(Game Sack Theme) - [Joe] Hello, and welcome to Game Sack. This time around, we're
pitting Capcom against Konami. - [Dave] I can't believe we're
going right for the gusto with this one. Two of the biggest companies in gaming, and we're gonna go head to head with them, and as you know, there
can only be one winner. - [Joe] That's right. And we flipped a coin,
and Dave goes first, and Dave is taking Konami. (upbeat music) - [Dave] Konami was founded in 1969, by Kagemasa Kozuki as a
jukebox rental and repair shop. The company's first foray
in the video game market was with arcade games in the late 1970's. Frogger from 1981 was
one of their first hits that helped the company realize the profitability of
the video game market. It's a simple game that
has you controlling frogs that need to cross a busy street. It was hugely addictive in that time. Konami has a rich history
of quality arcade titles. They've released a ton
of games over the years, and in the late 80's and early 90's, their go-to genre seemed
to be the beat-em up. A lot of these are
burned into our memories as some of the greatest experiences
we've had in the arcade. Combined with Konami's love
for licensing popular IPs, we got games like Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles, which was based on the TV show. This game has a two or
four player cabinet. Each turtle used his signature weapon, but to me it really didn't matter, as they were all fun to play. Like I said, Konami had a
ton of arcade beat-em ups. Titles like Crime Fighters, X-Men, and Metamorphic Force, just to name a few. One of their more popular beat-em ups was based on the TV show The Simpsons. This 1991 title came out
at just the right time in the show's popularity, and allowed up to four players to control Homer, Marge, Lisa, and Bart. They're also known for their other genres, such as shooters. Games like Gradius, Thunder Cross, and Life Force are all
awesomely fun shooters, worthy of plopping many quarters into. And who could forget
the run and gun games, like Sunset Riders? There was just something about the cowboy and the old west setting that really clicked with me on this one. Oh, and they also made a
little game called Contra. You get to shoot down bad guy humans, and bad guy aliens who are
trying to take over the world. Want 30 lives to get through this one? No problem, just put in 10 quarters. Oops, the game won't let
you continue that much, so you're screwed. And someone at Konami must have really liked these 3D stages, because a little over a year later, they even tried to make a
full game in that style, with Devastators. This one had you running into the screen, shooting down bad guys the entire time. They tried this formula again with G.I. Joe four years later. They even added a bit of crosshair action like Cabal or Wild Guns. The result is a much more
fun and playable game than Devastators was. Overall, Konami's presence in the arcades was a strong one, as they
had tons of fantastic titles. (explosions and screams) (upbeat music) In the early 1980's, Konami
started developing games for the home market. At first, they heavily developed games for the MSX computer systems, but by the late 80's,
most of their development turned towards the Nintendo Famicom, also known as the Nintendo
Entertainment System in the west. Many of their arcade games got home ports, despite the much less powerful hardware. Some games, like Contra,
are arguably much better than their arcade counterparts. It's longer, it plays better, and it just works better on a
horizontally oriented screen rather than a vertical one. It was also one of the
earliest games on the NES that allowed two players to
play together at the same time in one action game. This is a tough title, but
we do have the Konami code, if you're so inclined. Yep, Konami is the company behind the most famous code in history. Up, up, down, down, left,
right, left, right, B, A, start. Contra's first sequel, Super C, provided more outstanding Contra action, and once again was a
great port of the arcade. The next sequel, Contra Force, just couldn't live up to the predecessors. Even shooters like
Gradius got ported home, and turned out pretty well on the NES. There were a lot of one hit wonders that could have been made
into a series of their own. Titles like Bucky O'Hare, which was different
from the arcade version. The Goonies II, which could be described as an early Metroid-Vania, without the Metroid or the Castlevania. And Jackal, which offered some
cool jeep shooting action. And one of the greatest
series in video gaming was also created by Konami. Of course I'm talking about Castlevania. In the eight bit era,
Caslevania had three NES games, three Game Boy games, and an MSX2 title. When Castlevania III came out, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. I was beyond happy that the developers went back to the play
style of the first game with individual levels,
and no RPG elements. And Konami was known for good music, and they liked to push the edge of that with special sound chips in
some of their games in Japan. The Japanese version of Castlevania III, called Akumajo Densetsu, sounds much better than the US version, although both sound great. (8-bit music) Konami was even able to
make sports games fun back in the day. Games like Track and Field is
still even fun to play today. You compete in eight Olympic events. Button mashing is the key
to a lot of these events, as that's how you build your power meter. It doesn't take long to get the hang of the controls, and before you know it, you're a digital Olympian. Blades of Steel was
another fun sports game. This hockey game was easy to control, and had some really cool features. For one, it had voices,
which was insanely rare on the NES at the time. (shouting) Secondly, you could fight. If you bother your opponent enough, a fight will break out. (punching) Konami wanted to release even more games, but in the eight bit days, Nintendo of America had a ridiculous rule that developers could
only release five games on a system per year. Konami didn't like this rule, so they released titles
under another label, called Ultra Games. This is how they brought
some signatures series over to the west, such
as Metal Gear and others. The port of the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles arcade game was also really well done. A whole new level was made for this game, and the others were lengthened. And don't forget Operation
C on the GameBoy, which was pretty good
considering the hardware. Konami was certainly no slouch during the 8-bit generation, and they'd only go on to improve during the 16-bit era. - [Announcer] Follow Game Sack on Twitter, @GameSack and @GameSackDave, on Instagram @GameSackOfficial, and check out our Patreon if you want. (upbeat music) - [Dave] Konami really came into their own when the 16-bit consoles were released. They were churning out
quality titles left and right, and for all systems. The Super Nintendo got fantastic sequels like Contra III. This might just be the
best one in the series. Gradius III was released early on, and despite the slowdown,
it had good action, and the outstanding music
that Konami is known for. Super Castlevania IV was
another early release. This is a reboot of the first game, and may just be my favorite
Castlevania game ever. The Super Nintendo also got a great port of the second Turtles arcade game, called in Turtles in Time. And of course it's one
of the best beat-em ups on a home console to this day. And if you want more beat-em ups, you can't go wrong with Batman Returns, also on the Super Nintendo. Konami sure know how to make these, and make them right. They also brought us
Zombies Ate My Neighbors, which has become quite a cult classic, and rightfully so. Rescue your dimwitted neighbors, who are completely oblivious
to their impending doom. It's not easy, but man is it fun! The PC Engine got Dracula
X: Rondo of Blood, which is also easily one of the best games in the Castlevania series. Sadly, this was never released in the west until much later, on a PSP compilation, but I remember going down to Joe's, and we all played until
we got 100% completion. Konami even started to release
titles for the Genesis. Not only did we get edgy
versions of existing franchises, we also got some new IP's,
like Rocket Knight Adventure. In this colorful game,
you play as a possum with a sword, who can charge himself up to ricochet off of walls, in his never ending quest to exterminate the world of pigs. The Genesis also got
Castlevania Bloodlines, which of course is another solid entry. If you really want a challenge, then they also gave the
Genesis a super hard entry into the Contra series,
called Contra Hard Corps. A lot of people prefer this to Contra III, however I'm not one of those people. And of course, Konami brought us Snatcher, thanks to one of their
employees named Hideo Kojima. This amazing cyberpunk adventure only came out in the US on the Sega CD. If you ever see this game, just take it and ask questions later. It's really no surprise that Konami was a force to be reckoned with on all fronts during this era. Even after the 16 bit era had long ended, Konami was still pumping
out some quality titles. The release of Metal Gear Solid on the original Playstation
cemented Hideo Kojima as a game designing god. His popularity went through the roof after millions of copies were sold. Needless to say, the Metal Gear series would keep going on, and for me it peaked with Metal Gear Solid
4 on the PlayStation 3. Kojima was also responsible
for Zone of the Enders. These were fast paced
flying mech combat games with an intriguing story. Speaking of gods, how about Koji Igarashi? His release of Castlevania:
Symphony of the Night put him in the upper
echelon of game designers. This was the first Metroid-Vania game, and it breathed new life into the series, and is still the best in
that style of gameplay. The Metroid-Vania craze
would go on every year or so, usually on the portable systems. Gradius Gaiden on the PlayStation, and Gradius V on the PS2 were perhaps the best
entries in the series. And once again,
International Track and Field came back on the Playstation, and believe it or not, my friends and I spent almost as much time playing this as we did Street Fighter. Track and Field was again a
button mashing dream come true. And who could forget about
the Silent Hill franchise? Konami wasn't afraid of
a little survival horror, and the first two games in the series are nothing short of outstanding. I also love what Konami did on the Wii. Contra, Gradius, and Castlevania ReBirth are great games that everyone should play. You could feel that a lot of love went into creating these titles. They really feel like proper sequels to the old series of games, and a feeling of nostalgia
will definitely kick in when you play them. That is if you were smart enough to download them from the
Wii shop before it died. There are so many fantastic Konami games that I haven't mentioned, as it's really hard to include them all. But there's no doubt Konami is amazing. Well, actually not everything
is amazing about Konami. Starting in the 32-bit era, the company that I thought
could do no wrong started to, well, do wrong. A lot of titles were released that just about ruined franchises. Castlevania: Lament of
Innocence, Curse of Darkness, Casltevania 64, and the
two Lords of Shadow games have blemished the
Castlevania name forever. I know you might not agree with me there, but it's true. Contra: Legacy of War, and
C - The Contra Adventure almost ruined that franchise. And of course, Konami's and
Hideo Kojima's big brawl that they had when making Silent Hills left a sour taste in everyone's mouth. But the thing that ruined everything was when Konami decided to focus primarily on mobile apps and pachinko games. Well, it is what it is, and even though I'm seriously pissed off at Konami right now, I've gotta think of their glorious past games. This company has given me years and years of gaming entertainment, and memories that I will never forget. (intense music) (crashing) - [Joe] Okay wow, Konami
is really amazing. They really are. - [Dave] They are. It's just, they have this
huge library of awesomeness back through the ages, and I love them. But let's hear about Capcom, because I love Capcom too, but maybe you'll tell me
something I don't know. (8-bit music) - [Joe] Yeah, Konami is great, but Capcom may just be
their equal, or even better. Capcom was originally
established in June of 1983, and featured a compound name derived from the company Capsule Computers, a subsidiary company that
founder Kenzo Tsujimoto had run since 1979. Capcom's first games
were simple yet charming, as many games in the early
to mid 80's tended to be. Vulgus here was their first game, which is something we've mentioned before, and it was released to the arcades in the first half of 1984. One of their more popular
early arcade titles was an overhead World War
Two shooter called 1942. This was their fourth game. Curiously, despite being programmed by a Japanese company, in Japan, you play as an American
on his way to Tokyo to defeat all of the Japanese forces. 1942 also ended up being their first port to a home video game console,
the Nintendo Famicom, at the end of 1985. This also ended up
being immensely popular, and would pave the way to helping Capcom own a large chunk of both
the arcade and home markets. Of course, most of Capcom's
early hits began in the arcade. Some games like Ghosts 'n Goblins were brought over to the west by companies like Taito. This game was known for
its extreme difficulty, something that would become a staple of a few of Capcom's IP's. In fact, its arcade
sequel Ghouls 'n Ghosts is one of my personal
favorite Capcom arcade games. Hell, it might be one of
my favorite games period. It took the original, and
improved everything about it, and it also showed us graphics that couldn't quite be
matched by home consoles for some time. I even have an arcade PCB of my very own. Yeah I know, it's actually
a Street Fighter II board, loaded with Ghouls 'n Ghost
ROMs, but I don't care. I love this game to death, and it really cemented to
me how great Capcom is. Capcom continued to make great
arcade games, like Strider. This is a game where you played as a weird Japanese ninja
trying to infiltrate a bunch of Russians who have conjured up some sort of nasty dude. I'm not sure exactly what the story is, but it doesn't matter. This is a fantastic game. We'd also get a lot of games that we'd never see at home, like the platformer based
on the movie Willow. And it's definitely safe to say that Capcom was a big fan of beat-em ups. Final Fight was a huge hit for them. You could play alone
or with a second player if one was around and also wanted to play. Their beat-em up legacy would continue well into the future, with
takes on different themes, like with Knights of the Round. Is this the same Arthur from the Ghosts 'n Goblins franchise? Maybe not, but it's great to play a hack and slash style beat-em up with him and Sir Lancelot. (16-bit music) And in 1987, Capcom released a one on one fighting game
called Street Fighter. It's very tough to control, has some ugly animations, and generally just isn't very fun at all. Now this one wasn't a huge hit, but it is the first game in a series that would transform gaming forever. - [Fighter] You've got a lot to learn. Try again kid. (upbeat music) - [Joe] And that transformation
occurred in 1992, when Street Fighter II: The World Warrior was released to the arcades. This fighting game was
much easier to get into than the first entry. And most arcade goers found it
extremely addictive to play. While it could be played
by a single player, it heavily promoted
playing with two players who would then battle each other. As such, nearly twice as many quarters were going into it per
play, versus single player, and even cooperative multiplayer games, which really didn't rely
on the second player. This earned both arcade owners
and Capcom a lot of money. Most other publishers tried to copy and do their own take
on Street Fighter II, but of course they just
couldn't match what Capcom did. One on one fighting games
are still popular today, and it took Capcom to
finally do the genre right, as there had been many
lesser one on one fighters before Street Fighter II. Everyone was obsessed with this. It really can't be understated the effect that this
game had on the industry. They released many more games in the Street Fighter II franchise, before moving on to Street Fighter Alpha. This got a couple of sequels before Capcom finally
made Street Fighter III. And, as we all know, counting
to three can be pretty tough in the gaming industry. They also made other fighting games, with different IPs such as Darkstalkers this one let players be
a creature of the night, and fight other ghoulish
and fun characters. Capcom's arcade history is
rich with standout titles, but the home console market would prove to be just as important, if not more so for Capcom, and for gamers themselves. The home market was also
very kind to Capcom. Ports of arcade games
like Ghosts 'n Goblins on the NES provided even
more difficult gameplay than the arcade original. Beating this one completely
was a badge of honor. Often, Capcom would
change the game entirely when porting it home. Games like Strider, Willow, and Street Fighter offered
completely new gameplay and the only resemblance
to the arcade originals was the name. Others, like Bionic Commando, resemble the arcade originals in gameplay, but completely changed and
improved the stage design, as well as the characters' abilities. They were also prolific
in programming new IPs, specifically for the console market, like Code Name Viper. This is a take on the
Rolling Thunder format, and it's set in South America. And it's not easy, so don't bother if you're not up to the challenge. Another one that's not as
easy as you might think is The Little Mermaid. Most people probably thought that this was aimed solely at young girls, inexperienced with video games, but no. It's a fantastic game aimed at everyone, and nobody mentions it much anymore. In fact, Capcom handled a lot of Disney franchises on the NES, such as Chip and Dale, Duck Tales, Darkwing Duck, and more. But one of Capcom's most
popular new franchises was Mega Man. Although the first game was a sleeper hit, the staff that made it were
allowed to develop a sequel, but couldn't do it during
normal company hours while they worked on the other games that Capcom wanted them to work on. And Mega Man 2 was a smash hit. It had amazing music,
well designed stages, great bosses, and a challenge that even newcomers could enjoy. It's a franchise that's still going today, through thick and thin. There are so many great Capcom games for the eight bit NES to play, like Little Nemo Dream Master. In this one, you give
candy to different monsters to use their powers. Of course, each one
can do different things to help you get where you need to be. You knew you were getting quality when you got a Capcom game. (8-bit music) Capcom stepped things
up in the 16-bit market, with great ports of their arcade games, like U.N. Squadron on the Super Nintendo, which is a neat take on the
horizontal shooter formula. This one is based on a
manga called Area 88, and it's still a fan favorite to this day. Capcom also continued making games based on Disney properties, such as a Super Nintendo
version of Aladdin. This was quite the contrast
to Sega's version of Aladdin on the Genesis, and most people felt that it was inferior. But it was still a hit,
and it gets more love today than it did at the time of its release. There's also Goof Troop, which is a unique puzzle game. This is another game
that was a sleeper hit back in the day that's developed somewhat of a cult following. And of course, Capcom brought Mega Man into the 16-bit era, with Mega Man X. The adventures of the
blue bomber continue here, as Capcom simply could not
make enough Mega Man games. This one granted the player new abilities, such as wall jumping and more. It also introduced the intro stage, where you can become acquainted
with Mega Man's new power. And only after you beat this stage, do you get your normal
stage select screen. And of course, Capcom created huge waves when they released Street Fighter II on the Super Nintendo. The first home cartridge ever with an inconceivably huge 16 MEGA POWER!! This really heated up the 16-bit wars, as Sega didn't have a
version for the Genesis. Speaking of the Genesis,
Capcom was content to simply license their IP's for Sega to reprogram themselves. So the Genesis versions of
games like Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Strider, and MERCS, were
actually made from the ground up by Sega themselves. But yes, Capcom eventually
got out of their comfort zone and started making games
for Sega's platform as well, beginning with the
24-meg Street Fighter II, Special Champion Edition. This is a well playing game
for sure, with nice music, but the graphics and voices lack in comparison to the
Super Nintendo version. Both consoles would see multiple versions of Street Fighter II. Capcom didn't do a whole
lot for the Genesis, but they did release a
Mega Man compilation, called The Wily Wars. It featured the first
three games in the series on a single cartridge. It also wasn't as good
as it could have been, with slightly laggy controls
when you start to run, and lots of slowdown where
there shouldn't have been any. Unfortunately it never came
out physically in the US. They also released The
Punisher on the Genesis, which was a port from their arcade game. The Super NES didn't get this beat-em up. It's surprisingly fun,
if a bit repetitive, but at least Capcom gave the Genesis a couple of small exclusives. (crashing and screaming) (upbeat music) Of course, once the 32-bit
generation came around, Capcom was there to take
care of gaming fans. Not only did their one
on one fighting games get great ports, especially
on the Japanese Saturn, they continued to prove their worthiness as a top third party
by developing new IPs. New games like Resident Evil did for the survival horror genre, what Street Fighter II did
for one on one fighting. It was just so creepy, so nerve wracking, yet at the same time, so fascinating. You had to find ribbons to save your game at the typewriter, but first you had to find a typewriter. Will you be able to survive that long? Because there were also
limited amounts of ammunition with which to defend
yourself from zombie attacks. Oh, and check out our last episode if you wanna hear my thoughts
on the stellar voice acting. This is another great franchise that's had its ups and downs, but still continues to this day. This game inspired the
creation of other IPs, like Dino Crisis. This one played very
similar to Resident Evil, but of course with a
completely different mission and setting involving dinosaurs. And who the hell doesn't love dinosaurs?! You better love dinosaurs. Jurassic Park was popular back then, so the existence of this
game is really no surprise. They even released a slightly
upgraded version of this and some of their other Playstation games on the Sega Dreamcast. Capcom would continue into
the generations to come, bringing its memorable titles, like Onimusha, on the Playstation 2, where you play as a Japanese Samurai. This is another game that had a play style very similar to that of Resident Evil. It's very stylish, and
lots of fun to play. There are just so many more
games to mention, like Okami. Who could forget this game, which is in my opinion
basically Capcom's take on the Legend of Zelda style gameplay. Or how about the Devil May Cry series? This one provided lots of fast paced hack and slash style action. - [Phoenix] Objection. - [Joe] Capcom's also responsible for the Phoenix Wright series, which got its start on the
Game Boy Advance in Japan, and the Nintendo DS in the west. And this series is
criminally underappreciated. Dead Rising on the Xbox 360 showed off Capcom's creativity. In this one, you're a
reporter taking pictures in a mall full of zombies, to earn points to help
level up your character. You can also kill zombies in
lots of very, very fun ways. And people absolutely love
the Monster Hunter series, but I personally could
never get much into it. Don't let me dissuade you
from trying it out though. There really are more
fantastic Capcom titles than we could ever
mention in a single video. Capcom has one of the strongest catalogs in all of gaming, and is definitely one of the top third parties ever. They're still committed to
making great games today, and I respect them for that. They're not without their
faults, no company is, but at least they didn't
have a very public breakdown like Konami did. Long live Capcom I say! (16-bit arcade music from
real Ghouls 'n Ghosts PCB) - [Dave] Alright Joe, yes,
Capcom is indeed awesome, and god they have so many awesome games, but now is the time. We have to make a decision. This is it. - [Joe] Yes indeed. So, what's it gonna be Dave? - [Dave] You know, on the one hand, Konami has Castlevania,
my favoritist series ever- - [Joe] Yeah. - [Dave] But on the other
hand, Capcom has a huge library of awesome Disney games, Ghouls 'n Ghosts. Oh my god. You know what? I'm sorry, I can't choose a winner. They're both just that awesome to me. They're both right here. I can't choose a winner. So, you're gonna have to do this Joe. What is it? - [Joe] Okay, well, Konami is amazing. Capcom is also amazing. I think Konami has a higher volume of great, fantastic music, which is why we're listening
to a Konami tune right now. (sweet Konami music from Gradius III) And Capcom has good music too, however, I think Capcom
has had more of an impact on the industry, with
games like Final Fight. Everyone was into beat-em ups after that, even though they weren't the first. Street Fighter II. Huge impact on the industry, especially back in the day. - [Dave] Yeah. - [Joe] Resident Evil brought
survival horror into the mainstream. - [Dave] Right. - [Joe]So I feel that they
both have great libraries. Capcom has a library
that's just more impactful to the industry, so in
my opinion, Capcom wins. - [Dave] Okay. (heavy guitar) (explosion) Alright, there you have it. According to Game Sack,
Capcom is the overall winner between these two companies. Now, do you agree with this? Do you not agree with this? What are your opinions? We gotta hear these. - [Joe] It really can go either way, depending on what kind of games you like. - [Dave] Exactly. - [Joe] And let us know,
and in the meantime, thank you for watching Game Sack. (Game Sack ending theme) - [Joe] Alright Dave, what
two huge industry influencers are we gonna pit head to head next time? - [Dave] That's a good
question Joe, and I was ... How about we do RazorSoft, and, what's that other company? Culture Brain. - [Joe] Oooh!! I don't want
to appropriate any cultures, so I'll take RazorSoft. They have 8 Meg Death Duel, so they've gotta be good. - [Dave] Alright, alright,
I'll do Culture Brain, but, so um, what games to they make?
Good episode. It's a fun topic, and could easily be repeated with other publishers and developers.
Personally, I would go with Konami. I love more of their games - it was basically Mega Man vs Metal Gear + Castlevania, for me.
Pretty decent episode. I don't necissarily disagree with Joe picking Capcom, but I definitely disagree with his reasoning for it. Oh well; both were incredibly important for the video game industry, and I think that's the takeaway from this video.
Nice overview of all the classic hits from both of the tremendously great (at the time at least) game companies
Awesome, Capcom takes the slight edge over Konami.
Just wanted to say - great editing Joe, There's a lot of really good clips in this one, every shot has some sort of movement going on. It's so great to watch.