Dark Stalkers 3 almost demands a ‘test to destruction’ approach to play at first. This reveals a lamentable truth – you can beat the entire game with, say, two moves. Now, that’s probably a fault common to all fighting titles. But the fact is, the ‘greats’ like the Tekken, Street Fighter and Virtua Fighter series offer ample incentive to forget that you can.

It’s not that Dark Stalkers 3 is terrible. Far from it. To enjoy it, though, you’ve got to be prepared to sit down and master at least one character, and get a fair working knowledge of how the others perform. Then, and only then, can you begin to enjoy its OTT specials and wide range of combos. Unless you’re crazy for fighting games, you’re not going to do that, are you?

As simple as it is to pick up and have a quick bout or two – especially if you’re familiar with Capcom’s other works – Dark Stalkers 3 is, to the core of its odd little soul, a bit too hardcore. You wouldn’t guess that to look at it. But that’s the truth.

To forgive Dark Stalkers 3 for its horrible PAL localisation – massive borders! Ugh! – and awkwardly quirky nature, you’ve got to be just a little bit fond of 2D beat ‘em ups. And, with Street Fighter Alpha 3 out in the next few months…