House of Nintendo Presents: The Third Parties: Capcom

Filed in archive Features on March 21, 2008

Everybody knows that third party support is important for any game console. Even a developer as accomplished as Nintendo needs other developers to succeed on their platform.

So, it is no surprise that third party support on Wii is one of the biggest controversies surrounding the system.

It is this blogger's opinion that third party support has been fine, when one factors in the circumstances the system was in. Hardly anyone believed that the system would succeed and as such few were on board. The few that were, like Ubisoft, were rewarded with million sellers like Red Steel.

Part of the problem is the video game enthusiast press, especially print magazines. IGN has a dedicated Nintendo staff that is forced to pay attention. The magazines (especially Game Informer) get very enthused about PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 titles and seem to give mediocre support to Wii games. So, one problem is that gamers are often unaware of what is even available and what is coming (which is why we choose to do things like our RPG preview series at House of Nintendo: it's all about being informed!).

This series will briefly talk about the third party company in general, what they've done for Wii so far, and what we'll see from them in the future. Let's start by introducing one of Nintendo's oldest friends, Capcom.


Image from IGN.com

Capcom was formed in 1979 in Japan, and have established themselves as one of the greatest "developer/publisher" combos of all time. Part of the reason for the Osaka based companies success was and still is their very aggressive American branch. Capcom USA, under the leadership of Capcom's vice president of business development and strategic planning, Christian Svensson, are marketing wizards. They're smart: they reach out to fans in useful and constructive ways.

For example, noticing a slow but unusually steady pace of orders for the DS adaptation of Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney, Capcom USA helped build a fan community by allowing certain game assets to be used by personal fan websites. By nurturing this growing interest, Capcom has taken a years old Japanese franchise using a thought to be moribund game genre (point and click adventure) and made it into a flagship series in the United States. Very smart.

Fans, however, no doubt remember Capcom for their steady stream of classics, including Mega Man and street fighter II. Not too mention the amazing Bionic Commando! With all that support, one would have expected the company to come out swinging with Wii titles right off the bat. Well... not exactly. Whether it is because they didn't believe in Wii or because of simple timing, the company just didn't have much going for the console early on. They have, however, enthusiastically supported the Virtual Console from the very beginning, as many Capcom classics can be found on the service.

The first blip was a re-release of the superb Resident Evil: 4, which updated (and vastly better IMO) Wii controls. Though highly recommended, it was of course a port. The first new game of note, and the first exclusive, was the much heralded Zak and Wiki: Quest for Barbaro's Treasure. While not a massive hit, it is generally regarded as one of the Wii's finest titles and is continuing to sell at a steady pace.

The next exclusive Wii effort was The Umbrella Chronices, the Resident Evil Themed light gun shooter. Providing an experience unique for Wii (it was a flagship title for the Zapper gun shell) with a strong IP, this is clearly Capcom's first hit Wii game. It has shipped a million copies so far.

So what's next for the company?

For one, they may be resposible for publishing the finest golf game yet on Wii. We Love Golf, coming out sometime in 2008, is a full blown, AAA level golf extravaganza. It's being developed by Camelot in Japan, a highly respected developer who has done such titles as Golden Sun and Mario Tennis.

Next, they are remaking a 2006 PS2 game called Okami. Oh, another remake, big deal. Well, Okami is a BIG DEAL. IGN.com's 2006 game of the year, Okami is a Zelda inspired adventure with stunning artistry. It was a commercial failure for Capcom, but a groundswell of support for a Wii version started rumbling down the pipeline. Okami had certain features that really begged for Wii conversion, such as "celestial painting," and it didn't take long for Capcom to realize that they had something special on their hands. Expect Okami to drop sometime this year as well, and maybe the game will get the attention it deserves.

Finally, we have Street Fighter IV. The sequel to the legendary game is coming to the "monster" consoles for sure, but what about Wii? We don't know yet, but Capcom has hinted that a port of possible.

So while Capcom may have come out of the gate slowly, it appears that their Wii support is growing and only getting stronger.

Read the IGN.com article about how Okami was remade for Wii.