The Game Awards was filled with exciting announcements from several different developers, butCapcomarguably 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 wasOnimusha: Way of the Sword, an all-new mainline entry in the cult classic hack-and-slash series set in feudal Japan.Capcomalso gave fans their first look at an as-of-yet-untitledOkamisequel, 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 newOnimushaandOkamigames 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 theDino Crisisfranchise.
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 itsiconicResident Evilseries, which has been ongoing for nearly 30 years. Back in the day, however, it also made horror games in other franchises, such asDino Crisis. Created by legendary game designer Shinji Mikami,Dino Crisiswas basically a weird amalgamation ofResident EvilandJurassic 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 calledDino Crisis“Resident Evilwith dinos.”
ThefirstDino Crisisgamewas released on the PS1 in 1999, only a couple of years after the first installment in theResident Evilseries 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 toDino Crisis,and even a light gun shooter spin-off, but due to the poor reception and sales of 2003’sDino 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 lastDino Crisisgame, 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 Crisiswas consistently among the top most-mentioned series. 31.8% of thegamers that voted in Capcom’s Super Elections survey, for example, were most interested in a newDino Crisisgame above all else.
Since there is so much desire for another installment intheDinoCrisis 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 firstDino Crisisentry, or rebooting the series in some way.Ultimately, ifCapcomcan make new mainlineOnimushaandOkamigames after countless years, then surely it can do the same forDino Crisis, too.
