"Close but no Cigar."

Darkstalkers is by no means a bad game, don't get me wrong about that. In fact at first it plays just like it's predecssors. Then after awhile it still plays like the games that came before it. Then you finally realize that this is exactly the game you have been playing for years.

Graphics (9/10)
The sprite characters look amazing in this game. The PSP screen seems to take anything and make it look really sharp. Though the stages do get really redundant after awhile, they still look really good in the LCD goodness that the PSP screen displays. Some slowdown occurs, especially during multiplayer so that takes a little away. Overall a very worthy effore on the part of Capcom.

Sound (6/10)
Not much to talk about here as the soundtrack is particularly unremarkable. If you punch someone you hear it and so forth. The music is practically non-existant. In fact I couldn't hum you a track from it after a few months of playing. Nothing really worth mentioning on this particular front.

Control (7/10)

Ouch this can get really frustrating. The D-pad on the PSP doesn't handle well at all in this game. Be prepared to be jumping by mistake in the middle of special moves, or jumping straight up instead of to the side. The controls make really hard to go against the ruthless AI you will be facing against in later levels. I wish they would let us use the joystick but that isn't an option. Overall I lackluster control scheme for a lower score.

Gameplay (8/10)

The only reason this gets such a high score here is the fact that I am simply a sucker for fighting games. The game has some bothersome load times, which takes away from the score. On another note, the controls really affect it here as some victories are stolen away by control mistakes. The game is a direct port of the same games I know and love, so the complete lack of extras really grinds my gears. Also a complaint of mine from the beginning is the really strange sexual undertones of this game. I don't really need T&A in my video games to keep me happy. A good game, but not a classic by any means.

Rent/Buy?

A definite rental first.

Overall- 7/10
The Good
1.Classic Capcom style fighting.

The Bad
1.Load Times
2.Control
3.Sexual Undertones
4.Slowdown on graphics

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/14/06