Dead Rising saw its rise on the Xbox 360 back in 2006, and to positive reception as the zombie survival beat em’ up title proved to be an enjoyable adventure. While most of the action takes place within a shopping mall to begin with, further into the series did we see main protagonist Frank West take to the gritty streets and deal with these brain dead beings his own way, using various weapons which can be customized throughout the game.

A 72 hour system had been implemented throughout most of the game’s lifespan, which played similarly to that of Majora’s Mask where several events would take place during specific hours. That system was taken out of the recent Dead Rising 4 to encourage players to explore more of the games already massive world. What makes Dead Rising such a blast to play is that there’s really no serious motive other than surviving an onslaught of bloodthirsty zombies, coming up with cool weapons to combo with, or finding that prime vehicle to drive around and crush every zombie in your path to release your stress.

Henshin a Go! Go! is a chant that many fans of the classic Viewtiful Joe title will come to know and love, and still continues to resonate among hardcore fans to this day. It’s a side scrolling beat em’ up that focuses on Joe, a hardcore fan of movies whose life turns upside down when his girlfriend is kidnapped during Joe’s favorite superhero film, Captain Blue. From that moment, Joe finds himself in this new world known as Movieland where he must put a stop to the evil organization known as Jadow, and rescue his girlfriend before it’s too late. After Captain Blue gives him the famous V-Watch, Joe then transforms into the iconic Viewtiful Joe and from there his incredible journey begins.

Viewtiful Joe was really cool in so many ways because it implemented a new type of playstyle in a traditional genre, while still appealing to a large audience. It took 3D cel shading to the next level, and pairing that with Joe’s awesome VFX powers just increased the hype level even higher. You could slow down or speed up time depending on the situation, or use his abilities in combat and solve puzzles along the way. Its unique style and approach to gameplay garnered Viewtiful Joe a number of awards, and to this day is still considered to be a game changer in terms of innovation.

This iconic franchise flew onto the scene back in 1996 when it was originally known as X-men vs Street Fighter, which then grew into the now popular Marvel vs Capcom series. What made MvC such an attractive title to so many people was that it incorporated two of the world’s most popular franchises, and allowed the player to create a team to fight against other players. At the time of its release it was unheard of to do such a collaboration, but fast forward to today and the fighting game community is still roaring over this ultimate classic.

Starting off as a 2v2 fighter, Marvel vs Capcom eventually evolved over time, adding in new features that revitalized the title dramatically and created a surge of new players to pick up the game and play competitively. It’s nothing but combo after combo in this fast paced, highly technical title that always generates large crowds when played on the EVO main stage due to its incredibly high hype factor, and the classic rivalries it created over the years. Now with the newly announced Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite at the Playstation Experience on its way, fans of the series now have a reason to dust off their joysticks and hit the lab for more training. The only question remains and that’s “When’s Marvel?”

Dante and his brother Vergil have been going at it for years, which is why the series has grown in immense popularity and still has a remarkably massive fanbase across the world. The story follows Dante on his journey to seek revenge on the one who killed his mother. To do so, Dante must fight his way through a horde of bloodthirsty demons who will show no mercy to whomever stands in their path.

Much of the game focuses around a lot of heavy combat scenes which are all stylized to create this very vivid and almost movie like atmosphere, where Dante must use his patented guns to lock enemies down and blow them to bits, along with the help of some allies along the way. The long chained combos were the true selling point of the franchise because the more you racked up stylish combos, the more points you’d receive which allowed you upgrade your weapons and skills over time. So long as you avoided damage by doing so, players were rewarded heavily which became the driving force for hardcore fans.

Phoenix Wright is a visual novel adventure game that allows players to control main protagonist Phoenix Wright, a rookie lawyer that must use his abilities to decipher clues to detecting who the criminal is. The gameplay is based on two fundamental principles: Courtroom trials and investigations, with the latter being the more focused on gathering evidence, uncovering clues and questioning witnesses along the way. The story is split up into numerous case files which the player must follow along and determine the right course of action to send the perpetrator to jail.

Phoenix Wright has become a very popular title as of late, with numerous sequels to its name mainly in part to its very simple yet thought provoking gameplay. The premise, writing, and character presentation in the game is where it truly shines, along with the cool cross examination feature that allows players to find cracks in various testimonies. Will you be able to track down the right criminal and claim justice for all? Only one way to find out and that’s to pick it up and play!

Okami is arguably one of Capcom’s best IP’s of all time simply because it took what we already knew with regards to open world gameplay, and meshed it with Japanese mythology and folklore to create a title that still resonates in the hearts of many today. The player controls Amaterasu, the Shinto Sun Goddess, in wolf form as you scour the land for answers with your celestial brush and restore light back to the land. Much of the universe has been shrouded in darkness due to an evil presence and you must cleanse the land with your mythical powers, and create peace once again.

The game’s overall story speaks for itself, but where much of the fun lies is in the actual gameplay. Okami’s unique artistic vision was a driving factor using Japan’s historical Ukiyo-e style to emphasize the character and environment, while the Wii version allowed you to swing the motion controller much like a paint brush, and see your actions come to life. It was an innovative title during its release, and only now have many of us realized just how artistically expressive this game is and acts as a prime example of how companies should approach any action adventure title going forward.

Known as Rockman by those in Japan, the blue bomber jumped onto the scene back in 1987 and since then has become the iconic figure of Capcom as a whole. Wearing a blue suit of armor and using his Mega Buster to wipe out enemies, Mega Man has captivated so many fans that so much are begging for a re-release. Mega Man along with the help of Dr. Light must put a stop to the evil schemes that Dr. Wily, a former friend of Light, is about to unleash to the world before it’s too late.

Mega Man has left such a legacy behind that it’s hard to ignore that one man in blue has sparked so much attention and fan fare over several decades. With constant storylines that just don’t seem to end, and other variations of the series pertaining to Zero and the popular X titles, the franchise will always have something to look back on as its library is massive. It’s simple yet incredibly challenging approach to gameplay was what also drove sales of this franchise, because each battle took place in different worlds all with their own unique characteristics. Let’s hope Inafune can make up for Mighty No. 9 at some point.

Street Fighter has nostalgia written all over it, and if you grew up in the 90’s then this game should be of no surprise to you. Combining various combatants from across the globe known as world warriors, players could choose from any character they favor and duke it out on a number of different global stages from Brazil to the legendary Japan stage. Ryu is the staple character of the franchise, as he embarks on a personal journey to become the best fighter, along with his longtime friend Ken. The corrupt organization Shadaloo has other plans up its sleeve, led by the fiendish M.Bison who isn’t about to let these weaklings stand in his way.

There’s just so much hype behind this incredibly popular fighting game franchise, that we’d need to dedicate an entire article just to the game itself. The series debuted in arcades back in 1987 and since then has grown to become the second biggest franchise for Capcom. From the classic Street Fighter 2: Turbo, the very popular 3rd Strike, to the now E-Sports driven Street Fighter V, this game is by no means slowing down anytime soon. Whether you’re throwing hadoukens to keep your opponent at bay with Ryu, or fearlessly walking up for some massive damage with Zangief’s Spinning Pile Driver, Street Fighter has something for everyone and will continue to shine as the world’s leading fighting game for years to come.

This is the title that truly brought the zombie survival horror genre to life back in 1996 during its initial release. Since then, Resident Evil has risen to become the quintessential survival horror title and many others have since then followed in Chris Redfield’s footsteps. Raccoon City was plagued with the T- virus and turned the entire city into a horde of decrepit beings who were desperate for any source of human meat they could find. Now it’s up to a team of individuals to uncover clues behind the creation of T-virus, and putting an end to Umbrella Corp’s evil schemes before it’s too late.

Along with Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil was the game that coined the term survival horror, and since its release has spawned other survival horror titles such as Silent Hill, Amnesia, and Fatal Frame to name a few . What makes Resident Evil such a rich franchise is that it immerses the player in a very dark, gloomy, and creepy setting where you’re never too sure what to expect at any corner. The shock factor behind it all is what truly creates that scare because everything is unexpected, and because you have limited quantities of ammunition along the way you’re always in a state of high tension. One minute you’re shaking off one zombie, and the next minute you’re being bombarded by a group of them and now you need to dash the heck out of there in one piece.

Monster Hunter has become one of Japan’s biggest sellers, and for very good reason. Players are thrown into a world filled with a plethora of enemies, and must now team up with other players across the globe to tackle these monsters and collect rare items to level up their character. This MMO action title just reeks of awesome as there’s an endless amount of playtime, since much of your adventure consists of hunting down the biggest of creatures and just exploring the vast environment that’s always filled with something new to discover.

The 3DS version of Monster Hunter is where the game truly exploded and became a must have game for those in the west, since for much of the game’s lifespan had been mostly popular in Japan. With the newly announced Monster Hunter XX launching in Japan next year, we can only expect more newcomers to pick up the already successful franchise, and find players online to take down crazy monsters with.