Feature: Capcom

Somehow it feels like Capcom were always destined to be my favourite games developer, some of my earliest memories of my first real machine (the Commodore 64) involve playing the port of Ghosts & Goblins at my sisters house in the mid 80's which prompted my parents to stump up for my own machine for my birthday that year.

My obsession grew from there when Final Fight was released in 89’ and i played the game religiously every weekend with friends at my local arcade. From there i moved onto Ghouls & Ghosts on the Amiga, then a couple of years further on Street Fighter 2 obsession hit me big time and this lead to my purchase of a machine that is still my favourite to this day - the Super Nintendo.















In more recent times Capcom captivated me with it's Resident Evil franchise which is undoubtedly my favourite "modern" video game series.

Capcom have always been renowned for producing innovative franchises with high levels of playability and a decidedly “old school” sensibility about them, however.........

They seem to have kinda gone off the rails recently, as have a couple of Japanese companies,

Over the past few years numerous visionaries have left the company for pastures new, leaving a large talent hole behind them – The departure of Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami and the closure of Clover being two very big examples of this.















Firstly by lowering the difficulty and simplifying the mechanics in a few games (Street Fighter IV & Devil May Cry 4 spring to mind instantly) to appeal to the mainstream market. The success of Street Fighter IV does indicate that this was at least a good move financially for Capcom, although neither of the mentioned games are as good as the previous high points in their respective franchises.















Also due to western gaming franchises such as Call Of Duty & Gears Of War rising to the forefront, Japanese companies are unfortunately having to appeal to a different market to try and regain their stature. This has lead to franchises being developed by western companies (Bionic Commando, Dead Rising 2 etc) and even worse, fucking around with their biggest franchise, Resident Evil to make it seemingly appeal to western fans of games like Gears Of War with the dreaded phrase “online co-op”.

The early previews of RE5 alluded to innovative gameplay elements involving Chris Redfield having to deal with a hostile changing environment as well as being mobbed by up to double the amount of enemies at one time than RE4, but in reality by the time the game was ready it had undergone a number of changes, one of which practically breaks the game (I will delve into this in a separate article)













With more and more Japanese developers taking this approach to try and secure a grip on the worldwide market again who knows where we will end up, I always thought that Capcom would be the one developer I could rely on to still be churning out classy, deep games stooped in a Japanese flavour.

Time will tell I guess….

Progear (Arcade)

Progear is a horizontal shoot em' up developed by the highly talented Japanese studio Cave and published by Capcom in 2001 for their CPSII arcade system.

The game features absolutly gorgeous artwork and graphics plus a fantastic soundtrack which completely fits the melancoly steampunk vibe which is prevalent throughout,















Progear is unique as it is one of only two horizontal shmups developed by Cave (the other being 2007's "Death Smiles") but the developers signature key gameplay elements (such as holding down fire to produce a focused shot mixed with slowed down craft speed) are all present and correct meaning it plays very similar to other Cave shooters - although the change in viewing angle can make avoiding bullets harder than usual.

Unfortunately due to Capcom owning the license it's unlikely that this superb game will ever make it into a home format, it can be emulated quite well but in my opinion the CPSII board is the best option if you want to experience the game properly.

Superplay video here

Top Five: Japanese RPG's

5. Tales Of Symphonia (Gamecube)















A slightly controversial choice to begin with perhaps, Symphonia can often frustrate later on with it's complex dungeon puzzles. It's beauty however lives in it's sublime graphics, surprisingly decent story and wonderfully enjoyable battle system which eliminates the usual tedious nature of grinding for level gain in this genre.


4. Xenogears (Playstation)















Certainly a love/hate kind of game Xenogears is often lambasted for it's convoluted plot and wayward second disc. This criticism whilst justified in places doesn't take into account what a stunning, stylistically gorgeous and intelligently mature game this is, even with its faults it's one of Squaresoft's best games and something that every RPG fan needs to experience.


3. Seiken Densetsu 2/Secret Of Mana (SNES)















This was the game Pal Snes owners had been waiting for, and boy did it not disappoint, from it's wonderful graphics and haunting score to it's fabulous in depth world and locales. Mana is without a doubt a classic and would be the greatest action RPG of all time if it wasn't for......


2. Seiken Densetsu 3 (SNES)















Wow, this is everything Mana was and then even more. To begin with the graphics have been significantly upgraded and are in my opinion the best graphics on the SNES, the game is both darker in it's colour pallete and plot which is again an improvement as Mana could be slightly sugary in places.
The music also has a darker feeling to it, but it's also haunting and uplifting. Again this is one of the game's finest attributes and is easily in the top three soundtracks on the machine.

Seiken Densetsu 3 also plays like a dream, and sports some absolutely fantastic boss battles throughout it's course.

Unfortunately Seiken Densetsu 3 was only released in Japan, however there is a wonderful fan translation available meaning that this truly fantastic game can be appreciated by everyone via emulation.

Awesome gameplay sample video here


1. Chrono Trigger (SNES)















Well what can i really say about this that hasn't been said before, Chrono has a great plot, graphics and artwork, probably the best soundtrack ever and above all is a fun game to play. Many RPG's seem to forget this simple fact, that above all else games should be fun. Chrono is often criticised for being either too short (at 30 hours or so) and too easy but in my opinion in this genre i class those as strengths rather than weaknesses.

Chrono Trigger can be played via emulation or through a wonderful Nintendo DS version if you don't want to stump up or the expensive US Snes release so there's no real excuse to avoid it unless you despise this genre.

Video here of the best opening sequence and theme tune in video game history.

Magical Taruto-Kun (Mega Drive)

Magical Taruto-Kun is a nice little platformer released in Japan for the Sega Mega Drive in 1992. There was also a Super Famicom game released with the same title, however this is a bit poor.

The Mega Drive game was developed by Gamefreak which explains the reason why it's worth a go as it shares similar graphical design and gameplay elements with two other Gamefreak titles (Drill Dozer on the GBA and the cult classic Pulseman also on the MD).














This was of course before Gamefreak moved to developing for Nintendo and created the massive Pokemon series for which they are famous.

Magical Taruto-Kun predictably plays exactly how you would expect it to but at the same time is quite charming and won't outstay it's welcome.

Gameplay sample vid here

Well worth picking up.

Condemned: Criminal Origins (Xbox 360)

Condemned: Criminal Origins for the 360 is in my opinion the most underrated game on the system. It combines thrilling scares and almost unbearable tension with a genuinely interesting and mature storyline (well, until the last bit)

The first person viewpoint only serves to increase the fear and immersion but i think herein lies the problem as to why the game doesn't get the credit it deserves. I'd imagine countless gamers have approached it thinking it was a FPS when in reality yes you do get a firearm from time to time but they only have a handful of bullets in them so the rest of the time it's a plank of wood ftw!

The school and department store sections in this game are definitely contenders for the scariest section ever in a horror game, they really do get under your skin.
















Throughout the game you will be called on to investigate certain crime scenes with your forensic equipment, this is one of the games highlights which was expanded on even more in the (disappointing) sequel Condemned 2.

With Condemned 2 Monolith made the mistake of adding more guns into the mix - no doubt in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience and sell more copies, which it did but it's still by far the weaker game. They also changed the main character from a slightly portly hispanic looking man to a redneck looking thin alcoholic, oh and for another character they went back in time and made her about 20 years younger, did they think no one would notice?!

Anyway, the first Condemned is great, if it passed you by you could do a hell of alot worse than to check it out

Diet Go Go (Arcade)

Diet Go Go is an arcade game by Data East which was released in 1992, it's a single screen platform game in the vein of the Bubble Bobble series and it's actually pretty decent.

I'd never actually heard of this game until last weekend when i was browsing ebay for any Jamma PCB bargains and came across this gem for under £20, the minute i googled it and then looked on Klov i knew i had to have it at that price!
















The board arrived today and i stuck it straight in my cab, booted up first time with no problems which amazed me considering the price.

The game itself is pretty bonkers, the enemies are such things as chef's, cakes & gingerbread men who throw food at your character, taking a hit off said food makes your character become fatter until after being hit by a bit of food twice they die!!
However the enemies can be taken out in a very similar way to Bubble Bobble as they inflate when hit with your weapon and then burst when you jump into them.

Video here if that makes less sense to you than it does me!

Overrated: Gears Of War

Gears Of War unfortunately seems to stand for pretty much everything i dislike about this generation of games and i can't see that changing for many reasons...

• The character/enemy design, voice acting and script is all terrible, the game is populated by huge clunky musclebound space marine style "Gears" who have no personality whatsoever and the unbearably generic "Locust" who just are bland and safe (and no doubt loved by whooping kids on xbox live)

• The gameplay rips off Resident Evil 4, even down to the enemy who hunts by sound rather than sight.

• The weapons are bland, even the chainsaw becomes old quick (hmm chainsaw, Resi 4?)

• The legacy - now every game developer thinks that G.O.W. is the benchmark so they copy it, including Japanese companies like Capcom for Resident Evil 5 which is just unforgivable.
  

• Bender from Futurama is the main characters voice for fucks sake.
  

What i will say is that the ICO style burnt filter kind of look to the graphics is gorgeous, it's just a pity they had to fill a wonderful environment with a bunch of stupid inbred twats.

Top Ten: my all time faves..

Time for a bit of self-indulgence!!


10. Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting/Turbo (Arcade/SNES)
















9. Ikaruga (Dreamcast)
















8. Shenmue (Dreamcast)


















7. Chrono Trigger (SNES)

















6. Zelda III: A Link To The Past (SNES)



















5. Sensible World Of Soccer (Amiga)


















4. Dragon Force (Saturn/PS2)
















3. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots (PS3)















2. Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube)

















1. Deus Ex (Windows PC)

Dead Space (PS3/360)

To be honest i struggle to get excited about most new games, i find the look of most of them quite bland, generic and safe to appeal to a certain audience. Even my beloved Capcom and Konami are going down the same path - but i will touch on this another time

Dead Space is by Electronic Arts and is fucking brilliant. There it is, i said it, who would have thought that one of the rare gems to come out in the last few years would come out of an EA owned studio.












Dead Space is basically the game Resident Evil 5 should've been. It grabs you by the throat right from the start and never lets up with it's tense oppressive atmosphere that really does get to you. Much of this is down to the use of sound along with the fantastic lighting within the game and the superb art design of the environments/enemies.

If you have either a PS3 or a Xbox 360 this should be in your collection, it can be had for a tenner for christs sake.

Get it

Mr Driller series (Arcade/Multi)

Ahh Mr Driller, for me the epitome of everything an arcade puzzle title should be. Accessible, addictive, challenging and rewarding, with plenty of depth for skill based score exploitation.

Driller also taps into pure panic stricken adrenaline to provide thrills for even the hardened twitch gamer, and watching these players is utterly mesmorising, take a look at this video below from djmikehagger who is a regular over on the misterdriller.com forums

Mr Driller 2 500m 656930

To get a score like this you need to collect all the air capsules to get a no miss bonus, not lose a life AND do it in under 5 minutes!

The time is what does me in, hence why my best is only around the 372000 mark















If you've never played a game in this fantastic series, or you deem it too simplistic/childish looking then you're seriously missing out

Dracula X Rondo Of Blood (PC Engine CD Rom)

Well what a game to kick off this blog with, i've been waiting years to play this game but due to the previous high price and my own personal dislike of using emulation it looked like i'd be waiting for years more....














However, The hidden port included in the PSP remake last year "Dracula X Chronicles" has brought the price down significantly and i was able to pick up a mint copy for a decent price.
The game itself is fantastic and is fast cementing itself as my favourite traditional Castlevania title, everything about it just reeks quality from the tight controls to the fantastic music and graphics!

















The substantial difference from the previous Castlevania games in my opinion is the unlockable character Maria, unlocked in the first couple of stages Maria controls vastly different to the various Belmonts - agile and not like a tank, in my eyes she lays the template for what would become the Alucard character in the follow up Symphony Of The Night

This is a game that needs to be played if you have ANY interest in the Castlevania series so don't leave it as long as i did.

It begins....

"Alas, Ikaruga is going . . . Undesired, unwanted them, What makes them go? It is nothing else than the principle of the man who has the reason for being."


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