Darkstalkers 3

"The monsters are out, I wouldn't go to sleep tonight..... play this instead!"

Darkstalkers 3 (also known as NightWarriors) is another 2D fighting game from Capcom. Some people may think this to be yet another Street Fighter 2 spin off, in essence they are right, Street Fighter 2 was the pioneer for the one on one fighting utilising such moves as projecting fireballs. However this is not to say that Darkstalkers 3 isn't still worth playing.

As expected from Capcom,the graphics in this game are splendid, the backgrounds are well suited to the spooky aura of the game, each charcter is very well designed so that they are easily distinguishable. For example take the character of B.B. Hood, her innocent exterior hides a fearsome and remorseless side to her that makes her different from the conventional character. Even at this level of detail the game is still able to run smoothly, there is no noticable signs of slowdown during play, even when the characters are pulling off there super special moves.
The gameplay is fairly standard for this type of game, there is the option to pull of the supermoves like the ones seen in the Street Fighter alpha/zero series. Some more visually impressive but nothing we've never seen before. The gameplay is accompanied by some quality music as well, suiting the mysterious atmosphere mentioned earlier, from the organ driven Dimitri theme to the more rocky Lord Raptor theme, each one reflecting the nature of the character. Much like your typical fighting game the story isn't exactly the greatest but there's enough here to hold the game together. Another feature Capcom have added to this game is the custom fighter mode; in this mode you are able to give your fight your own prefered colour scheme and name, after which you will be faced with oppenents who upon beating, will give you bonuses that will make your character faster and stronger, in fact this mode is fairly similar to the 'World Tour Mode' seen in Street Fighter Alpha/Zero 3.
There are a plethora of characters to play as straight away, where I'm sure there will be a particular character for everyone's preference. Furthermore there are still a few hidden characters as well which will be unlocked via beating the game with certain playable characters.
Many people are put off by this type of fighting game because it's 2D, just beacuse this game is 2D doesn't automatically mean it's going to be rubbish. Not many other develpers other than Capcom and SNK make this type of quality game anymore so if your a fan of this arcade action then I would confidently recommend this to you.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/27/00, Updated 09/27/00