Capcom was one of the few software companies at the Consumer Electronics Show, and I got to see quite a few of its games, including Mega Man 10, Final Fight Double Impact, Super Street Fighter 4, Lost Planet 2, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Monster Hunter Tri. For more information about Capcom games, visit www.capcom.com/us/.

Mega Man 10

The Mega Man franchise is a long-time favorite of gamers, and Capcom has brought a new chapter to the series with Mega Man 10 for Xbox Live Arcade, Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation Network. The game has a retro look with graphics simulating the 8-bit graphics of the original Mega Man, which I think is pretty bold but also pretty cool. A lot of people like emulators, which offer old-school games, and developing a new game with old-school gameplay is definitely a good idea.

In Mega Man 10, there’s a robot flu called roboinza that’s turning robots evil, and Mega Man has to find a cure by defeating eight different bosses and gaining their powers. This game is single-player only, and you can play as Mega Man or Protoman.

Gamers complained that Mega Man 9 was too difficult, so the developers have made Mega Man 10 with normal and easy modes. I started playing normal mode and found it was a bit too difficult during the boss battle, so I switched to easy, and I had a better time. I think the two options will make Mega Man 10 more accessible and appealing.

Much like other 2-D Mega Man games, in Mega Man 10, you can only shoot straight and jump up, left or right, but you can also go back and forth on the screen, and you’re not stuck going forward. However, once you do go off the screen, your enemies respawn, so you’ll have to be ready to fight if you do go back and forth.

I really enjoyed the time I got to play Mega Man 10. It was enough of a challenge that I wanted to keep playing, and it was also fun, retro gaming. I look forward to its release in March, and I recommend anyone who likes the series or old-school gaming pick it up.

Final Fight: Double Impact

Final Fight: Double Impact for XBLA and PSN is really two games in one: Final Fight and Magic Sword. This game hails back to the days of arcade gaming with graphics that have panels on the sides of the screen with instructions on how to attack, giving it that retro arcade machine look. The actual gameplay looks like the old-school arcade games, including a distorted screen.

In Final Fight, you can play single-player mode or double-player mode and roam the streets fighting the bad guys. Unfortunately, you can also attack your partner if you’re playing with one. I kept attacking mine when I played. It was amusing (for me, not my partner). Luckily, if you die, you can rejoin the fight, just like arcade games. You don’t even need another quarter. There are six stages to Final Fight, and the time I spent with the game was quite fun.

Magic Sword is a sword and sorcery fantasy game that has a 50-floor tower to scale. You can play online co-op with two players, and you can achieve challenges other than achievement points that will unlock awards and bonus art. The same is true for Final Fight.

I liked Magic Sword. Unlike Final Fight, you can’t accidentally attack your partner, which was good. And, as you go along, you’ll unlock doors that will give you extra party members to help you defeat the bad guys. There are also power-ups that give you some pretty cool weapons.

Final Fight: Double Impact is simple but challenging, and I think it’ll be worth the 800 Microsoft Points or $9.99 on the PSN — especially since you get two games. Look for it to be available in early April.

Super Street Fighter 4

Super Street Fighter 4 is an expansion of Street Fighter 4. The latest version is offered at a reduced price and adds 10 new characters to the game, one of which is new to the Street Fighter series. The new character Juri is the first tae kwon do fighter to enter the series. There will also be five new stages, new ultra combos and new online modes.

The graphics in Super Street Fighter 4 were crisp and cartoony in some cases. I really liked the backdrops on which you fight. The one we saw was an African level in which meerkats watched the battle and cheered and hippos stood idly by. When an ultra attack combo was used, the hippos even fell over from the impact. It was funny.

I got to play this game with the new Madcatz Arcade Fightstick (sold separately), and I must say that the peripheral really added to the fun with its old-school arcade style and feel. I felt like I was able to play better and wasn’t breaking my hands with button-mashing.

Super Street Fighter 4 will be available for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in spring this year.

Lost Planet 2

Lost Planet 2 for the Xbox 360 and PS3 takes place 10 years after the original Lost Planet. The world is warming up and revealing new environments under the ice. There are six episodes with a lot of chapters in this game with different groups of people that you will play as, and the end game will tie the story together. The environments are varied with deserts, cities and the like. Other than the campaign mode and local multiplayer, there will also be online co-op and multiplayer.

In Lost Planet 2, customization is a major focus. You’ll be able to customize your character and his looks and taunts, of which there are thousands of options that you can unlock as you play. Cutscenes even feature your customized characters. You’ll also be able to change your character on the fly in-game. One particular thing I liked was that while you play the game, weapons that fall or are in the environment match your character. For example, if you have your short-range weapon set to a shotgun and your buddy’s is a flamethrower, if your buddy drops the flamethrower, you’ll pick up a shotgun — no matter what.

The loading screens in Lost Planet 2 are also pretty cool. As the game loads, you’ll see your character and your friend’s characters and can control them, allowing you to fight or taunt each other as you wait to get into the action. I had a lot of fun doing this and think it was a good inclusion.

The graphics in Lost Planet 2 are gorgeous, and the game isn’t even finished yet. Rather than being interrupted in your mission by cutscenes, there are in-game cutscenes that you can choose to watch or ignore; although, watching may give you insight. The bad guys you fight are epic in nature without being the big bosses. One mini-boss we fought was huge, but apparently, its kind happens multiple times throughout the game. It was rather satisfying killing that thing. Although, I wonder if the epic battles may get a bit tiresome if there are too many. I’m guessing Lost Planet 2 will give us plenty of options and non-repetitive gameplay, though.

Look for Lost Planet 2 later this year.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth for Nintendo DS shines the limelight on Miles Edgeworth in this latest Ace Attorney title from Capcom. Yes, Phoenix Wright’s arch rival and nemesis, the prosecuting attorney is the star of this title, which takes players out of the courtroom and into the crime scene. Someone has been murdered in Miles’ own office, and it is up to the player, using their investigative skills and hints from the game to investigate the crime and bring the perpetuator to justice.

I don’t own a DS, but I thought the game looked rather interesting with its mystery-solving ways. It looked good but seemed like it could be a challenge and a great way to teach kids how to learn to connect the dots and think logically.

The planned release is Feb. 16, and we were told that the focus on Miles was from fan feedback asking when Miles would get his day in the sun. Previously released in Japan, the game is a standard point-and-click adventure using the touchscreen of the DS with the player controlling Miles. Similar to other Ace Attorney titles, there will be investigation phases and cross-examination phases, except that since we are out of the courtroom, we have confrontations instead of cross-examination.

Monster Hunter Tri

The Monster Hunter franchise is a popular PlayStation 2 console-based game in Japan that branched off into several different games on different formats — including an MMO. Capcom brings it to the United States on the Wii. As the title suggests, you hunt monsters. For the safety of your village and the glory of victory, you track, trap and slay a variety of monsters, and take trophies off them which the village black smith will craft into a multitude of equipment and weapons — for a small fee of course.

Monster Hunter can be played online or offline, solo or co-op with up to four players, in the same world. No splitscreens here. It is a really good-looking game, and Capcom even boasts that it is the most beautiful game there is out there for the Wii. They have really done a grand job for the Wii’s 480p resolution. Playable with the regular Wii-mote and Nunchuk, players can also use the classic controller for the old-fashioned PS2 feel. Monster Hunter Tri will be released in the spring.