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To be sure, the series wasn't always for everyone; up until the release of VF4, the series wasn't known to be beginner friendly, and therefore, many opted to go with the series' main rival, Namco's Tekken. With Genki's port of Virtua Fighter 3tb on the Dreamcast not gaining the momentum in North America that was hoped, and also being up against Namco's other baby, and arguably the most popular game on the entire system, Soul Calibur, AM2 had some retooling to do. Despite being extremely popular in Japan, and having a rabid fanbase in the U.S., it wasn't until the release of 4 that a wider audience got to see what others had been talking about for so long. Seeking a better balance, AM2 also wisely decided to ease the game's learning curve in a way that made it for more accessible, and enjoyable, to newcomers. The addition of a Soul Calibur-styled tournament mode, where gamers could compete to earn objects to adorn their customized character and goodies like Virtua Fighter 1 models of the fighters, helped to give the game longevity for those who wouldn't see that its true replability is built within the fighting engine itself. The series has always been an extremely technical and strenuous experience, with gamers needing to dedicate months of play-time to one or two particular characters to really get the most out of the game's system. Myself, I've been using Lion since Virtua Fighter 2, which was released in 1995 on Sega's Saturn, and am positive that I haven't come close to being at anywhere near a competitive level - not that I'm horrible, it just goes to show that this is truly a game where practice and persistence pays off and the game relies less on luck and more on skill. Along the way, the characters that have been added to the series have all brought their own style and now, with Goh and Brad - assassin and kickboxer - being added to the series by way of Evolution, there's even more here for gamers to dive into. Each character has a plethora of moves, along with counters and defense maneuvers, and all go hand-in-hand with an excellent control system. And, unlike many fighters, I would say that every character is interesting enough to at least try, with the hard part being on who to focus on and realizing that some incredibly cool characters would have to be put on the backburner. New to Evolution is the addition of, not only the new characters, but also an enhanced Quest Mode and a unique AI system. The Quest Mode will take players all over Japanese arcades and playing against other gamers - not literally - to gain higher ranking, prizes (1, 500 items) , and access to new playing modes. The prizes that can be won are wallpapers for the menu background and cash to buy tons of items to customize the player's character (earrings, new clothes, etc.). The new playing modes are unlocked at an arena and these are typically tournaments with new rules; for instance, there's an iron man mode that gives both players one life and an extended lifebar, while another is a seesaw mode that has players sapping life from each other on contact. Within the Quest Mode there are also challenges that can be beaten to get these goodies, the constraints can be anything from evading 10 blows to beating Shun Di 3 times - objectives like the latter are tricky because the player might have to play through 10 other characters before getting to one that needs to be beaten. The A.I. has also been remodeled so that it emulates some of Japan's best players. Only rarely does the game get out of character and toss in a lower ranked player that ups their game a few levels higher than they should and throw the player for a loop; other than those random times, this progressive competition style is pretty good and goes a long way in keeping new players interested and veterans entertained. Seeing the characters move is one thing, but learning how to be like them is something completely different; so, it's with that in mind that the fantastic training mode must be acknowledged. Left out of the Virtua Fighter series since 4, training goes from being non-existent to so important that the series implements one of the best modes yet seen. Comprising of a command, free, and trial, anything more that needs to be known can be looked up in the game's handy built-in guide. What's just as cool, and helpful, are the unlockable movies that show complex combos being performed and actual video of a player performing the moves on the arcade version. For being such a complex game, there's been a whole lot done to make it accessible to any level player - and that's very much appreciated. One of the coolest features, and one of the coolest things ever in gaming, is the addition of the 10 Year Anniversary mode. For some reason, North America was blessed with this awesome mode, despite not always being so welcoming to the series. If you thought getting to play as your favorite character in their Virtua Fighter 1 model was cool in 4, then you'll love the anniversary mode. Not only were the characters redone to look like they're from Virtua Fighter 1, but the backgrounds and original music are also there. The looks are cool, but what's amazing is that AM2 took the time to alter every character to fit in the VF set of rules - no walls mean move-specific combos are different, characters moon jump, etc. - just as a 'thank you' to the fans. For this freebie, I tip my hat to thee. While
almost perfect in my eyes, there are a few things that caught my eye. One of the
things missing was an interesting mode in 4 that had players train an AI character
and then have them battle in arcade mode or against others, but that was removed.
Also gone is the Kumite mode is also gone, but Quest Mode is just as, if not,
better. One omission that doesn't make much sense is the ability to save custom
characters on a memory card for play elsewhere, which was possible in VF4.
Aside from the last absence, the others really don't do much to hamper the greatness
that is here, and as such, do very little in making any kind of negative impression
on me - but why, oh why, can't Ryan go about on other PS2s for some white-knuckled
fun? Graphics: 9/10 Control:
9.5/10 Overall:
10/10 [ top ] | |||
Since
its inception, Virtua Fighter has been a series of titles like no other.
With an original that was too awkward for most (see: moon-jumping) and technical
for others, Sega's AM2 division found great success in Japan and followed up their
overseas hit with the phenomena known as Virtua Fighter 2. Continuing on
with a true 3D - and the most quality contested release - 3, the series regained
its composure with 4 and is seemingly unstoppable with Evolution. Sega
has bestowed upon the PlayStation 2, and gamers, one of the finest fighters ever
released - and possibly the best for years to come.
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