In a press release published on its website to mark the announcement of Onimusha: Way of the Sword and the unnamed Okami sequel, Capcom has stated that in addition to the two newly-announced games, the company is also looking to revive even more dormant franchises that haven’t been active in a while.

“In addition to regularly releasing major new titles each year, Capcom is focusing on re-activating dormant IPs that haven’t had a new title launch recently,” the press release reads. “The company is working to further enhance corporate value by leveraging its rich library of content, which includes reviving past IPs like the two titles announced above, in order to continuously produce highly efficient, high-quality titles.”

The list of Capcom properties that have been MIA for years but also continue to have large fanbases hoping for a revival is long. Earlier this year, Capcom sent out a survey asking players if they would be interested in revivals of a number of dormant properties, and alongside Onimusha and Okami, several other Capcom franchises were also mentioned in the survey, alongside the likes of Dino Crisis, Breath of Fire, Dead Rising, Lost Planet, and more. Read more on that through here.

Of course, earlier this year, we got Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, with more Dead Rising titles also once again potentially on the table, while Dragon’s Dogma 2 also launched this year, coming more than a decade after its predecessor. Clearly, then, Capcom is willing to bring more of its properties back from the dead, and hopefully, we’ll be seeing plenty more of that in the near future.

Capcom has recently sent out a survey to fans, in which it asks ten questions, a few of which are focused on potential new instalments (or remakes) for older, inactive Capcom properties. One question asks, “are there any Capcom game series (including spinoff games) that you would like to see get a sequel or new game?” Among many other franchises, some notable ones that are listed include Dino Crisis, Onimusha, Okami, Dead Rising, Darkstalkers, Breath of Fire, and Lost Planet.

Another question asks, “is there a game that you would like to see completely remade with the latest technology, including character design and story direction?” Some of the available options include Onimusha 1, 2, and 3; Ace Attorney 1, 2, and 3; Breath of Fire 1, 2, and 3; Mega Man 1, 2, and 3; and Final Fight.

Interestingly enough, the survey’s penultimate question asks about any other complaints that you would like to share with the company, with one of the options provided being “reboot old IPs already!” At the same time, another option reads “release more original titles, not sequels!”, so there’s that.

Capcom is, of course, no stranger to sending out surveys to gauge fan opinion on a number of things, and the company has been known to actually take results for such surveys into consideration- though how heavily they might influence decisions on, say, whether or not we’ll see a new Dino Crisis or Breath of Fire game is an altogether different question.

If nothing else, Capcom has confirmed that it intends to keep making more Resident Evil remakes, so the company does very much intend to plumb the depths of its rich back catalog to bolster its future output in some capacity.

Cashing in on the retro console trend, Capcom has announced the Capcom Home Arcade. Built like an arcade stick and functioning as a plug-and-play system, it contains the company’s arcade titles from ’80s and ’90s in one convenient package. The Capcom Home Arcade will go on sale on October 25th for €230.

Manufactured by Koch Media, the device contains 16 classic titles. These include Alien vs. Predator, Captain Commando, Cyberbots, Darkstalkers, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo, Strider, Final Fight, Capcom Sports Club, Street Fighter 2: Hyper Fighting, Ghouls and Ghosts, Giga Wing, ProGear, and Mega Man: The Power Battle. You can also look forward to lesser known games like Eco Warriors and 1944: The Loop Master.

Though emulated with FB Alpha, each title is produced from their classic CPS1 and CPS2 ROMS. The arcade stick also boasts Wifi for uploading one’s scores to a global leaderboard. In terms of experiencing the publisher’s classic arcade titles, the Capcom Home Arcade sounds like a good deal. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months on its emulation and performance.

Capcom has a wealth of great and beloved IP that they are kind of just sitting on and doing nothing with. Realistically, if one were to be honest, one would realize that Capcom’s wealth of franchises and properties is almost unmatched in the gaming industry, second only to Nintendo’s- that’s the vaunted company the publisher finds itself in.

One of these IPs is Darkstalkers, a cult hit fan favorite 2D fighting game series that has lain dormant for many years. A segment of highly vocal fans has called for the series to be revived in recent years, and Capcom executives themselves have mentioned it and brought it up a number of times. The most recent of which was at San Diego Comic Con 2018, where, Yoshinori Ono, the man behind Street Fighter 4 and 5, dropped a hint at what his next game after SF5 might be, outright namedropping Darkstalkers.

Ono is known for trolling his fans, so it’s important to not take this as confirmation of any sort- at least, not until Capcom officially and formally announces the game, at any rate.

So, Ono seemed to hint at his ‘next game’ at the SF panel before he left. Even name dropped Darkstalkers and referenced the announcement 6 years ago. Felt very unscripted.

— Maximilian Dood (@maximilian_) July 20, 2018

A new update will be going live for Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition and it’s fairly hefty. This is a balance update occurring mid-season and arrives as the Capcom Pro Tour season is underway. Along with major changes to several characters, the update will also bring some new Darkstalkers-style costumes to the in-game store.

Such costumes are meant for Juri, Urien and Menat and channel the looks of Lilith, Khaibit and Donovan from Darkstalkers respectively. Check out some of them above and then brood over the fact that we probably won’t get another Darkstalkers title for a while.

The update also brings some general balance changes to Crush Counters, Throw Escapes and normal Throw damage. V-Reversals have also seen rebalancing for their start-up and performance. If you’re interested in seeing the complete patch notes, head here. For more information on the general changes, see below.

Street Fighter 5 is currently in its third season of DLC characters and content. Blanka and Sakura are already available for Season 3 Character Pass holders with Sagat, G, Cody and Falke coming soon.

Crush Counters: Taking both rewards on hit and frequency into account, changed the combo scaling on crush counters.
Throw Escape: Changed so that a throw break cannot be performed after the move has been input, with the exception of normal and unique moves. This is to weaken the defensive technique of using certain special moves (primarily movement special moves) together with the throw break. (Note: Previously, throw escapes could not be performed only for moves that gave the character some kind of invincibility or armor.)
Normal Throw Damage: Increased parameters for characters that have less reward on hit.
V-Reversals: Overall rebalancing for the moves’ start-up and performance.

Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, once upon a time, was a serious contender for both Game of the Year, and Best Fighting Game in VideoGames magazine. This was way back in 1994, when the game saw it’s first release on the CPS II arcade system.

Since that time, the Darkstalkers series has had a number of successful arcade games, with successful ports over the console systems. In 2005 the PSP release of the Dreamcast Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower was again a contender for the best fighting game of 2005. Since The Chaos Tower however, the series petered out for a few years, leaving fans clamoring for more.

For years there was no progress on the Darkstalkers front, until 2011 Comic Con, Capcom representatives teasing at the release of a new Darkstalkers. Again, at Comic Con 2012, more previews were debuted, until the aptly named, Darkstalkers Resurrection hit stores in 2013. Unfortunately, while the game was rated highly by most gaming websites, it did not sell enough copies to be considered a commercial success, according to Matt Dahlgren, the fighting game manager at Capcom.

When pressed at this year’s comic con, Dalgren said, “There is nothing Darkstalkers on the immediate horizon for sure.”

Unfortunately, at least for now, it appears as though the Darkstalkers saga is once again at a lull.

Source: Siliconera

I’m saddened by how late I am to the party though, as Darkstalkers is easily one of Capcom’s most accomplished series, and this remastered collection brings two of its best entries to a wider audience that deserves this kind of technical fighting mastery.

Though this is my first time with the Darkstalkers series, that’s not to say the characters are new to me, or new to anyone who has spent time with Capcom’s Marvel vs. Capcom games or the Super Puzzle Fighter Series. Morganna, Felicia and Hsien Ko have popped up in a variety of guises in other Capcom franchises, and they look no less appealing here. The characters are always the most important part of a fighting game, and Darkstalker’s visual designs pass with flying colours. Whether it’s the anthropomorphic Felicia, the human torch-esque Pyron or the succubus combo of Lilith and Morrigan, Darkstalkers has a charming roster that stays consistently true to its tongue-in-cheek gothic themes.

What’s even more surprising is how balanced all the characters manage to be. I may even go as far as saying that Darkstalkers is more balanced than some of the Street Fighter games! The projectile attacks in particular are impressively considered, with each character possessing a ranged attack that has its own unique properties and throwing arc.

The sheer amount of special attacks for each character is also greater than most other fighting games but, rather than confusing the experience, tutorials guide you through mastering each character’s varied move set. The tutorials are by no means foolproof though, rushing over plenty of basic concepts. Even if you’re fairly proficient with the 2D fighting genre, Darkstalkers uses a lot of non-standard terminology, so expect an awkward teething period before you become entirely accustomed to which move is an EX special or an ES special.

Once you get into the swing of things though, the gameplay of Darkstalkers becomes magical. The pacing captures that perfect balance; speedy and intense combat that gives you just enough time to get technical when you need to. The AI in the single-player arcade mode perfectly pushes this style of gameplay, readily adapting to how you use your favourite combos and special moves. It certainly kept me on my toes, forcing me out of my cheap soul fist zoning strategy quickly. It was brutal, but I loved it.

What was meant to be a quick half-hour review session before dinner left me shivering with hunger a number of hours later. Such was the pull of Darkstalkers, a game that reels you in with its speed and flashy combos, but keeps you yearning to master its myriad secrets. By the time I worked out how ES specials and guard cancels worked, I was in 2D fighting game heaven.

The game somewhat stumbles on its presentation though. Despite the art being fantastic, the port to XBLA never feels truly HD, with the sprites seeming just a little bit on the grainy side in comparison to other titles. They certainly posses a nostalgic charm and, after your throwing out supers and mid-air specials left, right and centre, you’re unlikely to keep noticing a low pixel count. Even so, it may be enough to put some people off when they first load the game up. Digging into the options menu presents you with a lot of display options though, levels of customisation that ought to remove the sting of this first impression somewhat.

Whether you opt for an over-the-shoulder view or an arcade cabinet screen, there are plenty of visual options that let you revel in arcade nostalgia. The default view is a more modern affair though, featuring side bars squashing the screen in. Far from a frustrating aspect ratio gimmick though, the side bars present you with a variety of challenges that, when completed, earn you experience points. The levelling up is cosmetic only, but it is suspiciously addictive seeing those numbers tally up as you play.

The only time the levelling system has any tangible effect is online, where your level is displayed proudly by your username. It’s unlikely to be a concern for you though, as getting into a decent game is quick enough to prevent you from staring at the match menu for too long. The same netcode used in the awesome Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Edition is back, and it’s just as good as always. It provides the only properly lag-free online experience in a 2D fighting game, making every match a good one. Add in powerful lobby options and tools (tournaments FTW!) and you have an awesome online option to show off your skills.

I vividly remember devouring Street Fighter 4’s initial UK release 2009 and, though the technical innovations were there, the online play was never the silky smooth experience that the game deserved. Darkstalkers provides this incredible online play, even if the lobbies are already becoming sparsely populated. It also shows where so many fighting game mechanics began, featuring some of the most brilliantly complex combat out there. If you love fighting games, you owe it to yourself to get it and, even if you don’t, you should at least try the demo out.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.