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Capcom fiscal 2011 strategy: Shorter dev cycles, more new franchises
Capcom has made a real attempt in recent years to break down the firewall between western and eastern development, something it's still struggling with if "sluggish" sales in 2009 are any indication. But according to a recent report (warning: PDF link) circulated to investors, the company's still refining its approach and hopes to "create games faster by using a hybrid approach combining internal and outsourced development." According to the strategy report, that will translate to more new franchises from the company, -- something it hasn't had much luck with lately, with Bionic Commando, Dark Void and Spyborgs all failing to perform exceptionally well either critically or at retail. Perhaps some of these new IPs will become downloadable, as the company says it plans on digitally distributing more games in fiscal 2011. Capcom also used the report to show high hopes for its upcoming slate of titles, with a projected 3.6 million units sold for Monster Hunter Freedom 3, 3 million for Dead Rising 2, 2.2 for Lost Planet 2 and 2 million for Marvel vs. Capcom 3. That's certainly optimistic, considering the company's biggest seller in FY 2009, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, sold 1.35 million copies.
New Spyborgs trailer goes up
We find it funny that Capcom is celebrating the existence of an elevator level in Spyborgs with this trailer -- elevator levels are basically the laziest way to design a brawler level, requiring only a persistent floor, a looping background and frequent enemy drops from the top of the screen.That said, if you like brawlers, you probably like the opportunity to just beat up a pile of enemies without distractions like walking around. We know we do. And the more we think about it, the more we feel that focusing on the elevator level shows a certain level of familiarity with the staples of the brawling genre that is a bit comforting.
Spyborgs dev: Wii 'not excuse' for bad graphics
The gang at 4 Color Rebellion nabbed an interview with Spyborgs lead producer Daryl Allison, in which he (very) subtly slams Wii developers for using the system itself as a cop-out for delivering sub-par visuals. "We were going to make a game that fans of Devil May Cry and God of War would enjoy," Allison said. "Those gamers expect great graphics. Being on the Wii was not an excuse to disappoint them."We're not sure it's kosher for Allison to throw rocks at other Wii titles before his is completely finished, but we do agree with his point. Wii may not be an HD powerhouse, but it's capable of some truly lovely looking games. Unfortunately, those titles take the type of motivation that isn't printed by the US Treasury to make.
The sights, sounds, and spiderbots of Spyborgs
We didn't realize Spyborgs had such cool music. We watched the GamesCom trailer above expecting to hear the normal crunching metal and explosion noises you'd expect from a sci-fi brawler. Instead, we got something that makes us want to turn the video on, get up and just dance.After the break, see a boss battle against a guy named Colt in a huge spider robot thing. Now there are the sound effects we expected, as a team of Borgs violently dismantles a mech in some kind of lava pit. Spyborgs will be out September 22, one of the few Capcom releases to remain in 2009.%Gallery-24211%
Spyborgs release bumped up a week to September 22
Capcom has just sent word that its upcoming Wii title, Spyborgs, will be available on September 22, a week earlier than expected. To celebrate the news, Capcom has also dished out some new screens and its first in a series of webisodes highlighting the title, which has such witty one-liners as, "I eat bots for breakfast," and, "Time to kick bot." ... but, if Stinger is part robot and he eats bots for breakfast, isn't that kinda cannibalism? %Gallery-69862%
Capcom reveals GamesCom 2009 lineup, safety hazard
Capcom has dropped word on the titles it plans to feature at the GamesCom Conference in Cologne later this month, and (for the most part) the games feature a hearty scoop of violence. Kicking things off with the oft-delayed Dark Void, Capcom will feature Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars, Monster Hunter Tri and Spyborgs for the Wii, along with Lost Planet 2 and MotoGP 09/10 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. To promote the Rocketeer/alien battle simulator Dark Void, Capcom is hosting an event in which attendees can take flight in the Dark Void Body Flying Machine, a rigged, vertically-oriented airstream shooting gamers into the air at speeds of up to 180km/h. Luckily, Capcom is also sponsoring taxis throughout Cologne, so if something goes wrong during its "sounds like a tremendous idea on paper" gamer cannon event, attendees can make their way safely to the emergency room. GamesCom runs from August 19-23 in Cologne, Germany.
Spy with your little eye: New Spyborgs trailer
If there's one thing we can say about this new Spyborgs trailer, it's that somebody at Capcom has been watching themselves a lot of 24. While the editing may be a bit suspect, the gameplay is not. Though it is a brief trailer, we do get to see all three protagonists roll up their robotic sleeves and get their hands dirty, so go on, give it a watch above.%Gallery-24211%
Spyborgs team up to attack retail September 29
Capcom has finally announced a date for its new Wii brawler, Spyborgs. The cooperative action game from Bionic Games will be out in North America on September 29. Originally announced at Capcom's Captivate '08 event, Spyborgs underwent major retooling, becoming a bit less "kiddie"-looking in the process. As the new boxart shows (in full after the break), the game carries a T rating.If you're eager to try out Spyborgs before September, you still have a week to plan a trip to the San Diego Comic-Con, where Capcom will offer the first public demo, as well as some unspecified Spyborgs-related giveaways. At the moment, Capcom seems to be the best reason to attend Comic-Con.%Gallery-24211%
Spyborgs' Bionic Games lays off some of its staff
Bionic Games, developers of the Capcom-published action game Spyborgs, has laid off an unspecified number of staff, according to statements given to G4 by company president Michael Haller. "On Friday, we began moving team members to other projects and laying off those for whom we do not have an immediate position," Haller said. "This is normal at every development studio that I am familiar with." He denied rumors that a refusal to pay by Capcom had forced the company to shut down entirely.According to Haller, the current state of Spyborgs development no longer required the full complement of employees at Bionic. "Last week, we completed our Beta delivery [of Spyborgs] to Capcom," he told G4. "We now only need a small team to handle any bugs that might pop up over the next month or so. The game is for all intents and purposes finished and delivered."In fact, Haller confirmed that Bionic is "six months into" its next project, and will begin hiring more staff following a successful prototype submission for that game.%Gallery-24211%
Joystiq hands-on: Spyborgs
click to enlarge Nintendo fans may not be able to get their hands on Bionic Commando, but Capcom may have something even better for Wii owners. Spyborgs has its own bionic cybernetic arm-enhanced warrior, and it's but one of three characters you can play as in Spyborgs.So, what are the Spyborgs? They're an elite team of good guys, each with a unique cybernetic attachment. However, a former Spyborg has gone rogue, capturing heroes in an evil attempt to -- wait for it -- TAKE OVER THE WORLD! Or, at the very least, make himself into a god. Just another day in the life of a video game, right? In Spyborgs, players will choose to play as one of the three remaining team members: Stinger, the Bionic Commando wannabe; Clandestine, a nimble, skinny female ninja; and Bouncer, a linebacker-ish robo-dude.%Gallery-24211%
Watch Capcom's full Spyborgs pitch
It's not by chance that we've chosen this particular screenshot from Capcom's full Spyborgs presentation, which you can watch right here and read some notes on here. The game, indeed, looks about 30 times more awesome than the first time we laid eyes on it lo those many months ago.Now, we don't want to be Negative Nathaniels here, but we're still a little unsure there's an audience for a non-kiddie brawler on the Wii. That said, Spyborgs appears to be loads more focused than the last time we saw it, and that's got to be a step in the right direction.
Capcom's Spyborgs resurfaces, fresh video and screens
Having dropped off the radar to undergo a significant overhaul last year, Capcom and Bionic Games' Spyborgs has reemerged much, much prettier. The design has changed dramatically, dropping the original bright and cutesy look for something darker and (slightly) more mature. Granted, it's not nearly as gritty as, say, Gears of War, but it's definitely different. Also, while the title appears to retain some of its intended Saturday morning cartoon camp, the mini-games -- which were made to look like television commercials -- are nowhere to be seen.Check out a new trailer above and peruse the new screens in the gallery below. The gallery contains our shots from the old version of Spyborgs too, so you can see how different the game has become.%Gallery-24211%
CAPTIVATE09 takes place in Monte Carlo, new game announcements imminent
In an effort to reach out to its fans in the Western European version of CAPTIVATE08's setting, Capcom announced details (via Capcom-Unity) this week about its "totally not a gamer's day" event, unironically titled CAPTIVATE09. Taking place in Monte Carlo, Monaco, the company says it's announcing "new games" at the event (emphasis on the "s" at the end there) -- an especially interesting statement to make considering Capcom's Chris Kramer said this week on the Giant Bombcast, "We are announcing at least two titles at E3." How many games are in development at Capcom right now that we don't know about?!Other items of note are new looks at Spyborgs (the "actually a game" game for Wii) and Resident Evil The Darkside Chronicles. If you're one of the lucky few already chosen from the Capcommunity (see what we did there?) to attend, make sure to bring your jewel-encrusted Wiimote and blood-spattered Tricell messenger bag, so you don't look out of place. And send us tips!
Capcom: Spyborgs undergoing 'significant overhaul'
Shown for the first time at the company's Captivate 2008 event in June, Capcom's Wii-exclusive action title Spyborgs is undergoing some serious ... re-tooling. This news comes as little surprise, considering the game was a complete no-show at E3. In an official forum post, Christian Svensson, Capcom's senior director of strategic planning & research, said, "You won't see new [Spyborgs] assets for several more months," adding, "We're refining it considerably (pretty much as significant an overhaul as Dark Void underwent from its first announcement to its first big reveal)." Hoping to quell fears that the game has outright stalled, Svensson assured that, "I have seen a new build recently though. It's coming along nicely."[Via Go Nintendo]
Capcom informs of Spyborgs overhaul, already thinking about sequel
While lobbying questions about Spyborgs and, uh, Zack & Wiki 2 (oh how we wish it wasn't such a pipe dream), Capcom's Corporate Officer/VP of Strategic Planning & Business Development, Christian Svensson, kind of explained why the game was missing from E3. You see, Capcom is "refining it considerably." Also, when asked about online co-op, Sven commented that it would only local multiplayer, because Capcom has to "save some features for the sequel." We guess they're planning a franchise around this!%Gallery-24237%
Spyborgs not sneaking in to E3 this year
When it was first announced, we promised to keep an eye on the doin's and transpirin's of Spyborgs. The trailer is hilarious, the dev team is experienced, and Capcom is talking it up like it's going to be some kind of surprise hit. The sad truth -- everyone needs to wait a little longer before hearing more news about this silly sci-fi title.Spyborgs won't be shown at E3, the biggest marketing and promotions event of the year. After being questioned about the game in the Capcom forums, the all-knowing Christian Svensson mentioned that there were limited details at Captivate 08 (yeah, we know), but it's still going to "lie low for a bit until we're ready for a bigger reveal." It makes sense in a way -- with the onslaught of overhyped bigger games coming up at E3, it might be best to sneak this smaller, hopefully good game under the radar, and bust out the details when we least expect it.%Gallery-24237%[Via Nintendo Everything]
Captivate 2008 screenshot roundup
Interested to see all the eye candy that came from Capcom's Captivate 08 event? From jet packs, zombies and bionic arms to Neopets and banjo-playing fish-cyborgs, check out all the new screenshots below (also after the break):%Gallery-24222%%Gallery-24248%
Joystiq impressions: Spyborgs (Wii)
"Most of the stuff on the Wii is ports or micro-game stuff and I think most gamers are getting pretty sick of it. I don't want to mince words: We actually wanted to make a game."It was with those fightin' words that Bionic Games designer Mike Stout started his Captivate 08 presentation of Spyborgs in Las Vegas this week. Though we've seen a couple of early stages and the same debut trailer as you, we're still not sure if the game's living up to the gauntlet being thrown down. %Gallery-24211%
Capcom reveals sci-fi Spyborgs [update]
[Update: trailer!] What's this? A Wii exclusive from Capcom? Our spherical future-predictin' device indicates that IGN's Matt Casamassina will go nuts for the newly-announced Spyborgs, and that it will not do as well as it probably should, and may perhaps be too difficult for some. Oh, wait -- that's not a crystal ball, it's last year's news! At last week's Captivate 08, Capcom did in fact announce a new game, exclusively for Wii, that does feature bright, cartoonish graphics, but is nothing at all like Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure. First, there's nary a pirate present (that we've seen, but there is a pirate-y sort of ship), and instead of a puzzle/adventure, Spyborgs looks to be a sci-fi action title with a dollop of brawler blood. Since we love us some brawlers around here, you can bet we'll be keeping an eye on Bionic Games' effort. For now, you'll have to be satisfied with the first screens tucked away in our gallery below. %Gallery-24237%
Capcom announces Wii exclusive 'Spyborgs'
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Capcom_announces_Wii_exclusive_Spyborgs'; In the midst of promoting returning favorites like Resident Evil, Bionic Commando and Street Fighter, Capcom also took a little time for some new properties during last week's Captivate 08 event in Las Vegas. Perhaps the biggest unveiled was Spyborgs, a Wii-exclusive title coming in 2009.The action title is being created by Bionic Games, an offshoot of sorts of High Impact Games that's chock-full of former Insomniac staffers, and helmed by Mike Stout, Lead Multiplayer Designer for Resistance: Fall of Man. It's early days yet, but what we've seen looks like a sci-fi brawler crossed with an episode of Ren and Stimpy. If that makes zero sense to you (and why should it?), you may just want to come back for our impressions later today.%Gallery-24211%
