Darkstalkers 3

by Major Mike
January 01, 2000 00:00 AM PST

Darkstalkers 3 is a welcome presence for fans of the series, delivering solid 2D fighting. Those looking for more divers gameplay, however, you may want to stick with Tekken 3 or Soul Blade.

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Capcom continues its recent streak of winning fighting-games for the PlayStation with Darkstalkers 3, another derivative of the tried-and-true Street Fighter game engine. But DS3 is more than a regular arcade port: Not only does the game feature fast 2D sprite graphics (something the PlayStation hasn't been renowned for), but it also has three more fighters and several extra play modes not found in its arcade parent.

Monster Mash
DS3 has the biggest lineup of any game in the series with 18 monster maulers. The characters are a creature-feature hodgepodge, including everything from a vicious vampire to a sexy succubus. Plus, several new faces have joined the lineup since the last PlayStation Darkstalkers game (the platform skipped the sequel Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge), including a Chinese ghost named Hsien-Ko, who seems to carry an entire cutlery store inventory under her robe, and a previously unplayable boss character, a fiery demon known as Pyron.

Frighteningly Fast
The fights are fast, furious, easy to control, and loaded with both color and splashy visual effects. The various turbo speeds are particularly helpful, while the controls keep in sync with the blazing action. The graphics may not be arcade-perfect (some character animations have been trimmed), but they're not anywhere near as bad as the visual hack jobs done to other 2D conversions like Marvel Super Heroes and X-Men vs. Street Fighter.

In addition to the solid one- and two-player games, the Training mode ranks as another highlight, allowing you to perfect your special moves and combos against a practice dummy that reacts in a variety of ways. Plus, the title's Gallery showcases various pieces of Darkstalkers artwork that fans will enjoy seeing.

Familiarity Breeds...Familiarity? But despite its positive sides, DS3 can't disguise the fact that it's Street Fighter in a Halloween costume. Everyone's seen and played these fighters before. Each is imbued with the same half- and quarter-circle motions and charge moves that have been practically played to death.

Darkstalkers 3 shouldn't be relegated to the rehash bin or called a bad game--just don't expect innovative gameplay on the level of Soul Blade or Tekken 3. Despite its overly-friendly and familiar gameplay style, DS3 is very fun to play and is a good title for a fright-night fight.