Recently, during a spring update event for Street Fighter V, Capcom finally unveiled gameplay for its newest DLC character. That new fighter is Akira Kazama, the iconic leather-clad brawler from Capcom's forgotten fighter Rival Schools. For many fans of both Street Fighter and Capcom fighters in general, this new appearance of Akira is a bittersweet affair. Akira Kazama's inclusion is a reminder that Capcom has many excellent fighters that need to make a comeback.
Capcom is almost bursting at the seams with incredible titles that the company has seemingly forgotten about. Over the years this iconic Japanese publisher hasn't been afraid to experiment and try new ideas, even with some of its most valuable franchises. If Capcom revived some of its forgotten classics, the company could enrich the fighting game community as a whole. Here are three classic fighters that need to make a comeback.
Street Fighter Ex
Eager to compete with the 90s explosion of early 3D fighters like Virtua Fighter and Tekken, Capcom created a 3D Street Fighter, 1996's Street Fighter Ex. The joint development between Arika and Capcom saw the classic Street Fighter characters square off against a wild variety of memorable characters like Skullomania and Doctrine Dark. Street Fighter Ex was a surprise to fans and was a series that only got better with its two sequels released in 1998 and 2000. While never as popular as Virtua Fighter or Tekken, Street Fighter Ex was a great experiment by Capcom, and is worthy of a follow-up.
A brand new Street Fighter Ex that featured realistic 3D visuals could be a treat with today's technology. Considering Akuma's appearance in Tekken 7, fans can already see how great the classic Street Fighter heroes and villains could look in a realistic style. A new Street Fighter Ex that added 3D movement along with the visuals would play completely differently from the classic 2D style, and could give fans a unique gameplay experience with all the classic trappings surrounding everything else.
Saturday Night Slam Masters
Admittedly, this entry is more of a wrestling game than a traditional fighter, but Saturday Night Slam Masters is a wrestling game that is just such a blast to play. An early crossover for Capcom, the developer brought Final Fight's mustache-sporting mayor of Metro City, Mike Haggar, back into the squared circle. Capcom created an amazing wrestling game that featured the pugilist politician as one of eight unique characters.
Although the mechanics were similar to other wrestling games, Slam Masters presented the action with a fighting game side-view camera. This subtle switch made the game feel more akin to Street Fighter than Fire Pro Wrestling. More importantly, Slam Masters took the action way over the top, giving the wrestlers special moves that rivaled what the mystical combatants of Street Fighter could pull off.
Wrestling games today can be too focused on the hyper-realistic recreation of the events. A new wrestling game that featured colorful characters in an arcade-style brawl could provide another great avenue for casual wrestling fans. A new Saturday Night Slam Masters that featured over-the-top special moves and ridiculous characters could be a blast to play. Capcom could even continue the trend of cameos and feature Street Fighter's R. Mika as the face of the new title as well.
X-Men: Children of the Atom
Released at a time when Marvel Comics and the X-Men were at a boom in popularity, 1994's X-Men: Children of the Atom was a gorgeous looking and innovative fighting game. Children of the Atom introduced gameplay mechanics like the Super Jump and many others which would go on to become staples in the ultra-popular follow-up crossover series Marvel vs. Capcom. Children of the Atom had a deep-cut roster of comic favorites including Omega Red and Silver Samurai alongside Wolverine and Magneto. Capcom delivered these characters in an absolutely gorgeous sprite-based art style, with all the characters sporting the iconic 90s costumes.
Today, Marvel is currently enjoying another historic height, this time in the realm of films. The X-Men continues to be one of the company's most popular properties. With the X-Men film license returning to Marvel through its purchase of 20th Century Fox, now is the perfect time to resurrect this amazing game. A remake of the fast-paced classic could feature a mix of obscure and popular characters and keep the incredible 2D sprite style as well for a treat to comic, video game and film fans alike.
Capcom has already seen massive success remaking its Resident Evil series, and the company could continue this wave by resurrecting some of its most unique and fun fighting games as well. With the recent success of Monster Hunter Rise and the upcoming highly-anticipated Resident Evil Village in the pipeline, Capcom is poised for another banner year. Hopefully, the iconic company has some surprises up its sleeve for fighting game fans, and more of Capcom's amazing roster of forgotten games can make a great comeback someday soon.