Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors

Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors
Japanese cover art of the PlayStation version of Vampire: The Night Warriors
Developer(s)	Capcom
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Platform(s)	CP System II, PlayStation, PlayStation Network
Release date(s)	CP System II Japan June 30, 1994 PlayStation Japan March 22, 1996 North America March 28, 1996 Europe November 1996 PlayStation Network North America November 29, 2011
Genre(s)	Fighting game
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Media/Digital distribution	CD-ROM

For other uses of the word Succubus, see Succubus (disambiguation).

Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, titled as Vampire: The Night Warriors in Japan, is the first title in the Darkstalkers fighting game series, developed and released by Capcom in 1994, originally for the CP System II arcade hardware. It was ported to the PlayStation by Psygnosis in 1996.

The game was included in Vampire: Darkstalkers Collection, a compilation of all five Darkstalkers arcade games that were released in Japan only for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. In 2011, the PS One version was released separately for the PlayStation Network and is both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable compatible.

In this game, the succubus character Morrigan Aensland appears.

Gameplay

A gameplay screenshot from Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors

The game features ten playable characters (Demitri Maximoff, Jon Talbain, Victor von Gerdenheim, Lord Raptor, Morrigan Aensland, Anakaris, Felicia, Oboro Bishamon, Rikuo and Sasquatch) and two non-playable boss characters (Huitzil and Pyron) as the final opponents of single-player mode.

The game uses the gameplay system Capcom developed for the Street Fighter II series, but with several new gameplay features such as Air Blocking, Crouch Walking and Chain Combos. The game featured a Special meter similar to the "Super Combo" gauge from Super Street Fighter II Turbo, which the player could fill up to perform either a unique "super combo"-type move much like the previous Super Turbo (called "ES" in the Darkstalkers series), or a powered-up version of one of their specials (called "EX", and a concept which would appear in later Darkstalkers games as well as Street Fighter III). Unlike the Super Combo gauge in Super Turbo, the Special in Darkstalkers gradually drains unless the player performs their super move, preventing players from preserving their super moves for later use.

Plot

Demitri Maximoff decides to hold a tournament on planet Earth to see which of the Darkstalkers is worthy to rule the Demon World. Pyron, who believes he should rule the Darkstalkers, decides to enter the tournament.

PlayStation version

The game was ported for the PlayStation in 1996, converted by Psygnosis. This version featured a new opening theme, "Trouble Man" by Eikichi Yazawa, which was used as the theme music for the American Darkstalkers animated series. A canceled Sega 32X was also planned at one point.

Release

Originally released in the Japanese arcades on June 30, 1994, the game was ported for the PlayStation in 1996, converted by Psygnosis. This version featured a new opening theme, "Trouble Man" by Eikichi Yazawa, which was used as the theme music for the American Darkstalkers animated series. A canceled Sega 32X version was also planned at one point.

The game was included in Vampire: Darkstalkers Collection, a compilation of all five Darkstalkers arcade games that were released in Japan only for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. In 2011, the PS One version was released separately for the PlayStation Network and is both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable compatible.

Related media

Several different licensed tie-ins were released for the game in Japan:

• Vampire Arcade Game Tracks (SRCL-2969), official soundtrack CD published by Sony Records.
• All About Vampire (All About Seriew Vol.6), a book by Dempa Shinbunsha.
• Vampire (Gamest No.129), an extra issue of Shinseisha's book/magazine Gamest Mook.
• Vampire Comic Anthology (ISBN 4-88199-138-8) and Vampire Comic Anthology Vol.2 (ISBN 4-88199-164-7), a collection of manga short stories by several authors, published by Shinseisha.
• Vampire 4-Koma Ketteiban (ISBN 4-88199-157-4), a yonkoma manga featuring works by fans and established artists, published by Shinseisha.
• The Very Best of Vampire (ISBN 4-89366-575-8), a guide/art book by ASCII.

A manga adaptation authored by Run Ishida and published in Japan by ASCII in 1996 was later adapted by Viz Comics under the title of Night Warriors: The Comic Series, which was published as a six-issue comic book which were later collected in a single trade paperback volume.

A nine-issue manhua Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors was also released.

Reception

VideoGames gave it a score of 9/10. The magazine also named the arcade version of Darkstalkers at the second best game of 1994 in the categories "Game of the Year" and "Best Fighting Game". IGN gave it a 6.5/10, commenting that "unfortunately, Dark Stalkers pales in comparison to the bigger 3D monsters that have been released for the Playstation, namely Tekken and Toshinden. But as far as 2D fighters go, Dark Stalkers is still one of the best."

In 2007, CraveOnline users ranked Darkstalkers as the ninth top 2D fighter of all time, the staff calling it "a Capcom title that was essential in the further development of Capcom’s 2-D fighter dominance" and "a surprise hit that paved the way for many great games after it." In 2013, Eurogamer's Matt Edwards wrote that Darkstalkers "has remained something of a cult favourite thanks to its unique style and technical innovations."

External links

• The original source of this article at Wikipedia
• Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors at MobyGames
• Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors at GameFAQs
• Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors at the Killer List of Videogames
• Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors guide at StrategyWiki