Darkstalkers 3 / Vampire Savior
(LAST UPDATE: 11/11/09)
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Developer(s): Capcom
Publisher(s): Capcom
Platform(s): Arcade, Playstation, Sega Saturn
Release: 1997
Characters: Demitri, Talbain, Victor, Zabel, Morrigan, Anakaris, Felicia, Bishamon, Rikuo, Sasquatch, Pyron, Donovan, Hsien-Ko, Phobos, B. B. Hood, Q-Bee, Lilith, Jedah
Related Games: Darkstalkers, Darkstalkers 2, Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower
Review: Definitely at the top of it's game, the Darkstalkers series hosts the biggest and most colorful cast yet with Darkstalkers 3. Unfortunately, Donovan and Huitzil were cut from this version of the game. However, 4 new characters were added, those being Jedah, Q. Bee, B.B. Hood, and Lilith. With the addition of new characters, super moves, backgrounds, and a new boss, the series had certainly seen it's best thus far... The Playstation versions color-edit mode was also an innovative option for the time.
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Darkstalkers 3 features the "Damage Gauge System" where battles take place during a period of one round, with each fighter having two "life markers" (by default) which diminish after one character runs out of vitality. The player can also regain a portion of their life during battle if they manage to avoid taking further hits. The game also introduces the "Dark Force System" which allows players to perform special abilities unique to each character for a limited period. The gameplay was still very close to the originals, as chain combos are the game's most original feature. While not for everyone, the 2D gameplay has it's own unique feel, but overall not quite as solid (or fun) as the Street Fighter 2 or Street Fighter Alpha series. The music, artwork, and character animation is very well done and makes the game stand out among many others.
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There were two simultaneously released updated versions of Vampire Savior that were distributed in Japanese arcades only a few months after the initial release: Vampire Hunter 2 - Darkstalkers' Revenge and Vampire Savior 2 - The Lord of Vampire. The main difference between the two upgrades and the original Vampire Savior are in its character roster. Vampire Hunter 2 features the same character roster and soundtrack as Night Warriors (known as Vampire Hunter in Japan), omitting the characters introduced in Vampire Savior, while Vampire Savior 2 features the Vampire Savior cast along with Donovan, Huitzil and Pyron, omitting J. Talbain (as well as Dark Talbain), Rikuo and Sasquatch.
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- Review is for Playstation version of Darkstalkers 3 -
Gameplay Engine 8 / 10 Story / Theme 8.5 / 10 Overall Graphics 8 / 10 Animation 8 / 10 Music / Sound Effects 9 / 10 Innovation 8 / 10 Customization 7 / 10 Options / Extras 7 / 10 Intro / Presentation 9.5 / 10 Replayability / Fun 8 / 10 "Ouch" Factor 6.5 / 10 Characters 9 / 10 BOTTOM LINE 8.5 / 10
Closing Comment: Overall, Darkstalkers 3 a stylish presentation from beginning to end, and a straight forward gameplay system that many Street Fighter and 2D fighting game fans could pick up and play rather easily. To me, the gameplay finally started to live up to it's potential in Darkstalkers 3, making for an exceptionally fun fighting game for the time (and some would say still is). ~F.Yagami, Webmaster of TFG