A recent Nintendo Direct introduced an unexpected but completely welcome collection of Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. The game serves as a collection of beloved fighters, including Marvel vs. Capcom 2. However, the biggest addition may have just changed the fighting game landscape in a long-awaited way.
Why Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Is So Beloved
It’s easy to assume that Marvel vs. Capcom should be the most beloved game in the long-running franchise, but it was actually its sequel that achieved much wider acclaim. This is largely due to it starting as arcade cabinets and its consistent presence in tournaments for decades kept it alive. The reason for the game’s massive success is based on many different sources. The first is aesthetics and how its designs of characters have impacted everyone who played the game. For starters, the art was a perfect blend of Eastern comics and Western manga styles that created some of the most dynamic images in the genre. Now fans can’t think about Wolverine or Spider-Man’s dynamic poses or Iron Man’s massive proton canon.
There was also a blend of beloved characters like Wolverine and Ryu, as well as lesser-known additions like Blackheart and Captain Commando. These factors, coupled together, made the already stellar gameplay even more impressive. What we got was a game that was bombastic and loud but also subtle, as it had the smallest blocks and punishments that turned the tide of its 3v3 fights.
Online Multiplayer Will Change Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Forever
While this mechanic is available for other games in the collection, online capabilities in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 are a cultural milestone in the fighting game community. Short of online emulators, one of the greatest fighters of all time has never had online multiplayer. As a result, many fans could only play with their friends in local co-op, tournaments, or arcade cabinets. But now, the landscape has shifted and the excitement of MVC2 can be brought to anyone worldwide.
The timing of this feature couldn’t be better, as fighting games have reached an all-time high. While there has always been a love of the genre, the release of Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6 showed that it was ready to welcome newcomers with modes that support a single-player experience and constant balancing to ensure that every player from every skill level has a good time. There’s also a more open line of communication where creators constantly inform players and give them characters they like, such as M. Bison’s return in Street Fighter 6.
Now, more than ever, as the sun has set on community fighters like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, fighting games have opened the door to more passive fans; the controls are a bit more complex and focusing on fundamentals is more important than nailing an awesome combo. But as the community grows and we are treated to a new era of accessible fighters, how does this benefit games like Marvel vs. Capcom 2?
Online Multiplayer Will Push Marvel vs. Capcom 2 to New Heights
Online multiplayer is something that is taken for granted lately, but thanks to the sudden popularity of fighting games, more and more of us are looking for new ways to scratch the itch. Thankfully, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is there to influence a new generation, and rather than seeing us learn from scratch, we are burning in fundamentals we learned from past fighters to elevate our own skills. The days are over when we would be stuck fighting only pros on games that have been around for decades. Instead, we have an opportunity for the community to come together at all skill brackets and for us to test our knowledge on a game as perfect as Marvel vs. Capcom 2.
Bringing back a classic game and implementing multiplayer may not seem groundbreaking in a world where MMOs are commonplace. However, what many of us may fail to realize is that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was a game that was praised so much that it’s still in some fighting game tournament circuits. Now, with the door open for all of us to battle from the comfort of our homes, it could be a rebirth for Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and we may even see new techniques that couldn’t have been done without the lessons taught from current games like Tekken 8.
Make sure to check out our Capcom and Marvel hubs for more looks at these beloved games!
