Darkstalkers Chronicle is a bit of an oddball in the PSP launch line-up. Sharing shelf space with the latest and greatest in portable 3D gaming, this beefed-up port of a four-and-a-half year old 2D Dreamcast game certainly stands out. Normally, this sort of dichotomy just wouldn't make sense, but the Darkstalkers series has a fervent fan base that will consider its launch availability a big plus for Sony's new handheld. The series was never a mainstream hit-mostly due to the popularity of Street Fighter-but it has built up quite a cult following and has proven popular enough to warrant a few home conversions on U.S. soil.

The Chaos Tower is the fourth console entry in the United States, and it is essentially a compilation of previous titles in the series. Fortunately for all of its fans, Darkstalkers Chronicle plays just as well as previous versions, and it looks absolutely fantastic on the portable screen.The game features a returning cast of 18 popular characters from previous games, including fan favorites like Felicia, Morrigan, Sasquatch and Demitri. In addition, Capcom has included a few secret characters, and these are unlocked by skillful progression through the game. When selecting a character, players can opt to use the various specials and move-sets from previous Darkstalkers games-from the first in the series all the way up to Night Warriors and Darkstalkers 3 SP. For the sake of balance, Capcom has adjusted the moves and combos of each character and supplied them with an arsenal competitive with all of the included fighters. Thus, playing a Night Warriors character against an opponent who was not originally included in that game will still result in a fair fight. The differences in the combo systems in Night Warriors and Darkstalkers 3 have also been addressed, and players will not need to worry about inconsistencies across the cast. The various modes available also faithfully represent their forbears. Darkstalkers and Night Warriors modes maintain the traditional three-round structure, though Night Warriors features increased levels on the 'special' bar. Darkstalkers 3 mode, on the other hand, assigns each player two downs, each of which is lost when a fighter's vitality reaches zero. Following a lost down, the surviving fighter does not regain any health, and the first fighter to lose both downs loses the match. It's not extremely different from the three-round structure, but it does add a bit of variety.

Darkstalkers Chronicle includes a standard Arcade mode, of course, but it also offers a unique play option in the form of Tower mode. In this mode, players choose three characters and climb through The Chaos Tower, defeating opponents and unlocking extras along the way. There are a ton of extras to unlock, including 88 images in the gallery, as well as the opening and ending sequences for each character from all three Darkstalkers games. It is a virtual treasure trove for fans of the series, and the included Training mode will help players hone their skills to the point necessary to take advantage of it. Multiplayer is also included in this iteration of Darkstalkers, but it's only playable on a LAN against other PSPs. The box indicates the support for ad-hoc and infrastructure modes, but that can be a bit misleading. In this case, ad-hoc means PSP versus PSP, and infrastructure means joining an existing wireless LAN and playing against other PSPs. An online option would have been nice, but the ability to play against friends without wires is sufficient. Darkstalkers Chronicle also includes a league mode that sets up four players in a mini-tournament of round-robin battles.

The characters and animations look fantastic on the large, crisp PSP screen, even when stretched to fill it. By default, the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio of the series is expanded across the PSP's 16x9 screen, which works fine. For players who would rather play in the original aspect ratio, however, Capcom has included that option-complete with approximately 20 wallpapers to frame the action. The character movies and backgrounds look great, and the game is a terrific benchmark for other developers looking at 2D on the console. The audio in the game is well done, and players can listen to selections from the game in the Sound menu. The Japanese voice acting and taunts for each character are intact, and this is a nice inclusion for the purists in the audience.

The best part of Darkstalkers Chronicle, perhaps, is how well it transferred from the console to the PSP. It was an excellent fighter on the Dreamcast, and it's a worthy addition to the PSP lineup. With a ton of extras, a full cast of Darkstalkers characters, and an excellent multiplayer network mode, Capcom really pulled out all the stops for this game. Minor complaints could be made-such as the PSP's stiff directional pad and some noticeable load times-but fighting fans on the go will be more than pleased with this product. It's easy to switch on the PSP, play a few rounds, put it into sleep mode, and then pull it back out again a few minutes later. Darkstalkers Chronicle looks great, plays great, and is a welcome addition to the PSP library.

Mar 28, 2005 | 0 comments
Matt Conzen