Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower review

Since the generational leap to 3D, it's a great thing to see that two-dimensional beat 'em ups have continued to flourish; and of all the companies that still churn out this genre, Capcom will be the one most familiar with gamers. While many regard Street Fighter as being the ultimate 2D fighter, Capcom's other scrappers have since been relegated to the back of class. Case in point: Darkstalkers, one such series which has never had the chance to reach the mass market - hopefully, with its latest incarnation (a compilation of previous entrants in the saga), it will be thrust into the limelight for everyone to enjoy. Once you begin playing Darkstalkers you will notice the utterly weird and wonderful characters at your disposal. Taking their cue from plenty of monster movies, the characters range from vampires to robots and each one comes with an equally unusual move set. None are more unusual than the final boss Jedah, with his gorgeous but horrifying final stage (a giant creepy baby); he assaults you with his large, blood red scythe and with his arm he can even enlarge parts of your character's body (yes, even the breasts) until they explode. Upon your defeat even his maniacal laugh will send a shiver down your spine. All of these characters have their own wafer-thin storylines, and each one can be viewed in the Chronicles section once unlocked (the Chronicles section being a sort of compendium of secrets and miscellaneous music from the game). In Arcade mode you get to choose rules from any three of the previous Darkstalkers games. These however only consist of move changes and a different power bar system - so don't expect any drastic changes (because the game will still play the same whichever one you choose). The other game mode is the Tower, and this is what distinguishes Darkstalkers from being a simple port. Here you choose three characters and have to make your way to the top by beating a number of opponents, each battle having a certain regulation (for example, no kicks allowed). Unfortunately, despite plenty of artwork to be unlocked, it only serves as a mild distraction and you'll soon be returning to the fun of arcade mode. If you're a rather jaded gamer and think that only 3D graphics can be truly jaw-dropping, then you need to witness Darkstalkers in motion. Character animation is superb and the backdrops are stunning - this truly is a visually remarkable title that only goes to show that 2D is far from dead. It's just a shame that the endings are taken straight from their console counterparts - taking up only half of the PSP's widescreen display, they look far from breathtaking. Musically, the game also fares well with the elegant orchestral strains of the credits making our ears quiver. Alas, the main problem with Darkstalkers doesn't lie with the game itself, but with the hardware. The PSP's D-pad is rather shoddy in comparison to consoles, and this affects the game more than we would've liked. The 'half circle' moves (a staple of the genre) can become quite tricky and most of the time you'll abandon them completely and go for simple punch-and-kick combos. Due to the cumbersome controls, extended play can also result in a bit of hand cramping, which hardly makes Darkstalkers a comfortable experience. Despite this fault, Gamestyle wholeheartedly recommends Darkstalkers Chronicle to all 2D beat 'em up fans. Wonderful character design, superb visuals and old-school gameplay all unite to form an excellent PSP title. In time you'll forgive the controls and accept this for what it's worth: a fine addition to your PSP collection.