If I’m going to be honest, I’m an old fashioned gamer-gal. I grew up on Dig DugGalaga, and Donkey Kong, so I go a little gaga for arcade games. Everything about a classic arcade game is similar to interacting with a time machine. The sticks, the poppin’ music, 8-bit graphics, and colored buttons take me straight back to my Nesquik-and-cartoons days.

You want to know what makes the game experience even better? Nerd-themed arcades. Luckily for fans who love retro games and crazy, themed arcade boxes like I do, the Marvel Super Heroes Arcade Cabinet, from Arcade 1Up, has your nerdy back. It’s the perfect addition to any fan’s irresponsibly large collection of Marvel merchandise.

Fans never really get the full Marvel experience without a character’s sassy one-liner or perfectly timed pop culture reference. The Marvel Super Heroes Arcade Cabinet combines the shameless attitude of Marvel with an iconic exterior straight out of 1995. This arcade cabinet invokes the Marvel Universe with a colorful image of Thanos sprawled across the side, infinity stones in hand. The black exterior brings out the stark colors of Thanos and the vastness of space behind him, making the arcade cabinet an art piece that draws you in from first glance.

The Marvel influence on this baby doesn’t stop there. The included riser is covered with exclusive, Marvel-branded artwork done in a neon color palette. The art incorporates your favorite superheroes and supervillains into a design that wraps around the entire base.

The light-up marquee (probably my favorite part) is decked out with images from Marvel comics and illustrates the company’s long history of heroes and villains.

Sure, this arcade looks amazing, but does the gameplay live up to the glossy exterior? The simple answer is yes. Yes, it does. The arcade has three games installed: Marvel SuperheroesX-Men Children of the Atom, and The PunisherCapcom’s classic titles play better than past renditions of the old-school fighting games, and the cabinet even allows for a second player for when you’re in a competitive mood. Want to get an idea of what it looks like? Check out the YouTube video below.

The cabinet’s screen is crystal clear and shows off the game in high-quality HD. Plus, it has full volume control, which allows you to determine how badly you want your ears blasted by retro 8-bit arcade tunes. The Sanwa joysticks and buttons are comfortable to grip and are very responsive — a vast improvement from combat arcades I’ve played in the past. It’s true to traditional arcade-style fighting games (although playing as Captain America seriously sells it for me.) The gameplay is easy to understand but hard to master, so it’ll keep any fan entertained while they try to master the challenging levels.

Arcade 1Up’s Marvel Super Heroes Arcade Cabinet includes a total of 8,000 pieces to commemorate Marvel’s 80th anniversary, three pre-uploaded games, a light-up marquee, Sanwa joysticks and buttons, dual speakers, a Marvel riser with exclusive artwork from the franchise, a custom cabinet trim, and a Marvel certificate of authenticity.

The cabinet is 45.8 inches tall, 19 inches wide, and has a diameter of 22.75 inches. These dimensions include the added height of the riser, so be sure to measure where this puppy will go before you order it, just to be safe.

It’s a little pricy, running at $399 on Arcade 1Ups’ website, but everything about the arcade is perfect for Marvel super fans. Its gameplay sucks you in and holds you for hours. That may not be fantastic for your schedule, but it is totally worth it in the end.

About the author

Madison Ciccarelli

Madison Ciccarelli

Madison Ciccarelli is an editorial intern for Adventure Media and Events. Her muse is her cat Enzo. She loves to spoil him whenever she can. When she isn’t fawning over her cat, she can usually be found playing video games, listening to folk music, or watching classic horror movies.

archivearrow-chevron-downarrow-chevron-left-greyarrow-chevron-leftarrow-chevron-rightarrow-fatarrow-left-blackarrow-left-whitearrow-right-blackarrow-rightarrow-roundedbookscalendarcaret-downclose-whiteclosedocumenteditorial-archiveeyefacebook-squarefacebookfilesgifthamburgerheadinghearthomeinstagram-squareinstagramlatestlinkedin-squarelinkedinmailmedia-inquiresmessagenewsopen-boxpagination-leftpagination-rightpauseplayprintproduct-archiverecent-productssearchsharesort-filterspotifysunteamtiktoktime_purpletimetrendingtvtwitter-squaretwitteryoutube