Six Games, One Collection: The Marvel MaXimum Collection PS5 Verdict
The Marvel MaXimum Collection lands on the PS5 with a massive hit of variety that I just whack on here and there and go through a game. It feels like a chaotic dive into a comic shop bargain bin, packing six games and multiple versions that range from fluid arcade brawlers to the green-screen grind of the Gameboy. It is a great collection for nostalgia but also for Marvel fans looking to see how these characters evolved across the 8 and 16-bit eras.
Marvel MaXimum Collection Playstation 5 Review: Specs & HUD
- Digital Footprint: The collection is a 3.47GB download size.
- Trophy System: It features a Platinum trophy with 51 trophies, though you have to complete games as every character for most of them, so expect a long ride.
- Time Control: Each game has the rewind time feature and is instant with a button hold.
- Management: There is an overall game menu you can bring up in each game that lets you save and load when you want.
- Visual Toggles: You can choose screen size (native/4:3/16:9), a CRT filter, and border art choices from each game.
- Instant Previews: When selecting a game, you can see a rolling demo of the game, which is a nice touch.
- Cheats: All games have optional cheats, except for the arcade versions of the games.
Gameplay Review & Mechanics Breakdown
Captain America and the Avengers have two game modes – 1p mode and battle mode. All cutscenes are in-game screens with text and have a classic Chiptune soundtrack in this action platformer game. Maximum Carnage is a 3D battler game like a Streets of Rage, and the cutscenes are like comic book panels, text will pop out as you fight, and the game is just very comic book. I like how many moves you have, weapons can be picked up, and the environment plays a part. X-Men, the arcade game, lets you set the game to 2/4 or 6 players, the region of the game (Japan/USA/EU), and the difficulty and starting level. The game is a 3D brawler, again like the one above and is a much more fluid experience.
Separation Anxiety is the same game as the Maximum Carnage game, except you play as either Venom or Spiderman, and the game supports passwords, and the HUD is different, but the gameplay is the same. Spider-Man and the X-Men Arcade Revenge is an excellent action platformer game, and it’s a great example of showcasing how different each version of the game is. Silver Surfer is a Shmup game, and you pick which boss to go after (like in Mega Man), and all that changes is whether it’s a side-scrolled Shmup or a vertically scrolling Shmup. The 3D battler games are just huge button smashers and don’t mix it up enough, and it all gets quite boring after a prolonged session.
Marvel MaXimum Collection Playstation 5 Review: Performance & Fidelity
- Visual Style: The game features awesome pixel art graphics throughout.
- Deep Dive: Archives is a massive set of menus showcasing the game’s history with high-quality original manuals, box arts, advertisements, Official artwork, and design documents.
- Audio Experience: Full music player with the whole soundtrack and a volume level audio option.
- Hardware Limits: There are no Sega Saturn versions of the games; 16-bit is the highest it goes.
- Handheld Look: All Game Boy games are indeed green screens as they should be.
- Static History: With how much content is in the archives, I kind of thought we might see actual TV advertisements and spots, but no nothing is animated.
- Wiped History: All the mentions and logos for Nintendo and Sega versions have been wiped away, even on the box art.
Settings, Customisation & Control Details
- Input Restrictions: You cannot remap the controls.
- Missing Manuals: It seems crazy to me, but you cannot bring up the manual whenever you want in-game, and the how to play is just the controls.
- Regional Settings: Arcade versions allow you to swap regions between Japan, the USA, and the EU.
- Accessibility: There are no accessibility options like dyslexic font, colourblind support or anything, actually.
- Naming Conventions: In the menus, the games are called Mega, Super, Portable, etc., instead of their original console names.
Related Gert Lush Gaming Reviews
- MARVEL Cosmic Invasion – Galactic Mayhem Review
- LEGO Marvel’s Avengers (PS4) Review
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (PS4) Review
The Marvel MaXimum Collection Review
Summary
GOOD STUFF
It’s a great collection for nostalgia but also for Marvel fans, with six games in one and multiple versions to play through. The awesome pixel art graphics look great, and the Archives is a massive set of menus showcasing the game’s history with high scan original manuals, box arts, advertisements, official artwork, and design documents. Having the rewind time feature be instant with a button hold is a lifesaver, and I like the variety of the games and the fact that you have a full music player with the whole soundtrack. When selecting a game, you can see a rolling demo, which is a nice touch, and having infinite health or lives helps a lot when you just want to go through a game.
BAD STUFF
You cannot remap the controls, and it seems crazy to me, but you cannot bring up the manual whenever you want in-game, which just makes it a harder offering. Silver Surfer has a horrendously long sequence after dying where you have to click through these slow screens, and it’s all slow and very annoying. The 3D battler games are just huge button smashers and don’t mix it up enough, and it all gets quite boring after a prolonged session. All the mentions and logos for Nintendo and Sega versions have been wiped away, there are no Sega Saturn versions, and there are no accessibility options like dyslexic font or Colourblind support. The trophy list is not the best despite having so many, forcing 6-player requirements or multiple character playthroughs.
FINAL VERDICT
The Marvel MaXimum Collection is a great collection for nostalgia but also for Marvel fans, though it feels a bit stripped back in the wrong places. Having infinite health or lives helps a lot with the older difficulty spikes, but the lack of control remapping and in-game manuals is a massive oversight. The archives are impressive for any comic book nerd, but the core 3D brawlers get quite boring after a prolonged session. It’s a collection I’ll whack on here and there for a quick fix, but it definitely feels like a harder offering than it should have been, given the missing versions and accessibility features.
