Summary
Capcom could do no wrong in the 90s along with a lot of other Japanese companies like Konami. However, their rollout certainly slowed down during the 3D era including on consoles like the PS2 and beyond. They weren’t getting worse over time it’s just that games took longer to release.
Games were also getting harder which is wild to say as the NES and SNES eras had a lot of infamously cruel titles likeNinja Gaiden. Capcom had some hard games too likeSuper Ghouls ‘n Ghostsand that philosophy could have gone into designing these PS2 games. Some are downright mean while others just need a little patience.
Haunting Groundis still one of Capcom’s hardest gameson any platform. Unlike survival-horror hits likeResident Evil,Haunting Grounddoesn’t allow players to fight back much. The game followed a young girl, Fiona, who got trapped in a castle. She befriends a dog, Hewie, who could mildly attack enemies long enough for Fiona to escape. Hiding is the best option for Fiona and Capcom put out a similar title to this on PS2,Clock Tower 3, which was also a passive horror game.
Red Dead Revolveris the game that started theRed Dead Redemptionempire. This was before Rockstar though and the game was a more linear, level-based action shooter instead of an open-world adventure. Players would go level to level, fighting random enemies and ending with a spectacular boss fight. For example, there was one bounty that armed a casket full of weapons and shot it like one too. It’s far from Capcom’s hardest game on the system, but the boss fights could put up quite the resistance.
Viewtiful Joe was one of the best-looking titles on the system and it still is thanks to the cel-shaded art. Players began as Joe, an ordinary fan of cinema and shows likePower Rangers, until he unlocked the power to transform into a superhero. This allowed players to slow down or speed up time.
It was worked on by Capcom’s subsidiary, Clover Studio, which would later evolve into a post-Capcom spiritual successor, PlatinumGames.PlatinumGames is known for high-octane actionat the cost of high-difficulty spikes and that’s whatViewtiful Joewas all about too. It could be stylish, but players had to be careful with their actions.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakeningis one of the most challenging games in the series and on the PS2 as a whole. It was kind of like a nice reboot for the series as it was a prequel starring a younger version of Dante. Players were given more weapons and styles to tinker with during combat which made it more engaging. It also added to the challenge though because it was harder to tell what enemy was weak to what. Also, enemies overall fought back with a vengeance, giving players little room to mess up.
Maximo: Ghosts to Glorywas a reboot as well for theGhouls ‘n Ghostsfranchise. That original game on the NES will make any expert on Soulslike games cry.Maximo: Ghosts to Gloryis not as hard as that game but it still offers players quite the challenge. Enemies can pop out of nowhere, health is low at all times, and the camera angle doesn’t help either. Past the difficulty is a fun idea for a reboot though and one that is more engaging than the 80s and 90s games that seem like they were made by the devil himself.
Resident Evil Outbreakwas the first game in the franchise to offer players co-op and online co-op to boot. It took place in Raccoon City loosely based around the events of the second and third games. Players could choose one of several characters to inhabit, including a driver or a waitress.
Players would then work together to try and get out of the city. Resources were more scarce than the mainline titles which is why it got hard fast. Also, the online connectivity wasn’t perfect on PS2, leading to some bad communication during gameplay.
Monster Hunterhasto be up there as one of Capcom’s hardest franchises from day one. If players thought thatMonster Hunter Worldwas still hard then they have never played any game before it including the original. There were barely any tutorials and monsters had no HP bars, which is still common. That’s part of the reason why players loved it so much though as the game sort of tossed them into an arena to figure things out for themselves much like modern Soulslikes. Even with online co-op, it was still a brutal endeavor.
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarteris Capcom’s hardest game on the PS2 because there is essentially a time limit counting down to a Game Over screen. The hook of this series allows the main character to turn into dragons. It’s a neat mechanic that returns in this fifth game. However, there is a gauge that takes a percentage every time players use it. There’s no way to decrease it properly and once it is filled, that’s it which is ridiculous. Completing the game without dragon powers is wild and it’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation.
