Reviews

Capcom Game Reviews

  • Review Mega Man 2 (Wii U eShop / NES)

    The Blue Bomber jumps onto the GamePad

    In 1987, Capcom released the original Mega Man. It was well-received by both gamers and critics, but it was not much of a financial success. Over the course of the next year, however, Mega Man 2 was developed as a labour of love by Keiji Inafune and his team, alongside other projects that were expected to be...

  • Review Ghosts 'n Goblins (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Lots of pain for little gain

    From Software's Demon's Souls and Dark Souls titles have been hailed as two of the most engaging games of this current hardware generation, praised by critics and gamers alike for their intense difficulty and complete lack of hand-holding. Set against other modern titles — which seem to fall over themselves to make the...

  • Review Mega Man X (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Marks the spot

    By the time Mega Man X was released for the SNES, gamers and critics were already expressing concern about the classic series feeling stale. Mega Man had become formulaic and predictable, and while the NES games were still a lot of fun, there was no denying that they didn't evolve much from title to title. Mega Man X felt like a firm...

  • Review Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Bring fresh underwear

    There’s a school of thought which argues that modern gamers have it too easy, and that this generation of players has grown soft thanks to the fact that developers are all too happy to provide helpful tutorials and short-cuts intended to reduce frustration. You only need to spend a few painful minutes in the company of Super...

  • Review Mega Man 5 (3DS eShop / NES)

    Super fighting robot

    Capcom has been very fast with releasing the original Mega Man series on 3DS Virtual Console, and now we're already up to the fifth entry. As you might expect, Mega Man 5 is quite similar to the four games before it; eight new Robot Masters have appeared, and it's up to Mega Man to stop them and their leader, who appears to be...

  • Review Resident Evil Revelations (Wii U)

    Not quite as revelatory

    Resident Evil Revelations on 3DS was, and still is, one of the most impressive and well-crafted demonstrations of the handheld's capabilities. With accomplished visuals — combined with outstanding stereoscopic 3D — it delivered a return to form for the franchise, with large sections reverting back to older, and better,...

  • Review Mega Man (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Fight, Mega Man, for everlasting re-release!

    By now, if you want to play Mega Man you probably already have it. It's been previously released for the Wii and 3DS Virtual Consoles, after all. But if you've somehow managed to let the game pass you by — or just aren't sure if it's worth upgrading your old Virtual Console version — we're happy to...

  • Review Mega Man 4 (3DS eShop / NES)

    The Blue Bomber vs The Red Menace

    In 1991 the world got a fourth entry in what had quickly shaped up to be one of the NES's most popular series. This game was Mega Man 4, and expectations were high. After all, the first game laid down a solid — if static — template that resonated very well with gamers, the second game refined the formula...

  • Review Viewtiful Joe (GameCube)

    A Viewtiful debut

    Joe is nothing more than an average… well, Joe, as it were. The guy loves old movies and their cheesy melodrama, so when a malevolent hand drags him into a superhero flick, he’s absolutely pumped. This is a chance to do the impossible; to pull off his favorite actions scenes with high-flying kicks, slow-motion thrills, and...

  • Review Super Pang (Super Nintendo)

    Forever blowing bubbles

    Capcom is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2013. Since the company formed in 1983, it has published a host of classic titles from the Resident Evil series, countless Street Fighter games and many timeless iterations of Mega Man. One of its lesser known titles is Super Pang (known as Super Buster Bros. in North America), an...

  • Review Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (3DS)

    A monstrous portable adventure

    Back when the 3DS handheld was looking for saviours during the Holiday season of 2011, a certain mustachioed plumber was joined in Japan by Monster Hunter 3 G, an expanded version of the popular Wii title Monster Hunter Tri. Its sales were eye-catching and reflective of the fact that handheld Monster Hunter titles are...

  • Review Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Wii U)

    Don't forget your potions

    While the arrival of a new Monster Hunter title, particularly of the handheld variety, in Japan can probably cause retailer's systems to crash, it's a franchise that's been unable to capture that same fevered audience in the West. Capcom's latest attempt is Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, an expanded and enhanced re-release of...

  • Review Mega Man 3 (3DS eShop / NES)

    Sibling rivalry

    It's fitting that Mega Man 3 introduces our hero's antagonistic, cocksure older brother Proto Man, as the game itself seems to eternally duke it out with its own brother Mega Man 2 for the coveted title of Best in Series. But wherever you may fall on the question, there's no doubt that this third installment in the classic franchise...

  • Review Mega Man 2 (3DS eShop / NES)

    Get Equipped With an All-Time Classic

    In 1987, Capcom released the original Mega Man. It was well-received by both gamers and critics, but it was not much of a financial success. Over the course of the next year, however, Mega Man 2 was developed as a labour of love by Keiji Inafune and his team, alongside other projects that were expected to be...

  • Review Ghosts 'n Goblins (3DS eShop / NES)

    A Halloween greeting from Satan himself

    Capcom couldn't have picked a better time to release Ghosts 'n Goblins onto the 3DS Virtual Console. It's Halloween, after all, and this is one of the most classic spooky games there is. The real question is how well it holds up today, and that's one we're happy to answer: quite well, actually. Despite the...

  • Review Mega Man (3DS eShop / NES)

    The NES experience, now on 3DS

    A while back, the 3DS Virtual Console got Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge, the Blue Bomber's first Game Boy outing. It's a decent conversion of the console game, but many would agree that the handheld Mega Man games didn't really begin to shine until later in the series. Curiously, instead of working their way closer to...

  • Review Mega Man X2 (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    Still mega

    When Capcom created Mega Man X, it had clearly done something right. Many fans loved finally getting a refreshing take on the series, rather than what was essentially the same thing over and over, and it became quite popular. While the Classic Mega Man series went on a break for a few years, Capcom churned out a few more X games,...

  • Review Super Street Fighter II (Wii Virtual Console / Mega Drive)

    Online, but off-base?

    It's taken five and a half years for an online Street Fighter game to reach Wii. In that time, Xbox 360 and PS3 owners have had five different SF online titles — six, if you count Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition. Heck, even 3DS has Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition. Wii owners, for their sins, get an online-enabled...

  • Review Strider (Wii Virtual Console / Mega Drive)

    From Russia with love

    When you consider that he hasn’t starred in his own game since 2000, Strider Hiryu’s popularity in Capcom fan circles is impressive, which is largely down to the high regard in which players hold his 1989 coin-op début. Powered by Capcom’s CPS hardware, Strider was an arcade action platformer that redefined the genre;...

  • Review Resident Evil Revelations (3DS)

    An evolution of evil

    Resident Evil Revelations arrives on 3DS with a weight of expectation, both of the franchise it represents and as a major release on the revitalised handheld. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D may have landed first, but this is the one that fans have been anticipating. In a series renowned for its significant transformation and...

  • Review Bionic Commando (3DS eShop / GB)

    Don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that swing

    If there’s one sacred cow in the entire platforming genre, it’s jumping. According to our highly scientific calculations, there are one hojillion sidescrollers that rely on hopping all about to climb, collect and kill. Capcom’s Bionic Commando series has plenty of climbing, collecting and...

  • Review Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge (3DS eShop / GB)

    Slightly less than mega

    Back when the Mega Man franchise started with the release of the original NES game, Capcom never thought it would do well — the first game was expected to bomb horribly, as almost nobody at the famous developer thought people would like it. Fast forward to today, and Mega Man has become one of their best-known franchises...

  • Review Gargoyle's Quest (3DS eShop / GB)

    Firebrand is so hot right now

    The Game Boy enjoyed one of the longest lifespans of any system to date, outlasting rivals and finding its way into the hearts of gamers the world over. Following a very basic logic, a system with a long lifespan will typically have a large amount of titles worth your time. In fact, games were being released for the...

  • Review Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (3DS)

    Score-based survival horror

    Resident Evil 4 was a real turning point for Capcom’s survival horror series. Prior to its launch, the franchise was in serious danger of losing its relevance, but the changes introduced in the fourth instalment did much to reassert its dominance of the genre. It's also notable as the birthplace of the popular...

  • Review Mega Man 5 (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Can you ever have too much of a good thing?

    While the Mega Man series on NES system didn't change too much from release to release, Capcom did manage to keep coming up with new and more challenging ways to keep platformer fans coming back for more. Mega Man 5 didn't try to re-invent the wheel, but what it did do was bring eight brand new robotic...

  • Review Mega Man X (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    X-ceptional

    Spinoffs in popular franchises have delivered historically mixed results over the years, but when Capcom spun the X series off of Mega Man, not only did they create a new line every bit as intense and engaging as the originals, but arguably even more polished and fun to a certain degree. And now, after a rather lengthy wait, Capcom have...

  • Review Okamiden (DS)

    A celestial pup worthy of your praise

    Back in 2008, a two year old PS2 ‘game of the year’ was ported to the Wii amid much critical acclaim. Okami, an epic adventure boasting a glorious art style, was perfectly suited to the Wii’s capabilities, and Capcom has once again embraced a Nintendo console for a follow-up adventure on the DS. With such...

  • Review Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (3DS)

    Hadouken in 3D!

    Anyone who follows Capcom knows that it likes to take its sweet time when it comes to releasing a new numbered release in the famed Street Fighter series. In fact, it was nearly a nine year wait between Street Fighter III and Street Fighter IV's debut in arcades in 2008. And after making a huge splash on both the Playstation 3 and...

  • Review 1942 (Virtual Console / Virtual Console Arcade)

    A relic best left forgotten

    Capcom's 19XX series is quite fondly remembered, for offering some unique and very solid gameplay over the five installments it has had so far. At least, that mostly counts for the later four, but not so much for the first. Although not as bland as Exed Exes, 1942 does not really offer too many novelties other than its...

  • Review Black Tiger (Virtual Console / Virtual Console Arcade)

    Ghosts 'n Goblins 'n Gimmicks

    In 1985, Capcom released the infamous Ghosts 'n Goblins upon the world. Still regarded as one of the most challenging games ever made, it was a smash hit and cost many players many, many quarters as they died again and again. Although it would get a sequel eventually, after two years, Capcom decided to make a similar...