Case Cover
Vampire Chronicles: The Chaos Tower
Case Cover
Game File
Publisher: Capcom Japan
Japan Release Date: December 12, 2004
North America Release Date: March 16, 2005
Number of Players: 1 - 2 (Japan), 1 - 4 (North America)
Wi-fi Mode: Ad Hoc
Somewhat a fan to the series, Vampire Chronicles: The Chaos Tower (aka Darkstalkers Chronicles: The Chaos Tower in North America) wasn't on my game purchasing list since I have Darkstalkers 3 for PS1. Although Vampire Chronicles is a portable game whereas Darkstalkers 3 isn't, I felt it was a waste of money to buy it since I don't play games much. But I found an used one on eBay for a reasonable price & now it's in my PSP game collection.
About the game
Vampire Chronicles is a direct port of the Dreamcast game under the same name. It's a collection of the 3 Vampire Savior games put into 1. It also has all the game endings from the 3 games. The difference between the two is the PSP version has a Tower mode where you choose a team of 3 fighters to climb up a 100 level tower. There isn't really a story in this game. The overall theme is basically defeat Jedah from bring demons to Earth or something along those lines. Of course, each character has their own endings as they all have their own reasons for fighting. However, the endings aren't great anyways which was why I didn't care which version I brought.
Graphics
Since this is a 2D fighting game, there is probably not much to show on the PSP. However, the graphics on this game was surprising good. It actually made use of the system's millions of colours. It looked better than my Darkstalkers 3 game. It was bright, but yet dark to make the mood.
During gameplay, the characters & background looked either stretched or squished due to the PSP widescreen. Capcom probably got lazy in this area & didn't do anything to fix this aside from allowing you to change the view to 4:3 ratio with some wallpaper on the sides to cover where the black borders suppose to be. However, I got use to it over time & it didn't really bother me as much.
Music & Sounds
For some reason, Vampire Chronicles' sound effects sound a lot better than the previous games. It was clear on the speakers. I imagine it would be more sharper with the earphones on. All the music & sounds haven't changed. It's all original. No remixes or added sounds.
Gameplay
There are 3 game modes (4 if you have the North American version): Arcade, Versus, & Tower mode (North America gets a tournament mode). The first two modes are straightforward. The Tower mode is the new one here. You basically get a team of 3 fighters & take them inside the tower to fight while meeting certain victory conditions & restrictions. They include cheap finishes, EX finishes, no punching, etc. This mode helps increase the replay value of the game.
Since Vampire Chronicles is a collection of the 3 past Vampire Savior games, you have 3 different modes as well. The most noticeable one is the special bar for your powerful special attacks. Also, what I notice from the 3 different modes is the character attacks. Some of the special moves don't register on certain modes since they weren't created at the time. Also, punches & kicks may be different.
Some people have been saying how they have difficulties pull off some of the games moves on the PSP directional pad. I'm not good pulling off the moves myself on a PS console controller, but I managed to do well on the PSP directional pad when I played it the first time. There are at times when I can't register the moves. I'm thinking it's probably due to the PSP's design. Although the game offers an easy mode option to allow you to pull the moves easier, it may not feel the same for veteran fighting players. This can represent a challenge to some players when trying to met certain victory conditions in the Tower mode.
Also, the game doesn't allow you to use the analog nub to control your character which is kind of a letdown. However, even if it was offered, I would probably won't use it. The reason why is due to the position of it & the nub itself. Pulling the moves on the nub would be sweet, but over time your thumb would probably be in some pain due to the nub's low position. Also, I feel the stick of the nub would break if you go hard on it, continuous pulling quarter circles. But I think Capcom didn't think about this & just got too lazy to allow the game to use the nub function.
Extras, Bonuses, & Secrets
Whatever secrets you know about the Vampire Savior series pretty much applies here. The Chronicles mode is a gallery of sounds, artwork, & movies of characters endings & game intros. A majority of the artwork is unlocked from the Tower mode.
Differences between the North American & Japanese Versions
The only noticeable difference between the two versions is the North American has a tournament mode. I heard in order to use this mode, you must have 4 players.
Replay Value
Fighting games are only fun for a period of time until game companies release a new version of it with new moves, characters, etc. Thankfully, the Tower mode helps Vampire Chronicles keep its value up. Unfortunately for me, I'm having troubles with it since the victory conditions are in Japanese & I can't read them. Therefore, I don't know what to do to advance on some levels.
Overall Conclusion
If you are a diehard fan of fighting games & the Vampire Savior series, this game is worth getting. Being very little VS fighting games out there at the time of writing this review, this game isn't a disappointment. I would rate this a 8/10 for its fun factor as the Tower mode helps support this game. If the game had given me problems with the controls, I would have rated it a 7.
Last updated on June 28, 2007
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