Summary
- Capcom can revitalize long-forgotten franchises like Lost Planet with innovative new approaches to gameplay.
- Cult classics like God Hand deserve remasters or sequels, especially with key creators returning to Capcom.
- Capcom should consider bringing back stylish titles like Viewtiful Joe to appeal to nostalgic fans and introduce new audiences.
Capcom's library of franchises is one of the deepest sets of IPs. Yet, many are sadly overshadowed series that have been neglected for a while now, some of which haven't had a new entry for over 20 years. Due to the success of Capcom's best-selling games, such as Resident Evil and Monster Hunter, some of the lesser-known game franchises haven't been allowed the time to shine.
Capcom is now in a position where they aren't solely relying on the big guns, and has the potential to funnel a large amount of money from its top-selling games to fund new entries in long-forgotten series. The following games in this list seem like no-brainers for a team as skilled as Capcom to bring to the current generation; fans have pined for some of them for years. Hopefully, in the near future, Capcom will reinvigorate these classics for a new era.
8 Capcom Games That Surpassed Expectations
Despite the doubts and worries, these Capcom titles managed to blow away fan expectations when they were finally released.
5 Lost Planet
Big Mechs And Even Bigger Monsters
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Despite having three entries, Lost Planet is a franchise that never truly figured out what it wanted to be. Starting as a smaller-scale single player shooter and evolving into a Monster Hunter-esuqe boss battle simulator, Lost Planet could find a new lease on life by emulating the success of large-scale multiplayer sci-fi shooters such as Earth Defense Force or Helldivers.
This new approach could lead Lost Planet to become the multiplayer-focused series that Capcom hoped Exoprimal would be. Taking Lost Planet and turning it into a risky but rewarding live service attempt could breathe fresh air into this dormant franchise. Capcom has always found innovative ways to create breathtaking combat scenarios, and a boot-on-the-ground sci-fi epic would be a great new genre for the developers to flex in.
4 God Hand
Clover's Cult Classic Deserves Time To Shine
God Hand
- Released
- October 10, 2006
- Developer(s)
- Clover Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Beat 'Em Up
God Hand is an infamous franchise for more than a few reasons. Often not fully understood and even downright disregarded by the critics at the time, God Hand was a highly innovative beat-em-up with a surprisingly in-depth combo system where players could craft each step in a combo to create their own wholly unique combos. This even included useless moves where the protagonist, Gene, would prod the enemy for zero damage to free-flowing and fast kicks and punches.
This series would benefit so much from a sequel or even a remaster, which doesn't sound too ridiculous considering that games such as Lollipop Chainsaw and Shadows Of The Damned have recently got the remaster treatment. Although he didn't lead the development of God Hand, Clover Studio's head honcho, Hideki Kamiya, has returned to Capcom, and with him, hope that gamers might have a chance to wield the power of the God Hand.
3 Viewtiful Joe
Henshin-a-Go-Go, Baby!
Viewtiful Joe
Viewtiful Joe is a stylish side-scrolling beat-em-up directed by the previously mentioned Hideki Kamiya. The game oozed style similar to Hideki's other classic release, Devil May Cry, so much so that Dante would be a part of the game as a guest character. The game was developed as a clear love letter to the classic Tokusatsu movies and series such as The Power Rangers, with the series' protagonist, Joe, entering a variety of movies to save his girlfriend.
It's a simple premise that gave way to clever gameplay mechanics based around time manipulation. Joe had the ability to slow down time to make his punches and kicks hit extra hard, or speed up time to fly through puzzles and stages at mach-speed. Hideki Kamiya has expressed wanting to return to the series since he left Capcom, even going as far as to telling attendees at PAX East 2020 to email Capcom regarding formant franchises, particularly Viewtiful Joe. Kamiya's return to Capcom has led many gamers to believe that these dormant franchises have a future, so long as he can convince the higher-ups that there's still an audience out there.
2 Marvel Vs Capcom
It's Time For A New Age Of Heroes
Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
The Marvel vs. Capcom series remains a beloved cornerstone of the fighting game genre. Despite Street Fighter 6's success in revitalizing the Capcom fighting game scene after the rocky launch of Street Fighter 5, the demand for a new Marvel vs. Capcom installment is unmistakable. This series has cultivated a fiercely loyal fanbase, with content creators such as YouTuber Maximilian Dood funding a fan-made mod to improve Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. The mod fixes the issues the game was plagued with and makes it an overall better experience, demonstrating how starved Marvel vs. Capcom fans are.
The Marvel vs. Capcom games stand out for their easy-to-approach, difficult-to-master gameplay, uniting Marvel’s iconic heroes with Capcom’s legendary characters. The franchise has technically received a new installment via the Capcom Fighting Collection, which has been very well received and is now the premier way to play those games, according to the pros. Still, a brand-new installment could put the franchise back on the map.
1 Devil May Cry
This Party's Getting Crazy
Devil May Cry
- Released
- October 16, 2001
- Developer(s)
- Capcom Production Studio 4
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Hack and Slash
Although Devil May Cry hasn't been on hiatus as long as the other entries on this list, it has been almost six years since the last installment in the legendary franchise. The series is still as popular as ever. In their annual super-election event, Devil May Cry was voted one of Capcom's most popular franchises, and Dante was voted the most popular characte. Clearly, gamers crave more of these stylish action games.
Devil May Cry Anime Scheduled To Release In 2025
Dante will put his demon-hunting skills to the test in the upcoming Devil May Cry anime.
Currently, there is an anime series in the works for Devil May Cry from the mind of Adi Shankar, best known for his work on the excellent Castlevania anime. Although this doesn't guarantee a game is in the works, one of Capcom's other action franchises, Dragon's Dogma, had an anime series released on Netflix in 2020. Fast-forward four years, and Dragon's Dogma 2 was released. This could be a trend that Capcom is adopting, releasing other media related to its franchises to gauge interest.
8 Best Capcom Video Game Franchises, Ranked
Capcom has accomplished a lot, and its selection of successful franchises spanning from Street Fighter to Resident Evil is proof of that.