Capcom is, far and way, my favorite publisher (and it's not even close; Nintendo, and 16-bit era Konami, are distant second/third/etc). So in some ways, this list was both easy and difficult. Easy, because I love Capcom games. Difficult, because it means I had to reduce it to 10. Any given gaming platform I own, whether it's a retro console, a modern console, or PC, is heavily dominated by Capcom games.
1. Resident Evil 4
The greatest video game of all time. Not much else to say.
2. Super Street Fighter II X: Grand Master Challenge ("Super Turbo")
Never one to shy away from a hot take, I think
this (and not the good, but massively overrated Street Fighter III: Third Strike) is Capcom's crowning achievement in 2D fighting games. The game is simple on the surface, but deep underneath, so both casual and hardcore players can enjoy it. The game is better balanced than people give it credit for; many characters have a fair shot, when in good hands. (Exhibit A: Someone
won the Super Turbo tournament at EVO in 2019 with Dictator, who is a
mid/mid-low tier character AT BEST.) Controls are tight, characters handle well, game looks good, and plays well. What else can you ask for?
3.
Mega Man X
Still to this day, possibly my favorite action platformer. This game is the reason why I vastly prefer the "X" series to the classic Mega Man series. The controls, the challenging (but fair) stages and bosses, the EPIC soundtrack, the beautiful 2D visuals, all of the secrets and powerups... This game really has it all.
4.
Marvel Super Heroes
Out of all of the Capcom-published Marvel fighting games, this is my favorite one to play. This game (along with its immediate successor
X-Men vs Street Fighter) is directly responsible for my username on this site. Absolutely drop dead gorgeous visuals, great fighting flow, and even though the roster is relatively small (especially compared to later Marvel games) it's varied and pretty fun -- it's like going to a restaurant that has a very small menu but EVERY dish is fantastic.
5. Final Fight (Arcade)
My favorite beat 'em up of all time, which is saying a lot because during the latter CPS-1 era and early through mid CPS-2 era, Capcom put out A LOT of excellent beat 'em ups (e.g., Alien vs Predator, Punisher, and pretty much ANY of the games in the "Capcom Beat 'Em Up Collection"). The hits feel great and have awesome feedback; the flow (especially with Cody and Guy, not so much with Haggar) feels great, the game looks great, the bosses are memorable and iconic, and the soundtrack is god-tier. The arcade version is available in many places, so go for that one; for many reasons, the Super Nintendo version is (while still good), ass compared to the Arcade version.
.................... The rest of the entries are heavy on Resident Evil, so if you're not a fan of the series, you can stop reading right here, LOL.
6. Resident Evil 2 (1998)
[AVATAR ALERT
...] I play this game
several times a year. That's how good and fun it is. Replay value is insanely high, when you take into account 4 scenarios with their own quirks, as well as the HUNK and Tofu scenarios, unlockables, etc. Probably the greatest of all Resident Evil soundtracks, which is saying a lot, because in the classic RE games (1 through Code Veronica), they all have legendary soundtracks. Iconic characters. I can't sing the praises of this game enough.
7. Resident Evil 3 (1999)
Even though I listed RE2 classic higher because
overall I like it more, I have more
fun playing Resident Evil 3, because as far as gameplay goes, it is better than RE2 classic in every measurable way. Insane weapon variety. Smoother, faster action (the 180-degree turn is a god-send!). More enemies. Live choice selection which has actual tangible effects on the story and locations. This game has awesome locations (e.g., ClockTower; RE3 2020 why did you let me down on this front?
). And of course, the most iconic villain in the series and one of the most iconic villains in video games, period.
8.
Resident Evil 2 (2019)
While it's barely "kind of good" as a remake of the original Resident Evil 2, this is a fantastic video game in its own right, and honestly how a video game should be remade in our current times. Yes, that's my hot take, for all of those who are still salty that this wasn't remade in a fixed camera style. If you want a fixed camera game, go play the original RE2! This game plays really well, has awesomely designed bosses, looks great, has great weapon handling and feel, great voice acting and reimagining of the characters (Leon is still a goofball, but slightly less so than in the original game; and Claire is still a bad ass, maybe even more so than in the original game.)
9.
Resident Evil 3 (2020)
This is my "fuck the haters" pick, LOL. Yes, as a remake of the original Resident Evil 3... on that category alone, this game almost outright
fails. But as a video game in its own right, it's FUN to play; just like the original RE3 is the most fun I have with the original trilogy, this game is the most fun (for me) out of the remake trilogy. The perfect dodge (Jill)/Falcon Punch (Carlos) mechanic ALONE is so incredibly satisfying to use, that it makes a lot of the game for me. Also, haters gonna hate, but new-Jill is
awesome (both great looks and fantastic voice acting). The looks and voice acting across the board are improvements over the classic versions of the characters. And the game had pretty good length, I'm not one of those that complains about "LOL 6 hours." I checked Steam and have... 60 hours on this game, so far.
10.
Resident Evil (2002; aka "REmake")
I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get in hot water for placing this game so low on my personal list, since it seems to be a GAF darling. Don't get me wrong, REmake is an amazing game in its own right, an awesome remake, and probably the game that is most deserving of the "Resident Evil" title. But this is my personal list, so I do what I want
The problem (for me) with REmake is that it's stuck in between a rock and a hard place; I find the aiming (especially in manual mode), gun feel/feedback, and movement to be WORSE than the PS1 trilogy games (and yes, that includes the very original Resident Evil, the 1996 version that this game is a remake of); because of that, I find that it's appropriate as a remake in 2002, but not in 2022, which is why I prefer the more modernized remakes of RE2 and RE3. On top of that, this game was remade in a more "serious" fashion than the original, yet uses a lot of lines (word for word) from the original, so now you have the original lines delivered without any of the campy charm of the original.
But this game has a lot to love: It's absolutely gorgeous, the cameras have awesome angles, the addition of the Lisa Trevor subplot adds an emotional and tragic depth that was honestly kind of lacking in other RE games, and the Crimson Heads are probably the best addition in any RE game I can think of. Yet...
Anyway, if you ask me on a different day, the rankings might change (except for #1; RE4 is my top game every day). And there were too many awesome Capcom games that I had to leave out (looking at you, Vampire Savior) because, again, limited to 10 entries.
I have really enjoyed, and often loved, almost every Capcom game I've ever played. The only Capcom game I outright hated was
Remember Me, and only because it seriously squashed its great potential.
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