Review: Marvel MaXimum Collection (PS5) – A Retro Comic Book Beat-‘Em-Up Bonanza

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We’re seeing a lot of retro collections these days, but the Marvel MaXimum Collection is definitely one to check out.

It’s tempting to wish for more superhero games from SEGA, like their Spider-Man titles such as Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin, but Limited Run Games deserves praise for collecting a great selection of comic book-based fighting games from many different companies.

Konami’s X-Men: The Arcade Game is a standout title, and for good reason. This 1992 six-player beat-’em-up is considered one of the best of its kind, and it still holds up incredibly well over 30 years after its release.

Thanks to rollback netcode, you can play through the roughly 60-minute campaign much like the developers originally envisioned, and it also supports local co-op with up to four players. The player limit is due to the PlayStation 5 only being able to connect six DualSense controllers at a time.

The game features large, wonderfully animated sprites, and characters like Captain America and Colossus move with a powerful, smooth style. The pixel art is incredibly vibrant – truly some of the best ever made – and even the slightly awkward English dialogue adds to the game’s charm without detracting from the overall experience.

Although we don’t think it’s quite as good as games like Final Fight or Capcom’s Alien vs. Predator, this game is excellent on its own and well worth playing. It’s especially impressive that it’s included with five other games in this collection.

Released in 1991, Data East’s Captain America and the Avengers isn’t as good as Konami’s game, but it still has some positive qualities.

Characters like Vision and Hawkeye offer a unique gameplay experience, and the lineup is completed by popular heroes like Iron Man and Captain America.

Okay, so the game isn’t just fighting – it throws in some side-scrolling shooting parts too, which is a nice change of pace. And honestly, the graphics look really good, especially later on when you’re facing off against Red Skull. Those sections are visually awesome!

I’ve been having a blast with this arcade game, and it’s really cool to see how they adapted it for the SEGA Genesis back in ’92. It’s definitely noticeable that the characters and graphics are a bit smaller and simpler on the Genesis, losing some of those cool arcade effects, but honestly, the core gameplay and story are still totally there, which is awesome!

The NES version is essentially a completely different game, playing as a side-scrolling adventure with some RPG elements, which makes it a worthwhile addition.

Unfortunately, the SNES version isn’t included. It was originally licensed to Mindscape along with the Game Boy and Game Gear versions, and it might have been difficult for Limited Run Games to obtain the rights to release it.

We’ve got both versions of Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage, a fast-paced fighting game from 1994. It’s mostly known for being a SEGA Genesis title with a distinctive blood-red game cartridge.

The game features fantastic cutscenes that look like they came straight from a comic book, but the actual gameplay can become repetitive. It’s also frustrating to fight enemies who seem to have endless health.

The 1995 game, Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety, wasn’t as good as the original. It used a lot of the same gameplay, but didn’t execute it with the same polish.

These games aren’t terrible, and you can definitely have some fun with them, though the level design can be a bit clunky. However, considering the other, better fighting games included, their flaws are more noticeable.

And speaking of games we don’t enjoy, Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade’s Revenge is easily the worst in this collection. We’ve never been fans of it, even back when we first played it on the original Game Gear.

Originally launched in 1992, this game was published by LJN – which won’t surprise anyone familiar with the Angry Video Game Nerd – and unfortunately, it’s just not fun to play.

Although the game was initially well-received and features imaginative characters, it’s frustrating to play because the controls are difficult and the goals aren’t clear.

The game’s music is fantastic, especially on the Super Nintendo, and it’s fun to play as lesser-known characters like Gambit. However, clunky controls and uneven difficulty make it a game you should probably pass on.

So, something cool I wanted to mention is that all the versions of the game for consoles like PlayStation and Xbox have cheats you can turn on and off. They’re a lifesaver if you just want to have fun and enjoy the story without getting stuck – things like unlimited lives or being invincible are really nice to have sometimes!

Each game includes features to rewind gameplay and save progress at any point. You can also customize the visual experience with a detailed CRT filter, adjusting scanline intensity and screen curvature for a classic look.

Before we get into the extras, let’s talk about the last game included: Silver Surfer for the NES, originally released in 1990.

This game is a classic shoot ’em up that changes things up by alternating between side-scrolling levels reminiscent of R-Type and vertically scrolling sections similar to 1942.

Although the game doesn’t feel much like the Silver Surfer character, the gameplay itself is very strong. It can be a little tricky to spot dangers in each level, but overall we had a great time playing it, and the music is fantastic.

All the audio is available on demand through a built-in music player, and some tracks from X-Men: The Arcade Game are especially catchy.

You can also explore a large collection of artwork, materials, and design files. We especially enjoyed reading the original handwritten plans for the Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage game – it’s a fantastic example of how well everything has been preserved.

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2026-03-31 05:38