Gaming jobs are awesome. Why? Well, just last week I spent the entire week in Las Vegas from Tuesday to Saturday, living it up in a posh hotel on the 32nd floor with free booze, food, video games and 150 like-minded video game folks to play them with. Plus we got to shoot at zombies. Now, before you’re overcome with jealousy, live the event vicariously by clicking through and checking out all the games we showed off at Captivate 08.

[youtube M6EE6inFg1o&fmt=18]

The biggest and most highly anticipated title at Captivate was Resident Evil 5. Not only did we show off a brand new trailer, but as a surprise, we also showed off actual gameplay. Co-producers Takeuchi-san and Kawata-san teamed up by having Kawate-san play a demo level of the game while Takeuchi-san talked through the demonstration. Amazingly, the gameplay showed that the scenes from the trailer are real and not pre-rendered scenes. The trailer also didn’t fail to disappoint, as towards the end, a new partner for Chris Redfield was revealed. If you haven’t seen it, definitely check out the embed (Go to the YouTube page for a high-quality version of the video)! Our Resident Evil 5 Flickr pool contains additional screenshots for you to drool on, plus character art for Chris Redfield and his new, unnamed partner.

[youtube _XhDqVQghSo nolink]

The other highly anticipated game, and the one that consistently saw the the most traffic, was Street Fighter IV. We shipped four arcade cabinets loaded with the final arcade build of Street Fighter IV to Las Vegas, and throughout the entire event, you would be hard pressed to find a seat and get a turn on the machines (Placing quarters down worked… sometimes). Ooh and ahhs were heard all over, along with screams of joy and empty promises of revenge. It was the first time that people got to see Rufus as well, and he was well received, though the majority of people stuck with old familiar characters such as Ryu and Ken when things got serious. My personal new favorite is El Fuerte, with his unpredictable moves coming out of his dashes. Capcom Europe’s Leo Tan, who held it down pretty well and were bullying the media with Ryu, also echoed my sentiment about El Fuerte as well. In addition to the above gameplay trailer, we also have a new Abel vs Guile “Ink” Trailer , and a full gallery of HD quality screenshots, including the newly announced boss, Seth, and some new high-resolution character art (Perfect for wallpapers!) on our now full of awesome Flickr pool .

[youtube oAgCAH90h0A nolink]

At our previous Digital Day event earlier this year, we allowed the press to try out the Challenge Room feature of Bionic Commando Rearmed. At Captivate, the full game was available in all its glory, including co-op multiplayer. I often would pop in on community members Shawn and Joe co-opping it up in BCR, only to find that Shawn had already used up all his lives, leaving poor Joe to fend for himself against a boss. The lesson? When BCR comes out, don’t play co-op with Shawn “Snow Infernus” Baxter. Just go play singleplayer. As a side note, Ben Judd, producer on BC and BCR, showed people the infamous exploding head scene at every opportunity, “Hi, I’m Ben Judd. It’s very nice to meet me and here’s an exploding head”.

Bionic Commando Rearmed’s Big Budget Brother, Bionic Commando, was of course on-hand, running on two PCs right next to Rearmed. For, as far as I can tell, the first time, the media was able to get their bionic arms swinging on a fully playable build. This build walked you through the initial gameplay elements, teaching you the basic swinging mechanics that probably harkens back to pre-evolution chest thumping, vine swinging, tree dwellers. Also revealed was the inclusion of multiplayer in Bionic Commando. Yes, now you can swing around as a tribe.

Unable to keep it under wraps any longer, we used Captivate to announce our new Wii game, Spyborgs. Unlike the other titles, Spyborgs is fully Westernized effort, designed and developed by Bionic Games (No, they’re not commandos), a team with an experienced and well known pedigree in gaming, with people who worked on games such as Resistance, Ratchet and WoW, and funded by CEI. Spyborgs is an action-adventure game featuring highly charismatic characters, fun gameplay and an awesome sense of humor in the style of your favorite Saturday morning cartoon ( Watch the trailer! ). The game also features 2 player co-op play, using the unique Wii-mote controls.

Another new addition to the Capcom family is Neopets Puzzle Adventure (Yes, that Neopets), coming this holiday to the Nintendo Wii, DS and PC. Based on the popular virtual world, Neopets Puzzle Adventure is like the classic game of Reversi and Go, with a unique Neopets spin, combined with many fun mini-games that will appeal to both casual gamers and of course, Neopets fans and will feature easy and intuitive “pick up and play” gameplay. There are 150 “PetPets” and over 300 items to collect, and through playing Neopets Puzzle Adventure, you will receive codes that can be redeemed for unique items on the Neopets.com website.

Admittedly, Dark Void had initially been in the shadow of RE5 and SF4 at Captivate 08. However, as it turned out, it became an accidental favorite of several of the community members we invited, as well members of the press. Brought to you by the same folks who developed Crimson Skies, Dark Void is a sci-fi action adventure that includes on-foot and aerial combat (a la Crimson Skies). Players will play the role of Will, the unlikely hero trapped in the Void. However, he comes well equipped with a rocket pack that can be upgraded over time and featuring a unique grip system that allows you to GTA UFOs mid-flight. Check out some early screens and art by clicking on the image above.

After harsh rounds of interrogation and deeply thoughtful surveys, we here at Capcom have finally figured out what people like: Pirates and ninjas. So, first, to the satisfy the pirate-ty crowd, we have Plunder, also previously shown at Digital Day earlier this year. Plunder is a swashbuckling casual, pick up and play RTS. Up to 8 players can send each other to Davy Jones’ Locker (Unlike your high school days of being stuffed in the locker), as you plunder towns for resources to further upgrade your fleet and towns. Plunder will also ship (Get it?) with a custom and intuitive map editor, allowing you to create and share your own custom maps to play online.

The new Mega Man Star Force 2 has ninjas in it. Do I need to say more? It has ninjas in it. Okay, fine. Mega Man Star Force 2 returns with its unique blend of RPG exploration elements and fast-paced action. And ninjas. MMSF2 picks up two months after the previous games left off (with ninjas), and will once again feature multiple versions, Zerker X Ninja, and Zerker X Saurian, with players able to choose between Zerker, Ninja , and Saurian forms. Players with Nintendo Wi-Fi connection or Wireless LAN will once again be able to connect with in-game friends, regardless of their location, to form the “Brother Band” network, where they can share cards, status upgrades, and even help each other to perform upgraded transformations… Possibly into Ninjas.

A fully playable version of We Love Golf was available at Captivate 08, which somehow magically transformed our Wii Remotes into a virtual set of golf clubs and a realistic golfing experience. Developed by the guys who brought you the excellent Hot Shots Golf and Mario Golf games, We Love Golf will allow you to drive for show and putt for dough in single player, or four-player head-to-head competitions online. Multiple gameplay modes will be available, ranging from tournament, character matches, stroke play and special mini-games. And, of course, you will be able to unlock costumes from famous Capcom characters as well for play, such as the Ryu costume above.

Not to be forgotten by the introduction of Street Fighter IV, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix was again available for hands-on play, this time with a few more characters than were available during Digital Day. I think by now, this game probably doesn’t need much more of an introduction (and honestly, I’m out of things to say about it), except that it looks freakin’ awesome. If this game hadn’t come out in the 90’s already, it could easily come out today as a full retail title. That’s how awesome it is in full 1080p. To get the full authentic feel, the Rey, the producer, even brought two arcade joysticks with him for people to play with. SSFIITHDR has been a long time in the making, and some people are anxious to get their hands on it. And if you didn’t know already, there is a way you can! If you buy Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade, you will automatically qualify for the free SSFIIHDR special beta, allowing you to try out the game before everyone else.

Speaking of Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3, this game was hanging out in what I dubbed “Commando Corner”, along with BC and BCR. Commando 3 takes the no-holds-barred arcade spirit of its predecessors and crafts an all-new furious cooperative shooting adventure for the next generation. The game features three playable soldiers, each with unique characteristics. All are able to wield multiple weapons, including ye-old rocket launchers, grenades and shotguns. Up to three players can join the battle simultaneously and all hop in controllable co-op vehicles for maximum destruction of virtual bad dudes.

Finally, for those who just can’t get enough Arcade Shooter/Shump action, there’s also 1942: Joint Strike. Another game that takes inspiration from its grandfathers, Joint Strike should be familiar to any and all players who played video games in the radical 80’s. This time around, 1942 will feature 3D HD graphics and special two-player co-op attacks called, appropriately enough, “Joint Strike” attacks, new weapons and power ups.