Capcom Games- Mega Man The Wily Wars: (1994)

Mega Man has always been one of Capcom coolest run & gun platform games since the 80’s when the series first began on the NES. If one was a fan of the Mega Man series when it first came out for the Nintendo Entertainment System during the 80’s then there is a decent chance that they played the first three Mega Man games for that console. Even though, many people believe that the first three Mega Man games are tough they would have to admit that they were all pretty exciting to play for the NES back in the day. One things that many probably did not expect from Capcom during the early to mid 90’s was a remake of the first three NES games for the Sega Genesis. When Mega Man: The Wily Wars was first released in late 1994 many kids in America were unaware of this game since a hardware version of it was released exclusively in Japan. Unless one had the game imported from Japan the only way that Americans could play Mega Man: The Wily Wars was if they an online video game service known as the Sega Channel.

However, many people especially kids were not familiar at all about the Sega Channel or Mega Man: The Wily Wars during the mid 90’s. If Mega Man: The Wily Wars included hardware releases in countries like North America some would argue that the game itself probably would have sold more. But since Sega Saturn was released in Japan in late 1994 and everywhere else around the world months later Capcom had probably realized that there was no point on releasing hardware copies of this game in America. Many hardcore fans of the Mega Man series may feel that was a shame that Mega Man: The Wily Wars did not get as much recognition that it deserved during the mid 90’s. The concept of having a Sega Genesis version of Mega Man I-III was interesting especially since the three games were similar to the NES versions but with somewhat of a plot twist. The time travel aspect of Mega Man: The Wily Wars seemed very intriguing and made for a decent storyline in regards to preventing Dr. Wily from changing the events from the past involving the first three NES games. It might be somewhat shocking that Capcom has never re-released this classic on any other game console since the 90’s but if they did it would definitely be something that many people would check out since its considered to be a rare 16 bit gem.

Retro Titles- Mega Man X5: (2000)

The Mega Man X series is definitely one of the best when it comes down to run and gun platform games.   When Mega Man X5 was released back in the year 2000 many people thought the game was just as good as its predecessor Mega Man X4.  Similar to Mega Man X4 the main antagonist for this game is Sigma who returns again after being defeated multiple times in the previous games.  However, in Mega Man X5 there are some differences from X4 including the fact that Sigma hires a reploid named Dynamo to do his bidding.  Also, in Mega Man X5 Sigma’s focus was to create chaos in the world by spreading a virus.  Meanwhile, Sigma’s reploid henchman Dynamo was preparing to set a space colony known as “Eurasia” to crash into the Earth giving the heroes less than a day to stop it.  There were two things about the plot for Mega Man X5 that was pretty cool one of them being the “Eurasia” reference which was the idea that all the continents in the world were once connected.  Also, the concept  of preventing a space colony crashing into Earth was an idea that was later used by Sega for the plot of Sonic Adventure 2 which was released in 2001.

One of the things about Mega Man X5 that was also pretty cool included that the focus for the story in this game was slightly more on Zero than Mega Man.  Similar to the previous installment players have the option of playing as either Mega Man or Zero.   While Mega Man can use energy blasts Zero can utilize melee attacks with his sword.   The graphics in Mega Man X5 were impressive and made people feel like they were playing a high quality SNES title on the PS1.   Along with having nice graphics and enjoyable gameplay Mega Man X5 has that unpredictability factor when it comes down to completing the game. In Mega Man X5 there are multiple endings to the game involving Zero’s fate which many people enjoyed since it made them eager to complete it more than once.  While some people may argue that having Sigma as a recurring antagonist in the game was a bit tiresome others loved it because he was very popular.  Overall, some might agree that Mega Man X5 was better than X4 and was a Capcom game that they would be mostly likely to keep for a while before selling it.

Classic Games- Mega Man X4: (1997)

Back in the day the Mega Man X series rarely failed to impress numerous people who were huge fans of the series.  When the Mega Man X series first started in the early 90’s a lot of people were impressed by the gameplay, graphics and storytelling that was featured in the first three games that were released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.  While the first three games in the Mega Man X series were very exciting they were also just as challenging as well.  The late 90’s was an interesting time period for the Mega Man series especially 1997 & 1998 due to the release of both Mega Man X4 and Mega Man Legends for the PS1.  On one hand Capcom had finally decided to make a 3D Mega Man game which many people had been waiting since the 80’s to see and on the other the Mega Man X series felt just as popular as ever around the late 90’s.  When Mega Man X4 was released for the Sony PlayStation many people were impressed by the high quality visual display it presented along with advanced 2D gameplay in comparison to the preceding games in the series.

Along with the graphics one the many things that made Mega Man X4 a must have title for the PS1 was the fact that it was the second game that featured Zero as a playable character.  While having Zero in a Mega Man game felt similar to playing as Knuckles the Echidna in a classic Sonic title being able to choose another cool character besides the main protagonist made things more interesting.  The plot for Mega Man X4 was also interesting seeing that the setting took place in the 22nd century and focused on the misunderstandings between the Mavericks and the Repliforce caused mainly by Sigma after being defeated on three different occasions.  While the animation cutscenes for Mega Man X4 was a great feature that added to the overall quality to the game itself many would say that it contributed to making the story that much better than its predecessors for the SNES.  While the story for Mega Man X4 some could argue that it was kinda dark considering the fact that Sky Lagoon fell on another city and literally killed thousands of people in the process.  Even though, the reemergence of Sigma was a predicable element in the storyline for Mega Man X4 it was still a very good game overall.  While Mega Man X4 is not considered to be most popular game within its series it still managed sell over million units worldwide since its release for multiple consoles including the Sega Saturn and the PS1.

Should Capcom vs SNK 3 become a reality?

There have been many great crossover games that have been released since the mid-90’s that are considered to be memorable to many people. Along with the Marvel vs. Capcom series the Capcom vs SNK series is considered to be among the best in terms of crossover games that have been released throughout for over the past fifteen years. When the Capcom vs SNK series had begun in 2000 many people were blown away by the concept of having multiple characters from both the Street Fighter and King of Fighters series in one game. A crossover between Street Fighter and the King of Fighters was something that fans of both series had dreamed about since the early 90’s before it had actually happened. When Capcom vs SNK 2 was released in 2001 it probably had the largest and most diverse roster that anyone would see in any crossover fighting game. The in game mechanics for Capcom vs SNK 2 was great along with the fact that players were allowed to select up to three characters prior to team battles.

Also, while selecting characters players had the ability to assign different grooves to them including C,A, P,S,N and K. The groove system was one of the many things about Capcom vs SNK 2 that stood out the most along with the various gameplay options that were included in the Sega Dreamcast version of the game. However, if there Capcom had decided to make a sequel for Capcom vs SNK 2 many people would be curious about certain things including what game consoles would it be available on. Also, in terms of the game itself should a potential sequel to Capcom vs SNK 2 still include the groove system or should they develop something completely different? The roster for Capcom vs SNK 2 was impressive and many people would probably love to see many of those same characters in a potential Capcom vs SNK 3 game if it ever happens.

Should there be a Marvel vs Capcom 4?

Many people have probably been wondering since the release of Marvel vs Capcom 3 in 2011 when they were going to see a sequel to this exciting crossover title.  Marvel vs Capcom 3 had included an all-star roster of characters from both series and provided spectacular gameplay that exceeded the expectations of many people who had been longing for the sequel of Marvel vs Capcom 2.   While the gap between the release of Marvel vs Capcom 2  and 3 had exceeded a decade it makes people wonder if there will be another game released in the near future or not.  If Capcom decided to develop an new MvC game there would probably several things that the developers would have to contemplate such as which characters to keep along with who to replace.  Along with adding new characters should Capcom include some additional game modes besides online that would keep players busy offline.

While Marvel vs Capcom was a very fun game to play many people were surprised to see the absence of popular characters from the earlier games including Cammy White, Cyclops, Gambit, Psylocke, Mega Man, Sakura Kasugano, Ken Masters and countless others. Some of the characters just mentioned do not have to replace anyone that was popular from Marvel vs Capcom 3 but they can easily serve as downloadable content if there was indeed a sequel to the game.  Even though, many people who are fans of the Marvel vs Capcom series are anticipating a sequel for the 2011 fighting game we do not know for sure if its going to happen or not.

Retro Gaming- Capcom vs. SNK 2: (2001)

There were so many cool arcade games during the 1990’s and the early 2000’s in the fighting genre that many people enjoyed.  One of the arcade fighting games that stood out in the early 2000’s was Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium which was developed by Capcom and published by Sega when it was released in 2001.  Capcom vs. SNK 2 had provided a very exciting gaming experience for people who were fans of popular fighting games in the 1990’s such as Street Fighter, Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, and the King of Fighters.  When Capcom vs. SNK 2 was first released in arcade centers worldwide many people were impressed by the roster that was featured in this game because it felt like several fighting titles being placed into one.  The Capcom side of the roster had featured popular characters including Ryu, Chun-Li, Ken Masters, Dan Hibiki, Akuma, Cammy, M. Bison and more.  The SNK roster had featured the likes of Joe Higashi, Kim Kaphwan, Mai Shiranu, Ryo Sakazaki, Terry Bogard, Kyo Kusanagi, Gesse Howard and even Nakoruru from Samurai Showdown.

One of the features of this game that stands out the most includes the groove select in which players can choose between C, A, P,S,N and K.  The groove select gives characters a set of abilities depending on which one they choose.  Some of the abilities featured in groove select includes Dash, Air Guard, Counter Attack, Rolling, Tactical Recovery, Safe Fall, Small Jump, Dodge Counter Movement and Run.  Whatever groove one selects only gives players a few of abilities out of all the ones that are presented which allows people to select the option that works best for them.   Considering the fact that Capcom vs. SNK 2 was released in the early 00’s there was a lot of offline gameplay options featured in this game. The arcade mode was the best since players had the option in competing in Ratio, 3 on 3 or single matches.  There were also so many cool things about the arcade mode in Capcom vs. SNK 2 including the special intros between rival characters along with the boss battles.

Some the battles in arcade mode were unpredictable because players will sometimes run into surprise battles with the likes of M. Bison, Akuma or even Shin Akuma.  Not only are the surprise battles towards the end of the game fun but they are also challenging despite having the odds in you favor at times.  Along with having surprise boss battles Capcom vs. SNK have multiple endings and cutscenes which is one of the many things that prevents the arcade mode for this game from becoming stale.  Not only was the arcade mode very competitive in Capcom vs. SNK but there were also additional game modes such as Survival, Versus and Training which added to the overall replay value of this title general.  The coolest thing about this game is that people can play the arcade version of Capcom vs. SNK for home consoles including the Sega Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox and even Gamecube.  Some people would probably view the early 2000’s as a glorious time period of gaming in relation to the fighting genre because they could receive ports of popular arcade games for various home consoles with the same exact quality but with more gameplay options than the original.  Also, players did not have to worry about purchasing downloadable content since games such as Capcom vs. SNK 2 basically gave them almost all of the characters for free.  Capcom vs. SNK 2 is definitely a fighting game that would be tough to come across today in any store that sells used games which makes this title more even more valuable in the eyes of many people who are fans of the fighting genre of gaming.

Retro Gaming- X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996)

The arcade classics of the 90’s were so much fun and X-Men vs. Street Fighter was one of those games that many people could not get enough when it was released worldwide by Capcom in 1996.  The cool thing about X-Men vs. Street Fighter was that nobody could have predicted a few years prior to its release that this game would ever exist.  The roster for X-Men vs. Street Fighter had consisted some of the most popular characters from both series including Ryu, Wolverine, Chun-Li, Storm, Rouge, Magneto and others.  In terms of visual design X-Men vs. Street Fighter was excellent considering the fact that it resembled X-Men Children of the Atom which was released in 1994.  The character models from the SF series was also utilized for the Street Fighter characters in this game which was also a pretty nice feature since they were still relatively new during this time period.  X-Men vs Street Fighter had an action packed arcade mode were players battle a series  of teams before reaching the final boss in this game known as Apocalypse.  The boss battle against Apocalypse was unlike anything most people had ever seen within a fighting game.

X-Men vs. Street Fighter was very innovative in regards to gameplay because it gave players the ability to pull off super combos, air combos,  double team super combos and much more.  Along with having a pretty exciting arcade mode the game had featured a versus mode along with a survival and training mode that could help players excel at the game while mastering the techniques of various characters.  The addition of Akuma being a hidden character was an added bonus to this game because players did not have to do anything to unlock him they just needed to know how to select him in the selection screen.  Along with having fantastic gameplay the soundtrack for this game was amazing.  There was so much creativity that went into developing the theme songs for various characters to a point were its difficult to tell which one is the best.  X-Men vs. Street Fighter was a revolutionary fighting game because title following Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter had started the Marvel vs. Capcom series.

After X-Men vs. Street Fighter was made for the CP System II it was ported for the Sega Saturn along with the Sony PlayStation in 1997 and 1998.  The Sega Saturn version of the game was much better since it was exactly like the arcade version of X-Men vs Street Fighter.   The Sony PlayStation version of X-Men vs Street Fighter was not as good since players did not have the ability to switch characters during battles unless it was a mirror match in crossover mode.  Many people who have played X-Men vs Street Fighter for the Sony PlayStation would probably argue that the arcade version of this game should have been re-released for the PS2 during the early 00’s.  Regardless, of how most people felt about the home console ports of X-Men vs. Street Fighter it was a very fun arcade game to play during the 90’s if you were a fan of either series.

Retro Gaming- Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars: (2008)

We all remember when the Marvel vs. Capcom series had begun back in the 90’s.  There were some pretty cool crossover games from X-Men vs Street Fighter all the way down to Marvel vs. Capcom 2 that many people had a blast playing in various arcade centers around the world.  It was after Marvel vs. Capcom 2 when people began waiting for a nice crossover over game that would provide the same amount of adventure and excitement that the 2D arcade classics had provided in the late 90’s early 00’s.  Throughout most of the 2000’s other genres started to become more popular for home based console such as Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Gamecube.  For Xbox & PlayStation 2 shooting games while Nintendo focused more on adventure based games along with the Mario series.  While there was not a complete decline in fighting genre of gaming it was not quite as popular as it was during the 1990’s.  Around the later part of the 2000’s things started to look much better in relation to the fighting genre within the gaming world.

Along with the release of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom the world got to witness the release of games such as Street Fighter 4, Soul Calibur 4 along with Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm in 2008.  Not only did Tatsunoko vs. Capcom exceed the expectations of many people who have been dying for a crossover tag-team game but it also served as a nice precursor to Marvel vs. Capcom 3.  The great thing about Tatsunoko vs Capcom was inclusion of three dimensional graphics & background along with 2.5 gameplay.  Also, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom was special because it was released for a Nintendo console opposed to PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 which is more likely to feature these type of games.  Along with the concept there were various aspects about the game that was enjoyable including the  stage design along with the soundtrack.  Also unlocking new characters is one of the most exciting things about this title which allows players to constantly improve their skills in exchange for various rewards.   Along with unlocking various characters in Tatsunoko vs Capcom the game had also featured an online versus mode which was provided by Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. After completing the game and unlocking various characters players could either compete against their friend in versus mode or with other players around the world online .   While some people may criticize this game for being repetitive others see Tatsunoko vs Capcom as an underrated title for the Nintendo Wii that should have received more attention than it did.  Even though, the fighting genre of gaming was very competitive at the time it makes you wonder if  Tatsunoko vs Capcom would have sold more worldwide if it was released for another console such as the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

Retro Gaming- Street Fighter EX : (1996)

The Street Fighter series was fun to play during the 1990’s in arcades around the world along with various home consoles.  The 2D gaming experience involving the Street Fighter series was unforgettable especially with the Alpha titles which was among the best as far as gameplay was concerned.  After the Street Fighter II & Alpha series became very popular Capcom had decided to make the transition from 2D to 3D gaming with the development of Street Fighter EX which was originally released in arcades during the later part of 1996.  This game was so exciting because many people got to see some of the most popular characters from the Street Fighter II series in 3D.  This game is considered to be legendary by many people mainly because it was the first three dimensional Street Fighter game ever in the series.  Street Fighter EX had featured some familiar characters including Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, Zangief and Sakura Kasugano (only available in the PlayStation version).

Shortly after the arcade version of this game was released Street Fighter EX was ported to the Sony PlayStation prior and was made available in 1997.   When the game was released 1997 it was known as “Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha”.  When the first EX game was ported to PlayStation many people were excited about it.  In terms of various modes including arcade, versus, team battle, time attack, survival, practice and even Watch.  Along with the gameplay & graphics Street Fighter EX was pretty cool because it featured more offline content then some of the modern Street Fighter games. The arcade mode for this game what pretty long and featured ten stages with either M. Bison or Akuma as the final opponent depending on how one performed in the game.  Along with returning characters there were also some new characters in this game including Allen Snider, Hokuto, Kairi, Cracker Jack and Dame.  The ability to perform super combos & super moves which was included in the Alpha series is one of the many things that made this game very exciting to play.

The soundtrack for this game was pretty good but some people would argue that it was not quite as good as the Alpha or II series.   In terms of soundtracks there were some hidden gems in this game including “Precious Heart”, “Spinning Bird”, “Strange Sunset” and “Sakura Mankai”.  Some would agree that Street Fighter EX does not get the type of recognition that it deserves mostly because it doesn’t get talked about as much as the II series.  But the truth is the Street Fighter EX was a very fun 3D title to play during the late 90’s and would arguably provide more excitement than Street Fighter V.  Street Fighter EX is seen by some as a groundbreaking title that was developed by Arika and published by Capcom during a time period where the gaming industry was evolving.  A lot of emphasis was placed into three dimensional design for many games from the mid to late 90’s.   Street Fighter EX was one of those games that allowed Capcom to showcase how great the series could be in 3D. Not only did the first EX game exceed the expectations of many fans duirng the late 90’s but its also seen as a instant classic or even a hidden gem.

About these ads

Occasionally, some of your visitors may see an advertisement here

Classic Gaming- Mega Man X3: (1995)

The Mega Man series was one of the coolest things things that Capcom had published during the 80’s and early 90’s.  When the original Mega Man series had made its debut during the 80’s many people were impressed by the fast paced run and gun gameplay that was provided for the Nintendo Entertainment System.  After the first three games were made for the NES we all knew that it was a matter of time before Mega Man titles were going to be published for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.   The first two Mega Man X games were not only very fun to play but they provided incredible challenges for many people who had owned the game. When Mega Man X3 was released in the mid-90’s it felt like a very solid 16-bit title that people would spend hours trying to complete.  However, around the mid-90’s people around the world started to become more interested in three dimensional games that were being made for home based consoles such as the Sony PlayStation along with Nintendo 64.

Even though, 3D gaming started to become very popular during the mid-90’s there were still some people who held on to their SNES in order to enjoy some of the memorable gems released for that game console. If you had still owned a SNES during the later part of the 1990’s Mega Man X3 was one of those games that was worth having.  The stage design for each level of this game was fantastic thanks to the cx4 chip which contributed to the quality enhancement aspect of this title.  Along with great level design Mega Man X3 had a decent plot with Sigma returning as the main villain in the form of a virus.  Another thing that was cool about this game included the option to play as Mega Man or Zero.  Zero is a character that people wanted to play as since Mega Man X2 which made everyone want to check out the third installment in the X series.  After its release Mega Man X3 received ports for PlayStation, Sega Saturn and even Windows PC.  However, if you were a true Mega Man fan you would most likely prefer the SNES version of the game.  Around this time period some people were probably the impression that the Mega Man series was starting to become old which was especially the case after Mega Man 7 was released.  In fact having Zero as a playable character might have been one of the main reasons why anyone had wanted to play X3 after it was released.  The Mega Man X series was one of the most popular set of side scrolling games of the 16-bit era.  The third installment of the Mega Man X trilogy was probably not as popular as original but the game itself is considered a classic that fans of the series would truly relish even to this day.