Retronauts Episode 476: DarkStalkers
Originally released in Japan as “Doki Doki Vampire”
Riding high on the popularity of Street Fighter II, Capcom continued to churn out fighting game after fighting game in the 1990s. Some of these titles caught fire and outshone Capcom’s eventual (troubled) release of Street Fighter III. Others drifted into obscurity, only occasionally surfacing in the form of background cameos or in Tumblr threads of exceptional 2D animated GIFs.
And then there’s DarkStalkers, a series of supernatural fighters with a roster full of monsters and those who would hunt the monsters (but not, uh, Monster Hunters). DarkStalkers and its confusingly-named sequels wowed 2D fighting game fans back in the 1990s, but the last original game came out 25 years ago, with the series only “alive” today in the form of compilations and retro re-releases-such as the Capcom Fighting Collection, which features all five DarkStalkers arcade games—including two that never saw an international release.
Host Diamond Feit remembers xyr first monster mash, as does special guest Ant from GamingHell.co.uk (check out their Twitch channel as well). Together, these two fondly run down the diverse lineup of creatures in the DarkStalkers roster, reflect on the effort Capcom’s artists put into making every sprite shine, and generally lament the fact that, despite statements to the contrary, DarkStalkers Are Likely Dead.
Description: Recorded under the light of a full moon and surrounded by hordes of otherworldly creatures, Diamond Feit and Ant from GamingHell.co.uk brave the night to celebrate the DarkStalkers series.
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MP3, 57 MB | 1:59:15 Direct download Retronauts on iTunes Retronauts at Audioboom
Artwork for this episode by Greg Melo and editing thanks go to Greg Leahy.
