| Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter | |
|---|---|
 Japanese arcade flyer | |
| Developer | Capcom |
| Publishers | Capcom PlayStation
|
| Producer | Kenji Kataoka |
| Composers |
|
| Series | Marvel vs. Capcom Street Fighter |
| Platforms | Arcade,Sega Saturn,PlayStation |
| Release | Arcade Saturn
|
| Genre | Fighting |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
| Arcade system | CP System II[5] |
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter[a] is a 1997crossoverfighting game developed and published byCapcom. It is the sequel toX-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996) and the second installment in theMarvel vs. Capcom series. After its release forarcades, it receivedports to theSega Saturn in 1998 and thePlayStation in 1999.
The gameplay and aesthetics ofMarvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter remain similar toX-Men vs. Street Fighter. Each player selects two characters to compete in a one-on-onetag team fight, attempting to defeat the opposing team. The game replaces most of theX-Men cast from the previous installment with characters from other Marvel properties. In addition, it introduces a new gameplay mechanic known as the "Variable Assist", which would be used in futureMarvel vs. Capcom titles.
Much like its predecessor, the game received generally positive reviews for its gameplay,sprite animations, and character roster. The Sega Saturn version, utilizing the 4 MB RAM expansion cartridge, was praised for being an arcade-perfect conversion. Due to the memory limitations of the PlayStation, tag team battles were once again removed from its port, resulting in more mixed critical reception. The game was followed byMarvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes in 1998.
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter is the second installment in theMarvel vs. Capcom series of2Dfighting games.[6] It utilizes the same one-on-onetag team format previously employed inX-Men vs. Street Fighter.[7] The player chooses a team of two fighters, each sporting their ownlife gauge; at the start of the match, the first selected character is controlled by the player, while the second character remains off-screen and acts as support.[8] Using a combination ofjoystick movements and button presses, the player must execute various moves to deplete the opposing team's life gauges.[8] The first player to completely drain the opponent's health is declared the winner.[8] If the timer reaches zero, the player that possesses the most health wins.[8]
The most notable gameplay change inMarvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter is the addition of the "Variable Assist".[9] With the Variable Assist, the player can summon their off-screen character to perform a special move without changing their currently-controlled character, opening new possibilities forcombos during battle and greatly expanding the role of the secondary character.[9][10] The ability to use assists would later become a signature gameplay element used in several future installments of theMarvel vs. Capcom series.[10]
The arcade, Sega Saturn, and PlayStation versions ofMarvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter share Arcade Mode and Versus Mode.[11] In Arcade Mode, the player fights waves ofartificial intelligence-controlled teams, culminating in a penultimate battle against theboss character,Apocalypse, who previously appeared inX-Men vs. Street Fighter.[9] Upon defeating Apocalypse, the player battles the final boss character,Cyber-Akuma.[9] The PlayStation version includes three exclusive game modes: Training, Hero Battle, and Cross Over.[12] Hero Battle is an endurance mode which pits the player against the characters that they did not select.[12][13] In Cross Over, the player and the computer opponent fight with the same team of characters; if the player is victorious, then the computer swaps one character from both teams.[12] The PlayStation port also features a Gallery Mode containing promotional and character artwork, which are unlocked by completing various goals.[13]
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter features a roster of 17 playable fighters, with nine World Warriors from theStreet Fighter universe and eight heroes from theMarvel Universe.[12] All of theX-Men characters featured inX-Men vs. Street Fighter, with the exception ofCyclops andWolverine, are replaced with characters from other Marvel Comics properties, such asCaptain America,Spider-Man, and theHulk.[9] Most of theStreet Fighter characters from the previous game return, with the exception ofCammy andCharlie (although Charlie is actually still in the game as a palette swapped secret character named "Shadow"), who are replaced byDan andSakura.[14] In addition to the 17 immediately playable characters, the roster also contains six secret characters, all of which arepalette swaps of existing fighters with different moveset properties.[15]
The Japanese arcade and console versions ofMarvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter include an exclusive character named Norimaro (憲磨呂).[16] Norimaro is an original character created and owned by Japanese comedianNoritake Kinashi, who represents neither Marvel nor Capcom.[16][17] Due to licensing issues from Marvel as they were against the character fighting their heroes, Norimaro is not available in the international releases or most later ports of the game.[18] Norimaro was restored for theFighting Collection re-release of the game, making him playable outside of Japan for the first time.[19]
As withX-Men vs. Street Fighter,Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter was initially developed for theCP System IIarcade system board. The game debuted in Japanese and North American arcades in 1997.[5][20] The game received aport to theSega Saturn, exclusive to Japan, on October 22, 1998.[18] The Sega Saturn port supported the 4MB RAM expansion peripheral, allowing the developers to create a conversion which retained the original frame rates and tag team system.[18] The game was then ported to thePlayStation in February 1999.[21] Due to the console's limited RAM capacity, the tag team format was switched to the more traditional round format used in other fighting game series, such asStreet Fighter.[15] To compensate for the removal of tag team gameplay, several new game modes, such as Hero Battle and Cross Over, were implemented.[21]
According to former Capcom USA community manager and fighting game advisor Seth Killian, one of the primary goals forMarvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter was to "tone down the insanity" that occurred onscreen when compared toX-Men vs. Street Fighter.[14] The developers also sought to achieve balance within the character roster; the previous title had gained a reputation for being "broken", with characters having access to one or moreinfinite combos.[10] These changes, however, were met with negative reception from fans, who criticized the game for offering less freedom.[10][16] This ultimately led to Capcom recognizing the theme of insanity as the hallmark of the series and using it as a focus for futureMarvel vs. Capcom installments.[14]
In June 2020,Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter was included in a home arcade cabinet fromArcade1Up alongside other games likeX-Men vs. Street Fighter andMarvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes.[22] In June 2024, Capcom announced thatMarvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter would be among the games included in theMarvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics compilation, which was released the following September. TheFighting Collection version includes the ability for players to control Cyber-Akuma and Norimaro.[23][19]
| Aggregator | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| PS | Saturn | |
| GameRankings | 74%[30] | 77%[31] |
| Publication | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| PS | Saturn | |
| AllGame |   [24] | N/A |
| Game Informer | 8/10[25] | N/A |
| GamePro | [26] | N/A |
| GameRevolution | B−[15] | N/A |
| GameSpot | 5.7/10[12] | 7.3/10[18] |
| IGN | 7.5/10[27] | N/A |
| Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine |  [28] | N/A |
| PlayStation: The Official Magazine | [29] | N/A |
In Japan,Game Machine listedMarvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter as the third most successful arcade game of August 1997.[32]
The Sega Saturn version ofMarvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter received "favorable" reviews, while the PlayStation version received "average" reviews, according to thereview aggregation websiteGameRankings.[30][31]Jeff Gerstmann ofGameSpot praised the Saturn port for its gameplay, character roster, graphics,sprite animations, and additional RAM support, labeling it an "arcade-perfect conversion".[18] However, Gerstmann faulted the game for being a "near-carbon copy" ofX-Men vs. Street Fighter.[18] While the PlayStation port also received praise for its gameplay and character roster, it attracted numerous criticisms, many of which stemmed from issues related to the console's memory restrictions.GameSpot,IGN, andGameRevolution all reprimanded the game for removing the original version's tag team-based gameplay.[12][15][27] Randy Nelson ofIGN stated that the lack of tag team fights negated one of the major elements that made Capcom'sVs. series stand apart, resulting in a game that was "nothing truly special or different".[27] Ryan MacDonald ofGameSpot expressed disappointment over the port's lower graphical quality and cut animation frames.[12]Game Informer also complained about experiencing instances of slowdown.[25] However, despite the criticisms, reviewers claimed the game as an improvement over the critically panned PlayStation port ofX-Men vs. Street Fighter.[12][25]
A sequel toMarvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, titledMarvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, was released for arcades in Japan and North America in 1998. The game expands its character roster beyond theStreet Fighter series to include other Capcom video game franchises, such asDarkstalkers andMega Man.[33] While its gameplay remains similar,Clash of Super Heroes removes the "Variable Assist" feature in favor of a new system.[9] It was ported to the Dreamcast and PlayStation in 1999 and 2000 respectively.[34] A high-definition version of the game was also released in 2012 for thePlayStation 3 andXbox 360 as part of theMarvel vs. Capcom Origins compilation.[35]
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