After 30 years, The Punisher arcade game finally gets a home port worth playing - "No matter what, our goal was to get as close to the original version as possible"

Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a long-awaited treasure trove of beloved crossover games between Marvel and Capcom, all centered around its hotly anticipated re-release of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 .

But there are other hidden gems in the collection, including the first ever accurate port of The Punisher arcade game - the first game released in the partnership between Capcom and Marvel, over 30 years ago. To say that The Punisher is getting its first accurate home port is the key here. The 1993 arcade game has a notorious reputation among retro arcade fans for its abysmal 1995 port to the Sega Genesis, known as one of the worst Marvel games of all time (and to some, one of the worst Genesis games, too), which attempted to expand the game for home audiences resulting in kind of a sloggy mess.

That's why, for Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection producer Shuhei Matsumoto, nailing the collection's port of the classic side-scrolling brawler was a key priority when including it in the latest Capcom Fighting Collection installment. The port we always deserved "No matter what, our goal was to get as close to the original version as possible," Matsumoto tells GamesRadar+.

"This is something I strive for throughout the Capcom Fighting Collection series." Fortunately, the newly ported version of The Punisher included in the collection reclaims the fun of the arcade game by taking it back to basics, straight out of the original cabinet. Players make their way throug.