Capcom today showcased its software lineup for the Sony PlayStation2 at the PlayStation Festival in Japan. Yoshiki Okamoto appeared as a guest speaker at the show stage, and introduced each title. Onimusha, the ninja adventure game originally developed for the PlayStation and later shifted to PS2, was shown first. Although the title is officially slated for a summer release, Mr. Okamoto laughed and said, "Well, I would like it to be summer, but I think our development team is crying for an extension for fall. So we'll see." He also mentioned that the game is currently about 15 percent complete.

　　After Onimusha, a new action adventure game entitled Maximo was shown. Mr. Okamoto said the game will be reminiscent to Ghost and Goblins, but in a 3D environment. The art for the game is done by Susumu Matsushita, the cover designer of Famitsu, the Japanese gaming publication. Game Arts' three PlayStation2 titles - Chen Wen's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Gungriffon Blaze, and Silpheed - were also shown. Only art designs and conceptual CG movies were shown for Romance of Three Kingdoms and Silpheed, while some gameplay scenes were shown for Gungriffon Blaze. It's looking to be a contender to From Software's Armored Core.

　　In the end, the show host questioned Mr. Okamoto about the latest Biohazard (Resident Evil) for the PS2. Mr. Okamoto didn't say much about the game except that the development team is having some difficulties in general. We can imagine the pressure on the team trying to develop the company's flagship title for Sony's next-generation console. We'll have to wait and see when Capcom is ready.

　　We'll have more coverage live from the show floors in Japan. Stay tuned.