If there's one thing I've noticed that GAF likes to do, it's debate the quality of lists. Today, instead of profiling the quality of Gamescoop's latest link, I figured we could stir up a little homebrew, and take a touch of personal ownership for the slapfight spawn point.
About Capcom:
In the year 1983, a super video game company named Capcom was created. I.R.M. and Japan Capsule Computer created Capcom to stop the evil desires of shitty arcade companies.
However, after their defeat, shitty arcade companies created 8 million bad games to counter Capcom.
About the Thread:
This thread is a place to discuss, list, rank, and whine about the games of Capcom's storied history in the video game biz. Feel free to contribute in any way that you see fit. In order to make this thread as enjoyable as possible, please try to stick to the following guidelines:
- Dissenting views are welcomed and encouraged, but try to keep things civil.
- Please try to keep at least vaguely on topic.
- For Stumpakapow's sanity, expend a little effort in creating a list.
About the List:
This list is meant to construe my personal opinion, and is, of course, not definitive for anything else. Feel free to comment on, criticize, or supplement it in any way.
There are certainly dozens of additional fan favorite Capcom games that did not make this list. I had a difficult time narrowing this down. I recognize that many series of Capcom's have extraordinarily dedicated fanbases, and I welcome those fans to contribute in a far better way than I would be able to.
So, quanitity. 20 seemed bulky, 10 was too tough. I settled on 15. Feel free to pick whatever number you want.
Other notes:
- I tried to consider games based on what they actually are, rather than how I remembered them.
- I couldn't decide on any reasonable way to rank them, so my list is chronological by release.
- I tried to stick to one game per series. Not entirely successfully.
The List
All right. Here we go.
1) Mega Man (1987 NES)
Yeah, in some ways Mega Man 2 is probably the better game. But Mega Man will always be number one in both chronology, and in my heart.
With one of the most iconic sprites in the industry, a soundtrack that would spawn remixes for decades, and an extraordinarily clever upgrade mechanic to boot, the release of Mega Man is easily one of the defining moments of the NES.
Cliched box art jokes aside, there's something about this game that continues to define what the entire 8-bit era was all about.
After decades of attempts to update and modernize the formula, it was Mega Man 9, with it's retro visuals and chiptune soundtrack, that finally returned the bomber to glory. Proof positive of just how timeless the complete package of Mega Man's first foray actually is, and how complete the execution.
One of the few games to ever turn a hardware limitation into an integral part of it's design, Mega Man did not just exist in 8-bit, it thrived.
2) GHOULS 'N' GHOSTS (1988 CPS)
From the pacing and design, to the graphics and controls - even decades later, everything about Ghouls 'N' Ghosts still seems immaculately constructed.
While Ghosts 'N' Goblins was certainly a fine piece of entertainment in it's own right, Ghouls 'N' Ghosts was the entry that forced me to recognize the series as a serious contender for inclusion in the pantheon of action game greats. Despite some disappointing follow-ups throughout the years (Golden Knights 2 is atrocious), the second entry still remains untarnished as a masterpiece.
Featuring one of the many Capcom soundtracks that will forever be burned in my brain, Ghouls N Ghosts is easily amongst my favorite games of all time.
As much as I try to reserve myself about such things, I am geeked about Arthur's inclusion in MvC3.
3) Strider (1989 CPS)
With an incredible amount of bizarre creativity, a breakneck pace of shifting objectives, a constantly refreshed event-driven soundtrack, and one of the most iconic weapons in arcade video game history, Strider still stands tall as the greatest 2D roller-coaster of an action game ever created.
From the surprsing takes on gravity manipulation, to the death-defying cartwheel jumps off exploding snowscapes, Strider just never stops it's forward momentum - one of the secret elements of the recipe that it's sequel unfortunately forgets.
Despite omnipresent accolades, and blockbuster sales throughout the 16-bit era, very few of the unique qualities that Strider brought to the genre were ever incorporated amongst it's piers. Perhaps this is why it still stands up as well as it does. A must-experience treasure of the arcade scene.
4) Final Fight (1989 CPS)
Sure, there was Double Dragon and River City Ransom. Even Golden Axe beat Final Fight out of the gate. But whenever I think of the beat-em-up genre, this is the game that comes to mind. Definitive and timeless, Final Fight is a pillar of my arcade days.
And while most of the genre has rendered itself moot by the slow progress of time, I can still enjoy a few rounds of Final Fight whenever the opportunity presents itself.
To be fair, the game would be marginal to pointless without the inclusion of Haggar - but the world's favorite pipe-swinging mayor persists, and so does this title as a result.
Classic in every sense of the word.
5) Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991 CPS)
I still remember the first time I ever saw this game. With a line stretching across the arcade, and those iconic sampled battle cries echoing through the room. Walking up and seeing twin 6-button setups, players shoulder to shoulder manipulating the joystick in every direction.
While every game on this list holds a special place in my heart, Street Fighter II is the game that changed the world. If you weren't alive for the spawn, it is impossible to relay just how monumental this game was. One minute, the words "fighting game" meant nothing, the next, no one was talking about anything else.
Of course there were the constant revisions and changes and new characters and competitors. After a while, it just became a part of the video game landscape again.
But for a time, Street Fighter II was the biggest thing in the world. It resurrected the arcade, then buried them to extinction. It created the competitive scene, and laid out the template for every single fighting game that would ever follow in it's wake.
It's all there, in that one game. In a word, amazing.
Capcom fan, fighting game fan, or naysayer, there is no way to refute that Street Fighter II is undeniably one of the 5 most important video games of all time.
6) Midnight Wanderers (1991 CPS)
I very well might be the only person in the world who would include Midnight Wanderers on a top list of Capcom games, but at least you know that you're getting my straight, unwavering opinion by it's inclusion.
Sandwiched by mediocrity on the arcade multiplay "3 Wonders," Midnight Wanderers manages to defy expectations and stand up as a worthy participant in the Capcom action side-scroller legacy.
Playing most similarly to the GnG franchise - complete with broken armor boxer shorts and power-up weapons- Midnight Wanderers manages to carve it's own path with multi-tiered stages and an exaggerated, consistent art style.
Balanced more like a console release than an arcade game, Midnight Wanderers is probably one of the most "fair" and balanced games of it's era - making it insanely replayable to this day.
An overlooked gem.
7) Vampire Savior (1997 CPS-2)
The Darkstalkers series started a little rough for me. Feeling a bit too much like a Street Fighter clone, and feeling a bit too "weak" with it's gameplay, I wasn't immediately taken by the formula.
But by the third game, even the most ardent critic had to take notice, myself included.
Vampire Savior just seems to pull it all together, creating one of the most fluid and frenetic fighting games around. Amping the comedic value, boosting the pacing, and finally getting the damage options steadied, the Darkstalkers franchise really got into gear here, and earned it's inclusion in the list.
8) Marvel Vs Capcom: Clash Of Super Heroes (1998 CPS-2)
"Let's Go Crazy!!"
The entire Marvel license franchise is a fairly meaty chunk of the mid to late nineties Capcom, and really - there aren't a whole lot of truly worthless games in the lot.
While the sequel seems to be the game that lives forever with enduring popularity, Clash of Super Heroes is the one that remains my personal favorite.
Insane without being incomprehensible, combo-crazy without bordering on masochism, and a featuring a limited roster that allowed the average player to actually wrap their head around the choices in front of them - Clash basically sits right at the sweet spot for what the appeal of these games actually is to me.
In addition, the cohesive, 2D artstyle still stands out as vastly superior to the messy conglomeration of it's sequel. While MvC2 still feels like a precursor to MUGEN, MvC plays like a complete, well designed package.
"Hyper Combo Finish!!!"
9) Resident Evil 2 (1998 Playstation)
There's no denying it - the original Resident Evil was a landmark release. Simultaneously creating and defining the "survival horror" genre, it stands as a tentpole of video game creation - terrible acting intact.
But it's the sequel that makes my list here. Contained on an amazing double-disk package that allowed the player to experience two variations of the adventure, Resident Evil 2 is still one of the most jaw dropping, action packed sequels I have ever experienced, and one of the defining moments of the PS1 era.
The peak of the series, in both action and suspense, Resident Evil 2 set a bar that even it's own lineage failed to match.
The entire genre, for me, never got quite this good again.
10) Street Fighter III: Third Strike (1999 CPS-3)
So I'm kind of breaking my one game per franchise rule here, but the chronologically numbered versions of Street Fighter always felt like a franchise of their own, with various releases and sequels contained within.
Outside of that, what needs to be said?
With a creative, interesting cast, insanely detailed animation, and one of the deepest fighting systems ever created, Street Fighter 3 was the ultimate service to the hardcore, 2D fighting fan.
To this day, it still feels like this game marks the end of an era. There has never been, and probably never will be, a 2D game quite as intricately crafted as Third Strike.
11) Breath Of Fire IV (2000 Playstation)
With charming characters, an interesting world, and some of the most beautiful spritework to ever grace the genre, Breath of Fire IV is one of the few PS1 RPGs that I can still stand to look at.
An addictive ability-stealing battle system, well designed dungeons, and instant-swap combat keep things moving, while the visuals continue to impress with simply gorgeous animation.
Often seen as the black sheep of the BoF series, it still stays as my favorite.
Deal with it.
12) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (2005 Nintendo DS)
God dammit. I'm just going to cheat. Number 12 is the whole Ace Attorney series.
I know, I know.....Objection.
Well...overruled.
Honestly, I can't decide between the Ace Attorney games, so I'm just throwing them all together.
One of the only titles in history that I can continue playing just for the story, Ace Attorney is a gem of modern gaming, and the best thing to happen to the Nintendo DS, pal.
With an insanely loveable cast of characters, clever cases, and an additive sountrack, Ace Attorney really grabs me like few other portable games can.
Quite possibly the finest "adventure" game ever created - even a foolish fool can see that.
13) Dead Rising (2006 Xbox 360)
Dead Rising is a game about being on time. And everything around you, from Pyschos, to Zombies, to incompetent AI, are just there to slow you down.
It's also one of the most creative, replayable, and original games to be released in the current generation.
From the plethora of secrets, to the effective black comedy, to the thinly veiled take on American culture, Dead Rising is an amazing experience that considerably helps to define the modern Capcom.
14) Bionic Commando Rearmed (2008 Xbox 360/PS3/PC)
Capcom obviously put a lot of time and money into a full-blown 3D sequel to their NES classic, and it's really a shame.
Quite simply, this was all we ever needed
Bionic Commando, like many early games, just doesn't translate to 3D. The gameplay is inexorably linked to the side-scrolling format, and how fortunate we are that this downloadable title allowed everyone to realize that.
I debated for quite some time on which version to include on this list, but in the end - ReArmed does everything that the original did, and does it better.
Still the gold standard for franchise resurrection via downloadable game. I truly can't wait for the sequel.
15) Street Fighter IV (2009 Xbox 360/PS3/PC)
The return of the legend.
I will never forget the feeling of tracking down one of these machines when they hit the United States. A decade later, and it felt like no time had passed at all.
Sure, there had been a few Namco and Arc games along the way. A Virtua Fighter here and there, but this was the one that brought it all back. While the 3D graphics still draw in the haters, the "return of the fighter" didn't truly happened until Street Fighter said so.
Playing great, looking great, and introducing an entire new generation to the magic of the shoryuken, this is a moment to celebrate.
Yeah, I know. 3 out of 5 Street Fighter game series made the list, but I personally just find it impossible to ignore them.
Each one is on here for a different reason, and each one earns a place by it's own independent merit.
All right. Have at it.
