Cognition Dissemination: Is Capcom Back?

Capcom has been a hit or miss with their software record in the last decade, a notable step down from their output from the PlayStation 2 era and consoles before then. But they’ve recently shown signs of improvement despite still having a few misses. While there were problems with Dead Rising 4 and Street Fighter V still isn’t a desirable product (especially now that they’re adding loot boxes), Resident Evil 7 and Monster Hunter: World were critically and commercially-acclaimed titles.

With the combination of those last two titles and the games revealed and displayed at E3 2018, they seem to be getting back to the flow of releasing quality titles. You’ll want to emphasize “seem,” since there’s always a chance the games could turn out subpar, but they look encouraging enough that they shouldn’t be disregarded.

It’s taken a while for the Resident Evil 2 remake to manifest. The project was announced in August 2015, after it was green lit by Capcom’s higher-ups following impressive sales of the Resident Evil (Remake) HD Remaster. The fact that it was taking so long was proof that a team within Capcom was spending ample time on it. The effort showed in the reveal trailers and gameplay footage from the E3 demo, and it looks like the kind of Resident Evil game some of us have wanted for years — and I’m not solely referring to me.

The first RE remake made several changes compared to the original PlayStation version, but the RE2 remake will go a step further with its alterations. Instead of keeping elements like the fixed camera angles and prerendered backgrounds from the original Resident Evil 2, this version will include elements from the newer RE titles. Among these will be the over-the-shoulder perspective, originally introduced in Resident Evil 4, and the ability to move while shooting. But it will be similar to the older games in not including any melee attacks. The changes are partly due to the first remake releasing in 2002, and technology and gameplay standards have changed since then. But the development team feels they can better execute the concept with these modifications, and video footage shows how right they are.

This version looks far creepier than the original thanks to the Raccoon City Police Department being darker. The main characters have a few more maneuvers, but the potential for them to be easily outnumbered by zombies should maintain the fear factor. Several of the puzzles and cutscenes have also been readjusted, and some story changes have been made to both Leon and Claire Redfield’s rotes. Also, while the original RE2 featured story changes depending on whose campaign was played first, this game will incorporate all the story details regardless of the order. Rumor has it that Ada Wong and Sherry Birkin will have expanded roles, but we’ll see if that’s true soon.

The RE2 remake will release on January 25th on PS4, XB1, and PC, meaning it will sadly miss this 20th anniversary year. The project will likely resurface at Gamescom in August, if not before then.

It’s been over ten years since Devil May Cry 4 released, but Capcom is finally making a sequel with Devil May Cry 5. Instead of simply moving on to this project before, Capcom released the Ninja Theory-developed DmC: Devil May Cry. The title divided the fanbase in Capcom’s pursuit of a new audience, though it still included hallmarks from the DMC series. Since that didn’t work out as well as expected (and now that Ninja Theory is a Microsoft-owned developer), they’ve gone back to the old series.

Since this will be coming around eleven years after the last installment, it’s getting several changes, and some can be seen in the reveal trailer. DMC4 protagonist Nero has a new look, making him resemble DmC’s Dante but looking almost like a clone of Scalebound’s Drew. His Devil Bringer arm was forcefully removed from him in the game’s story, but he receives a replacement designed by a lively craftswoman named Nico. Dante is also shown at the end, who visibly looks older with a beard, and appears as crazy as ever. The game will have three playable characters, with Nero and Dante returning as two of them, though the third has yet to be revealed.

Capcom hasn’t provided a gameplay demonstration yet, but clips from the trailer show that it will retain most of the style from the previous installment. Heck, many of Nero’s attack animations are nearly identical to his DMC 4 self, though some new attacks can also be seen. The game will be playable at Gamescom in August, which they should use as an opportunity to show how this installment can be distinguished from its predecessors in terms of style and game design.

There’s some upset over DMC5 from those who enjoyed DmC, but most of the audience is satisfied with what they’ve seen thus far. Hopefully director Hideaki Itsuno and the team have studied DMC4’s flaws, particularly the excessive backtracking, and make a title that matches or bests Devil May Cry 3 in terms of gameplay. The game will release in the first quarter of next year — likely in March, considering the RE2 remake will arrive in January.

Capcom is also releasing Mega Man 11, which will be the first Mega Man game in around eight-and-a-half years when it arrives on October 2nd. I went over most of the new info in a separate post before E3, and there’s been little news since then. There are, however, better looks at Brick Man’s level, which was playable at E3, along with in-depth looks at how Mega Man’s 3D design and the stages were created. They’ve only revealed two Robot Masters (Brick Man and Fuse Man), but they’ll show the others in a quick fashion during the marketing campaign, since its coming within a little over three months.

I can’t definitely answer the question in the title until these projects release and are received well, but their lineup shows how they’re in a better position now than they were a couple of years ago. Their software lineup previously dwindled to the point where it appeared they were headed in Konami’s direction, and planned to mostly back out of game development for other ventures. But that’s thankfully not the case… at least for now.