Darkstalkers is an arcade fighting game by
Capcom, released in 1994. It was released first in Japan, under the name
Vampire, then reached the United States as Darkstalkers. Darkstalkers was a graphical masterpiece, sporting more detailed characters, gorgeous backgrounds, and smoother
animations, earning it many fans. In addition, it also added some new gameplay elements. Darkstalkers was the first game to have a "Super Meter," which allowed characters to execute super-powerful special moves.
Darkstalkers was a departure from its predecessor, Street Fighter 2, in other ways as well. The characters were very flamboyant and colorful. In some cases, they were downright silly - something that endeared it to its fans even more. All of the characters were based on famous monsters and myths, such as Morrigan Aensland, the succubus, Anakaris the Mummy, and Jon Talbain, the Werewolf.
Darkstalkers has spawned several sequels. Night Warriors (Vampire Hunter in Japan) introduced two new characters, but very little else. Vampire Savior was the third in the series, with new gameplay features and several new and bizarre characters, such as Baby Bonnie Hood, a psychotic Little Red Riding Hood.
Although Darkstalkers hasn't achieved the fame and popularity of the Street Fighter series, it has a very large and devoted fan base all of its own, and some of its characters have appeared in other Capcom games as a result.