The 1980s and 1990s were a golden era for superhero video games, largely fueled by the popularity of their comic book and animated series counterparts. This led to the proliferation of the beat ’em up genre on arcade and 16-bit systems, while less powerful consoles and handhelds focused on simpler platforming titles. Marvel MaXimum Collection brings together classic titles developed by Konami, Data East, and Software Creations. While its historical value is notable, its gameplay is hindered by the absence of a couple of Capcom’s gems that would have made it a true definitive collection.
Marvel MaXimum Collection is advertised as a compilation of 13 titles, but many are redundant. Essentially, it offers six distinct games with various versions that are largely repetitive. For instance, Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage and Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety are presented in both Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis (Mega Drive in Europe) versions. The differences are minimal, primarily related to audio chips, though Sega enthusiasts might argue the Genesis significantly outperformed the Nintendo console. While Maximum Carnage is considered a cult classic by some, and I owned the red SNES cartridge back in the day, its gameplay as a beat ’em up is undeniably weak, despite its artistic merits.
Speaking of Spider-Man, while there’s nothing against Marvel’s friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, having 8 out of the 13 games feature Spidey makes Marvel MaXimum Collection more of a spider-centric compilation than a mutant one. A significant portion of this is due to Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade’s Revenge, available for SNES, Genesis, Game Gear, and Game Boy. Including the portable editions is a nice touch, especially since these are the only two portable games in the entire collection. Historically, handheld games attempted to mimic their home console counterparts, resulting in different but often endearing experiences due to their inherent limitations. In this game, players can control Spider-Man and X-Men members like Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and Gambit across various pre-set levels.
It’s a welcome change that the versions of this game are platformers rather than more beat ’em ups. A notable exception is Captain America and The Avengers. While the arcade and Genesis versions are the typical colorful and sound-filled beat ’em ups, the NES version surprisingly offers the more compelling content. The SNES, Game Boy, and Game Gear versions were omitted from Marvel MaXimum Collection. Data East developed the NES game as a side-scrolling action platformer. The only playable characters are Captain America and Hawkeye, who must rescue Vision and Iron Man from The Mandarin before confronting Red Skull. Its levels are simpler in comparison, but the progressive journey across the United States map adds a unique touch.
This brings us to the collection’s Achilles’ heel, directly from the stars: the herald of the world-eater, Silver Surfer. It’s hard to fathom what Software Creations was thinking when they released this title in its native 8-bit state. It’s not a matter of graphical capability, as it holds its own and the intention is clear: the surfer navigates side-scrolling levels and others with a top-down view, varying the thematic scenarios inhabited by Reptyl, Mephisto, Possessor, Fire Lord, and the Skrull emperor. Under Galactus’s orders, Silver Surfer must retrieve pieces to prevent a cosmic apocalypse, and so on. However, its difficulty is notoriously absurd and has been infamously reported for the past 35 years. Touch a wall, you die. An enemy, even once, you die. Breathe, you die.
Fortunately for Marvel MaXimum Collection, the rewind function is an indispensable aid in this game, but even better is the option to activate the infinite health cheat. This same option applies to the other games in the compilation, with the exception of the collection’s centerpiece: X-Men: The Arcade Game, originally by Konami. In this version, players can access an unlimited number of credits, so running out of coins is not an issue to complete it. It’s a short game but effectively utilizes Marvel’s diverse and colorful characters. Thanks to ‘rollback netcode,’ up to six players can enjoy online matches, though this was impossible to test on Nintendo Switch due to a lack of players.
Nine versions from Software Creations, three from Data East, and one from Konami leave a somewhat bittersweet taste in Marvel MaXimum Collection and in Limited Run Games’ advertising. This is not a definitive compilation; rather, it’s repetitive with certain Spider-Man games. Among the extras, we gain access to traditional art galleries featuring promotional posters, game covers, and manuals. At this point, I must express my dissatisfaction with the lack of names and logos for the chosen game platforms. I’m unsure if it’s to avoid paying licensing fees or something similar, but part of preserving history is not literally erasing it and acknowledging it.
When referring to SNES versions, the collection simply states “Super,” which is technically not incorrect. The same applies to NES and “8-bit,” “Mega” for Sega Genesis (due to its European name), “Gear” for Game Gear, and simply “Portable” for Game Boy. Logos and mentions of Sega and Nintendo do not appear on any of the scanned boxes or manuals – which are original and show signs of wear, a nice touch – digitally removed from the face of history in Marvel MaXimum Collection. How can this be called historical preservation? It’s not just about putting a ROM in a Carbon Engine menu and calling it a day.
Something similar occurs in the scanned covers of Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition, but generally, they pale in comparison to the impeccable scanning of boxes and cartridges for Super Bomberman Collection by Konami. However, the true sin of Marvel MaXimum Collection – which would have elevated its value – is the glaring absence of Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems and X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse, both Capcom classics that were part of the Arcade1UP machine with X-Men ’97 art. If they didn’t have these licenses and their value is high, we can’t judge them for it, but you simply cannot call it a “maximum Marvel collection” without its most significant representatives.
Review conducted with a digital copy of Marvel MaXimum Collection for Nintendo Switch provided by Limited Run Games. The game is also available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (Steam).
