Forgotten Capcom Multiplayer Games You Didn’t Know Existed

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Summary

  • Not all of Capcom’s games are as popular as those in the Monster Hunter franchise, particularly on the multiplayer side.
  • Multiplayer games from Capcom like Cannon Spike and Mega Man Battle & Chase could be revisited in the future.
  • Steel Battalion: Line of Contact showcases Capcom’s unique mech battles; a forgotten gem in multiplayer.

Monster Hunter Wilds is quickly becoming Capcom‘s best-selling game in recent history. There are a lot of people that really love the series and this one is clicking more so than many others, even though there are some debates online whether or not it is too easy. That could be one reason why a lot of people are jumping into the series for the first time though. After all, this similar situation happened with Fire Emblem Awakening on the 3DS after it added a casual mode.

The series exploded after that and now it’s one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises. Capcom has made a lot of great multiplayer games besides Monster Hunter Wilds and many have not been as successful. Let’s look back at some of them and see whether or not they should make a return in some form or another.

This list includes games either developed or published by Capcom.

8. Cannon Spike

A Crossover Shooter

Cannon Spike was released in arcades in 2000, followed by a Sega Dreamcast port in that same year. It was a top-down shooter/brawler that crossed over characters from many Capcom franchises. Several characters from Street Fighter made it in like Cammy and Charlie along with Mega Man from his titular series.

The roster wasn’t huge, but there were some neat nods to older franchises kind of forgotten by 2000. Players could get into the game alone or with a buddy in co-op, which the difficulty was designed around.

7. Mega Man Battle & Chase

It’s-A Mario Clone

The game titled “Mega Man Battle & Chase” was a racing game on PlayStation 1 that took inspiration from the “Super Mario Kart” model. Characters both good and evil, well-known from the Mega Man series, engaged in zany races across vibrant tracks armed with various weapons. Notably, it was initially launched only in Japan and Europe, a less common practice back then.

For a karting clone, it’s a pretty solid one to this day with a good roster to fall back on. Some other notable multiplayer games include Wily & Right no RockBoard: That’s Paradise, which was a board game for the NES similar to Monopoly and a soccer game aptly titled Mega Man Soccer for the SNES.

6. Onimusha: Blade Warriors

Too Early To Cash In On Smash

Onimusha: Warlords was released in 2001, kicking off Capcom’s latest horror franchise. This fighting game spinoff similar to Super Smash Bros., Onimusha: Blade Warriors, was released in 2003 in Japan and a year later in the West.

By this point, only the first two main games and one tactical RPG spinoff had been released. It seems wild to launch a fighting game with crossover characters between entries when there wasn’t much to draw on. It was a competent platform fighter on the PS2 but nothing mind-blowing.

5. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D

Killing Zombies On The Go

There have been a lot of attempts to turn Resident Evil into a multiplayer game. Most of these examples, like Resident Evil: Raccoon City or Umbrella Corps, are easy to play nowadays thanks to backwards compatibility. That’s not the case with Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D as it was exclusive to the 3DS.

It launched a few months after the 3DS’ North American release as a multiplayer forward experience devoid of any story. Players could co-op or compete in maps from the series and play as iconic heroes like Jill, Chris, and even Wesker just to name a few. It was impressive for the handheld to run, but that didn’t translate into stellar gameplay.

4. Steel Battalion: Line of Contact

Putting That Expensive Controller To Good Use

Steel Battalion got a lot of press when it launched for the original Xbox in 2002 because it shipped with an expensive controller to simulate mech battles. There was even an ejection button mounted on the controller. Later, Capcom released Steel Battalion: Line of Contact which was a multiplayer-only game that used Xbox Live to connect players.

Besides the controller, it was a fairly standard mech game with plenty of weapons and customization options. It’s one of the hardest mech series around, no matter which entry players hopped into, and it is also largely forgotten.

3. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars

An Anime Fighter With Surprises

  • Developer: Eighting
  • Publisher: Capcom
  • Released: January 26, 2010 (NA)
  • Platform: Wii

Capcom excels at fighting games and they are seemingly willing to try anything at least once. Most Capcom fans are familiar with the Marvel vs Capcom series, but they may not be familiar with another crossover fighter that was exclusive to the Wii, at least for consoles.

The game, titled “Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars,” featured a unique blend of characters hailing from both Capcom’s roster and popular Japanese anime series, many of which were less known in Western regions. Consequently, the game didn’t resonate as strongly with some players due to this cultural difference, despite its combat remaining strong as ever. Notably, it showcased several uncommon characters at the time such as Frank West from “Dead Rising” and Mega Man Volnutt from “Mega Man Legends.

2. Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble

The Last Adventure For Joe

Onimusha: Blade Warriors was not the only platform fighter Capcom released. Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble spelled the end of that series, which was also short-lived. Unlike Onimusha: Blade Warriors, Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble had more heroes and villains to work with, giving fans a bigger roster.

Also, it launched on two platforms via the GameCube and PSP. Viewtiful Joe burned hot with quite a few spinoffs and entries in just a couple of years, but Capcom hasn’t been back to it since the 2000s, making it a forgotten franchise overall.

1. We Love Golf!

Before Mario Could Make It Out The Door

The Wii came bundled with Wii Sports which included a basic golf game among other sports titles. It was a huge hit, so naturally, the race to make competitive games was large, including We Love Golf! on the Wii. What makes this entry unique is that it was developed by Camelot, the studio responsible for most Mario-based sports titles including Mario Golf.

On the Wii, a Mario Golf game wasn’t released; instead, one was published by Capcom rather than Nintendo. Since there were numerous golf games available, many people might not have been aware that it existed on the Wii. Even when a game came from renowned studios, it could easily go unnoticed.

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2025-03-18 04:41