Capcom's Fighting Game IPs Have Potential to be Revived
Would you like to see a new Darkstalkers game? Do you miss Rival Schools? Capcom has plenty of beloved fighting game IPs, but the company seems reluctant to move beyond re-releases of classics. With fresh cosplay options in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 and the re-release of Darkstalkers already bringing in some sales, we asked our community what Capcom could do to revive their favorite fighting game series.
Some of our community’s favorite games are fighting games. There are plenty of great fighting games on PC, but there’s a big difference between them and the likes of Street Fighter. Capcom’s catalogue is filled with unique and interesting characters, charming art designs, and fun mechanics that could potentially serve as the foundation for some fantastic games.
That’s why it’s so frustrating to see Capcom continually re-release old games without making any drastic gameplay changes. Capcom’s current focus on Street Fighter means it’s unlikely that any of the company’s other fighting game IPs will compete with their own series, but a few of our ideas could prove profitable.
Community Ideas for a New Darkstalkers Game
We’ll start with the obvious one. Darkstalkers, with its awesome character designs, great aesthetics, and potential for a good story mode, would be a hit with today’s technology. Plenty of users express a desire for a gorgeous 2D Darkstalkers game that looks hand-drawn.
There’s a lot of love for this series, so we asked our community which characters they would like to see return. Morrigan and Felicia got particularly strong reactions, with people reminiscing about their favorites from the Marvel vs. Capcom series and joking about their attractiveness.
Some users suggest that Arc System Works, the developers behind the likes of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, could be involved. Others believe that Capcom should create a new Darkstalkers game that uses modern graphics and jiggle physics (don’t ask).
Darkstalkers hasn’t received a new game since a failed attempt to ‘test the waters’ with Nightwarriors: Darkstalkers’ Victory in 1994. The game’s low sales perpetuated a cycle of disappointment for fans, resulting in a lack of new Darkstalkers games.
We all know that the potential is there, but a previous attempt to test the waters with a Darkstalkers game resulted in low sales, perpetuating a cycle of disappointment for fans. Some users suggest other Capcom games, such as Onimusha and Power Stone, that they would like to see revived. Others propose a fighting game based on Magic: The Gathering using the planeswalkers as fighters.
It’s clear that the lack of a new Darkstalkers game has disappointed our community, and they feel that Capcom has only re-released old games without significant gameplay changes.
“Capcom needs to stop with the re-releases and give us something new,” one user writes. “If they don’t, they’ll see a drop in sales.” Others mention the success of remakes like Crash Bandicoot and the failure of Crash 4, showing that fans are looking for new experiences, not just updated graphics.
There are plenty of hilarious comments about the attractiveness of the characters and the potential for an army of Felicia furries, but overall, the affection for this series is clear.
If Capcom were to include fresh cosplay options in a new Darkstalkers game, I think it would be a major draw for fans. There’s also a lot of nostalgia for the classic Darkstalkers game and how people used to annoy their families with certain characters’ spamming tactics.
With so many strong fighting game IPs in Capcom’s catalogue, we asked our community which series they would like to see revived. While a cell-shaded sequel with modern graphics could potentially attract a large audience, we’re also keen to see Capcom reinvent a fighting game based on the Monster Hunter World model.
Oh, and don’t forget Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
