THE BORE

General => Video Game Bored => Topic started by: Human Snorenado on February 19, 2009, 12:37:57 PM

Title: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Human Snorenado on February 19, 2009, 12:37:57 PM
Street Fighter IV
Resident Evil 5
Dead Rising 2

All from one publisher, all in one year.  Granted they're all sequels and it would be cool to see some original content, but the quality of all of 'em is pretty much without equal, at least imo.  Any other contenders?  Nintendo doesn't count, their idea of a game for "the hardcore" is fucking Animal Crossing.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: demi on February 19, 2009, 12:40:03 PM
* Devil May Cry 4
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Himu on February 19, 2009, 12:41:43 PM
Yes. They are.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Jansen on February 19, 2009, 12:45:48 PM
bionic commando looks pretty good as well

dark void i'm not so sure about

but yeah, i think they are
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: cool breeze on February 19, 2009, 12:48:06 PM
Only really bad move Capcom made in the last few years was letting Clover/Platinum Games go off.  Other than that, probably.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Enl on February 19, 2009, 01:23:36 PM
I'd also include some of their downloadable games on that list as well. Plus their PC support has been pretty good too.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: BobFromPikeCreek on February 19, 2009, 01:24:58 PM
I downloaded BC Rearmed and MM9 a few days ago. Can't wait to play them.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Draft on February 19, 2009, 01:31:07 PM
Best of all time.

No other developer even comes close in terms of overall quality.

Think about it: Capcom has been an AAA dev with an absolutely prolific output since NES days. Like two Goddamn decades. And there is no sign they're stopping.

Just amazing.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Rman on February 19, 2009, 01:37:03 PM
I'd agree with Draft.  I also love how they gave love to neglected systems, like the Saturn, Dreamcast, and the PSP.  They released pretty awesome games for those systems.  Shame their PSP efforts bombed.  I would die for a Powered Up version of MM2.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: tiesto on February 19, 2009, 01:38:20 PM
Absolutely, seems every other company has gone down hill while most of what Capcom releases lately has been quality. Their library has both breadth and depth to it, and are filled with instant classics. I just wish they'd release a new BOF.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Oblivion on February 19, 2009, 02:02:21 PM
Yeah, Capcom's pretty awesome, though I wish they would make a good Mega Man game for once.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Purple Filth on February 19, 2009, 02:08:32 PM
They embraced western design philosophies rather then shy away from them. Capcom owes a lot of its current success to Keiji Inafune's insistence to mimic the west in order to stay concurrent with the next-gen ramp up.

This is why i think thier awesome and the results are good also
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: bork on February 19, 2009, 02:11:46 PM
Yeah, Capcom's pretty awesome, though I wish they would make a good Mega Man game for once.

I was pretty satisfied with Powered-Up and 9.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Himu on February 19, 2009, 02:12:51 PM
Yeah, Capcom's pretty awesome, though I wish they would make a good Mega Man game for once.

Uhhhh
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: tiesto on February 19, 2009, 02:19:26 PM
They embraced western design philosophies rather then shy away from them. Capcom owes a lot of its current success to Keiji Inafune's insistence to mimic the west in order to stay concurrent with the next-gen ramp up.

What western design philosophies have they embraced?
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: demi on February 19, 2009, 02:23:19 PM
Good games
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Oblivion on February 19, 2009, 02:50:22 PM
Yeah, Capcom's pretty awesome, though I wish they would make a good Mega Man game for once.

I was pretty satisfied with Powered-Up and 9.

Powered Up's a remake and get back to me when they make a non-icky 8 bit MM.  :yuck
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: HyperZoneWasAwesome on February 19, 2009, 02:50:44 PM
They embraced western design philosophies rather then shy away from them. Capcom owes a lot of its current success to Keiji Inafune's insistence to mimic the west in order to stay concurrent with the next-gen ramp up.

What western design philosophies have they embraced?
for years and years they've been bigger in the Western world then the Eastern one, one of the few (only) Japanese pubs to do so.  To which they owe their continued success and general all around rockingness.  When they do make a misstep they've always got another half-dozen quality games coming down the pike.

What they do better then any other publisher I know is how cannily they exploit the brands they already have.  They manage their franchises better then anybody else, and when they do bring something new out its usually warmly embraced because they've already built up their reputation for quality with their previous and similar games.  Their refined sequels satisfy their existing fans, but they don't usually saturate the market with their frequent appearances.

they have a winning business model and I hope they stick around for years to come.  I only wish that their semi-risky and usually awesome games were better supported.  God Hand, Okami, and Zack & Wiki didn't deserve to fail dammit!  But that's not really Capcom's fault.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Tucah on February 19, 2009, 03:05:23 PM
Definitely. They keep putting out great game after great game, and this year's slate continues that. They also support everyone, putting games on just about every system.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: HyperZoneWasAwesome on February 19, 2009, 04:04:21 PM
they also accrued a lot of goodwill and fans by supporting doomed systems.

how many fans did they make with their Dreamcast games?  Can you even imagine that system without its Capcom support?  Their Saturn, Gamecube, and Xbox 1 support endeared them to many.  Hell, how do you not love a company that made a cutting-edge game with a controller like this (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Steel_Battalion_controllers.jpg/800px-Steel_Battalion_controllers.jpg).  No other company would bother to be that awesome for such minuscule sales.  Thanks Capcom.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: bork on February 19, 2009, 04:15:14 PM
I think Capcom is one of the few companies out there that has put out good games on a regular basis since the 8-bit gaming days.  There's never been a period of time when Capcom "sucked."  Their problem is the constant re-releases of certain titles over and over again.  It is pretty crazy that yet-another SF2 came out last year.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: demi on February 19, 2009, 04:17:31 PM
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6204911.html

Quote
Ultimately, Takeuchi and Capcom determined that Japanese publishers were too focused on their own market as a way of reducing risk, and wound up increasing their chances of failure as a result. Japanese game makers were concentrating their investment on projects that could make their money back even if they only sold well in Japan, Takeuchi said, a strategy that limited not just the games' appeal but also their total potential budget.

To get around the problems it identified, Takeuchi said Capcom embraced its own 10 Commandments for management.

1. Keep staff turnover below 10 percent per year
2. Maintain ability and cash reserves to increase personnel by 10 percent each year
3. Keep development cost fluctuations within 10 percent
4. Investment in new IP needs to be kept within 20 percent of company-wide development budget
5. The structure and organization of the company needs the flexibility to change in response to growth; goals and objectives must constantly be reviewed
6. Goals and objectives must be adaptable to external forces (see Square Enix's decision to move its Dragon Quest series to the Nintendo DS)
7. Objectives and aims must be set from the top-down
8. Reform must always be undertaken from the bottom-up
9. There should be no taboo areas when it comes to reform. Reform must be undertaken at all costs. (This lesson from Toyota, where management and developers worked together to create a problem-free work environment.)
10. Set achievable targets; unachievable goals bring down motivation

But more than any of those rules, Takeuchi said the most important aspect of Capcom's success comes down to one simple rule: Whether the users enjoy the game or not. All of the company's development efforts must be focused on making things fun, he said. Takeuchi said that's been the company's approach since Street Fighter III, and if Capcom can't do that, it has lost its reason to exist.

Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Third on February 19, 2009, 04:18:38 PM
Yes, definitely.

The only Jap developer who hasn't sucked balls this generation.

Dead Rising and the Bionic Commando also look great.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Mrbob on February 19, 2009, 04:28:06 PM
The best overall Japanese dev/pub this generation. 
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Human Snorenado on February 19, 2009, 04:30:05 PM
The best overall Japanese dev/pub this generation. 

I'm not really aware of a US or Euro dev that churns out more quality on a consistent basis.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Van Cruncheon on February 19, 2009, 04:37:03 PM
those 10 commandment are fuckin' astute, and should be read and grokked by EVERY director-plus level manager in software -- hell, even in business. 7 and 8 alone make me wanna work for them.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Positive Touch on February 19, 2009, 05:18:23 PM
I love it that Capcom has always been able to create multiple amazing franchises every gen while still continuing to make great sequels for their existing ones, and they're still able to bring out smaller/niche games.  Like Draft said, they've been consistenly dependable for over two decades, and I don't think there is any other publisher out there that you can say that about.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Human Snorenado on February 19, 2009, 05:26:40 PM
I love it that Capcom has always been able to create multiple amazing franchises every gen while still continuing to make great sequels for their existing ones, and they're still able to bring out smaller/niche games.  Like Draft said, they've been consistenly dependable for over two decades, and I don't think there is any other publisher out there that you can say that about.

Blizzard.

WoW isn't a game.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: demi on February 19, 2009, 05:27:05 PM
It takes Blizzard 2 decades to even make a game. They dont count.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Draft on February 19, 2009, 05:41:23 PM
I love it that Capcom has always been able to create multiple amazing franchises every gen while still continuing to make great sequels for their existing ones, and they're still able to bring out smaller/niche games.  Like Draft said, they've been consistenly dependable for over two decades, and I don't think there is any other publisher out there that you can say that about.

Blizzard.
Here's the thing. Blizzard matches Capcom in quality. Blizzard doesn't even COME CLOSE in quantity. When did WC2 come out? 95? So in the last 14 years (oh my God) Blizzard has released 6 games, not counting xpacs. How many games has Capcom released? 100? With at least a dozen being bonafide classics. Genre defining. Genre creating.

There's no comparison.

The only company that even begins to approach them is Nintendo, and well... we all know how that story ends.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Ninja on February 19, 2009, 05:49:10 PM
Capcom are incredible. Easily the best right now.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: duckman2000 on February 19, 2009, 05:54:09 PM
Too uneven. For every RE4 there seems to be a PN03. Granted that most other studios never even approach greatness, so Capcom is near the top by default. Not particularly impressed with the Capcom games I've played this generation, but that's par for the course for the generation as a whole.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: pilonv1 on February 19, 2009, 05:57:50 PM
they're even announcing a NEW GAME on monday too :hyper

Quote
Osaka-base game company Capcom is announcing a new title for Xbox 360 next week.

The announcement will apparently come in the form of a trailer available through Xbox LIVE Marketplace on the evening of February 23 (Japan Time). However, any further details about the game are not yet known.

http://kotaku.com/5156303/capcom-announcing-new-game-on-xbox-live-next-monday

Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Human Snorenado on February 19, 2009, 06:00:53 PM
Too uneven. For every RE4 there seems to be a PN03. Granted that most other studios never even approach greatness, so Capcom is near the top by default. Not particularly impressed with the Capcom games I've played this generation, but that's par for the course for the generation as a whole.

You know, you're really the perfect PS3 fan.  You don't really like videogames.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: EmCeeGrammar on February 19, 2009, 06:37:08 PM
They're alright. I miss the wacky jappy side of the company.  (Viewtiful Joe :[ )

Megaman 9 was 08 goty though.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Human Snorenado on February 19, 2009, 06:42:41 PM
Personally, I hope it's a game in the flavor of BoF: DQ.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: BlueTsunami on February 19, 2009, 06:55:45 PM
Yeah, they really need to do something with the BoF series. When they've done that (and it will be awesome) I will award them the best developer title
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: Human Snorenado on February 19, 2009, 06:59:37 PM
What, not enough B and C games for your tastes?  :P
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: cool breeze on February 19, 2009, 07:00:09 PM
I would be surprised if Capcom did anything with BoF on the PS3/360 at this point.  Maybe DS or PSP, hopefully PSP.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: bork on February 19, 2009, 07:01:52 PM
Too uneven. For every RE4 there seems to be a PN03. Granted that most other studios never even approach greatness, so Capcom is near the top by default. Not particularly impressed with the Capcom games I've played this generation, but that's par for the course for the generation as a whole.


PN03 was an awesome game.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: EmCeeGrammar on February 19, 2009, 07:51:49 PM
What, not enough B and C games for your tastes?  :P

What are you talking about. Capcom makes some of the best B and C games around.
Title: Re: Is Capcom the best pub/dev going today?
Post by: tiesto on February 19, 2009, 11:13:43 PM
I'd kill for a new BOF game... or better yet, find a way to get the rights to their Disney back catalogue and make a compilation or rmxes of them. DuckTales HD... :drool