Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a long-awaited treasure trove of beloved crossover games between Marvel and Capcom, all centered around its hotly anticipated re-release of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. But there are other hidden gems in the collection, including the first ever accurate port of The Punisher arcade game - the first game released in the partnership between Capcom and Marvel, over 30 years ago.
To say that The Punisher is getting its first accurate home port is the key here. The 1993 arcade game has a notorious reputation among retro arcade fans for its abysmal 1995 port to the Sega Genesis, known as one of the worst Marvel games of all time (and to some, one of the worst Genesis games, too), which attempted to expand the game for home audiences resulting in kind of a sloggy mess.
That's why, for Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection producer Shuhei Matsumoto, nailing the collection's port of the classic side-scrolling brawler was a key priority when including it in the latest Capcom Fighting Collection installment.
The port we always deserved
"No matter what, our goal was to get as close to the original version as possible," Matsumoto tells 12DOVE. "This is something I strive for throughout the Capcom Fighting Collection series."
Fortunately, the newly ported version of The Punisher included in the collection reclaims the fun of the arcade game by taking it back to basics, straight out of the original cabinet. Players make their way through a handful of environments on a quest to ultimately defeat the Kingpin, battling wave after wave of goons with a wide variety of weapons picked up from the ground, each of which will dissipate after a certain number of attacks. Everything from rocks, to katanas, to even machine guns is fair game - this is The Punisher after all.
It's admittedly a bit simplistic, and certainly short by modern standards - attributes which are a boon to arcade players, but which undoubtedly led to the original, misguided Genesis port's attempt to make the game appeal to 1995 audiences, who were by then used to most of the tricks of the classic beat-em-up genre. Still, it's a blast playing an arcade classic finally getting its due, especially when tagging in a second player to take on the role of Nick Fury, which adds some hilariously hardboiled dialogue to the game as Fury berates Frank Castle for his violent methods throughout their many battles.
It may stand out to players that The Punisher is the only side-scrolling beat-em-up game in the collection of classic fighting games, but according to Matsumoto, the game has its fans inside Capcom who urged him to make sure and finally give the game the port it deserves.
"It’s a simple reason actually," Matsumoto explains. "It’s because this is another title that both Capcom and Marvel were involved in. Similar to when we decided to include Red Earth in the previous Capcom Fighting Collection, our legendary programmers Kobuta and Muumuu called out to me and said, 'Hey Matz, we can get The Punisher in too!' and that’s how we made the decision."
And of course, it's got historical significance as well, as the first collaboration between Marvel and Capcom.
"I think it had a significant impact. No doubt, the reason we have so many other amazing Marvel games is thanks to The Punisher," Matsumoto says.
As for the producer's personal favorite game in the collection, it likely comes as no surprise that Matsumoto doesn't hesitate to call out MvC2. And there's no doubt that the groundbreaking fighter is the crown jewel of the collection, especially considering how many retro fighting game fans have been downright begging for a re-release on modern platforms. But the Punisher may be the collection's biggest diamond in the rough, and getting to share a long lost arcade classic with modern fans after 30 years is an added bonus to an already impeccable compilation.
"Thank you for your patience!" Matsumoto tells fans who have been waiting for The Punisher to come home since 1993. "We are ecstatic to finally be able to release The Punisher. It’s been many years since the original game was released, and we hope that new players will finally get the chance to play it!"
Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is now available digitally on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam, with the physical release scheduled for November 22. A digital version will be released for Xbox One in 2025.
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