To be honest, it was Capcom’s fault that it failed, there was no advertising, the collection was two arcade games with none of their console additions. The PSP collection was FAR better. Not only that most fans already had a way to play the games. It’s a shame because I was always so interested in DS when I was younger and I bought the collection to both experience it and to show support. Unlike with Megaman Legends 3 which was cancelled due to genuine lack of support, resurrection was just a failure from all angles.
Also keep in mind that Darkstalkers was disliked in America when it first came out and was only popular in Japan. It flopped elsewhere with only the 3rd game having a widespread release. It was only once they started appearing in crossovers that their fanbase grew.
However, I believe that out of the other non-SF fighting games, Darkstalkers is the most likely to return and with the emphasis on lore and story along with the advancement in CGI that originally made a modern DS game unfeasible 15 years ago, it’s only a matter of time before we see the Darkstalkers roaming the night to retake their former, rightful glory.
TBH I wasn’t also a fan of the original DS, I just saw it as an interesting game for the animation, my other game that time was SamSho.
I can’t speak for the western audience. yet I don’t think it was dislike in america. You can ask people here,
First of all the animation and art were way ahead of its time in comparison to other titles, and it also have a more solid gameplay compare to other FG titles that was along the same time like art of fighter, world heroes, Mk and etc. So I don’t think it’s dislike, but the real problem was it didn’t have a clear target it’s like it was the middle of everything and the only thing that it made it exceptional was the art and animation.
If it’s target audience were into horror, gore and violence, it’s in a very difficult position to compete with other titles that time which have their own genre of appeal.
Violence, Gore and 3D were making a lot of noise to kids in the early 90s despite having poor art style and gameplay, because those were unusual and unexplored gaming concept unlike today, while brilliant 2D animation and pixel art was everywhere.
It was also the third game that made me played it. Why I wasn’t into the original DS? because I was hooked already with the Alpha series that did have the same art style and combo chains plus it had STREET FIGHTERS on it, which is more recognizable and appealing for someone like me in the early age.
I never said that I thought the original DS was bad, going off American reviews from magazines it was seen as a “Halloween SF” but I suspect that the original DS wouldn’t have had it bad if it came out a year later when the FG genre wasn’t as oversaturated and the general public was tired of SF. I thought it was game that was good but obviously needed refinement with the 2nd title balancing it out and the 3rd one completely changing it up for better. I don’t live in America so I can’t say but it intially was seen badly by reviewers until the second one came out.
To be fair, that’s probably why it failed, it was dark yet funny, it was limited to what it could. Darkstalkers was literally ahead of it’s time and I think that a DS game with today’s standards would absolutely make a impact with the FGC.
Vampire Saviour appealed to me more than NW because of it’s better artstyle and I love its fast-paced gameplay where you constantly need to think on your toes. It’s clear to see that the V-System from SFV came from the Dark Force of VS. On a series whole, its music had flair to it
Like I said I can’t speak for it, but DS had decent game play compare to other competitors, yet your right it’s halloween not SF, but halloween SFA to me. SF wasn’t tiring people didn’t care about SF being played again and again. Thats why it’s a yearly release and got numerous sub sequels.
It was just because the other titles were either more controversial or more loud in appeal while DS is the middle ground but with better game play which is along SF.
Yeah it would many are now talking how 90’s animations and pixel was everything, from frame counts, animation techniques and etc.
I did played DS2 but I felt that I’m just playing it because of felt bored with SF for awhile, Yes it was VamSav that made me played the series because of it’s new gimmicks and interesting unique abilities of the characters, while the gameplay is still solid but now different from Alpha.
You can still see that interest still reflect on my usual character wishlist and their moves which is more about unique abilities and unconventional gameplay.
What Capcom said was that they wouldn’t release a new Darkstalkers if the sales weren’t high enough. Note what that really says, though. They did not actually promise to release a new Darkstalkers if sales were high enough, just that lower than desired sales would guarantee that they didn’t.
I can tell you that if you don’t give me a new car, I won’t cut off my arm. That doesn’t mean I’ll cut off my arm if you do give me a new car, or that I ever even intended to cut off my arm regardless of what you gave me.
That was a relatively common tactic of Capcom’s, attempting to boost sales among hardcore fans by holding hostage the prospects of other desired projects. “if you don’t buy this, then we won’t release this other thing”. For example, they did the same when people balked at the idea of Capcom adding paid DLC to Third Strike Online Edition, Capcom responded with the news that if DLC sales weren’t good enough, then they might not continue to do classic ports in the future.
