles have been left out with no explanation at all. What makes this even more confounding is that all major Marvel vs. Capcom games in the past have always been on Microsoft’s consoles.

Hopefully, fans will show enough interest that it will not only result in a Marvel vs. Capcom sequel but also an Xbox version. If that happens, we will reenter the golden era of fighting games once again. The Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics comes out sometime in 2024 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. So to finally answer the real burning question, yes, Mahvel’s back baybee!