Time Capsule Computing: The Life and Times of Capcom

For many gamers who have been with the medium since the ’80s, few third-party developers have had more impact in their lives than Capcom. Even gamers with an inexplicable aversion to Capcom’s work have still, inevitably, absorbed the company’s indirect influence through many of the best titles being published today.

Most game publishers hope to create one big hit that will strike a chord with audiences. Capcom’s footprint on the industry is such that simply naming only one or two of their greatest achievements is a disservice to everything else the company has done for gaming. Can you really elevate Street Fighter over Resident Evil, or Mega Man over Monster Hunter?

---

GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony

Within an hour of playing The Ballad of Gay Tony, we’d leapt from the window of a skyscraper and parachuted onto a moving truck below, shot military helicopters out of the sky with an explosive shotgun, shot missiles at a rich guy’s yacht and stolen the front carriage of a moving subway train via helicopter. We didn’t blink once.

TBoGT isn’t about the struggles of immigrant life, gang culture or anything nearly as serious or profound. It’s not a game of culture or morality. It’s about causing an utter shit storm in Liberty City and that’s why it’s well worth getting excited about, even if you have exhausted the original game and subsequent Lost And Damned episode.

---

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Wii renamed

Activision — or someone with some pull — has sneakily changed the name of the Wii version of developer Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex. The new name is a mouthful and a mystery. We haven’t the slightest idea why it was changed.