With Capcom frequently bringing back older franchises from their back catalogue, a reader hopes to see the return of Ghosts 'N Goblins spin-off Maximo. Amid the doom and gloom around gaming lately, it has been uplifting to see everyone cheering on Capcom for releasing a load of really good games. They have been on a roll for years, but this year they have already released Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata, with a new Onimusha on the way too. Capcom has always been one of my favourite publishers, probably my favourite that isn't Nintendo, but ever since Resident Evil 7 they have barely put a step wrong. That is great and something we should congratulate them on, in my opinion.
One of the best things is that unlike almost any other publisher, Capcom actually reinvests the money they make into taking risks with new IP, like Pragmata, and bringing back old franchises that are not a guaranteed hit, like Onimusha. I think they deserve a ton of recognition for this in particular, and I am so glad that Pragmata has been a hit and they have been rewarded for taking a risk. I bought it, I think it is great, and I am very happy to have supported them. The longer their hot streak lasts, the more obscure the games are that they bring back, at least potentially. While most people seem to want to revive Dino Crisis, I have a different request: Maximo.
Why Maximo Deserves a Second Chance
Don't get me wrong, I would love a Dino Crisis remake or new game, but I do not feel Maximo ever gets talked about. For those that do not know, Maximo: Ghosts To Glory is a PlayStation 2 game from 2001 that is a spin-off from Ghosts 'N Goblins. It has the same music and some of the same enemies, but you are a Roman soldier, for some reason, instead of King Arthur. It is a 3D platformer with quite a bit of combat, which I feel worked really well but seemed to get very quickly forgotten at the time. It had good action, nice cartoony graphics, and for a PlayStation 2 game the camera worked really well. Unfortunately, there was only ever one sequel, also only on PlayStation 2. And then that was it; the series never made it off the PlayStation 2 or into the next generation, and I have literally never heard anyone speak about it since.
The Difficulty Problem
I assume that, despite the sequel, it did not sell that well, and it seems obvious to me why: it was stupidly hard. Now I love the game, or I would not be typing this now, but it is unnecessarily difficult, and I do not know why. At least I did not at the time; in later years I looked into the whole Ghosts 'N Goblins angle, which was a bit before my time, and it seems they were super hard as well, and so are the modern games, right up to Ghosts 'N Goblins Resurrection. I really do not know why this is, as all games were super difficult back in the day, and it is not like something like Mario did not adapt with the times and try to keep everyone on board. The difficulty was always the worst thing about Maximo, as far as I am concerned, so why they think that is the most important thing to keep in all these games I do not know. Is anyone really going to complain that it is too easy? Could not they just have a hard mode instead? I am not sure why a cartoon platformer game about a guy in his boxer shorts is making Dark Souls look like a kid's game.
So that is my hope of what Capcom does next. I do not think it is very likely, but I do not think it is impossible either, because they do occasionally try to bring Ghosts 'N Goblins back, just not the version of it I like best.
By reader Terry Gold
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