Darkstalkers 3

"A monster, creature and demon fun fighting game!!!"

Darkstalkers 3 is the third and latest Darkstalker game and of all that I have played it is the best, its one of Capcom's best fighting games. Its full of interesting creatures that fight in the most interesting of ways. This particular installment has all of the previous Darkstalker characters plus a couple of newer characters.

Graphics 5/5

The Graphics in this game look very nice to me. The sprites are colorful and the have fine detail. You can see the goofy animation when your character is burned or stung by bees. Watch as your character is sliced in half by Bishamon or as their flesh melts away after having the midnight bliss performed on them. There is a lot of goofy animations that not only look funny but also makes the game more enjoyable. The background stages are great also my favorites being Vanity Paradise, and the Concrete Cave.

Controls 5/5

The controls are dead on!!! Each fighter has their own unique way of fighting. If you have played any of the previous Darkstalker instalments you would recognize that each fighter has special attacks and by holding both of the punch buttons or either kick buttons which ever is used to pull of the special move, by doing so you will pull of a stronger version of your special attack with the cost of one special gauge. These types of moves are called ES special moves. There are other special moves also, these moves are unique in their own ways. Some of these moves will cost one special gauge and others my cost more than one special gauge. these moves are called the EX special moves. You also have the skill of Dark Change and Dark Force. Dark Change allows your character to conjure up a special power or an outside force to assist your character in the match. Dark force simply enhances your characters defense and increases the strength in your characters attacks. You can chose between giving you character the ability of the Dark Change or the Dark Force at the character select screen. During the match you must have at least two special gauges to use the Dark Change or Dark Force. (Press L2 to activate Dark Change or Dark Force.)

Sound 5/5

Luckily you can unlock the music from the previous Darkstalkers game on this installation, if not than I would have had to lower the sound score. The original tracks for Darkstalkers 3 are good but they don't compare to the tracks of the previous Darkstalkers games which are a whole lot better. The punch, kick and energy blast sounds are all great. The growls and screams that the announcers make after you do a really large combo is fun to hear. The voices of the characters are clear from the Japanese spoken dialogue of Morrigan to the growls of Jon Talibain.

Fun Factor 5/5

If there is one thing that i am sure about it is that Darkstalkers 3 is a fun and enjoyable game. If you are a fan of the previous Darkstalkers games you are sure to enjoy this one, its one of the best fighting games that I have ever played.

Re playability 5/5

Darkstalkers 3 is a game with loads of re playability. Its fun to try out all of the characters to see their endings. You will want to unlock all the secrets in this game also. On the way to unlocking all the secrets you will want to find the character that is right for you. You will want to master you favorite character. If you have a friend who also likes this game you can play against each other competitively. This game has few modes but it still has tons of replay value.

Overall I give this game a Ten out of Ten.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/22/04