We asked three members of the development team what each of the 7 games in the collection means to them, including two Game Designers and Producer, Shuhei Matsumoto. Read on ahead for their comments below.
X-MEN CHILDREN OF THE ATOM
Matsumoto-san – The first time I played it, I was impressed with the action and dialogue that fully embraces the traits of the X-Men. And just trying to attempt the flashy special moves, X-Powers, Hyper X, etc. was a lot of fun. The depth of the game that accompanies these moves is what makes this game so appealing.
The game is also the first to incorporate the concept of momentum which is commonplace in fighting games these days. This made each opponent feel unique and created more situational differences that is important to the core gameplay. I see this game as being revolutionary.
Game Designer 1 – I didn't know anything about X-Men at the time but I was super excited to see things evolve from Super Street Fighter II Turbo. New features like super jumps, special moves that can be executed with normal buttons, and aesthetic elements like unique character features, smooth and cool animations and flashy effects were very cool.
I liked the Cyclops because his beam felt good, but I hated Iceman. I kept complaining, "why can't I chip him, this isn't fair!"
Game Designer 2 - My family had an abundance of American comic books with mainly Marvel titles, as this was my parents' hobby. We also had a large collection of X-Men and other American comic-related video games from the time I can remember. Because of this, I think of the X-Men as heroes who were always there for me when I was a child.
When I first played the game, it was just too difficult to complete.... I had to continue over 10 times to even reach Magneto, the final boss. I remember being so annoyed that I had to continue more than 30 times against him, and thought to myself, “how am I going to beat him?" During the development of MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, it took me 20 years but I was finally able to beat the game on one credit with Iceman.
By the way, Cyclops is my favorite X-Men. I think his abilities and visuals are cool, and his slightly clumsy but straightforward personality makes me want to root for him.
MARVEL SUPER HEROES
Matsumoto-san – Now you can control Marvel characters at your will! This alone is a lot of fun, but the many systems that have evolved further from X-Men gives you a different battle experience every time.
Aerial rave and Infinity Gems make the action even cooler, and make you want to learn and try new things. In response to the severity of the attacks, the system has been refined with the inclusion of moves like Infinity Counter, adding another depth to the game's tactics.
Game Designer 1 – The aerial rave was quite an invention. It's exhilarating and I practiced a lot to learn how to execute. As for characters, I like Captain America. The shield he throws from his back looks cool every time.
Game Designer 2 - Like X-Men, this is another title that I remember from my childhood. As long as I can remember, it was on the shelf with X-Men on our video game section. Captain America, depicted largely on the key art, is very eye-catching!
I was exposed to this game after experiencing the other titles in the VS. series, so I was surprised to see certain special moves deriving from MSH. I feel like I made a big discovery, learning the origin of the VS. series.
Of all the characters in this title, I like Doctor Doom the best. I think he is the best villain and I love his sense of dignity, strength, and coolness. My hope is that more people in Japan will get to know him (especially because he's confirmed to appear in an upcoming MCU movie). When I play this game, I always select Doctor Doom. Growing up, I used to whisper “now you face Doom!” as he makes his entrance.
X-MEN VS. STREET FIGHTER
Matsumoto-san - Finally, Street Fighter characters join the fray! This 2 vs. 2 tag team battle makes things more exciting. The impact from the Variable Combination, a super move performed by two characters, is especially great!
The battle, in which the players must plan how to defeat two characters, is a fresh new experience that is hard to find in other titles.
Game Designer 1 - A number of special moves were given to the Street Fighters in order to compete against the super humans. One of them is Ryu's “Shinku Hadoken”, which is now one of the most iconic moves in the series. At the time, I thought it was put in by someone who likes beams and drill type moves, but I was like "is this even allowed??"
Game Designer 2 - This was the only game where I experienced in the arcade for my first time. I was old enough to go to an arcade by myself and I spent my own money to play it. The result of that first play was fighting against a Zangief player who challenged me within a minute and kicked me off that cabinet...
When I play this game, my go-to team is Gambit and Rogue. The main reason is that they're cool and fun to play. These two were recently married in a comic book a few years ago. Both had a long and eventful relationship, so when they tied the knot, I was very happy.
Here is a little tidbit of the making of MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. During the production, we had several meetings to decide what kind of art style and composition we wanted for the main key-art. Everyone agreed that the center should feature Cyclops and Ryu, since they are the origin of the VS. series. When the title was announced, we were happy to see the positive response to the Cyclops and Ryu part of the art from all the fans.
I truly appreciate the artist of this key art, Chisato Mita. She drew something so cool, beautiful, and magnificent, and it was exciting to see the process of the creation. For those of you who don't know, Mita-san is my amazing senior who is super cool, funny and kind!
MARVEL SUPER HEROES vs. STREET FIGHTER
Game Designer 1 – I guess a lot of people see this as the Norimaro game. Although he's only included in the Japanese version, I'm glad that we were able to include him.
In addition, hidden characters like Cyber-Akuma, Mech Zangief, Shadow, etc. make an appearance. This game is full of ingenuity utilizing limited art, with a playful spirit and I can feel the enthusiasm of its time.
Game Designer 2 - I first encountered this game through the console version I had at home! Incidentally, this was my first exposure to Street Fighter. Until I played the main Street Fighter titles for the first time in later years, I remember thinking that a Hadoken was always a laser beam like move until I played the main Street Fighter games for the first time.
Sakura is my favorite character from this title. I love her Shouoken where her entire body is covered in hadou, and to me she is unique from the rest of the characters. In terms of her character, I love that she is hard-working and seeing her chasing her dreams makes me want to root for her. Her Dark Sakura version can also perform Shun Goku Satsu so she has so much potential! I also love the version of her theme song in this game.
We mustn't forget about Norimaro. I'm glad we were able to release the game with him included, since there are almost no materials or original staff left from that time! He is an interesting character to play with and even though he's only included in the Japanese version, I hope you try him out!
MARVEL vs. CAPCOM CLASH OF SUPER HEROES
Matsumoto-san - Exciting characters from Marvel and Capcom are all here! The joy of winning with your favorite teams, whether they be Mega Man & War Machine, Spider-Man & Venom, cannot be described in words. The pleasure of overwhelming your opponent with the Variable Cross, which allows you to use unlimited hyper combos while it's activated, is an experience unique to this title.
In addition, a few guest characters such as Jubilee, Thor, Arthur, and Devilotte appear as special partners, and support you with a wide variety of actions.
Game Designer 1 – I was surprised to see the Special Partners appearing from many different types of games including genres like quiz games.
Also, when the Variable Cross is performed, the faces of the paired characters merge in the center of the screen, which was super cool and emphasized the craziness of the game and the tag-team aspect!
Also, there is a system from X-Men where the victory pose can be canceled by pressing the START button. If you can successfully stop the game with a cool pose, the moment the screen switches to the victory comment, you can earn extra points. This makes me happy when I successfully perform this, but it's not very consistent...
Game Designer 2 - When I was a child, I was introduced to Marvel VS. Capcom when I was gifted the console version as a birthday present. I was introduced to characters like Mega Man, Strider Hiryu, Nameless Super Soldier, and Saki, which sparked my interest in Capcom games.
After this experience, playing a variety of titles, both old and new, made me realize.
I wanted to be able to create games like this and deliver the same excitement to the world!
If I had never encountered Marvel vs. Capcom, I might not have joined Capcom so I have a strong emotional attachment to this title.
The digital version of MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics was released on September 12, which is also my birthday. I feel as if my encounter with Marvel vs. Capcom that began on my birthday when I was a child, leading to the release of this collection was a fateful path.
MARVEL vs. CAPCOM 2 NEW AGE OF HEROES
Game Designer 1 – There are many characters, and the control system has been changed from 6 buttons to 4 buttons, which adds to the ease of play. In addition, the 3-on-3 battles make it feel like a festival or a party.
In the arcade version, it took time to increase the number of characters, but in this game, all the characters are playable from the beginning so I hope people will enjoy them to their heart's desire.
Iceman, whom I disliked in X-Men, was a good supporter, and I often teamed up with him as a “shooting type.”
Game Designer 2 - My parents had the console version of MARVEL vs. CAPCOM 2 so I played this along with the MARVEL vs. CAPCOM, at a very young age.
The first time I played against a stranger at an arcade was through this game. When I was in junior high, I was beaten to a pulp by a very skilled older guy who challenged me, and I couldn't do anything against him.... I was like, “this is totally different from the MARVEL vs. CAPCOM 2 I know..." and felt overwhelmed.
After I was defeated, my challenger approached me while I was staring at the game over screen. He ended up teaching me a lot of combos which is a good memory I cherish to this day, and from then I started frequenting arcades more often.
The team I usually use is Doctor Doom, SonSon, and Cable. I try to include SonSon in any team because I like her cute dancing and singing. Jaka jaka jaka jaka jaka!
THE PUNISHER
Game Designer 1 – The abundance of actions that can be done in the air, and the exhilaration from the shooting is also great.
I was not able to play it very often when it was in the arcade, so this time, I'm enjoying the score attack.
This is the first port of the game in Japan, and there are many unique enemies, so I hope everyone gets to try it out in co-op as well.
Game Designer 2 - For some reason, I grew up without having a chance to play this game. I remember finding it by chance in an arcade in Osaka when I was a college student. I had always wanted to play this game but never had the chance, so I played it like crazy!
I cleared all the stages, though, continuing many times through the process. I really wanted to get good at it, so I went to that arcade for a while until I could clear the game without continuing.
I'm sure that when beat 'em up games were the state-of-the-art in the arcades, older gamers were studying and aiming for a high score if their money lasted. I wondered how it must have felt to play like this.
I knew of Punisher's existence because I had seen a movie that had been aired on a Japanese TV program. I think the first time I was seriously exposed to its story was when I was a student and bought a comic book when I was studying English.
I like him because he's not a superhero by any means, but he can use weapons at will, and uses his fighting skills to defeat villains without mercy!