Capcom Trots Out 2007 Lineup
Licensed games, downloadable HD ports of classics, next-gen sequels, portable sequels... Yes, the Big C has something for every PlayStation owner.
Published: April 13, 2007
With the death of E3 in its previous money-sucking soul-draining uberspecticle form, budgets for things like getting a bunch of game editors together for a preview of what the year will bring has become far, far more common (in fact, today is the only day that there wasn't some kind of preview event for a games company here in San Francisco this week). Some companies are actually doing it twice a year now, but for their Spring 2007 Gamer's Day showcase, Capcom showed that they were bringing out the big guns.
Weighing in at more than three hours of demonstrations before hands-on time, the sheer amount of information packed into the eight or so hour event was near-overwhelming. Even with the focus being set squarely on Nintendo's platforms, Capcom managed to at least mention games for all three of Sony's platforms -- and yes, that includes The System That Would Not Die, the PlayStation 2. Hey, they've gotta milk that 100+ million install base for all they can, right?
Downloadable games were a huge presence, with Capcom pouring equal love into the PC, Xbox 360 and, yes, finally PlayStation Network platforms. Four downloadable games were announced, though we only got to actually play two of 'em. The PSP is getting a pair of games; a localized version of the Monster Hunter Freedom game that drove Japan completely freakin' bonkers a few weeks back and the slightly nebulous courtroom drama of a Harvey Birdman adventure (no game was shown, but the clip shown from the Adult Swim series got the biggest laughs of the night). The PS2 will see Birdman too, and, in a slightly surprising announcement, Capcom seems to have scooped up the rights to MotoGP from Namco, though it's not clear who will be developing the racing sim. Oh, and the PS3 will be seeing another entry into the Devil May Cry series. Maybe you've heard of it?
Overall, not a huge showing, but solid nonetheless. Here's our run-down of everything up for grabs this year:
[PlayStation 2]
| Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law |
Like MotoGP, little is known about the game save for the fact that High Voltage Software is developing it -- yes, sadly, the same High Voltage that made Family Guy, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude and 50 Cent: Bulletproof G-Unit Edition... Yeeeaaahhh... Apparently the game will share some basic themes with the awesome Phoenix Wright games on the DS, but we'll have to take a wait and see approach.
| MotoGP '07 |
Not to be confused with Moto GP (with a space), Climax and THQ's racing series on the 360, we're talking about the no-space MotoGP games that used to be all Namco's bag. All we really know is that it's coming, and that Capcom owns the exclusive rights until 20-freakin'-12. Wow.
[PlayStation Portable]
| Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law |
Sorry, PSP version's being done by High Voltage too. See above comments for our nervous hope that the inclusion of the writers from the TV series (and we hope the voice talent, though that's yet to be confirmed) can make it awesome.
| Monster Hunter Freedom 2 |
[ Preview | Screens | Movies ]
When a game sells over a million copies in just a few days, setting the record for best 3rd party handheld release ever in Japan... well, you know it's something special. Maybe just to the Japanese, but then we guess that means we're turning Japanese because we freakin' loved that stuff. Check out the preview at the link above.
[PlayStation 3]
| Devil May Cry 4 |
Oh how we wish we could talk about this game, but Capcom will send ninjas to our office to kill each and every one of us in the most awesome display of simultaneous mass bloodletting the world has ever known. While that would be totally sweet (there is no more kick ass way to go then decapitation by ninja), we wouldn't be able to tell you about how much fun we had playing the game. Nor would we get to play the final game when it came out. That would make us sad. Check back on May 1st for the goods. And there will be goods, friends.
| Rocketmen: Axis of Evil |
[ Preview | Screens | Movies ]
Take a customizable card game, add four-player online or off drop-in/drop-out action, throw in some character customization and a funky fresh art style and biggity bam, you've got Rocketmen. We goofed around with it a bit at the show and have impressions waiting for you in that link right above you.
| Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix |
[ Preview | Screens | Movies ]
One of the greatest puzzle games of all time is coming to the PlayStation Store. In 1080p. With new game modes. Stop reading this little description and get your ass over to the preview, dude, it's got all the goodies and it'll make you more attractive to the opposite sex! Really!(*)
| Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix |
Rivaled only by the unholy power of the ultra-long-named new Puzzle Fighter entry just above this description, SSFII is way, way more than just a downloadable version of one of the best 2D fighters ever freakin' created. In an unprecedented move to break from the mold of re-using the same sprites that were created over a decade ago, Capcom is actually paying ultra-awesome comic book artists Udon to completely redo the sprites for 1080p displays. Think about that for a second: ultra-mega-super-hi-res sprites, dude. All of the stages, HUD and so on will also be redone. Commence freak-out.... nnnnow.
| Talisman |
One of Games Workshop's biggest non-Warhammer table-top games (well, it's not obviously linked to Warhammer anyway), Capcom is turning the uber-geeky experience into an online-enabled, voice chat-powered, 1-4 player smorgasbord of fantasy tabletop role-playing... um... Okay, yeah, we don't really know how the game is going to play out yet, but with features like "dynamic camera angles" and "up to 25 characters from the Talisman universe" listed, it sounds like Capcom isn't sure either. Or at least they aren't telling us. We'll update things as we know more.
And there you have it. Though there wasn't a ton of playable stuff (in fact, the best playable thing there we aren't allowed to talk about for a couple more weeks), there was more than enough to let everyone know Capcom isn't completely crapping on all the PlayStation faithful. So untie that noose, thank Baby Jesus that you're still getting Devil May Cry 4 and then high-five your nearest neighbor because they'll get to play it too and then start thinking about how awesome it'll be to have Dead Rising and Lost Planet sequels on your PS3...
Yeahhhhhhhh...
(*)Not really, no.
Weighing in at more than three hours of demonstrations before hands-on time, the sheer amount of information packed into the eight or so hour event was near-overwhelming. Even with the focus being set squarely on Nintendo's platforms, Capcom managed to at least mention games for all three of Sony's platforms -- and yes, that includes The System That Would Not Die, the PlayStation 2. Hey, they've gotta milk that 100+ million install base for all they can, right?
Downloadable games were a huge presence, with Capcom pouring equal love into the PC, Xbox 360 and, yes, finally PlayStation Network platforms. Four downloadable games were announced, though we only got to actually play two of 'em. The PSP is getting a pair of games; a localized version of the Monster Hunter Freedom game that drove Japan completely freakin' bonkers a few weeks back and the slightly nebulous courtroom drama of a Harvey Birdman adventure (no game was shown, but the clip shown from the Adult Swim series got the biggest laughs of the night). The PS2 will see Birdman too, and, in a slightly surprising announcement, Capcom seems to have scooped up the rights to MotoGP from Namco, though it's not clear who will be developing the racing sim. Oh, and the PS3 will be seeing another entry into the Devil May Cry series. Maybe you've heard of it?
Overall, not a huge showing, but solid nonetheless. Here's our run-down of everything up for grabs this year:
[PlayStation 2]
| Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law |
Like MotoGP, little is known about the game save for the fact that High Voltage Software is developing it -- yes, sadly, the same High Voltage that made Family Guy, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude and 50 Cent: Bulletproof G-Unit Edition... Yeeeaaahhh... Apparently the game will share some basic themes with the awesome Phoenix Wright games on the DS, but we'll have to take a wait and see approach.
| MotoGP '07 |
Not to be confused with Moto GP (with a space), Climax and THQ's racing series on the 360, we're talking about the no-space MotoGP games that used to be all Namco's bag. All we really know is that it's coming, and that Capcom owns the exclusive rights until 20-freakin'-12. Wow.
[PlayStation Portable]
| Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law |
Sorry, PSP version's being done by High Voltage too. See above comments for our nervous hope that the inclusion of the writers from the TV series (and we hope the voice talent, though that's yet to be confirmed) can make it awesome.
| Monster Hunter Freedom 2 |
[ Preview | Screens | Movies ]
When a game sells over a million copies in just a few days, setting the record for best 3rd party handheld release ever in Japan... well, you know it's something special. Maybe just to the Japanese, but then we guess that means we're turning Japanese because we freakin' loved that stuff. Check out the preview at the link above.
[PlayStation 3]
| Devil May Cry 4 |
Oh how we wish we could talk about this game, but Capcom will send ninjas to our office to kill each and every one of us in the most awesome display of simultaneous mass bloodletting the world has ever known. While that would be totally sweet (there is no more kick ass way to go then decapitation by ninja), we wouldn't be able to tell you about how much fun we had playing the game. Nor would we get to play the final game when it came out. That would make us sad. Check back on May 1st for the goods. And there will be goods, friends.
| Rocketmen: Axis of Evil |
[ Preview | Screens | Movies ]
Take a customizable card game, add four-player online or off drop-in/drop-out action, throw in some character customization and a funky fresh art style and biggity bam, you've got Rocketmen. We goofed around with it a bit at the show and have impressions waiting for you in that link right above you.
| Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix |
[ Preview | Screens | Movies ]
One of the greatest puzzle games of all time is coming to the PlayStation Store. In 1080p. With new game modes. Stop reading this little description and get your ass over to the preview, dude, it's got all the goodies and it'll make you more attractive to the opposite sex! Really!(*)
| Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix |
Rivaled only by the unholy power of the ultra-long-named new Puzzle Fighter entry just above this description, SSFII is way, way more than just a downloadable version of one of the best 2D fighters ever freakin' created. In an unprecedented move to break from the mold of re-using the same sprites that were created over a decade ago, Capcom is actually paying ultra-awesome comic book artists Udon to completely redo the sprites for 1080p displays. Think about that for a second: ultra-mega-super-hi-res sprites, dude. All of the stages, HUD and so on will also be redone. Commence freak-out.... nnnnow.
| Talisman |
One of Games Workshop's biggest non-Warhammer table-top games (well, it's not obviously linked to Warhammer anyway), Capcom is turning the uber-geeky experience into an online-enabled, voice chat-powered, 1-4 player smorgasbord of fantasy tabletop role-playing... um... Okay, yeah, we don't really know how the game is going to play out yet, but with features like "dynamic camera angles" and "up to 25 characters from the Talisman universe" listed, it sounds like Capcom isn't sure either. Or at least they aren't telling us. We'll update things as we know more.
And there you have it. Though there wasn't a ton of playable stuff (in fact, the best playable thing there we aren't allowed to talk about for a couple more weeks), there was more than enough to let everyone know Capcom isn't completely crapping on all the PlayStation faithful. So untie that noose, thank Baby Jesus that you're still getting Devil May Cry 4 and then high-five your nearest neighbor because they'll get to play it too and then start thinking about how awesome it'll be to have Dead Rising and Lost Planet sequels on your PS3...
Yeahhhhhhhh...
(*)Not really, no.