By using these gems in battle, fighters receive enhanced effects for a short amount of time, such as increased power or defense, health recovery or additional attacks.

[4] Capcom included the four characters from X-Men: Children of the Atom which their market research had determined to be the most popular: Wolverine, Juggernaut, Magneto and Psylocke.

[8] The Saturn version supports the 1 MB RAM expansion cartridge to include extra frames of animation and slightly quicker load times.

[13] Despite scoring it only three out of five stars, Next Generation gave it a relentlessly positive review, saying it "blends loads of combo-powered attacks with liquid-smooth animation to contend with some of the best fighters out there."

They were also pleased with the selection of Marvel characters and the 2D graphics, saying they make a "refreshing" change from the polygon-based fighters that by this time were dominating the fighting games market.

[30] Wizard opined that "with great graphics, challenging gameplay and plenty of moves, throws and counters, Marvel Super Heroes has much to offer.

"[27][28] Electronic Gaming Monthly's four reviewers were split, with Sushi-X and John Ricciardi hailing the Saturn conversion as impressive, while Kelly Rickards and Dan Hsu considered it passable but disappointing.

[17] Next Generation approved of the conversion but argued that the gameplay was not enough of an advancement over previous Capcom fighting games, ensuring that "Newcomers to the series should give a spin, but veterans might want to wait until the fabled X-Men vs. Street Fighter arrives at the end of the year.