Ever since Capcom released Resident Evil 7: Biohazard in 2017, it has been on a hot streak producing some of the best titles seen from the company in years. This includes the likes of Monster Hunter: World, Resident Evil 2 Remake, Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Monster Hunter Rise, Street Fighter 6, Devil May Cry 5, and more.
However, I’ve noticed that most of these modern hits are Resident Evil titles. Not that there’s anything wrong with that as Resident Evil is awesome. I just can’t help but feel that Capcom is neglecting some of its older franchises that haven’t had a new entry in years, in favor of pumping out more Resident Evil remakes and sequels.
Thankfully, that may soon change as the announcement of Dragon’s Dogma 2 has given fans hope that Capcom may be willing to dig into its back catalog and bring back some of its older franchises to modern audiences. With that in mind, here is a list of the top seven games/franchises that I think Capcom should remake/revive instead of creating more Resident Evil remakes.
Warning: Some trailers and videos may contain potential spoilers so be wary as you watch them.
Dino Crisis
While I was reviewing Exoprimal, the game made me feel nostalgic for Dino Crisis. Dino Crisis was a survival horror turned action-game series on the PlayStation One, PlayStation 2, and the original Xbox which acted as a sister franchise to Resident Evil. Instead of fending undead zombies and mutant bioweapons, you were running around fighting for your life against dinosaurs.
The first two Dino Crisis games on the PlayStation One were awesome for wildly different reasons. Dino Crisis 1 felt like an extremely hard version of the old-school survival horror-style Resident Evil games as even a single velociraptor was far more dangerous and caused more tension than most of the shambling zombies you fight in Resident Evil.
The puzzles and item management system were more complicated and the boss fights against the menacing T-Rex were terrifying ordeals as it could kill you with one bite and crash through the walls of most areas you were exploring at any moment.
Dino Crisis 2 on the other hand traded the survival horror gameplay for a more action-heavy approach, which I felt was more fitting in the Dino Crisis series than in the Resident Evil series. It was an amazingly fun, run and gun romp where you blast through hordes of dinosaurs and unlock over-the-top weapons to kill even bigger dinos.
While the fear factor of the original game was traded in for action-movie gameplay, there were still a couple of moments that managed to send a chill down my spine. There was a sequence where you had to explore an underwater facility and you had to survive fighting a gigantic plesiosaur while having your movement speed crippled by the water pressure.
It was a tense moment that still haunts me to this day as I distinctly remember scrambling and jumping to avoid being eaten by the sea monster that had the home-field advantage. The sequence almost felt like a precursor to games that invoked the terror of the seas like SOMA or Subnautica.
Sadly, after the release of Dino Crisis 3 on the original Xbox in 2003, there hasn’t been a new Dino Crisis game since. The most we’ve seen of Dino Crisis is being featured in Teppen as trading cards and the series’ protagonist, Regina as a guest character in the strategy-RPG, Namco X Capcom. Regina has also featured as a bonus costume for Jill Valentine in the original PlayStation One version of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.
If Capcom remade the original Dino Crisis game in the style of Resident Evil remakes, it would be an amazingly fresh survival horror experience as there aren’t many horror games out there which use dinosaurs to terrify gamers. They could take inspiration from Alien: Isolation to improve the AI of the dinosaurs to help them become smarter predators who slowly stalk the player before lunging at them, players would need to use the environment to escape like in the original Dino Crisis.
Although, I would also love to see a modern take on Dino Crisis 2 as I loved that game just as much as the first. Capcom could apply the gameplay structure of single-player action-oriented RE titles like Resident Evil 4 but apply it to Dino Crisis. We could go back in time to fight dinosaurs while purchasing upgrades to explore the pre-historic era of Earth and blow up dino bosses like the Giganotosaurus or the Spinosaurus.
Breath of Fire
When it comes JRPGs, most people usually think of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Shin Megami Tensei, and Pokémon. But did you know, Capcom once made a JRPG series that was able to compete against those franchises for a time? That series is known as Breath of Fire, a series of turn-based JRPGs that follow the tales of Ryu (not related to Street Fighter’s Ryu), a blue-haired boy who has the power to transform into a dragon.
These games were bright and colorful adventures that featured memorable characters, fun storylines, and engrossing gameplay mechanics. The most enjoyable of which is the ability to have Ryu transform into a variety of badass dragons and scorch the earth of enemies with his breath attacks. The party members who travel alongside Ryu aren’t pushovers either as they all have distinctive powers, making them valuable assets in battle. They can also be a delight to chat with out of battle as most of them have intriguing backstories and likeable personalities.
Each game in the Breath of Fire series had unique gameplay gimmicks and settings that set them apart from each other. Breath of Fire I and II allowed you to fuse certain party members together to create more powerful ones. Breath of Fire III had the Dragon Gene Splicing system where you could combine different Dragon Genes together to give Ryu different dragon forms.
Then in Breath of Fire IV, you could combine magic spells and skills during combat to activate combo attacks that dealt massive damage to enemies. In addition, Breath of Fire IV had a series of sidequests that had you track down ancient crystals that could grant Ryu new dragon powers.
Breath of Fire IV is my personal favorite as it had an amazing soundtrack, thrilling boss battles, gorgeous 2.5D graphics, an expansive world to explore, a ton of worthwhile sidequests to complete, two engaging concurrent storylines where you played as Ryu, and the game’s antagonist, Fou-Lu, and so much more. Not to mention, Breath of Fire IV has the best iteration of the series’ trademark fishing mini game.
Unfortunately, after the release of 2002’s Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter, a controversial entry that heavily shifted the series’ fantasy setting to a steampunk dystopia among other gameplay changes, Capcom was no longer invested in making Breath of Fire console games. The last Breath of Fire game was Breath of Fire 6, which was a mobile game released only in Japan in 2016 and was shut down in 2017.
I would kill for a new Breath of Fire game to be made in this day and age with modern-day graphics and advanced gameplay mechanics seen in current JRPGs. Imagine a remake of Breath of Fire I and seeing an RE Engine-rendered Ryu transforming into dragons and blasting away foes in 4K resolution and 120fps? Granted the chances of that happening are low as I feel Capcom has decided that Monster Hunter would be its flagship title for fantasy-themed games, but a man can still dare to dream.
Okami
Okami is a third-person action-adventure game where you play as Amaterasu, a sun goddess who takes the form of a wolf. Your goal in the game is to explore an ancient era of Japan and save the land from being destroyed by the evil eight-headed demon serpent, Orochi.
Aside from its deep explorative gameplay, story, and combat system, what made Okami stand out from its competitors, like The Legend of Zelda, is its unparalleled and beautiful presentation. The cel-shaded art style made me feel like I was witnessing a Japanese painting coming to life. The art style was even incorporated into the gameplay thanks to the Celestial Brush mechanic, which allowed you to literally paint over the environment to change it or cut down enemies with a stroke of the brush.
After its initial release on the PlayStation 2 in 2006, Okami spawned a small but noticeable legacy. It received several HD remasters over the years and a spiritual successor on the Nintendo DS called Okamiden. Amaterasu also cameoed in a couple of Capcom games like Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 as a playable character and in Monster Hunter Rise as a Palamute costume.
I was initially unsure if Capcom could or should remake Okami as the original game still holds up to this day thanks to its gorgeous art style and sound gameplay. However, when I saw the teaser for one of Capcom’s upcoming Xbox titles, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, and how wild and crazy-artistic that game looks, it made me think that maybe they could pull off an Okami remake. The remake would keep the traditional Japanese painting art style and action-adventure gameplay but update them using the RE Engine and modern gaming resolutions to create an artistic spectacle that would wow audiences even more than the original did.
Final Fight
The 2D beat em’ up genre has been making a comeback in recent years with knock-out hits like Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, Streets of Rage 4, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, and more. So, I think Capcom should muscle in on the arcade action and bring back the Final Fight series.
Final Fight was a series of beat em’ ups (plus one fighting game called Final Fight Revenge) Capcom made back in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s, which followed the adventures of Mike Haggar and his friends Cody and Guy as they fight to protect Metro City from criminal gangs plotting to take it over. Final Fight 1 was originally going to be a sequel to Street Fighter 1 titled Street Fighter 89, but it changed so much during development that it went from being a fighting game to a beat em’ up.
This decision worked out for the best as Final Fight, along with the original Double Dragon, revolutionized the genre and laid the groundwork for future beat em’ ups. Final Fight 1, 2, and 3 were fast-paced, addictive games that featured characters that were fun to play as and memorable villains we’d love to beat up.
After the release of the much-maligned, Final Fight: Streetwise in 2006, we have not had a new Final Fight game released since. On the bright side, both heroes and villains of Final Fight have lived on as playable characters in various Street Fighter and Marvel Vs. Capcom games. In addition, Metro City became the main setting for Street Fighter 6’s single-player World Tour Mode in which players could explore the city and beat up gang members in pseudo beat em’ up fights.
That being said, I think we need a full and proper remake/reiteration of Final Fight. It could be a traditional side-scrolling beat ‘em up like its predecessors or it could take inspiration from SEGA’s Like a Dragon series by making it into a third-person brawler but less story-heavy and more action-filled.
Mega Man
Before Monster Hunter, before Resident Evil, and even before Street Fighter, Capcom’s flagship franchise was Mega Man. Mega Man is a series of side-scrolling run and gun platformers that starred the titular Blue Bomber as he fought to protect the world from the evil Dr. Wily and his army of Robot Masters.
Back in the day, the Mega Man games were kings among retro platformers alongside Mario and even predating Sonic the Hedgehog. The level design was wildly imaginative and challenging, the bosses were cute and tough, the weapons and power-ups were cool and satisfying to use and some games had some of the most memorable soundtracks in video game history.
The Mega Man series became so popular that it spawned an ungodly number of spin-offs and sub-series including Mega Man X, Mega Man Legends, Mega Man Zero, Mega Man ZX, Mega Man Battle Network, Mega Man Star Force, and many more. Furthermore, the Blue Bomber and various other Mega Man characters have cameos and made playable guest appearances in various other franchises including Marvel Vs. Capcom, Monster Hunter, and even Super Smash Brothers.
Sadly, over the years, Mega Man has been constantly sidelined in favor of Capcom’s other franchises. After the release of Mega Man 8 in 1996-1997, fans had to wait over ten years for Mega Man 9, which was released in 2008. Then, when Mega Man 10 was released in 2010, fans had to wait eight years for another title in the form of Mega Man 11 in 2018 and there hasn’t been a new game since. On the bright side, the mainline Mega Man games have been re-released in various remaster collections like the Mega Man Legacy Collection with quality-of-life improvements to ease newcomers into the series.
I never grew up playing Mega Man games when they first came out, I only played them later in life through the Mega Man Legacy Collection. However, I can appreciate and respect the impact they had on the video game industry. In addition, I believe that the series’ gameplay formulae still hold water to this day despite how obviously low budget some of the games look.
I say it’s time Mega Man gets a big-budgeted, RE Engine-powered adventure that the series rightfully deserves for helping put Capcom on the gaming map. They could remake the mainline Mega Man series as 2.5D side-scrollers utilizing modern technology and gaming sensibilities to reinvent classic Mega Man bosses and stages so they could be more challenging and more visually striking than ever before.
Lost Planet
Lost Planet was a series of third-person shooters set in alien worlds where humans fought each other for survival while being assaulted at the same time by giant monsters known as Akrid. While Lost Planet wasn’t as famous as the other series on this list, these games had a cult following for tight gunplay, epic boss encounters, and memorable co-op gameplay.
Lost Planet 2 in particular, had an engrossing co-op campaign where players fought hordes of pirates, mechas, and gargantuan Akrid that required tight teamwork together to take them down. One memorable boss was a mountain-sized sandworm Akrid which chased you across a desert while you were riding on a train. The only way to kill it was to coordinate with your fellow players (or NPCs if you were playing alone) to operate a cannon mounted on the train and use it to blow up the Akrid.
What’s also cool is that the Lost Planet series shares DNA with Capcom’s Monster Hunter series. Both series primarily involved slaying giant monsters. Some of Lost Planet 2’s gameplay mechanics would later be incorporated into Monster Hunter World: Iceborne like the Clutch Claw grappling hook for example.
After the release of Lost Planet 3 in 2013, there have been no signs or references to the Lost Planet series since. I feel the Lost Planet series still has lots of potential for fun co-op action which remains untapped to this day and deserves a remake or a new entry to realize that.
Capcom could take Lost Planet and turn it into a sci-fi alternative to Monster Hunter, where you hunt down Akrid, using their body parts to create alien guns and armor. Furthermore, with the power of the RE Engine, epic set-pieces could be created which would be able to render nearly a thousand enemies at once like in Exoprimal.
Onimusha
What happens when you make a game that takes the exploration and puzzle-solving gameplay of Resident Evil, focusing heavily on melee combat, and is set in ancient Japan? You get Onimusha, a series of action-adventure games which debuted on the PlayStation 2. These games followed the legends of warriors defending Japan from a clan of evil demons known as the Genma while encountering some of Japan’s historical figures along the way.
These games featured fast-paced hack and slash combat systems, atmospheric environments to explore, devious puzzles to solve, powerful weapons, and powers to collect with fun heroes to play as. On an awesome side note, one of the playable characters in Onimusha 3: Demon Siege, Jacques Blanc, is modeled on and voiced by famed actor Jean Reno.
After the release of Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams in 2006, the Onimusha series faded into obscurity until 2018 when Capcom released an HD remaster of the original Onimusha title, Onimusha: Warlords on Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch, then on PC later in 2019. However, no new games have been made since then.
Action games set in feudal-era Japan are more popular than ever now thanks to smash hits like Ghost of Tsushima, Nioh and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. So, I feel now is the right time for Capcom to bring back Onimusha and capitalize on this trend.
If Capcom made a full-blown remake of Onimusha, they could make it into a third-person, over-the-shoulder adventure like Resident Evil 4 but keep the hack and slash combat of the original title. With the power of the RE Engine, they could take the Genma, which already looked scary by PlayStation 2 graphical standards, and reimagine them into nightmarish abominations.
And there you have some of my personal picks of Capcom series and games that deserve to be remade. If you think there are other Capcom games that should be brought back and earn a place among the best Xbox games on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, let your opinion be known in the comments section or on Twitter at @WinC_Gaming.
