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Darkstalkers

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Darkstalkers
Screenshot of Darkstalkers}
Developer(s)Capcom
Publisher(s)Capcom
Release1994
Genre(s)Versus Fighting
Mode(s)Up to 2 players simultaneously
Arcade systemCPS-2

Darkstalkers (Japanese: ヴァンパイア, Vampire) is a fighting game series created by Capcom, where various mythical and fantastic monsters (as well as from horror fiction) fight each other.

Development

Darkstalkers was the first Capcom fighting game made exclusively for the CPS-2, as opposed to a port such as Super Street Fighter II, and yet, it has been a very famous series since 1994. It was the largest leap of gameplay and graphic innovation that Capcom ever made in fighting games since Street Fighter II. It featured very fluid animation, exotic normal and special moves, a variety of dashes, ex-moves, and more. It was also the first fighting game that allowed air blocking. It never became as popular in the US as it did in Japan, however.

Games

The U.S. title is given first, with the Japanese titles given second (unless stated otherwise). Years shown are for original release of each game.

  • Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors / Vampire: The Night Warriors (1994)
    • Ten playable characters are available, with two unplayable bosses faced after the first ten are defeated. All characters were given countries of origin, similar to Street Fighter II.
  • Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge / Vampire Hunter: Darkstalkers' Revenge (1995)
    • Two new characters are introduced (Donovan and Hsien-Ko/Lei-Lei) and the boss characters from the first game are now playable.
  • Vampire Savior: Jedah's Damnation / Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire (1997)
    • Four new characters are available including a new boss, Jedah. The two older boss characters and Donovan are removed. Also known as Vampire Savior: World of Darkness or Darkstalkers 3 (U.S. PlayStation version). Also released on Saturn in 1998 (Japan only). (note: the PlayStation/Saturn Darkstalkers 3 has the four new characters from Vampire savior as well as Pyron, Huitzil, Sasquatch, Talbain, and Rikuo.)
  • Vampire Savior 2 (1997, Japan only)
    • Nearly identical to Vampire Savior, except for the character lineup. The three characters who were removed return, replacing Talbain, Sasquach and Rikuo.
  • Vampire Hunter 2 (1997, Japan only)
    • Released at nearly the same time as Vampire Savior 2. Features the same character lineup as Vampire Hunter did.
  • Vampire Chronicle for Matching Service (2000, Japan only)
    • Only released on the Sega Dreamcast. Includes every character in the series.
  • Vampire: Darkstalkers Collection (2005, Japan only)
  • Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower / Vampire Chronicle: The Chaos Tower (2005)
    • Released on the PSP.

TV series

File:Nwdvd.jpg

There is a 4 episode OVA anime series released in 1997 titled Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge (Vampire Hunter: The Animated Series in Japan). Nearly all of the characters from the first two games make an appearance in it, if only briefly. Viz publishes the anime in North America.

There was also a US Darkstalkers animated series by DIC. It spanned a season of 13 episodes in 1995, and featured an additional character, a young teenage wizard named Harry Grimoire who followed Felicia. It is considered by many as the worst of the three American Capcom cartoons.

Interestingly enough, both series used the song "The Troubled Man" by Eikichi Yazawa.

Comics

In Japan, there have been several comics and graphic novels based on Darkstalkers, but only a few have been released outside of Japan. In 1998, Viz translated and released a set of 6 comics based on the Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge OVA, and later combined them into a single trade paperback.

A North American produced comic first came to light in 2003, when Dreamwave Productions signed a deal with Capcom to create comics based on several of their licenses; Dreamwave folded before any issue of Darkstalkers could be released. In 2004, UDON Comics signed a deal to create a comic based on Darkstalkers, and the first issue came out in November; the comic lasted for 6 issues before UDON went on hiatus for the summer of 2005. UDON's COO, Erik Ko revealed in an interview that Darkstalkers would return in early 2006. Like UDON's Street Fighter comic, each issue had multiple covers: two normal covers (called 'A' and 'B'), and a holofoil cover (also called cover 'C'); in addition to the normal covers, the first two issues were reprinted and had reprint covers, the first issue had a special edition cover sold through specific online retailers (called the "Ruppsworld" cover), and issue #5 had a special cover made for the 2005 Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon, which features a foldover cover of Morrigan.

Characters with appearances in other series

Note: Several characters from Darkstalkers appear in Pocket Fighter, in super deformed versions. Many are seen in cameo appearances, while others are playable characters. In addition, Huitzil and Lord Raptor's only crossover appearances are in the Japan-only Namco x Capcom.

Other characters

Trivia

  • Rikuo's name is the Japanese "Riku" for "Sea".
  • In Capcom's fighting game Street Fighter Zero / Alpha 2 the background of Ken's stage, The Personal Cruise Of Ken, contains characters similar to those from Darkstalkers including look-alikes of Morrigan and Felicia.

See also

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