Maybe it’s something to do with getting older, or dealing with health issues, but I’ve found myself thinking back to yesteryear quite a bit. Memories of my childhood, adolescence and even my teenage and young adult years feel like a different lifetime, and I’m not sure if that’s normal. It is what it is, though, and it causes me to think back to certain moments, experiences, memories and pieces of entertainment that have stuck with me. Sometimes this involves games or movies that are hardly talked about these days, making me feel like I experienced something that not a lot of people remember, valued or noticed. However, given that some of these were movie or comic book inspired games, I doubt that’s the case. It’s just odd that they aren’t mentioned much when it comes to classic beat ’em-ups or classic games in general. Were they not as good as I thought they were?
Three of the games that I think about often, for whatever reason, are Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage, Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety, and Captain America and the Avengers. The latter game was something that I acquired for my Super Nintendo, and it was likely through my mom buying it for me. I remember playing it a ton with a friend from just down the road, and beating it a lot. Like the Goof Troop game, The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse, Hook and the Donkey Kong Country Trilogy, it was one of the seminal games of my childhood.
I also vividly remember the times that I rented the two Spidey and Venom games, including looking at the red Maximum Carnage cartridge while walking through the mall after leaving the video store. That cart really stood out.
When Konami and Limited Run Games surprise announced the Marvel MaXimum Collection just a few weeks ago, it made me happy. That’s because all three of those aforementioned Marvel beat ’em-ups were included in its list of games, along with a great game I played at the local movie theatre, and at least one that I don’t remember playing at all. The idea of being able to go back and play these childhood favourites and noteworthy experiences again on modern devices excited me.
Then again, maybe I’m just a big ball of nostalgia.
If you’ve yet to hear about it, the Marvel MaXimum Collection is around $32-34.00 in Canada, and is available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and PC. It features:
- Captain America and the Avengers (Arcade, MEGA, 8-bit)
- Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage (Super, MEGA)
- Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety (Super, MEGA)
- X-Men Arcade (Arcade)
- Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade’s Revenge (Super, MEGA, Portable, Gear)
- Silver Surfer (8-bit)
In total, there are six games from yesteryear. There are also numerous console, portable and/or arcade versions of most games made available, as what I didn’t realize back then is that arcade and console versions often differed, as did the console versions themselves. You can play them all, or choose the one that holds the most nostalgia for you. It’s also a good way to see how things were different across platforms.
This assortment of games presents genres like the side-scrolling beat ’em-up, action/platformer and shoot ’em-up. Sometimes there’s a mixture to be found in one title, as is the case with Captain America and the Avengers.
The Marvel MaXimum Collection adds things to improve the games, make them more accessible and alter what have always been very difficult titles.
- Online multiplayer for up to 6 players in X-Men Arcade via rollback netcode (unfortunately not for Captain America and the Avengers)
- Archives featuring digital scans of the games’ cover art, the backs of their boxes, instruction manuals and vintage advertisements
- A music player that lets you listen to iconic chip-tunes from these games
- An integrated cheats menu, which lets you use unlimited lives and prevent damage
- The ability to rewind or save anywhere
- Display options, which allow you to play with modern pixels or CRT overlays and scan line filters
- The ability to use borders or play in widescreen format
Silver Surfer is a vertical and horizontal shoot ‘em-up or SHMUP, where you fly around the screen and shoot enemies that fly towards you and those that stay put. There are several stages, and they are all themed after their villain, with approximately three sections for each. This is a very challenging game where you can die in one hit, making it a pain in the ass. Otherwise, it’s functional, and not terrible.
Maximum Carnage and Separation Anxiety, then, are pretty standard side-scrolling beat ‘em-ups with limited move sets. You’ll fight the same enemies and bosses quite often, and will find that things do get repetitive. The former features comics styled story scenes, but the latter only has text pages to progress its narrative, making it feel more rushed. However, at least it doesn’t have the awful climbing stage from its predecessor.
I played through Separation Anxiety after getting my ass kicked in Maximum Carnage (without cheats). Then, I went back to the other one and used unlimited lives like I had with its follow-up. I ended up beating it that same morning, but had to quit partway through the Super Nintendo version because of a progression bug. During a level in the park, the two bosses you repeatedly fight during ‘intermission’ stages kept pummelling me while I was unable to move at all, and there was no end in sight. As such, I quit out and started anew with the Mega Drive version, which was noticeably lacking in comparison, in terms of visual and audio fidelity. I completed that version, though the game definitely dragged on and overstayed its welcome, but did not get credit for it. If you actually care about achievements, be warned that the one for beating this game seems to be bugged. The high score ones are not, however.
Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade’s Revenge, then, is a weird platformer/action hybrid that is honestly awful. It begins with Spider-Man having to pick up bombs in a labyrinthine stage, while horrible controls mar the experience. Then, you’ll find yourself trapped with the X-Men in Arcade’s laboratory, and must complete themed stages as each playable character (Cyclops, Wolverine, Gambit, Storm, etc.) This is the only game that I didn’t finish in any capacity, because even with unlimited lives on I kept having to restart stages. The controls were horrible, the stages were cluttered and things were so busy that it was hard to see what was a platform and what wasn’t. The combat was also horrid. I tried several stages, but got frustrated and quit out. This game is bad.
Moving on, Captain America and the Avengers is a fun, but not all that complex beat ‘em up. It’s unique, though, due to its SHMUP stages set in space and underwater. I completed the Arcade version first, and it was quite good, as well as reminiscent of what I remember the SNES one being like. Then, I went back and completed the Mega Drive version, which was noticeably worse. It didn’t sound great, it was sluggish, and it looked a lot worse. I also noticed that I couldn’t damage the spaceship as it unleashed enemies.
The 8-bit version of this is a completely different game, wherein you travel across the United States to save it from danger, while playing as different characters from the title. It’s heavy on platforming, basic melee combat and ranged combat, and is honestly bad and frustrating. I didn’t complete this version, because it was so clunky, boring and annoying, but may someday. I did, however, finish the others. Two out of three isn’t bad.
X-Men Arcade is arguably the best game in this set, and will likely be the biggest draw for people who purchase this collection. It’s a classic sidescrolling beat ‘em-up, which allows for co-op, like Captain America and the Avengers and Separation Anxiety. However, this game allows for more players (1-6), and allows you to play online with crossplay as an option. It’s an iconic release, is fun to play and I’m glad I now own it.
I beat X-Men solo, and could not find any online multiplayer games when I looked.
I may admittedly have rose coloured glasses when it comes to certain games in this collection, but they meant a lot to me and still do. I spent a lot of time with those titles, and remember them for a reason.
The cheats, save states and the ability to add tokens are welcomed additions, and make this a more accessible set of games. After all, games like this were often notoriously difficult back in the day, and a lot of that was to maximize profits (quarters put into arcade machines) and perhaps even rentals. The difficulty also artificially inflated the games’ lengths, and kept people playing longer than they maybe otherwise would have. Now, it’s possible for folks to see these titles through to their credits, and experience what they missed in the 90s. Hell, Silver Surfer is actually playable now, and not just anger fuel.
It was nice to be able to revisit these games on a modern device, and I’m happy to now own them for whenever the itch strikes. For someone like me, the Marvel MaXimum Collection is a welcomed release, and something that couldn’t have been a nicer surprise. All of the games that are included have some flaws, and some are better than others, but this is a quality set of well-emulated classics outside of one particular title. The quality of life improvements and accessibility options just make things better, even for those of us who grew up loving them, replaying them and pumping our allowances into their machines. I can’t speak for others, but I know that I’m tired and not the gamer I once was.
I just wish that this collection included the Genesis X-Men games.
This review is based on the Xbox Series X version of the game, which we were provided with.