Written by Tim Stevens  on May 13, 2004

E3 2004: Capcom Pre-E3 Presentation Roundup:

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Capcom got things started early with a Monday morning presentation, a full two days before the E3 show doors open, to show off the games they have coming through the pipeline. Some titles, like Shadow of Rome and Resident Evil 4, we've seen before. But others, like the freshly announced Devil May Cry 3 and oddball looking Under the Skin, were new to us, and, we presume, new to you too.

Shadow of Rome
Shadow of Rome is an interesting blend of diverse gametypes mixed together into a historical action/adventure game. The game follows the story of Agrippa, son of Uesinus, who has been accused of murdering Julius Caesar. Agrippa, a Roman soldier, returns to Rome to save his father from execution.

There are two parts to the game. In the first, the action half of action/adventure, you play as Agrippa. His father is sentenced to die at the hand of the winner of a gladiatorial tournament, and Agrippa enters the tournament in the hopes of saving him. Octavius, a friend of Agrippa, is the second playable character. Octavius assists by sneaking into places he shouldn't to investigate the murder, taking the diplomatic route while Agrippa gets on with the killing.. So, between the two players, you'll see plenty of intense combat as well as some stealth and espionage mixed in.

Despite some lackluster looking graphics the game has promise. Many of the combat scenes looked very well animated and entertaining, while the sneaking situations also appeared to have plenty of life, not falling into the typical "sneak from shadow to shadow when the guard turns his back" category. With a planned release in the winter of '04, you won't have to wait long to find out who really killed CaesarЕ as if you didn't know already.

Resident Evil 4
We've all seen the videos and screenshots of the upcoming Resident Evil 4, and I think it's safe to say we've all been impressed by what we've seen so far. But, at this year's show Capcom gave us a bit of a deeper glimpse into this game's rather mysterious storyline, along with some extended gameplay footage and a chance to take the game for a test drive.

In Resident Evil 4, Umbrella Corp. has finally been shut down by the US government, and according to Capcom reps plays no part in RE4's storyline. Instead, you'll be taking the role of Leon from RE2, going on a diplomatic mission to Europe to rescue the daughter of the President of the United States. In traveling to a small town somewhere in Europe (nowhere near Raccoon City), you encounter some villagers acting rather oddly. Capcom isn't talking about what's happened to them, but they're rather violent, very difficult to kill, but unlike the endless zombies we're used to, these guys seem to have a bit of brains.

Whatever they've come down with to make them so disagreeable is apparently contagious, and because they're a little smarter this time they'll team up to attack you, follow you, break down barricades, and once you've found the President's daughter, try to recapture her from you. No information at this point regarding what's affecting them, but whatever it is it has something to do with a bunch of mysterious looking guys in black robes. Intrigued? Join the crowd.

In addition to the mysterious storyline, Capcom has added some much needed tweaks to the RE formula. Gameplay is much faster paced at this point, with plenty of running and gunplay aided by a smooth looking 3^rd person camera that zooms in for quick aiming. You're able to shoot specific body parts of opponents, who will react very differently based on where they're hit. Interestingly the game features some action points similar to the ones seen in Sega's Shenmue, where you must hit a certain button or combination of buttons at the appropriate time during cinemas to make Leon jump out of harm's way or perform some other action.

RE4 is shaping up to be by far the best in the series. With new weapons, gameplay, and finally a new storyline, it's looking set to please. Currently slated for winter '04, but, hope you have a GameCube, because currently that's the only place this one is headed.

Viewtiful Joe 2 & Viewtiful Joe PS2
I don't think any of us expected how successful the oddball Viewtiful Joe would be on the GameCube. An amazingly fast-paced and entertaining brawler, Viewtiful Joe had a simple and clean formula that worked, and Capcom is going to be putting it all together again for a sequel, which mostly looks like just more of the same. But who doesn't want more of Joe?

This time we'll not only get more of Joe, but we'll get to control Silvia this time around, who has been given a whole new set of moves, mostly involving weapons-based attacks to set her apart from Joe's more physical approach to ass kicking. Footage was shown of the two of them fighting side-by-side at once, the obvious implication being multiplayer, but that was not mentioned anywhere, so we'll have to wait and see about that one.

Enhancements to the game include a few new VFX powers and some new modes for Joe's Six Machine to assume. But, that's about it; this is mainly just more Joe, and that's alright with me.

Capcom also confirmed that Joe will be making an appearance on the Playstation2. Make that two appearances actually. The first Joe will be ported to the PS2 for release this fall, with the sequel arriving alongside the GameCube version sometime next year. PS2 gamers will have an added bonus in the first Viewtiful Joe, the presence of Dante from Devil May Cry fame, who has received the super-deformed treatment, of course. Dante's very flamboyant style of ass-kicking should fit right in here.

Devil May Cry 3
Devil May Cry 3 is Capcom's surprise title for the show, and it's looking like another adrenalin-rush of a brawler. An entirely new graphics engine has been developed this time, giving things a slightly more polished look, but still delivering the same visual flair of the previous two.

DMC3 is actually a prequel to the first game, so the Dante you'll see here is much younger and a little less scarred than the Dante we're used to. But, he's still no slouch when it comes to the fighting. A feature called "My Dante" allows you to choose one of four styles to shape Dante's combat development, meaning you can fashion Dante's abilities to suit your gameplay style, whether you enjoy gunplay, swordplay, or just lots of quick motions and attacks.

Other than a new 3^rd person camera angle that promises to fix the complaints the sluggish cameras in the first two games created, few other details are known at this point. But, even the very limited demo they had playable looked to be as fun as the previous two. Look for Devil May Cry 3 this fall.

The Rest
In addition to the above titles, Capcom had a number of other games either playable or running in video form slated for release over the next year or so. The new Monster Hunter game will take hunting online, with up to four people going out at once to roam the countryside and capture, well, monsters. With some comprehensive character creation options and a number of items and monsters to find, the game should appeal to the lightweight online RPG fans. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge is the clear leader for longest game name of the show, and looks to be an odd blend of Tim Burton style with Nightmare Before Christmas oddities and Devil May Cry gameplay.

Killer 7 was Capcom's most compellingly violent and bizarre game on display. An intriguing tale of a hit man with seven personalities told through a violent storyline all wrapped in a gritty looking cell-shaded engine, Killer 7 initially looks like a rip-off of another first-person cell-shaded shooter we know, but watching just a few minutes of gameplay quickly quashes that idea. Look for this one at the end of this year.

Under the Skin is one of those games that can only be described as "Japanese." Here you take the role of an alien trying to "trick the humans." You have the ability to make yourself look like any human you can see, and so you must run around in crowded areas singing, dancing, hitting others, and collecting the coins they drop when they are tricked. Get enough coins and you can return to your planet a hero. This one seems like the kind of title that can only be truly appreciated far, far east of here, but nonetheless US gamers will be seeing the game this fall. Finally, a new Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is being released, for the 15^th anniversary of the Street Fighter franchise. The game will include Hyper Street Fighter II, a blend of all previous Street Fighter II titles (Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II Champion Edition, Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting, Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers, and Super Street Fighter II Turbo), as well as Street Fighter III: 3^rd Strike. Capcom has sold 27 million games in the various Street Fighter series through the years, and will likely sell a few million more when this one hits shelves on the PS2 this summer.

A solid but not earth shattering lineup from Capcom, which should do well to please its fans. Capcom continues to drive the GameCube market like no other developer outside of Nintendo will do, and by the looks of Resident Evil 4, they're certainly not holding anything back.