Polygon.com / 14.06.25

Marvel vs. Capcom spawned a new generation of tag fighters by not showing up

Its been nearly 30 years since Capcom popularized tag-based fighting games with X-Men vs. Street Fighter and to a lesser extent, SNK with Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle. But now, the subgenre appears to be thriving in the vacuum left by Capcom itself, which hasnt delivered a new tag-based fighting game since 2017s Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. Even still, this month alone, two major new tag-based fighting games were announced: Marvel Tokon: Fighting Spirit from Guilty Gear developer Arc System Works and Quarter Ups Invincible VS. These titles will join a long list of recent tag-based games including Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and the Capcom Fighting Collection games. Its clear were entering a new era of tag-based fighters. Its a revival that took years to materialize, and it likely wouldnt have happened if a true Marvel vs. Capcom 4 had ever arrived to reclaim its throne. Theres been a hunger for tag-fighters for years, sated somewhat by games like Skullgir...
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