"As cool as it is frustrating."

Gameplay - 7

The game follows the same characteristics of Street Fighter games, with the 6-button interface, and the familiar set of moves in order to launch a fireball or a charged attack. Learning curve should be the same as with other fighting games, albeit with a few exceptions like being blocking in the air, or upgrading your attacks by using the "Super" gauge once it's charged. The player may use a powerful version of a fireball, or use a complex set of buttons and joystick taps to perform a Super Special Move, although it can be a risk being that this game's AI is pretty complex and may not let you do more than keep your distance with all its counters and difficulty.

It seems that while this game is a break-away from the familiar faces of Street Fighter games, it keeps the same level of difficulty and frustration that Super Street Fighter II: Turbo had, assuming that the 2D fighter veteran may know how to deal with such irritating CPU and how to avoid being clobbered by every single countermove your opponents will execute. In this game, every single button counts to counter and to keep your opponent at bay, if only to win by time rather than being able to KO the opposition.


Story - 3

Each character has its own story at the end of the game, just the likes of Street Fighter and other f2D fighters, but here is a bit special being that most of these characters are based on creatures that come from horror stories, movies, and folk tales. Some stories are interesting than the rest, and some even create plausible solutions to what they seek, whether is power or an escape to their "curse", like Jon Talbain.


Graphics/Sound - 9

The game's visuals are a blast to admire, using the new version of Capcom's palette and fluid design of characters in both Street Fighter Alpha series and this game makes it quite enjoyable and pleasing to the eye. Sound effects are a bit on the average scale, but the soundtrack is phenomenal.


Play Time/Replayability - 5

You may settle for the sequels, which demand little in terms of knowing how to counter every single thing the CPU throws at you, and have various gameplay additions, but you can return to the original and still feel challenged by its difficulty, although it does get annoying after a while.


Final Recommendation - 7

Like many Capcom fighters, the Darkstalkers series is a blast to play, and with such cool characters like werewolves, catwomen, and vampires, you couldn't just play it once without getting the urge to come back and challenge such unusual characters.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 02/28/08

Game Release: Vampire (JP, July 1994)