The Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics compilation is officially available digitally on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC, and players everywhere are digging deep into several of the fighting game community’s most beloved retro titles.
Leading up to its launch, prominent YouTuber and massive Versus series fan, Maximilian, sat down to showcase an obscure VHS tape from the 90s that essentially acts as an X-Men vs. Street Fighter tutorial. The kicker? The whole thing is in Japanese and despite owning it for several years, Max had never seen what was actually on it.
As one might imagine, Max had to actually go out and get himself a working VHS player to watch this tape. According to Max, he purchased this cassette on eBay many years ago, and during a recent stream he set it up so that he could watch it and find out what’s on it for the first time with his viewers.
The VHS is from 1996 and retailed at 5,800 yen (which translates to about $40 USD). As mentioned previously, this viewing of the VHS happened just before the new Marvel vs. Capcom collection dropped, so you won’t hear too many comparisons to the versions in the compilation and what we’re seeing on the tape.
Right out of the gate, we see quick sections highlighting specific characters and their abilities. Max is swiftly surprised by the actual content being shown on the tape as legitimate combos and scenarios are being demonstrated — which definitely isn’t always guaranteed when it comes to these old school tutorials.
What’s really interesting is that this tutorial VHS even goes as far as showing viewers how to perform various infinites in the game. From more basic ones like Sabretooth’s jump heavies to more advanced stuff like Rogue’s air dash loop, there really appears to be a lot to learn from this retro guide.
Max notes that a good portion of the advanced combos being shown in this VHS tape are things that the average player isn’t going to be doing on a regular basis. Instead, “the top 1% of the 1% of the 1% will be able to effectively to do a lot of this,” Max explains.
Take a glimpse into the past as we celebrate the now bright future of the Versus series by checking out Max’s new video on this obscure X-Men vs. Street Fighter tutorial video from Japan.