Developer Knowledge #1 - Capcom

Written by: Pelican

Some of the great games from Capcom over the years:

Street Fighter
These two words are all the validation Capcom need for their status as one of the most important developers in the history of gaming; yet to leave it at that would be an injustice to the startling variation in the company’s repertoire. With such established franchises as the aforementioned beat-em-up, Strider, Megaman and Resident Evil under their belt, this company certainly isn’t a one-hit-wonder. Capcom are also one of the oldest videogame companies around, having been around since the late 70s. Here you will find a company that despite cashing in on their own success(hyper super duper street fighter alpha zero x465), continue to push the envelope for originality and are willing to take risks. Although it has so far been relatively fruitless relationship (economically at least), their brave allegiance to Nintendo with the famous “Capcom 5″, essentially kicking Sony in the teeth is either a matter of extreme ignorance or of extreme courage. I’ll go for the latter. Many gamers believe them to have fallen from their pedestal in the wake of 128-bit, and it is undeniable that they have offered nothing as influential as the generation-defining Street Fighter and Resident Evil series’. And while their stranglehold on the market has weakened, Capcom’s creativity and output certainly hasn’t.

Powerstone, Dreamcast
One of the most innovative fighters of the last decade, truly bringing beat-em-ups into the realm of 3D for the first time. A colourful range of characters and wonderful scenery interaction gave this game a cult status, and its place in gaming history is certain.

Devil May Cry, Playstation2
From a game which was initially intended to be Resident Evil 4 this interesting project was born, a frantic action-adventure which tried and succeeded in its desire to breathe new life into a tried genre. Rave reviews and huge sales marked the games’ position as one of PS2 most successful titles.

Steel Battalion, Xbox
A game talked about far more frequently than it is played, its’ inclusion of such a huge peripheral gave it a massive otaku following and managed to sell the xbox to the hardcore and the japanese(two markets in which the console has spectacularly failed to impress).

Viewtiful Joe, GameCube
Challenging and enjoyable in equal amounts, this is undoubtedly the Gamecube’s finest hour.

I hope that after reading this article you will no longer be questioning Capcom’s worth, but wondering what they have up their collective sleeves for our futures as gamers.