Marvel Maximum Collection (Xbox) Review

A bundle of classic Marvel Comics video games sounds like one heck of a good time. And that’s just what Marvel Maximum Collection is.

Make Mine Marvel… Maximum Collection

How well do you remember the heyday of Marvel Comics video games? Actually, I’ll issue a bit of a clarifier there I guess, in that I mean the 80s/90s arcades and 8/16bit eras. While there’ve certainly been more than a few Marvel-themed titles since that time, it inarguably produced some of the best-loved games to feature the superhero universe.

We’re talking about games that still get talked about today too. Even with the glut of Marvel video game content, the likes of X-Men: The Arcade Game and the SNES/Genesis’ Spider-Man games still get plenty of love from fans. That said though, some (Most? All?) of those games are hard to come by today.

While some have seen digital issuance, they’re pretty much all gone now. And as for those console offerings, they never made the move past their original platforms. So if you’ve been itching to replay some of those gems of yesteryear, but haven’t had access, you might want to take a look at Limited Run Games’ Marvel MaXimum Collection.

Collecting the universe

If you’ve any experience with collections, then you know what to expect out of this one. Basically, Limited Run Games has bound together a whole bunch of Konami’s classic Marvel Comics titles, in (more or less) their original forms. These aren’t remakes or remasters, though that’s not to say that there aren’t some enhancements.

More on that in a second though, as we’ve got some games to name. And when you’re talking about Marvel MaXimum Collection, there are more than a handful. Included in the set are a pair of arcade classics with X-Men: The Arcade Game and Captain America and the Avengers. The latter game also includes its 8bit and 16bit versions, which are fairly different.

Maybe I should say that the 8bit version is different. I was shocked that the 16bit edition of the shield-slinger was as solid a port as it was. Still, it’s cool to get the option to relive any of the above, even though two of them are fairly similar. As mentioned though, the collection goes much farther.

Also on board are Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage and Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety. As with the arcade titles, the pair of the above include both 16bit versions too. Then there’s Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade’s Revenge, which goes one step further and packs in the classic portable versions as well.

And finally, there’s the 8bit Silver Surfer game. I have zero nostalgia for that one, as its blazing difficulty used to make me… not happy. That’s me though, and if you dig it, then you’ll probably be happy to see it again. Plus, as mentioned, there are those enhancements. Those definitely ease up on the toughness.

An authentic experience

When you’re talking about porting games that are meant to be played on CRT monitors to modern sets, the results can be mixed. Most games that see re-release though, tend to make some cosmetic options available to at least attempt to convey a more authentic look.

That’s true here too, as Marvel MaXimum Collection allows for a number of filters to drop over your game. So if you just can’t stand the look of classic games on a modern TV, you can tailor that a bit. It does have a solid effect too, as the CRT filter is something that I’ve used exclusively. On top of that, there are also some neat borders included.

Remember that these games were all originally 4:3. Modern televisions, on the other hand, tend to have a lot more real estate. So with that in mind, the games all play with a “native” aspect ratio as the standard. That’s a slightly shrunken play area, presented with a border all the way around. You don’t have to actually use that though.

Players can also opt to stretch the image out into 16:9, or use a true 4:3 ratio. For the record, I use the latter, with a matching border. That’s right, the Marvel MaXimum Collection packs in multiple frames, so you can mix and match for the game you’re playing. It’s a cool feature that’s really appreciated.

Along with all of this, the games themselves play exactly as I remember them. I still got completely annihilated by X-Men: The Arcade Game‘s bosses, and was able to bounce soda cans off of mandroids in Captain America and the Avengers, all exactly as it was way back when.

Extras aplenty

So there are the borders and the filter, all of which makes for a more authentic play experience. But Marvel MaXimum Collection packs in more than just visual enhancements. Yes, that includes most of what these kinds of collections offer in the present age.

For one thing, there’s the rewind feature. I know, I know, you don’t need that. Nevertheless, it’s kind of nice to have, especially if one or more of these games used to give you fits. Obviously, I’m talking about Silver Surfer, at least in my case. Still, the point stands for those who have traditionally found some of these games to be unbeatable.

With the rewind feature, they’re anything but. I get that that kind of negates the challenge, though it should also be pointed out that you don’t need to utilize that function at all. So the difficulty level is really up to the player there.

Also packed-in is the Archives mode. That’s kind of self-explanatory, but includes a host of vintage visuals. Those include classic magazine ads, but much more. It’s pretty well done overall, and fun to leaf through if you’re a fan who remembers seeing these advertisements when they were first run. That’s not all though, as it also includes original box art, official art, manuals, and even design documents.

Not all of the games are included in all of those categories however, particularly in that last one. The “design documents” section actually only includes a look behind the scenes at Maximum Carnage. It’s a real kick though, as many of the depicted documents are actually just looseleaf pages with notes. It’s so cool to see that presented here, and see what the developers were thinking. There’s even a Marvel Comics fax cover sheet!

Add a music player to the above, and you have a decent amount of stuff for any Marvel fan to check out. Other than the games, I mean.

Overall

At its core, Marvel MaXimum Collection is a celebration of Marvel Comics’ 90s video game legacy. If you’re a fan of the likes of Spider-Man/Venom: Separation Anxiety, or remember heading to the pizza parlor to play the X-Men arcade game after school, it’s probably fair to say that you’d get quite bit of enjoyment out of this package deal. Adding in the bonus sections only builds on that, with plenty to check out after you’ve played your favorites.

Personally, I had a great time with this set of Konami classics, and I’m hoping that there’s a sequel on the horizon. Maybe one from a certain other publisher, whose Marvel titles are long forgotten?

Marvel MaXimum Collection
Platforms: XBOX Series X|S (reviewed), PS5, Switch, PC
Release Date: March 27th, 2026
Publisher: Limited Run Games
Developer: Limited Run Games
MSRP: $19.99 USD