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It looks like I’ll be pushing my Top 5 Octoberween Game Titles of 2019 a little late again. Life has a way of making things difficult. One day I’ll be able to get these kinds of blogs out much sooner but till then let’s get to my choices. As before I try to find games that are not exactly fully price or possible hidden gems, so they can make anyone’s budget for some great non-mainstream gaming goodness. Enjoy!

We are closing in on the end of Octoberween so I thought I’d throw in a retro game offering for my list this year. Sure Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is retro-ish but that’s mostly made to look retro when in reality it’s the latest modern take on a retro 2D style. No I thought I’d take it back to another time when the fight was on to determine if 2D graphics had a place in the budding 3D realm of game consoles. I’m taking it back to the 32 bit era when the Sega Saturn and the Sony Playstation were battle for console supremacy. Both consoles had their plus and minuses during their lifetimes. One of them I recall is which console could do better 2D or 3D graphics. Though I’m sure it’s still up for debate it was thought that the Sega Saturn could boast better 2D graphics given the system specs to be a 2D powerhouse. Though we know that the Sony Playstation can pull of great 2D visuals, I usually find myself gravitating toward the Sega Saturn for my 2D gaming goodness. And it’s here that this year’s choice of gaming goodness comes from.

Now I could go the easy route and just repost a blog of a prior years Octoberween Game Title pick of yesteryear but I don’t feel the need to do that this time. Perhaps one year I might revisit a certain gothic 2D game title that was released on the Saturn years after the original saw the light on the Playstation, No this year I thought I’d try out a different 2D game that at the time could stand toe-to-toe with its arcade counterpart. That’s right I’m talking about Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire for the Sega Saturn.

 

Now I know what you might be thinking? Why are you covering this game again? Did you not cover this game when you picked Darkstalkers Chronicles: The Chaos Tower on the PSP several years ago during your first iteration of your Octoberween Game Title pics when it was your Top 11? Well I would say you are “kinda” right for two reasons. Reason One is since that blog series was on 1up.com, it’s become quite difficult to find those blogs lost to the past. Perhaps one day I might pick THAT game again or in fact re-visit those game picks during the 1up.com era of my blogging exploits. And reason two is Darkstalkers Chronicles: The Chaos Tower isn’t exactly Vampire Savior given that PSP game was based on a Japanese only Online version of the Darkstalkers franchise. Again I may pick this game again in the future I digress…

Plus given word that there are some in the gaming industry that would like to “resurrect” the Darkstalker series for the new generation, I thought now was a good time to not only play one of the best games in the series but to give it a slot in my Top 5 Octoberween Game Titles of 2019. You may know Vampire Savior: The Lord of the Vampire better by its western release name, Darkstalkers 3. This game only saw a release originally on the original Sony Playstation whereas the Sega Saturn version was left in Japan. It was during that odd time when the Saturn was struggling in the US but was booming in Japan. The Japanese Sega Saturn saw a good number of near perfect arcade translations of Capcom fighting games, thanks in part to Capcom packing a 4 MB RAM card with the game to help with load times and increased frames of animation. Though the US Playstation version gave us the EX version of Vampire Savior, it really couldn’t hold a candle to the arcade version given how it struggled with its lack of RAM for the above mentioned features offered on the Saturn.

Plus the Sega Saturn had the best six button controller when it came to playing these kinds of fighting games. That’s right I said it.

Gameplay wise it can be best described as Street Fighter mixed with supernatural fighters. I heard long ago that Capcom originally wanted to make a fighting game based on the Universal Monsters movies like Frankenstein’s monster, The Mummy and Dracula but Capcom couldn’t secure the rights to these iconic characters so they decided to make their own monster version. I only mention this cause playing this game does give me a Street Fighter vide. The move sets to certain characters feeling similar to controller commands you’d perform when it comes to fireballs and spin kicks though the attacks have their differences given the game’s theme. Mind you I can’t exactly place a similar move to a specific character, which is probably for the best for it gives the game its own identity so it can stand alongside the likes of Capcom’s Street Fight and not exactly be overshadowed by it. Still the game can be easy for newcomers to get use to with its different types of playstyles offered during the character selection. You have your normal modes for standard fighting speed, turbo mode for those that like their gameplay frantic (something that becomes the norm for future Capcom fighting game offerings), an auto mode that allows your chosen fighter to auto-block an attack if you’re not inputting a controller command and the auto & turbo mode that mixes the prior two to have the best of both worlds. You get your basic lifebar but unlike other Capcom fighting games, it plays more like Killer Instinct’s model where once your life gets depleted twice the round ends. Vampire Savior also keeps things simple with a slowly building super gauge to use their Dark Force power for their respective characters. Though you can button mash your way through Vampire Savior, there is enough complexity in this game to be able to chain some wicked combos and pull off character specific super attacks.

The characters are taken from various folklore monsters from around the world. You have your usual vampire, werewolf and other nightmare creatures you can expect in any horror genre movie or tv show but done with Capcom’s own flair. This can be best seen when you use fighters like Morrrigan the succubus, Felicia the cat girl and Q-Bee the…Bee girl? Vampire Savior even has their version of Little Red Riding Hood as Bulleta or AKA BB Hood in the US version. Thanks in part to the use of the 4 MB RAM cart for the Sega Saturn, the game looks and responds great. From the fighting stage backgrounds to the character animation, they all look fluid with virtually no slow down during gameplay and quick loading between matches. Even the game’s sound is great though I have never played the arcade version to fully vouch for its authenticity. Playing this game is like a dream thanks in part to the above mentioned Saturn six buton controller. It’s the perfect layout for fighting moves of its time. Even the L and R buttons are a blessing given they allow for quick access to pull of super mover commands. When I play I usually pick Bulleta given my love for automatic weapons. What? There’s a reason why her name is Bulleta in the game. I guess it was too on the nose for the US release, thus the name change?

It’s not that hard to see why Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire would make a great Octoberween Game Title pick overall. This game just oozes Halloween goodness with its theme, settings, characters, music. How can you pass up a fighting game based on classic supernatural creatures, fighting stage designs that can fit the modern to the medieval in any eastern or western setting and music that is classic Capcom. Honestly I thought the music would be more like Ghost n’ Goblins than Street Fighter-like but offers enough to give it its own spooky feel. This game just screams “Play me on Halloween.” Be it by yourself or with friends in vs. mode.

It’s because of this it’s why I decided to add this game to my gaming collection and give it a spot in my Top 5 Octoberween Game Titles of 2019. Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire didn’t come cheap exactly. Given that it’s an import title it’ll cost a good chunk of change to acquire this game. And that’s not including the means to play this game if you don’t have either a Japanese Saturn or an Action Replay 4-in-1 cart to use on a US Saturn. I was lucky enough to find my copy at one of the various independent game stores I frequent in my travels in North/South Carolina. Though at $35 it was a bit pricy given it didn’t come with the original 4 MB RAM cart and not having any backart in the CD case. For me though it was worth it given I’d have a chance to play this game on the Sega Saturn’s six button controller plus just being able to own it physically. If you’re not able, or unable to get ahold of a Sega Saturn, a 4-in-1 RAM CART and the game you can also check out Darkstalkers Resurrection on PS3 and Xbox 360 via their respective digital storefronts. This version has updated HD versions of Darkstalkers 3 along with prior games in the series. It’s worth a look if you get a chance. I’m told the game sold well digital (I bought the game on PS3 myself) but sadly it didn’t sell enough to warrant being a success according to Capcom. It’s one of the reasons why we haven’t seen a new game in the series. It’s a share really given how well-crafted Vampire Savior is when it could’ve easily been just a copy/paste of Street Fighter. Instead one has to take what crumbs we can get by having some of the Darkstalker characters in the Marvel vs Capcom 3.

So until we either get a new entry in the series for any future Octoberween Game Title picks, I’ll instead come to enjoy the classics anyway I can. It’s just an extra treat for me to be able to play one of the finest Capcom arcade conversions on the Sega Saturn. Give this game a try if you happen to buy the Darkstalkers Resurrection digitally. It’s a nice/quick way to play to get into the Halloween mood.

My Top 5 Octoberween Game Titles for 2019

5) Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon – Price: $15.99 for PS4 and PS Vita version for me with 50% off code at check out. Free with Microsoft’s Games with Gold program on Xbox One.

4) Blair Witch – Price $29.99. Free with Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass.

3) Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire – Price $35.00 physically. Available on PSN for $14.99 or Xbox Marketplace for $2.99 as of this writing.

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