Is Capcom "Capcompetent" Again?

[Paul Tamburro]

Inspired by today's feature by Michael Leri, 'How Capcom is Capcompetent Again.'

Have the likes of Monster Hunter World and Resident Evil 7 shown that Capcom is back on the right track?

 

[NegFactor]

Simple answer: no.

Slightly longer answer: Nothing Capcom has done so far is indicative of anything really that different from their previous behavior. RE7 might feel like a revival/reinvention of the survival horror genre, even a return to its roots...but it's just Capcom trying something else again. I think they throw a lot of ideas at the wall and try to see what sticks when it comes to games, with the exception of fighting games...where they throw ideas at the wall, see what sticks, then pick up the other pieces that didn't stick and attach them to the game and sell it for the same price a year later under a slightly different name. We've been seeing X-Edition games from Capcom since SF2.

Monster Hunter World? People were fine with the last several iterations of Monster Hunter...this is just bringing it up to current speed and gen, which is more a props to them for not fucking it up than a celebration that they did something great (unless your perspective is that they fuck everything up, in which case...yeah, I guess this is a big deal).

 

[Jason Faulkner]

I'll reserve my judgement until I see the RE2 remake. That's the one thing they've announced that I'm really pumped for and I'm gonna explode if it's terrible.

 

[NegFactor]

I'll reserve my judgement until I see the RE2 remake. That's the one thing they've announced that I'm really pumped for and I'm gonna explode if it's terrible.

 

[Master_Craig]

Resident Evil VII was definitely a positive step in the right direction. I think it's a good thing for developers to try new things every now and then.

Monster Hunter: World, despite it's terrible user interface and match making system, is a good game, another good step for Capcom.

Capcom still does some pretty dodgy shit, though. I mean, look at Street Fighter V and Marvel VS Capcom: Infinite. Capcom seem to completely screw up their fighting games, huh?

 

[The_bad_who]

I don't much care for Capcom games anymore and it has nothing to do with their competency. I just feel like they stopped innovating and started to cash in on their franchise a long time ago. Yes, RE7 was a good game, but honestly, not the most novel concept after all those indie first person horror games we saw in the last years. They just had more budget.

 

[MattAY]

^ During the end of RE7, you could kinda tell it was getting more like their previous stuff...more firepower...more annoying, more "special unit forces" were introduced as the story progressed. Rather than being scary and atmospheric as the game was for the majority!
I've not met anyone yet where they've said their favourite level in RE7 is the boat.

 

[MichaelLeri]

I know I wrote the piece inspiring this post but I do they are on a roll especially after seeing their E3 showing. Mega Man 11 and Resident Evil 2 Remake seem fantastic.

I am excited for DMC5 but I just would have preferred DmC2. I also don't like how it seems like in order to hype up DMC5, people have to crap on DmC. DMC5 just seems too safe and a cheap, uninteresting ploy to win back those "all change is bad" bitter fanboys mad at DmC.

 

[Master_Craig]

I am excited for DMC5 but I just would have preferred DmC2. I also don't like how it seems like in order to hype up DMC5, people have to crap on DmC. DMC5 just seems too safe and a cheap, uninteresting ploy to win back those "all change is bad" bitter fanboys mad at DmC.

I don't understand why Devil May Cry 5 is getting so much hype. To me, it looks like the exact same shit we've seen before, just with better, PS4-style graphics.

Don't get me wrong, I was a big Devil May Cry fan when I was younger and at the time, I loved DMC4, but nowadays I look at DMC4 and all I see are flaws... a paper-thin story (where we barely get an explanation behind Nero and his origins), repetitive game play and music and a backwards narrative, e.g. you go forward as Nero, then half way through the game you essentially retrace Nero's steps, but backwards, as Dante.

To me, the game play of DMC5 looks identical to DMC4. DMC is one of those franchises that is in desperate need of fresh air. I'm not talking about DmC (although I did enjoy that, the story is so much better and the performance of Dante was better too), but I mean on a God of War level, from the ground up.

 

[Starling]

There is a good reason why people like me are excited for DMC5.

Shortly put, it has been 10 years since the last Devil May Cry game. DmC doesn't count because it was a bad reboot. What made it bad was that the much beloved character was changed from lovable asshole to utter scum. Old Dante rarely cussed, actually, I don't even remember him ever swearing. The reboot Dante is constantly cussing ("Fuck you.", "Fuck you!", "No, fuck you!") without saying anything meaningful. Old Devil May Cry fans didn't like Nero in DMC4 when DMC4 released because he wasn't Dante. For new fans for whom DMC4 was their first Devil May Cry (like me), Nero was alright but still not as great as Dante. But post DmC, even old DMC fans found that Nero was a much better character than DmC Dante. Which is why old DMC fans are hyped and even loudly cheering at Nero trailer for DMC5.

There was also the fact that while gameplay experience IS improved in DmC, it was not as deep and difficult as the gameplay in old ones. Quite a bit of what made combo videos a spectacle to watch were simplified so much in DmC that anyone could do it but also meant that skillful player found that they hit a ceiling in gameplay before it became challenging to perform. So for a skilled Devil May Cry 3 and 4 player, DmC was a bore.

DMC4 special edition added two new characters, one who was playable in DMC2 (Trish) and other who was playable for the first time in the series (Lady). And immeditely both characters demanded more skill and were more enjoyable for skilled players than whole of DmC.

So the bottom line is: no one really plays DMC for it's story, they play it for ridicously over the top characters and complex skill demanding combo system that is a spectacle to look at. DmC offered neither good characters DMC wise nor as complex combo system. DMC5 however is made by the original creators (unlike DmC which was outsourced to Ninja Theory who are great developers but really dropped the ball in regards to what DMC fans want) who are promising that it will exceed even the expectations of fans. And it's been 10 years since the last true Devil May Cry game.

Also, DMC3 actually had a really good story that is underappreciated.

 

[MichaelLeri]

I don't understand why Devil May Cry 5 is getting so much hype. To me, it looks like the exact same shit we've seen before, just with better, PS4-style graphics.

Don't get me wrong, I was a big Devil May Cry fan when I was younger and at the time, I loved DMC4, but nowadays I look at DMC4 and all I see are flaws... a paper-thin story (where we barely get an explanation behind Nero and his origins), repetitive game play and music and a backwards narrative, e.g. you go forward as Nero, then half way through the game you essentially retrace Nero's steps, but backwards, as Dante.

To me, the game play of DMC5 looks identical to DMC4. DMC is one of those franchises that is in desperate need of fresh air. I'm not talking about DmC (although I did enjoy that, the story is so much better and the performance of Dante was better too), but I mean on a God of War level, from the ground up.

You sorta nailed why I'm not super amped for it. I am excited to try it but that may be more of my curiosity talking.
Like what is a Capcom DMC game on in 2019? DMC4 had the structure of an archaic PS2 game and I never got behind the art style.

I am going to wait for it to come out in order to judge it but I just have a hunch that it'll have boring environments, a lame ass story, annoying characters, but cool combat. I just want more than that.

 

[Master_Craig]

Also, DMC3 actually had a really good story that is underappreciated.

I liked Devil May Cry 3's story.

I loved the Special Edition too because you got to play as Virgil, who is hands down my favourite DMC character and in my opinion, the most fun to play. His Dark Slayer style combined with his three weapons is awesome. I was seriously tempted to buy the DMC4 Special Edition purely to play as Virgil. I too used to obsess over combos and getting the highest scores possible. I played the shit out of DMC3 and DMC4.

I guess I'm not at all excited for DMC5 (not excited, but interested at least) because to me, it looks exactly the same as DMC4, albeit with better graphics and re-designed characters. It's been ten years since we've seen an actual sequel to DMC4 and I guess I'm just not as enthusiastic as I used to be.

With DMC4, I was also annoyed at the game's plot, because they barely explained Nero's reasoning (why does he have the devil arm? What is his connection to Dante, Virgil and most of all, Yamato)? Hopefully these questions can be answered in DMC5. I'm assuming that Nero is lacking Yamato in DMC5 due to his devil arm being severed.

 

[COMaestro]

I'm assuming that Nero is lacking Yamato in DMC5 due to his devil arm being severed.

Spoilers!!



Honestly, that's on me since I just never finished DMC4. Got distracted by something else and just never got back to it.

 

[Master_Craig]

Spoilers!!

Haha! It's in the trailer! Plus his new, robotic arm seems to be one of the selling points of game play.

 

[COMaestro]

Haha! It's in the trailer! Plus his new, robotic arm seems to be one of the selling points of game play.

I haven't watched that trailer yet. But from that description, I'm thinking it's Bionic Commando: DMC edition!

 

[Master_Craig]

I haven't watched that trailer yet.

Oops.