If Capcom’s Classic Revival Plans Pan Out, One Franchise Should Be Next

If Capcom's Classic Revival Plans Pan Out, One Franchise Should Be Next



The Game Awards was filled with exciting announcements from several different developers, but Capcom arguably had the most surprising game reveals. The Japanese publisher announced not one, but two brand-new games during the event, both of which were new installments in franchises that had been dormant for a long time. The first game it unveiled was Onimusha: Way of the Sword, an all-new mainline entry in the cult classic hack-and-slash series set in feudal Japan. Capcom also gave fans their first look at an as-of-yet-untitled Okami sequel, which is being directed by former PlatinumGames game designer Hideki Kamiya and developed by the newly-established studio Clovers Inc.

Some gamers have been begging Capcom to make new Onimusha and Okami games for ages, so to see the company actually fulfill their wishes after so many years is entirely unexpected. What’s even more surprising, though, is the news that other inactive Capcom franchises may be revived in the future, as well. In an official press release, Capcom revealed that it intends to reactivate classic IPs “that haven’t had a new launch recently.” The publisher also stated that, in order to improve corporate value, it aims to leverage its “rich library of content” to create “highly-efficient, high-quality titles.” Capcom’s new strategy sounds like exactly what fans have been hoping for, but if it truly wants to commit to this approach, it should bring back the Dino Crisis franchise.

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The Pros and Cons of a Dino Crisis Remake Identical to Resident Evil

Capcom giving its long-dormant Dino Crisis IP the remake treatment like Resident Evil would most likely come with a few positives and negatives.

The Dino Crisis Series Should Make a Comeback

Dino Crisis Was One of Capcom’s Most Significant IPs During the 90s

When it comes to the survival horror genre, Capcom is typically known for its iconic Resident Evil series, which has been ongoing for nearly 30 years. Back in the day, however, it also made horror games in other franchises, such as Dino Crisis. Created by legendary game designer Shinji Mikami, Dino Crisis was basically a weird amalgamation of Resident Evil and Jurassic Park. It had all the frights and spooky tension of Capcom’s flagship franchise, but with the deadly dinosaurs of Spielberg’s classic film series. Since the tank controls and overall gameplay in the two Capcom franchises were pretty similar, many jokingly called Dino Crisis “Resident Evil with dinos.”

The first Dino Crisis game was released on the PS1 in 1999, only a couple of years after the first installment in the Resident Evil series had made its debut. The game, which was also ported to the Sega Dreamcast and Windows PC, was widely regarded as a success by both fans and series publisher Capcom, which revealed that it had sold 2.4 million units worldwide. Capcom eventually made two sequels to Dino Crisis, and even a light gun shooter spin-off, but due to the poor reception and sales of 2003’s Dino Crisis 3, the series was put on hiatus indefinitely.

There is a Lot of Demand for a New Dino Crisis Game

Even though it’s been more than 20 years since the last Dino Crisis game, the survival horror franchise still has a sizable fan base, as evidenced by Capcom’s recent surveys. Earlier this year, the Japanese studio sent out two separate surveys to gamers to ask them about their favorite Capcom games and what franchises they would like to see make a comeback. In both of these polls, Dino Crisis was consistently among the top most-mentioned series. 31.8% of the gamers that voted in Capcom’s Super Elections survey, for example, were most interested in a new Dino Crisis game above all else.

Since there is so much desire for another installment in the Dino Crisis franchise, a revival of the series seems inevitable at this point. It does, after all, feel like Capcom is missing out on a lot of money by not remaking the first Dino Crisis entry, or rebooting the series in some way. Ultimately, if Capcom can make new mainline Onimusha and Okami games after countless years, then surely it can do the same for Dino Crisis, too.

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