Over the last week or two, the Unity guys and I had a chat about our very favorite weapons from Capcom’s long, sordid history of violence. For better or worse, Capcom’s come up with some pretty unique implements of death in their 30+ years of service. 

Read on to see Team Unity’s picks in both text and video format! Then tell us your own favorites in the comments below so we can make  another video showcasing some of yours!

Yuri   
1) The Chain Rod (Megaman Zero 2) 

“This weapon is about as versatile as you can get: you can direct its basic attack in one of eight possible directions, and it also hits on the way back! You can use it to swing around and avoid deadly gaps or reach higher ground; you can even pull away enemy shields or the enemies themselves at you and then slice them in half! Like I said, it’s got it all: mobility, unique tricks and slicing damage potential!”

2) Festive Fall Typhoon / Festive Rustling Rain (Monster Hunter Freedom Unite) 

“This specific set of Dual Blades from Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is not only flashy, but also quite useful. Boasting a solid Thunder element AND Paralysis status effect, when paired up against the right monster, these swords can really tear it apart! Remember: a paralyzed monster takes more damage than usual, and it’s free hits for you and your hunting party. They may not be the best in the game, but they’re certainly my favorite!”  

Neil   (Capcom UK) 
1) Jet Pack Guns (Dark Void)

“I think it’s because I was a Brit I was drawn to Dark Void, raised on a diet of war movies and comic strips where plucky heroes risked it all to save the day, none moreso than the daredevil fighter pilots who balanced unparalleled skill and death-defying maneuvers to get the job done. A jet pack alone would have been enough to get me playing the game, but when found out it was strapped with cannons!!! Dark Void may have passed a few people by, but I was there in the thick of it. Dogfighting UFOs with my jetpack, machine guns blazing, lining up strafing runs on ground targets—all of it brought me back to watching WW2 fighter pilots on TV in my childhood and I loved every second of it.”

2) Mini Chainsaws ( Dead Rising)

“Playing Dead Rising for the first time can be overwhelming. Your life expectancy was pretty short even when you’d leveled up a little, and those boss battles? A one way ticket to a restart from the last save point. That is until you met Adam the Clown, not only one of the creepiest bosses ever devised *shudders* but owner of the mini blue chainsaws that would go on to be a game changer for the rest of Frank’s time in the mall. Used sparingly, these beauties could end any further boss fight in a matter of seconds, which let you get on with the more important things in life…such as trying to survive a zombie-infested shopping mall.”

Peter  
1) Spencer’s Bionic Arm (Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and oh yeah also Bionic Commando)

“A man cracking skulls thanks to the help of his (SPOILER) wife (END SPOILER) ? I’ve never heard of anything this romantic before! Also, it’s pretty fun to imagine his grappling attack as a crane game. Every time you connect, it’s like collecting a prize.”

[Editor’s Note: Literally the top search result on YouTube for “bionic arm” is a video of Peter using it to basically perform three miracles in a row. Enjoy.]

2) Yurika’s Violin and Bow (Project Justice, a.k.a. Rival Schools 2)

“There’s something about Yurika using her violin and bow to create a symphony of destruction that I just find entertaining. Not only is a tool normally used to create something beautiful used for destruction, she also hurls music notes as well! Awesome!”

Dennys (Capcom Brazil)
1) Plasma Cypher (Strider)

“A super-fast, futuristic ninja deserves an equally stylish weapon! With plasma-enhanced slashes and a very distinct and cool sound effect, the Cypher is the trusty blade Hiryu relies on to accomplish missions only a Special A-Class Strider could! And that`s not all – it seems plasma weapons are a trend among Striders, so the Cypher only makes me imagine how awesome the weapons of Hiryu`s fallen comrades were!”

2) God Hand (God Hand)

 
“Although not exactly a ‘weapon’, the God Hand is not Gene’s original arm (much like Spencer’s Bionic Arm favored by Peter :D), which I feel more than justifies me showing some love to this game’s namesake. With the God Hand, Gene takes brawling to another level, pummeling and spanking every unfortunate bad guy that crosses his path with vicious and relentless fist strikes (without losing his bizarre sense of humor, of course). As if that weren’t enough, the God Hand gives Gene access to godly techniques, “Home Run God” being my favorite. Now bring some heavy Capcom brawlers to see who’s the best against the God Hand!”

[Editor’s Note: You still haven’t picked up God Hand on PSN for ten measly clams?? Well guess what: That’s why you woke up today. Go now !

Greg  
1) Nevan (DMC3)   

“Nevan is the reward you receive for defeating Mission 9 in Devil May Cry 3. By this point in the game, you’ve already killed enemies by shooting pool at them (literally shooting the balls at them with a gun), surfing on them, and pole dancing at them. You’ve wielded triple-rodded nunchucks made out of the soul of a three-headed dog. You’ve been shot in the face twice without even falling over. You’ve infiltrated the insides of a colossal, living sea monster (the kind that flies, of course). You’ve thrown your sword and then shot bullets at the sword to make it go faster. And yet the Nevan still manages to surprise and stupefy with its zaniness. The fact that it’s an axe as well as an ‘axe’ (guitar slang) also plays to my terrible taste for word humor.

Oh yeah, it’s also a surprisingly unique melee weapon, emphasizing ranged and area-of-effect attacks through various directional inputs.  Maybe not the best weapon with to lead with (ironic, ha), but a useful and very stylish combo linker.”  

2) Shining Laser (MML)

“As Mega Man games go, Mega Man Legends is probably one of the easiest. The game is much more about exploration, story, and can kicking, and rarely demands perfection of the player. Unlike some other, chain rod-having games under the same umbrella IP. 

Even still, the game certainly isn’t what I would call ‘easy.’ The last chunk of it is practically a boss rush, and those bosses just keep getting bigger and harder. Luckily, the game throws you a big, helpful bone in the form of the Shining Laser. The weapon takes some dedicated scavenging to acquire, but once you’ve got it, you’ll be a shining, bot-scrapping dynamo. Of course, to really get the most out of the weapon, you’ll want to upgrade it fully—which costs a whopping 835,000 ZENNY. And you thought Mega Man’s outerwear was expensive. But it’s a small price to pay for infinite energy and Juno-defying firepower. 

The gun made a return in Mega Man Legends 2, but due to the alarming inflation that had occurred in the meantime, it now cost an hilarious 18,249,999 Zenny to upgrade fully. That’s a whole lotta dead Reaverbots. I place the blame firmly on Y2K.”

Brett  
1) Daggers (Super Ghouls ’n Ghosts)   

“Choosing a primary weapon in any GnG game is a little like picking a main in Monster Hunter – you need to know its precise strengths, weaknesses and how to adjust for either. I’ve always gravitated toward the daggers since you can toss three projectiles on a screen at once (compared to the javelin’s two) while dealing similar damage. HOWEVER, the fun really begins when you grab the green armor (Super GnG) and power these suckers up to the Magic Daggers and they leave a badass trail of light behind ’em. Nothing felt quite as cool as firing a few of these off mid-double jump, nailing every enemy on the screen and then safely landing on a narrow platform.”

2) Metal Blade (MM2)  

“Back in the day, firing diagonally was pretty cool. Not every game let you do that, so even in games like Contra, being able to attack enemies not just ahead and above, but also at a 45-degree angle, was a noteworthy gameplay feature. The Metal Blade, however, allowed eight-way firing, which was kind of a big deal. And as it turned out, adding eight-way firing to a 2D action game kiiinda broke the whole thing, cuz you could really keep everything at bay with this one weapon. Add in a very generous ammo supply and you’ve got an amazing, empowering weapon that really rocks.”

Chris
1) The Pipe (Final Fight, Marvel vs. Capcom 3)

“Isn’t it wonderful how a little consistency for over two decades has made a mundane househould item into Final Fight’s most iconic weapon?! Rendering an L-shaped pipe has been possible since the earliest of arcade days, yet casting it in the role of an offensive instrument of bloodless blunt-force trauma, to me, still feels like something exclusive to Metro City.

There are plenty of objects in Final Fight to beat people about the head and face with, but not only does the pipe feel most appropriate for dealing with street-level thuggery, there’s just a perfect harmony when piloted by the heaving, proportionate biceps of Mike Haggar. Obviously, Marvel vs Capcom 3 truly solidified the synonymity between this proud Mayor and the plumbing-industry standard, and I for one don’t want to imagine seeing Mike Haggar in the future without hearing the familiar ‘BONK’ sound of pipe meeting skull.”

2) Scrooge’s Cane (DuckTales, DuckTales Remastered)

“I certainly don’t envy the poor development team who had to come up with a way to weaponize one of pop culture’s few elderly protagonists, but none can deny the excellent job Capcom did Scooge McDuck. C’mon, he’s an aged duck with corrective eyewear and no pants! Capcom had plenty of experience with weaponry, but giving Scrooge an arm cannon, a Bionic arm, plasma sword or a screen-clearing lightning burst was obviously not on the table. 

The approach to making an old duck’s cane your primary weapon was not only a bold one that helped make DuckTales a game like no other, it remained incredibly true to Scrooge’s comic/cartoon source material, which was rarely the case in those days (Case in point: What was the weapon used in Mickey Mousecapade? Exactly…) DuckTales managed to preserve Scrooge’s cane as not only an effortless extension of his established personality and mannerisms, but it also introduced it as an object of direct and indirect force. Not to discount the ability to whack objects to discover secrets or time attacks, the pogo ability alone, allowing Scrooge to reach new heights, traverse perilous terrain, pounce enemies, or avoid them entirely, made this  game one of the most memorable experiences of my generation.”

Phew! That’s a whole lotta weaponry. But now it’s your turn! Let us know your faves! Link videos or images if you’ve got ’em. Got better videos of  our weapons listed above? Feel free to share those too!

Beginning on May 1, 2014, a classic Game Boy / GBC Mega Man game will launch on the North American 3DS Virtual Console each Thursday of the month. The first game is up to you , but after that we’ll likely be going in chronological order. That means (assuming it doesn’t win, of course), things kick off with Mega Man II, originally released in 1992.

If you’re not familiar with the black and white Game Boy games, you wouldn’t be at fault for thinking the handheld versions were mere ports of the NES originals. But no! In fact they’re clever remixes of two NES games at a time, plus loads of new content. And even the content that repeats tends to present itself in a distinct way.

In the case of MMII, it blends elements of NES Mega Man 2 and 3, so you get eye-rubbing, reality-questioning screens like those below. An Air Man weapon with the Rush Jet? Sliding in Mega Man 2? Besting Needle Man with the Air Shooter?

Each of the GB games (save V) mixes things together in this way, creating a game that is more than a mere “recycling” of old assets. I’m sure many fans would agree Mega Man IV is a perfect example of this – but today we’re talkin’ MMII!

You get familiar levels, bosses with new weaknesses, brand new Wily graphics and in some cases all-new story elements told through cutscenes. In some ways, certain GB games move the plot forward – or at least intensify it – more than their corresponding NES numeral.

As an example of new content, the weirdo Wily level (with its Persistence of Memory-style clocks) and Quint, the jackhammer-pogo-stick-riding Mega Man from the future make appearances at the end. But no matter what Wily throws his way, Mega Man always prevails – even a daring battle in space ends with another loss.

Harsh! But somehow he lives to fight another day.

Vote for Mega Man II, III, IV, V, Xtreme or Xtreme 2 in our poll!

When Captain America throws his mighty shield, all those who chose to oppose his shield must yiiiiiiield …

It would certainly seem The Walt Disney Company has me buy the short and curlies these days, and once again, it’s leaking over into Unity. I mean, at least DuckTales: Remastered provided a somewhat legitimately reason for gushing about Mouse-related properties, but what I did with Monster Hunter and the new Muppets movie teeters upon the line being inexcusable. So thank goodness for the release of Captain America: Winter Soldier, as it puts crossover nerdom into much more justifiable Unity territory!

We’re all excited about Marvel’s new film after all, so why not concoct a soaring tribute to one of their most enduring heroes with the wonderful representation he’s enjoyed via Capcom throughout the last two decades?! Here’s to you, Cap!

GOOD WORK, SOLDIER!

How about shooting  sun light arrows while looking like  Amaterasu ?

Well, I’m not the  Okami expert here, but this sounds super sweet for  Monster Hunter !

This absolutely beautiful fan art comes from DeityofShadows   and is actually the second MH x Okami crossover I was able to find. The following ” Zinogaterasu ” piece is from InferorumCanis :

Hey, a couple more lovely Okami x Monster Hunter fan art pieces and I can an album or series… get on it artists! 😉

The results are in for Round 3 of our ongoing Strider Leaderboard Showdown. This round challenged all you Xbox One Striders to compete for the best completion time on Beacon Run #4, “Plasma Perimeter.”

Coming in first place with an impressive completion time of 00:46:86 is vgBR LOP, otherwise known as vgBR.com here on Unity, and as Videogames Brasil in Brazil! They also nabbed the #1 completion time  worldwide.  That’s certainly one way to advertise your website! Great job, vgBR. You get a scarf! Strider badges for all the rest.

Tune back in tomorrow for Round 4…. 

Tune into Twitch at 4pm PT today to watch the action live. Meanwhile, let’s discuss our precious Bionic Commando memories in this discussion thread !

Ah, the tale of Mega Man through the ages. We have many pieces of the puzzle, and heck, we can paint a pretty clear picture of what went down, but there are all kinds of “probably” and “maybe” and “most likely” qualifiers that have to follow a lot of plot statements.

This video (from ‘tuber dookieshed) spends a solid 12 minutes walking through what we know, then poses a few theories of his own…

Thoughts? I do like the idea of Wily “winning the war,” so to speak, even if it’s a grim take on the saga. But then again, despite the squeaky clean presentation of the Classic games, there’s a very clear arms race between Wily and Light, one that can only lead to bigger and badder technology (Bass, Zero…)

And even if ya disagree or have your own thoughts, it’s still a fun watch!

Earlier last month I announced the arrival of the Capcom Pro Tour . In the announcement we mentioned that there were going to be six spots available for the Capcom Cup, which would be awarded to those who accumulated the highest amount of Capcom Pro Tour points this year. In addition to the points gained from the premier events and ever growing ranking events, we are now pleased to introduce the online events, hosted by Virgin Gaming. Head over to Capcom Pro Tour for the official announcement. 

Via damnwyverngems

MEANWHILE, ON RESIDENTEVIL.NET … a handful of online events are underway, and some are about to expire so get on over to the site and check ’em out!

EX3 event – the goal was met so hop in for a ticket good for one of the bonus costumes!   Six days left [RE6]

Compete for RE.net points, good across the site for all kinds of bonus material AND bonus items will be awarded based on the number of enemies killed!  Five days left [Revelations]

Target enemies are worth more experience, but only 10 hours remain for this event! [Revelations]

After three years of top-notch comic bookery, the Archie Mega Man series is about to set its sights on the (far) future with “Dawn of X.” This storyline, as you likely guessed by now, will delve into the X world and its darker themes.

Comicosity recently posted an interview with MM writer Ian Flynn and editor Paul Kaminski, so hop on over and get caught up before issue #37 arrives this summer!

MSG: The world of Mega Man X is now split between humans and reploids, robots that think and feel like humans, unlike where Mega Man is fairly unique. How do you feel that development defines the course of society in the future, and is that in fact key to its dystopian nature?

IF:  We live in an age of technological wonders.  Modern telecommunications alone are staggering when you consider our grandparents needed operators to physically make connections for land-lines, and today we have lag-free, real-time video conferencing from any point in the world to another.

Now imagine if that kind of technology were to spring up, literally overnight, during World War II.   Imagine how completely different things would’ve turned out if either side had gotten its hands on email, or instant global telecommunications.

That’s basically what we’re looking at in X’s time.  In a matter of months, humanity was forced to coexist with a new race of beings.  We’re currently wondering if we’ll ever achieve true artificial intelligence, and the people of 21XX wake up one day to find it a fact.  There’s been no time to adapt, no time to accept this new reality.  And with such suddenness, there’s going to be friction.

UPDATE: stream archive now on YouTube !

5  Monster Hunter Mondays for the price of 4! Seriously, did you notice March had 5 Mondays? And we streamed  Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate  in 4 of them already, so let’s close the month with some good old hunting at  3pm PT – twitch.tv/capcomunity

I know I’m going back on my (sort of) promise to stream  Monster Hunter Freedom Unite again but I wanted to give this one to  MH3U , since it came out a year ago and all that.

But worry not! We will be streaming  MHFU again soon, and I promise to coordinate with you guys so we can hunt online via the ad-hoc party. It’ll be fun.

For now though, let’s meet up again at  Help D Lobby 10 and twitch.tv/capcomunity   at  3pm PT ! See you there!