Capcom: A Complete Summary
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One of the premier NES companies, Capcom released hit game
after hit game, and rivals Nintendo as the best NES company.
In my opinion, every game that Capcom released was awesome.
They actually spent some time making their games. Capcom USA
was established in 1985 and released arcade games that were
quickly established as classics. A lot of their first generation
NES games were flops and didn't do too well. A lot of that
changed with the release of Bionic Commando and Megaman 2,
which fans and Videogame magazines alike worshipped. After
releasing many other hits, they signed a deal with Disney
to release games based on Disney's hit cartoons. Anyways,
here's a quick run-down of their games (that they developed)
along with my personal thoughts on each one.
1942- An awesome WW2
shooter. Did rather well in the arcades and on the NES, even
got a sequel...
1943- Not much changed
in the sequel. It happens to be a better game, though. Capcom
added a password feature, new weapon power-ups, and the control
is more precise.
Bionic Commando- One
of Capcom's first big hits one the NES, this game is still
considered by many to be one of the greatest NES games. The
unique control feature of using a bionic arm instead of jumping
was revolutionary. This game was just another brick in the
road leading to Capcom's successful career on the NES.
Codename Viper- One
of Capcom's more obscure games, Codename Viper combined great
graphics with great gameplay in a rather successful mix.
Commando- The prequel
to Bionic Commando, Commando involved you playing as "Super
Joe" and fighting through enemy fortresses in a helicopter
view. It gets rather boring after a while, but is still fun
to play every once and a while.
Darkwing Duck- A fantastic
game based on the crime fighting duck. It has bright, colorful
graphics and smooth gameplay, as do many of the other Capcom
Disney games.
Destiny of an Emperor-
A severely underrated RPG/strategy. Has a fantastic amount
of Replay value and got great reviews in magazines, but never
did to well with the fans.
Disney Adventures In Magic
Kingdom- Not too great... A lot of the rides are
boring. The graphics are pretty good, like most Capcom games,
but that still doesn't do justice to the rest of the game.
Duck Tales- In my
opinion this is the best Capcom Disney game. It has awesome
sound, and really smooth gameplay. You use your cane to jump
on the enemies, and have to save your riches from the clutches
of some evil duck.
Duck Tales 2- A lot
of people say this game is better than the original, but I
have to disagree. It does have better graphics, but it just
doesn't have the same feel as the original.
GI Joe: The Atlantis Factor-
Never really played it, but if its anything like the original...
Gargoyle's Quest 2- A
hybrid game that is a great blend of RPG and platform gaming.
Capcom did a really good job with every aspect of this game.
Didn't get much attention, but you have to give Capcom a pat
on the back for having the guts to release it.
Ghosts & Goblins-
One of Capcom's first-gen games that became a hit. The difficulty
level is through the roof, but its still great fun to play.
Was pretty much an immediate hit due to the fact that it was
a hit in the arcades.
Gold Medal Challenge '92-
This game features you playing through many different events.
Its sort of reminiscent of Track & Field, but is much
better in pretty much every way.
GunSmoke- Another
first-gen game from Capcom, Gun Smoke is based on the old
western TV show. It lets you fight a lot of the bad guys from
the show, and is played in a well done helicopter view.
Legendary Wings- This
is one of my favorite NES games. It's a fantastic shooter
that has a wicked soundtrack and some of the coolest power
ups on the NES. It has two modes, an overhead view and a side
view. Both are pulled off very nicely, with tight control
and smooth animations.
The Little Mermaid-
Sad to say I have played this game...and enjoyed it. As you
can tell, it was focused more towards female gamers, but is
too good to be passed by, by any type of gamer. You swim around
as the little mermaid and have to defeat an evil octopus (by
catching things in bubbles, nonetheless).
Little Nemo: The Dream Master-
Whatever gave Capcom the idea to make a Nintendo game out
of a turn of the century comic is unknown, but they sure did
make a good game out of it. You play as a little kid and have
to save the King of slumberland from the evil King of nightmares.
You do this by throwing candy at creatures and you can then
use their bodies to do your bidding. This game was a hit,
and it's really no wonder why.
Mega Man- This was
the first game to feature Capcom's mascot, the blue bomber.
It helped pave the way to Capcom's most successful series,
and give them a jump above most companies. The game itself
wasn't as good as the others, but it was still fun to play.
Mega Man 2- This was
the other game that put Capcom on the map. Fans loved it and
ate it up immediately. It improved upon every aspect of the
original, and still added its own flavor to the series.
Mega Man 3- My personal
favorite of the series, 3 had some of the best music heard
on the NES, and fantastic gameplay. It also added Rush, Mega
Man's robotic canine friend, and the ability to slide, which
actually added a lot to the game.
Mega Man 4- Another
great MM game. This one featured the ability to power up MM's
regular shots, which also added quite a lot to the series.
It had smoother animations and the quality of gameplay was
better than 3's, but the game didn't make to much of a leap
over MM3.
Mega Man 5- This one
had the best plot and the best graphics of the series, but
it still couldn't match up to the early games in the series.
The only thing this one added to the series was a robotic
bird named beat, which you could only call in after you collected
a letter from each boss stage.
Mega Man 6- This one
was actually made by Nintendo, but its still not as good as
any of the MM games before it. It really didn't add anything
to the series. The only thing that was different was that
you could use Rush as either body armor or a jet pack.
Mickey Mousecapade-
Ah yes, a game based on Mickey. This game really wasn't all
that great. You played as Mickey and to go in search of your
"mystery" friend. The game was strangely addictive
and does provide some deal of fun.
Mighty Final Fight-
This game was released near the end of the NES days (1993),
but it still holds up as a good game. One of the better beat
um up games on the NES, Mighty Final Fight, in my opinion,
is better than the first Final Fight on the Snes.
Rescue Rangers- Another
magnificent Disney game from Capcom. Rescue Rangers has a
two player simultaneous mode that really does add to the game,
and is probably one of the reasons so many people like it.
Not to mention, it has awesome graphics and smooth gameplay.
Rescue Rangers 2-
The sequel added nothing almost nothing to the original Rescue
Rangers, but somehow it's still a better game. It has smoother
gameplay than the original, and it also has better graphics,
but other than that they're pretty much the same game.
Section Z- A first-gen
Capcom shooter. Section Z is pretty awful. You play as Capcom's
earlier mascot, Captain Commando, and have to go through sections
of space station. The game itself is very confusing and difficult.
It's very easy to get frustrated by this game. Your better
off playing the arcade version, which is way better.
Snow Bros.- This game
is like Bubble Bobble, but better. You play as Nick and Tom
and have to save the princess. To do this you throw snow balls
at the bad guys and then kill them from there. Snow Bros.
is better in every way to Bubble Bobble, and is a lot more
fun to play.
Street Fighter 2010: The Final
Fight- This is one of my favorite NES games. You
play as Ken and have to go on these planets to defeat each
boss and gain energy. Its mainly just one big boss fight each
planet. This game reminds me a lot of a fighting game, but
its different. Its sort of like a hybrid game, mixing fighting
and platform. It is really great though and everyone should
own a copy.
Strider- The NES version
of Strider is one of the better versions. It too is a hybrid
game, mixing elements of Adventure and Platform games. It
very smooth controls and has a different feel than most NES
games. It's another sleeper hit from Capcom, if you see a
copy you might want to get it.
Talespin- Many people
don't like Talespin, because they think its not up to par
with the rest of Capcom's Disney games. Talespin took a different
approach than most of Capcom's Disney games. It has more of
a cartoony feel to it than most of Capcom's other Disney games.
The colors are a lot brighter and the music even sounds more
cartoony than other Disney games. True, it may not be as good
as other Disney games, but its still a good game that's worth
a look.
Trojan- For some reason
Capcom liked to translate their arcade games to the NES, even
if the arcade game wasn't a hit. Trojan is the perfect example
of that. Trojan is an underrated game that has a few minor
control problems. It's very difficult, like most first-gen
Capcom games, but still can be beaten. I have no idea why
Capcom translated it to the NES, but it's a good game none
the less.
Willow- Capcom bought
the license to Willow when the movie came out. They not only
made this great NES game, but they also made an arcade game.
The NES version is completely different from the arcade version
and is a lot like Zelda. I think Willow is better than Zelda.
It has a catchy, upbeat soundtrack and smooth gameplay. Just
an all around awesome game.
Yo! Noid- Another
underrated gem from Capcom. They based it on the dumbest idea
(Domino's Pizza's the Noid), but somehow turned it into a
fun, yet nearly impossible, game. NES commercialism at its
best, in other words.
Those are all the games that Capcom
released in America. There are many other games that never
hit the shores, but should have (Sweet Home, anyone?).
Capcom was, and still is, one of the
greatest videogame companies. Unlike some NES companies, they
actually took time with the release of their games, and most
of them turned out successful. So next time you play your
NES, remember the legendary Capcom, and all of their beautiful
games.
