With two of Capcom's flagship series releasing new titles in 2023 in the form of Street Fighter 6, the video game giant is still giving its older franchises the love they deserve. At least, that's true for some of them.
Whilst another Capcom franchise, Dragon's Dogma, is Dead Rising, a few franchises need to be restored to their former glory.
Onimusha
Whilst the first title of the Onimusha series, Onimusha: Warlords, did receive a remaster in 2019, the lack of a new mainline title since 2006 indicates a franchise badly in need of a breath of fresh air. Though it wasn't one of Capcom's most popular properties outside of Japan, many gamers still have fond memories of battling demons in feudal Japan thanks to its massive PS2 titles.
It's not just a generic ninja series either as it mixes in supernatural and horror elements that make it feel more like a period Resident Evil game at times. With some of the biggest releases of 2022 like God of War: Ragnarök being supernatural hack-and-slash titles, an Onimusha revival could be aptly timed as well.
Commando
Iconic and classic arcade games from Nintendo and other big studios have often managed to live on in some form but Commando and its sequel Mercs have all but been forgotten since they appeared as Capcom's first foray into the action genre in the mid-1980s. Considering they helped popularize the still-popular run-and-gun shooter, that's a big shame.
Whilst the original title is a product of its time, with only eight levels as well as graphics that take away from the grit of the combat somewhat, a revival would be an opportunity to bring back the over-the-top action and its buff hero Super Joe in the style of more modern adrenaline-fueled shooters like Doom Eternal.
Lost Planet
Despite being fairly popular shooter games during the Xbox 360/PS3 era, It's easy to look at Lost Planet and wonder what could have been. With its slick action gameplay, memorable environments, and fascinating story of a nomad trying to survive on a planet where aggressive aliens and a malevolent mega-corporation vie for control, Lost Planet had a lot going for it.
At one point, Wired reported that a movie adaptation was even on the horizon backed by Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter. Of course, it didn't materialize and, since the mixed reception to Lost Planet 3, the series seems to have stalled completely. Evidently, many were won over by the potential they saw in the game's lore during its run so returning to and expanding the universe could be a smart move.
Dead Rising
Whilst it isn't anywhere near as forgotten about as some older Capcom properties, Dead Rising is sadly a title that is talked about less and less in the past few years. Fans have been reveling in the game's ridiculous zombie-fighting action where anything can be a weapon since 2006 but there hasn't been a new title since Dead Rising 4 in 2016.
Since that game lacked the classic timing system and had an extremely goofy tone, it didn't feel quite like quintessential Dead Rising for some fans either. With Dead Rising 5 later canceled amidst a reportedly troubled development, Capcom has a massive opportunity to bring back the series in style with a title that returns to Dead Rising's roots.
Sengoku Basara
Though Sengoku Basara has been largely forgotten in the west, it's fair to say the franchise became something of a big deal in Japan where the action games that brought historical events from Japan's Sengoku period to life spawned an entire media franchise. With only a few of the titles ever localized for the US, it's a title that's sunken into relative obscurity outside of Japan.
On top of that, there hasn't been a mainline game in the series at all since Sengoku Basara 4 in 2014. With a wealth of lore available, a market for stylish hack-and-slash games, and titles like Ghost of Tsushima renewing interest in historical Japan, there's arguably never been a better time to revive the series.
Dino Crisis
Most players may have forgotten about Jurassic Park and Resident Evil, it makes sense that fans found its thrills and spills unforgettable.
Because of the age of the series, there were limits to how scary it could really make the dinosaurs but, with modern HD graphics and higher-quality sound, a new Dino Crisis game could really take it to another level. Loyal fans are convinced that Capcom should remake Dino Crisis so there's a sizable audience that would be delighted if they did revive the franchise.
Final Fight
Whilst Capcom continues to explore ways to expand and improve on the Street Fighter franchise with their new titles, Final Fight has been left by the wayside even though it's widely considered to have been one of the best beat-em-ups in the genre. That's likely because fighting games have endured in popularity to a greater extent but it's still a shame.
Final Fight certainly has a roster to rival its counterpart, with its iconic characters like Cody and Guy even making memorable appearances in Street Fighter games. Having gone over a decade without a new Final Fight game, fans haven't had much to satisfy their craving for old-fashioned beat-em-ups meaning a new one is more necessary than ever.
Ōkami
Capcom may have had a ton of successful franchises but few were as unique as Ōkami, which put the player in the role of Amaterasu, the Shinto sun goddess who takes the form of a white wolf. Along with its spiritual successor, Ōkamiden, it utilizes a beautiful woodcut style to tell a story rooted in Japanese mythology.
Critics loved its storytelling and Legend of Zelda-style gameplay but it received poor sales and an HD port of the original game is the most fans have gotten since. A modern revival that kept the stylized approach but without the graphical limitations of the mid-2000s consoles it was originally made for could be breathtakingly beautiful and that alone means Capcom should do it.
194X
Released for arcades in 1984, 1942 was one of the first Capcom games to receive widespread success and it spawned a successful series in the form of the 194X games that used the Second World War as a setting for fast-paced aerial combat. The series continued to develop throughout the '80s and '90s until 1942: t Strike combined them for the ultimate experience in 2008.
Ultimately, Capcom seemingly decided the series had run its course not long after that but, with a relative lack of blockbuster aerial combat games on the market, they could be missing a trick. Vertically scrolling shooters have fallen out of fashion but that's exactly why Capcom should consider reviving the series in an entirely different form, as a modern 3D equivalent.
Breath Of Fire
With games like more great JRPGs on the way, the genre seems to have entered a new golden age. That's why it's strange that Capcom hasn't attempted to put its own classic RPG franchise into the mix with a new game or even a big-budget remake.
Boasting a protagonist that can transform into dragons, a traditional fantasy setting, and a focus on depth and character development, Breath of Fire has no shortage of appeal for RPG fans, and yet Capcom's only attempt at renewing interest in the series was a Japan-exclusive multiplayer title in 2016. Arguably, if they invested in a new mainline title to rival the blockbuster JRPGs of today, it could become one of their top titles.
