Virtua Fighter General

Virtua Fighter, the pioneer of 3D fighting games and one of the most technical out there. If you ask me, it gets overlooked(in the west at least) compared to the flashier 3D fighters like Tekken or even DOA. I can understand why though, for one thing it's not as accessible as the others, the story isn't as fleshed out, and the character designs are kind of mundane compared to say Tekken's, whose stand out more and have more personality.

In fact, I didn't really like VF when I was younger, it wasn't until VF 4 Evo did I start getting interested in it again(mostly because Goh was the first design I really liked), and VF 5 is actually one of my favorites. At first playing it you're probably just going to be like, eh it's alright but VF is one of those games where as you improve, it gets more and more enjoyable to play. There's always something to be learned too, the game has quite a bit of depth in it. However, I think that if you're not willing to put in the effort of learning the game's ins and outs, you probably won't get the full enjoyment out of it. I think this may be why it doesn't net as many casual players while competitive/hardcore(for lack of better term) fighting gamers receive it a lot more warmly.

Fortunately VF 5 Final Showdown is getting released on consoles 2012. So after 2 years of waiting, we at least know we're actually going to get it. I'm actually pretty hyped for it. I'm digging some of the new themes too.

Yeah, it's kinda sad that the pioneer of 3D fighters doesn't get its due often, but in some aspects, the series hasn't aged well (most likely a result of its hyper-realism). It's definitely the most realistic fighter out there, but I think part of the reason it plays second fiddle to games like Tekken, Soulcalibur, and even Dead or Alive is because of that element of realism. It's the same way with how many tend to prefer arcade-y racers to sims like Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport and the like. Those games have a comparable amount of depth (a sort of equal imbalance, if you will), but they're also more accessible at more novice levels of play (as opposed to VF, which is more unforgiving in that respect) and possess flash and pizzazz (in terms of gameplay and design; I really can't say that any of the VF cast made me go "Wow! I want to play as that guy!") on top of substance.

My foray into the series was with 4: Evo. This was back when I overall decent with fighters (I was at least better than I was as a kid, but I was still wrapping my head around the basics), but it was hard to get into the game. I fell for the "Akira looks like Ryu, so he must be a pick-up-and-play character like Ryu" trap. I did... poorly, to say the least. I packed up my bags, went back to 2D fighters, improved in that area, and didn't return to Evo until a few years ago. Having developed as a gamer, I invested more time in learning the mechanics of the game and found a main in the speedier, less technical Lion (I'm probably the only one who doesn't mind his voice, but some of his lines are a bit cringe-worthy). I found it to be more rewarding as such, although I admit that I still handily prefer Tekken or Soulcalibur any day.

edited 2nd Feb '12 11:18:21 PM by X2X

I remember playing Virtua Fighter 2 on the Sega Saturn. Its the only VF I've ever played, actually. It was fun, but I was too young and stupid to use special moves.

Hey,

Since I recently got a Saturn, I was hoping to get into this series, but then I read the 32X version is supposed to be better...? What should I do, get the Saturn version of VF 1, or the Windows 95 PC version (yes I have a comp that can run it), or spring for a 32X?

Also, what's the difference between Virtua Fighter 4 and VF 4: Evolution?

Thanks.

Isn't 2 on the Saturn? I don't know the specifics, but I'm pretty sure the port of 2 came out ok. I don't really think a possibly superior port justifies shelling out all of this money for the 32X of all systems.

As for the changes between 4 and Evo, I don't know all of it, but here's what I do know:

• two new characters (Brad and Goh)
• character rebalancing and moveset tweaks (notably, Vanessa's alternate Muay Thai stance was removed [due to Brad using Muay Thai] and replaced with an offensive Vale Tudo style, making her purely a Vale Tudo fighter)
• more items for character customization
• new match rules (such as Hyper Fighter [characters can pull off combos and chains normally not possible] and See-Saw [a match where both fighters start out at 50%-50% and battle back and forth, with successful hits draining the other's life; when one player is at 100%, the other is down to 0%])
• new stages (most of which are altered versions of the ones in 4, although the old stages are an unlockable feature)
• improved graphics
• included with Evo was Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary, which is more or less a mashup of the first game (blocky graphics and the original character models, floaty jumps, lack of 8-way movement, no walled-in stages) and Evo (the full cast of Evo [with the characters from 2 onward being given models in the style of the first game], movesets virtually intact [moves that involve sidestepping or evasion by moving into the foreground or background were omitted], etc.)

edited 2nd Feb '12 11:30:46 PM by X2X

El Blaze is the only character I bothered to really learn when I was playing VF 5: Online. I loved the various lucha libre moves you could pull off with his various transitions. Having said that, I do wish they would hire some better (or at least more emotive) to voice his pre- and post-match quips.

VF5 was my first PS 3 game. :')

I have since gotten rid of it as I was really bad at it and there was no online mode. My "main" character ~was~ Brad, by the way.

"Start running...NOOOOOOW!!!

PRAISE GOD...YES!!!

HOT DOOG!!!

VF 5 had some pretty laughable dubbing. Brad's was Narm Charm and pretty hilarious, but Lion's was just terrible.

Oh, the voice acting. I remember it vividly.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. :D :D :D

Don't worry, pal. I won't forget ya.

I'll be invincible beyond all imaginatioooooooon.

CATCHIN SOME ZEEES DOWN THERE?

MIGHT MAKES RIIIIIIIGHT!!!

At least Jeffry's were funny.

IIIIIIIIII WIIIIIIIIIIIIIN

This is where...you FALL. DOWN.

Isn't Virtua Fighter noted as being one of the Hardest Fighting Games to get into and master?

I got into VF with the vanilla edition of 4. I've been glued to Sarah ever since.

Brad's dialog in... was it 5?... was always the worst to me. "Welcome to the BRAD show!" UGH, NOOO SHUTUP

I HOPE YOU TAKE ME SERIOUSLY!

Lion's got Brad beat for worst dub.

Original VF 4 was the first game I bought in the series, though I've also played 2 and 3 in arcades before. Played the crap out of that game in their Kumite mode, kicking butt with Kage (the ninja) and some others. Then I got VF 5. Didn't play it quite as often for some reason. Probably because that's when I got way busier with other games and stuff.

Also, VF 4 Evo had more in-depth training modes than the regular VF 4 which were somehow mostly absent in 5.

It's like you're moving in slow motion. THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN STOP ME!!]] YEAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

To this day, I think Jacky never really came out 100% Ok from that car crash in VF 2. though it could be just too much Jack Daniels.

The Narm Charm is what actually made me a fan of VF, and I''ll outright defend that they have as much personality as stoic karate-men with nowhere to go or douchebags with pimp coats. Though it wouldn't hurt if SEGA pronounce it more.

And depending on who you're starting with, the game isn't as hard to begin with as you think; you're just not going to get far if you don't master it.

edited 3rd Feb '12 8:51:07 PM by DaGr8Gokulio

"Come on! Let's rumble!"

"YEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Nobody can stop me!"

Oh, Jacky...

And as a Lion main, I can tolerate his voice (as I said above), but his lines are still cheesy. Hilaribad, if you will.

"I don't make it a habit to fight the elderly!"

"Heh, what a knucklehead!"

"WHY AM I SO GREAAATTT?!"

Lion's actually one of the funner characters to use. Him, Vanessa, Brad and Sarah are my favorites to use. Goh's my favorite character but he's hard to play with.

I hated when Jeffery got turned into an idiot. But I never liked him all that much.

There is a theory among some VF fans that Jacky is the human incarnation of Sonic The Hedgehog, what with his spikey hair, need for speed and an entire vocabulary focusing on cheesy 80's style colloquialisms.

Though for those same reasons, some have formed a theory that Jacky is the long lost third Bogard brother.

1 and 2 were on the Saturn, 1 apparently got an Updated Re-release later on called "Virtua Fighter Remix" to make up for the original being rushed. The Saturn also had some chibi version called "Virtua Fighter Kids" and a crossover with Fighting Vipers called Fighters Megamix.

I think you're right—looking thru lists of games, I haven't found that many games for the 32X that are really worth time or money, and I can't imagine the 32X version of Virtua Fighter is THAT huge an improvement over the Saturn "Remix" version. The 32X is honestly the one Sega console I don't want.

Bumping this thread by plugging the art.

This here is a VF Poster I tried selling over at NYCC.

Enjoy

So joyed at Gokulio's passion for this series.

Love Akira's face in his pic. And yeah VF characters do tend to be a bit boring at first glance compared to Tekken or SF's cast but they really do have their own charm once you look past their surface and like you said use a bit of imagination.

Exactly. Otherwise, how can you possibly explain Jacky Bryant?

Head trauma from a racing accident?

Dubious amounts of whiskey?

A repressed incestuall lust for his sister?

You decide. Just know that no matter what you choose for your Jacky, it will only end in one forgone conclusion.

YEAH

Might as well bring this thread back, what with Akira being in the new DOA and such.

I started out playing VF 2 on CD-ROM (thank you, Sega Smash Pack), and the two I used most were Jacky and Lion (back when I thought that his name was pronounced as it was spelled). After that, I fell of Virtua Fighter because there were no Xbox ports. Then VF 5 came. Still main those two annoying white guys, although I've been trying to expand into the Guido tool, the Rey Mysterio knock-off, and the Black girl who apparently has Vitiligo.

Moving on, is there any word on the localized commentary? While a good chunk of it does bleed together because you're too focused on the fight itself, some of the dialogue that occurs during the clutch and that one guy starts screaming every single thing tends to send me into a giggling fit.

edited 15th Mar '12 3:58:40 AM by IWasJustPassingBy

The commentary was hilarious. I hope they bring localized commentary back as well. But so far I haven't heard word on it.

Jeffery isn't that much lighter in VF 5 is he? I don't really play him. Vanessa though, yeah she got lighter for no reason, though it may have to do with the lighting system used in VF 5. If you see the darker-skin alternate in FS that's closer to her original complexion it looks ridiculous since it's overly shiny. Hopefully they fix that in the console release.