CAPCOM PARTY 2012. Asura - the god, Dante - the goth, and at the end - a Capcom cake
Last night, the "Exedra" restaurant hosted a presentation of the upcoming projects from Capcom called CAPCOM PARTY 2012, and we just couldn't miss it. Cozy halls were transformed into exhibition spaces for a long while, where everyone could personally try out various games. Initially, people clustered around the consoles, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening on the screens, and by some gaming tables, even small queues formed. A total of six games were announced: Asura’s Wrath, Dragon’s Dogma, [Street Fighter X Tekken](/games?search=Street Fighter X Tekken), [Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City](/games?search=Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City), DmC [Devil May Cry](/games?search=Devil May Cry), and [Resident Evil 6](/games?search=Resident Evil 6). Unfortunately, DmC [Devil May Cry](/games?search=Devil May Cry) and [Resident Evil](/games?search=Resident Evil) under number 6 were not present at CAPCOM PARTY 2012, but information about these projects was conveyed directly at the presentation, which began shortly thereafter. Despite some translation difficulties, the official representative of Capcom was able to convey certain information to the audience. I apologize for the quality of some photos; I was using what seemed like a "point-and-shoot" camera.
It is worth noting that a remastering of the first three parts of [Devil May Cry](/games?search=Devil May Cry) in HD format is coming. The presentation showed how the games looked before and after, including in video format. The improved Dante was slashing, shooting, and otherwise making short work of various creatures to lively music, so fans of the series will surely appreciate the updated [Devil May Cry](/games?search=Devil May Cry) in the near future. Additionally, other projects are on the way soon. For example, [Resident Evil](/games?search=Resident Evil): ORC and [Street Fighter X Tekken](/games?search=Street Fighter X Tekken) will be released in March, and [Asura's Wrath](/games?search=Asura's Wrath) in February. Moreover, several exclusive trailers were shown at CAPCOM PARTY 2012, and particularly memorable was the cinematic video for [Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City](/games?search=Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City), which, according to the presentation host, cost several million dollars. Quite a hefty sum for a five-minute video, wouldn't you agree? But honestly, it looks absolutely stunning.
The Capcom representative especially emphasized the upcoming project Dragon’s Dogma, which is a sort of medieval-style equivalent to Skyrim. According to him, the game will turn out fantastic and will surely gather its army of fans. He also mentioned that characters created in Dragon's Dogma can be shared via PSN and Xbox Live. However, it remains unclear what the purpose of this feature is. Although, if your friend levels someone up to a very high rank and then “gifts” them to you—it could be nice. After the presentation, everyone scattered back to the consoles, and your humble servant managed to personally assess each project.
First, I got my hands on [Street Fighter X Tekken](/games?search=Street Fighter X Tekken), which had a separate room set up for it. What can I say—it's fun, dynamic, and colorful. Before each fight, you can choose two fighters and designate each a behavior line. For example, focusing on attack, defense, or speed is permissible. I didn't notice much effect from changing these modes, considering that the player personally controls two fighters. During the fight, you can switch characters depending on which abilities are needed at the moment. If a fighter is getting hurt, you can switch them out for their partner before the first character is about to die. This often helped me win battles. After or before a battle, fighters from opposing sides chat among themselves and even joke. Overall, brawls with representatives from Tekken and [Street Fighter](/games?search=Street Fighter) are expected to be quite amusing.
Following that, I spent a long time “hooked” on Dragon’s Dogma, as the game seemed worthy of attention. Not understanding the buttons, I accidentally grabbed my teammate and then hurled him at some guard. I was immediately sent to jail, stripped of my clothes and weapons, and fined. I would have been running around naked if it weren't for one kind stranger (I'm told it was either Capcom Central Europe marketing director Kai Stüve or PR manager Lars Kume) who gave me some advice. After selecting a quest in the city, I ran off to explore the nearby area with three team members. I ran around for quite a while and still didn't reach the end of the location. Capcom claimed that the game world is entirely open, go where you want and do what you want. And it's true, essentially. As I progressed, I smashed several goblin camps, spent the night in a forest hideout, encountered a gigantic troll, attacked an enemy castle, and eliminated all its defenders, before my team was ambushed by archers, and everything ended in disaster. I can't yet claim that we have a clone of Skyrim, but the game is already impressing with its scale.
[Asura's Wrath](/games?search=Asura's Wrath) was the third project I got to familiarize myself with after waiting for my turn. What can I say—it’s a grandiose game, to put it mildly. Overthrown and betrayed by his heavenly colleagues, the god named Asura is reborn on this mortal soil, driven by a singular goal—revenge. Demonic, glowing eyes and a fearsome appearance immediately indicate Asura's nature—it's best not to mess with this guy. At first, I was attacked by red monkeys, then I took down a red turtle and subsequently broke the tusks of an enormous yet again red elephant. In the heat of battle, Asura frequently fell into rage and delivered jaw-dropping moves. We will soon be able to assess Asura's hatred for all living things, but for now, it's just a first look at a promising project.
The last game was [Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City](/games?search=Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City), where I played as a female soldier from the Umbrella Security Service. The girl, clad in latex, seductively swaying her figure, briskly dispatched zombies and US special forces with firearm and melee weapons. Following her was her team, consisting of equally tough characters. I played for just a short while, so I couldn't assess all the merits of the project. Nevertheless, it's already clear that the two opposing groups—USS and [Spec Ops](/games?search=Spec Ops)—pursue completely different objectives. Playing as the Umbrella Security Service, I had to destroy servers and various pieces of evidence compromising the corporation. The special forces, according to the game's plot, will have to find and guard all of this from the USS's encroachments. The gloomy atmosphere in [Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City](/games?search=Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City) was fully preserved, with zombies and various creatures appearing from behind closed doors or even breaking through walls. It's quite scary but very intriguing. Let's see what comes of it.
Regarding those projects that were not presented “in person” at the presentation, DmC [Devil May Cry](/games?search=Devil May Cry) and [Resident Evil 6](/games?search=Resident Evil 6)—these projects could only be assessed through the videos shown to us. Dante from the new game has changed radically; now he is a short-haired brunette with the rugged appearance of a hardcore addict with a gothic flair. Perhaps this is how young Dante was meant to be, considering that the game's events take place long before the narrative twists of the first part. The gameplay has not externally changed—Dante performs breathtaking jumps, pulls enemies towards him, and cheerfully bashes them in the air for several seconds before pulling out his pistols and shooting foes with both barrels. Very little was revealed about [Resident Evil 6](/games?search=Resident Evil 6)—they showed an already known clip where an infected president was attempting to bite one of the main characters, and disclosed some plot details. For instance, that the action of the game takes place several years after the events of [Resident Evil 5](/games?search=Resident Evil 5), and we will once again meet the heroes from previous games in the series.
The CAPCOM PARTY 2012 event was very successful. A lot of games and information, a cozy and trusting atmosphere—what else do you need for happiness? Thanks to “1C-SoftClub” and Capcom for the good organization of the presentation.