Aside from Street Fighter, one of Capcom’s other beloved brawler game series is Darkstalkers. These one-on-one fighters feature characters based on monster and horror movies, as well as ones centered around various spooky legends and stories. Many of the characters are some of Capcom’s most popular ones. Now you can enjoy a double hit of arcade classics with Darkstalkers: Resurrection, downloadable for PS3 and 360. This collection includes Darkstalkers 3, as well as Night Warriors, a sequel/update to the original game (PS3 version reviewed here).

Both games on this collection are classic one-on-one brawlers, and helped Capcom become famous for the genre. Battles in these games are lighting quick and smooth, with fantastic animations for the time and a wide variety of characters. Some of my favorites include the Chinese ghost Hsien-Ko, and an abominable snowman. Others include fighters based on Dracula, Frankenstein, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, a mummy, and many more! Many of these characters have been featured in other games, like Marvel vs. Capcom.

Speaking of which, Resurrection is set up very similar to Marvel vs. Capcom Origins, another downloadable collection of popular Capcom fighters. You can play the arcade mode for each title, as well as try some training and challenge modes. You can also go online and battle people from all over the world. As you play, you’ll gain experience points, which you can then use to buy artwork and other goodies in the Vault. A ton of options are available to tweak how you view the game to your liking as well.

Only problems I can see from this game, aside from the high difficulty even on the easiest settings (but then, I stink at fighters), is that it would’ve been nice if they would’ve included the original Darkstalkers game on here. Then it would’ve felt like a complete collection. Luckily Night Warriors is more of an update to the original game rather than a sequel. Otherwise, this is a fantastic collection for fans of arcade fighters and Capcom classics.

Kid Factor:

Darkstalkers: Resurrection is rated T for Teen with ESRB descriptors of Suggestive Themes, Violence, Blood, and Partial Nudity. The suggestive stuff comes from a few of the female characters. Morrigan the succubus, I’m pointing my finger at you! It’s a fighting game, so there is a lot of violence, and there is some pixelated blood, especially in Darkstalkers 3. And one stage has a giant monster baby fetus in the background that some may find disturbing.  But it’s all very cartoony, and with some adult supervision, I might let kids younger than teens play this. Besides, what kid doesn’t like monsters?

Tags: Game Reviews