Capcom has created some of the longest-running and most beloved video game franchises ever made. Whether it’s the genre-definingResident Evilseries or the immensely influentialStreet Fightergames, it’s fair to say that these developers have a staggering number of amazing titles in their vast catalog of games. Of course, when a series starts amassing a big fanbase, it’s up to the developers to provide players with more content to keep up the momentum, something which Capcom has always been more than happy to do.
Though they do sometimes have a tendency to forget about some of their more obscure video game series, there are also others where Capcom has provided a plethora of mainline games and spin-offs for fans to dig into. With that being said though, which of Capcom’s many franchises stands tall as having the most entries of them all?
Despite theDevil May Cryseries often being touted as the king of thehack-and-slash genrenowadays, Capcom didn’t intend to make the game this way, at least, not initially. The first game was originally supposed to beResident Evil 4, but after the team felt the visual style and fast-paced gameplay didn’t suit that series well enough, they instead used what they had already built to create what would eventually become known asDevil May Cry.
The game would receive rave reviews from fans and critics due to its exhilarating action combat and lovable cast of characters, so much so that it would go on to have four sequels which all follow the story of Dante, and a new protagonist by the name of Nero. Though there have been other games in the series, such as theDMCreboot andDevil May Cry: Peak of Combat, these were made by other studios and only have very loose threads to the mainline story and games.
Capcom took quite a gamble when creating the firstAce Attorneygame. After all, video games are usually seen as a form of escapism from the stresses of the real world, sobasing one entirely around the daily life of an attorneymight not have caught on with a lot of people. As is evident by the sheer number of entries in this series though, many people came to love the gameplay loop of finding clues and presenting evidence in court which features in every singleAce Attorneygame, but another reason it became so beloved was for its characters.
Phoenix Wright is an incredibly fun and quirky protagonist who strikes the perfect balance between goofy and serious, but more fan favorites have gradually been introduced as the games have gone on, such as Maya and Miles, for example. Pair all of this with an incredibly vibrant and charming visual style, and it’s no wonder why theAce Attorneyseries has enjoyed such a long-lasting legacy.
TheGhosts ‘n Goblinsseries of games is one of Capcom’s slightly more niche franchises which got its start back in 1985 for the arcades. However, while some of the sequels would continue following the story of Arthur in his endless quest of fighting back against hordes of demons, there were also theGargoyle’s Questgames, which allowed players to assume the role of one of the main game’s most iconic enemies.
Though the early 90s games play like traditionalside-scrolling platformerswhich are packed full of creepy level environments and unforgiving enemies, the series began to take more risks as it went on in terms of its gameplay. For example,Maximo vs Army of Zinleans more into the hack n’ slash genre, whileArthur to Astarothis a full-on puzzle game. Despite the names of these games all being drastically different, Capcom has made clear that each of them is part of theGhosts n' Goblins,series which has been going for more than three decades by this point.
When the firstMonster Huntergame was released outside of Japan in 2004, it was actually fairly unpopular, so it was only with the PSP port of the game, titledMonster Hunter Freedom, that the series really began to pick up steam. Nowadays, it is Capcom’s second best-selling series right behindResident Evil, and a big reason why it’s become so immensely popular over the years is due to how utterly addictive the coregameplay loopis. Collecting valuable resources, crafting weapons at the central hub, and then embarking on a grand adventure to take down a mythical beast is always so much fun, especially when also playing alongside a few friends.
With each new game, Capcom introduces a myriad of new creatures, weapons, and classes, which all help to keep the experience fresh, while still retaining what made the series so beloved in the first place. Considering most of the games also receive constant updates and massive expansions, it’s another reason forMonster Hunterfans to buy the latest release so they can partake in all the latest missions with their fellow hunters.
Though there had been games before the originalResident Evilwhich made attempts to create the basis of the survival horror genre, it was really Shinji Mikami’s 1996 classic that set out the blueprint for what this genre would look like going forward. The claustrophobic environments, scarce resources, and terrifying enemy variety all made the originalResident Evilan instant hit upon its release, with many people crediting it with reviving interest in zombies at a time when they were being overused in movies and TV shows.
Afterthe second and third games blew players away with their stories, visuals, and gameplay,Resident Evilhad cemented itself as Capcom’s flagship series, and one they made extra sure would not fade into obscurity. Today, there are eight fantastic mainline games, along with a plethora of spin-offs for players to dig into, and considering how well the remakes have been doing, there’s no sign of this classic survival horror franchise slowing down any time soon.
At first, it seemed as though Capcom would follow the sensible route of releasing one sequel after the other when it came toStreet Fighter, but due to the second game performing so well, they went a little overboard with their releases.Street Fighter 2alone would get five different versions over the space of four years, but rather than being ports or remasters, these were entirely new games that built upon the base of the original title in several different ways. This would become somewhat of a tradition for the series, withStreet Fighter 3going on to also have multiple games, along withStreet Fighter 4.
However, while this may seem a little unusual, it actually benefits both Capcom and the players as it allows the developers to constantly refine the core fighting gameplay for that particular game to make it as sharp and focused as possible. It also means they can usher in new playable characters with each entry, with there now being over 100 fighters who have shown up throughout the series, many of whom have become fan favorites.Street Fighter 6has proved the series is still as strong as ever, and even to this day, it still stands as one of the big three fighting games, which is a testament to the series' quality and consistency.
Even with all ofStreet Fighter’ssequels and spin-offs, it never stood a chance of catching up to the number of games featured in one of Capcom’s most legendary franchises,Mega Man. While in the middle of developing the mainlineMega Mangames, Capcom decided that they wanted to improve the graphics while also adjusting the movement to make the controls more responsive, leading to theMega Man Xsubseries. They didn’t stop there though, as it wouldn’t be long beforeMega Man Zero,ZX,Legends,Battle Network, andStar Forcewould also all join the fray, providing an incredible amount of variety for players to choose from.
At its core though,Mega Manis a 2D side-scroller that has become renowned for itsmemorable bossesand grueling difficulty, with some of the games often being regarded as among the hardest of all time for their respective systems. Even though Capcom has cooled off theMega Manreleases in recent years, there’s no doubt the developers still have it in them to jump into this world at least a few more times to give longtime fans something brand new to experience.
