The recently released Marvel MaXimum Collection brings together six classic Marvel video games to modern consoles. Two iconic beat ’em ups — X-Men: The Arcade Game and Captain America and The Avengers — are the crown jewels of the collection, but there’s a solid amount of depth and multiple versions of most games. Needless to say, Marvel and X-Men fans have a lot to enjoy with Limited Run Games’ latest retro collection.
The extremely memeable X-Men: The Arcade Game is likely what most players boot up first, even if it’s just to hear Magneto say “Welcome to die!” again. This is the most fully featured game in the collection, as it has rollback netcode and online support (which was a mixed experience, with some lag-filled matches with a full party and some good ones with a few friends), so it’s possible to play with six players at once. The 1992 arcade game is still a fun, breezy experience as you get to brawl your way against some great Marvel villains, while playing as your favorites like Cyclops, Wolverine, and Storm (… or Dazzler if you wind up picking last).
1991’s Captain America and The Avengers is arguably even more fun than X-Men. It’s got a lot more variety to it, including some fun shooter sections, and has a fun roster of villains that aren’t usually in video games (like Klaw and Grim Reaper). Cap, Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Vision are all fun to play as, although the much more limited NES port only features Captain America and Hawkeye. Either way, it’s a fun beat ’em up to play with some friends locally and one of the most replayable entries in the collection.
There are three 16-bit Spider-Man games that are the weakest of the bunch, but still worthwhile adventures for fans of the webcrawler. Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade’s Revenge is the best of the bunch, as it has some solid puzzles and action, while Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage and Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety are overly simple brawlers. They’re worth checking out, and there’s some solid deep cuts for Spidey fans, but once you’ve played both versions, you likely aren’t coming back for more.
Finally, the NES Silver Surfer game is an unexpected gem in the collection. Developed by Software Creations, the side-scrolling shooter game became notorious for being difficult to beat. While that’s true, the collection allows you to create save states, plus rewind the game, so it’s way more doable and fun to get through. There are some really cool moments in the game, plus some incredible music, so it became an unlikely favorite of mine while playing. The collection also allows you to enable cheats in several games, such as infinite lives, so this isn’t a collection where you’ll get stuck.
Marvel MaXimum Collection Review: Final Verdict
With two all-time classic beat ’em ups, three solid Spider-Man games, and an underrated Silver Surfer game that is finally beatable with the collection’s features, there’s a lot for Marvel fans to enjoy. These classic games show that Marvel has had a long and varied history in gaming, long before Insomniac’s Spider-Man games were drawing critical acclaim. Whether you’re checking them out for the first time or reliving some nostalgia like I was, you’ll surely have a good time.
SCORE: 8/10
As ComingSoon’sreview policyexplains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a PS5 copy for our Marvel MaXimum Collection review. Reviewed on version 1.040.000.
