Ghost Rider (2017)
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Developer: Capcom
Ghost Rider, later retitled as Ghost Rider I, is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. Based on the Marvel comics antihero, Ghost Rider, it tells an original narrative that is inspired by the comic book mythos though with a unique version of the character made for the game. The narrative also takes prominent influence from Judeo-Christian mythos and demonology. The gameplay is also heavily inspired by the Devil May Cry series, also developed by Capcom.
The story stars a 'lost' iteration of the Ghost Rider that was active over in the 2000s simply named D. According to D, he was bound to a powerful spirit of vengeance named Sam, and both of whom need to work together to regain their lost names. They are promised by an angel that if they go and hunt down various demons, they will be able to go and reclaim what they have lost. The two are joined by the new Ghost Rider of the 2010s in Robbie Reyes along with various other occult characters such as Nico Minoru, Daimon Hellstrom, and various others. The antagonists are various demons from the Marvel universe with the villain here being Kazann, a powerful fallen angel. While Kazann manages to deny the two their objective, he is forced to admit the circumstances they were sealed was because they were becoming too dangerous in the eyes of certain powers and so were tricked into self-sacrifice.
The game had a troubled development cycle due to the lack of direction of where to take it and languished for a while. However, a new team picked up on it and would go in a wildly new direction. The head writer noted he wanted the series to stand out from the rest of the Riders and took inspiration from Devil May Cry's Dante. As he put it, "D relishes being a superhero, especially one like the Ghost Rider. He embraces the occult madness of his life, but also enjoys helping people. He's pretty optimistic and friendly, especially in his line of work. He's also pretty grounded in a way. " D was meant to be a placeholder name, but stuck as the first letter of his name.
Additionally, the result of the troubled writing meant the team had plenty of leeway, including in name-dropping or even including various lesser-known characters. The writing team in particular used it as a chance to allude to various stories and other heroes, especially younger ones. Gameplay-wise, it has been described as a simplified version of Devil May Cry, with the Ghost Rider using a combination of the hellfire chain, firearms and magic to go and take down his enemies. In fact, Capcom noted the game served to help come up with concepts in Devil May Cry 5. The game doesn't focus as much for realistic graphics, having a bit of a stylized artstyle (including some inspiration from anime) along wth a decent soundtrack.
The game would be quite successful financially and criticially. For hardcore Marvel fans, they've enjoyed the numerous references to younger heroes such as the Young Avengers and the like. The game would also have some influence in the comics. One notable example would be the rise of the "NiRob" ship, that of the pairing between Robbie Reyes and Nico Minoru; this would end up influencing the upcoming Runaways comic. Overall, the game's success would confirm the path over for a sequel game.
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Developer: Capcom
Ghost Rider, later retitled as Ghost Rider I, is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. Based on the Marvel comics antihero, Ghost Rider, it tells an original narrative that is inspired by the comic book mythos though with a unique version of the character made for the game. The narrative also takes prominent influence from Judeo-Christian mythos and demonology. The gameplay is also heavily inspired by the Devil May Cry series, also developed by Capcom.
The story stars a 'lost' iteration of the Ghost Rider that was active over in the 2000s simply named D. According to D, he was bound to a powerful spirit of vengeance named Sam, and both of whom need to work together to regain their lost names. They are promised by an angel that if they go and hunt down various demons, they will be able to go and reclaim what they have lost. The two are joined by the new Ghost Rider of the 2010s in Robbie Reyes along with various other occult characters such as Nico Minoru, Daimon Hellstrom, and various others. The antagonists are various demons from the Marvel universe with the villain here being Kazann, a powerful fallen angel. While Kazann manages to deny the two their objective, he is forced to admit the circumstances they were sealed was because they were becoming too dangerous in the eyes of certain powers and so were tricked into self-sacrifice.
The game had a troubled development cycle due to the lack of direction of where to take it and languished for a while. However, a new team picked up on it and would go in a wildly new direction. The head writer noted he wanted the series to stand out from the rest of the Riders and took inspiration from Devil May Cry's Dante. As he put it, "D relishes being a superhero, especially one like the Ghost Rider. He embraces the occult madness of his life, but also enjoys helping people. He's pretty optimistic and friendly, especially in his line of work. He's also pretty grounded in a way. " D was meant to be a placeholder name, but stuck as the first letter of his name.
Additionally, the result of the troubled writing meant the team had plenty of leeway, including in name-dropping or even including various lesser-known characters. The writing team in particular used it as a chance to allude to various stories and other heroes, especially younger ones. Gameplay-wise, it has been described as a simplified version of Devil May Cry, with the Ghost Rider using a combination of the hellfire chain, firearms and magic to go and take down his enemies. In fact, Capcom noted the game served to help come up with concepts in Devil May Cry 5. The game doesn't focus as much for realistic graphics, having a bit of a stylized artstyle (including some inspiration from anime) along wth a decent soundtrack.
The game would be quite successful financially and criticially. For hardcore Marvel fans, they've enjoyed the numerous references to younger heroes such as the Young Avengers and the like. The game would also have some influence in the comics. One notable example would be the rise of the "NiRob" ship, that of the pairing between Robbie Reyes and Nico Minoru; this would end up influencing the upcoming Runaways comic. Overall, the game's success would confirm the path over for a sequel game.