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Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3)

• Developer:
• Publisher: Sega
• Genre:
• Official Website: http://www.sega.com
• Score: 5 of 5: Purchase

In the interest of "research" I had a couple of friends over last night to partake in a Virtua Fighter 5 tournament, and the official consensus is: This game rocks! Sometimes considered the bastard child of the fighting game genre, VF usually is ranked behind Tekken and Soul Calibur, but with this version on the Playstation 3, SEGA has created a viable contender for the heavyweight belt of fighting games. Based off of the arcade game, it boasts the same graphical content as its mall equivalent, which says a lot about the Playstation engine at reproducing such stunning graphics. Even more impressive is the fluidity and action of the fighting system which achieves a perfect balance between playability and skill.

A cast of characters fight for the ultimate title, fifteen returning favorites, and two newbie's, go through each other and eventually have to take on King-bad-ass himself, Dural. But face it, the story isn't what you came for; you came for the ass-kicking, and believe me you won't be disappointed. All I can say is, from moment one I can't help but feel the excitement of stepping into the ring and mercilessly pounding away at my opponent. Uh, okay, I got pounded a little too, just a little though. But you know what; I never had so much fun repeatedly getting kicked in the head.

Graphics are just stunning as cut scenes pan across majestic battlegrounds and players are represented in almost photo-realistic detail; okay, albeit muscle-bound steroid induced photo-realistic passion, but still stunning none-the-less. Character modeling is superb, with glistening of sweat and natural sweeping motions of movement, bringing a subtle grace to a brutal topic. Arenas are both panoramic and destructible; snow gets trampled underfoot and mud pools quiver according to relevant laws of physics giving the game a certain amount of credibility its rivals don't achieve. Where this breaks down is in the fighting; who knew that getting punched in the face a couple of times could make you hover above the ground for a couple of seconds?

The game has several modes of play; arcade, versus, and quest. In arcade mode you choose a character to fight their way straight through the other opponents until there is no one left in their path, you know, your standard game fighting scenario. While in versus mode you can play two-player rounds against friends in hope of elevating your status or gaining bonuses for character customization. In quest mode you play a theoretical tournament as you go from arcade to arcade challenging reining kings in an ever increasing difficulty of matches.

Arcade mode proves to be pretty routine, not really providing any surprises along the way. In fact, it is the most mundane of the game playing routes as the AI for the opponents gradually increases but never really gets to the difficult point. If you ever get stuck on an individual, all you have to do is study their rinse-repeat motions to figure out where to exploit them, and you are on your way. A little more nuanced attention to AI that could learn from you could have gone a long way to improving this path.

Quest mode gives you more of the same, although it turns out to be a refreshing alternative to the arcade. Here you go to virtual arcades where each opponent has personalized characters that deviate from the normal AI and step it up a notch, giving you a better run for the money. Ultimately though, it boils down to the rinse-repeat tactics with a slightly higher level of difficulty. The AI never really takes on a life of its own. But that's not why you bought the game; no, you bought it to challenge your friends and enemies to experience your full wrath at button induced hand to face combat only you can deal out.

Yes, versus mode is the bread and butter of the series, and that is where the game truly takes off giving experienced and novice players alike a chance to shine if only for a moment. Game moves give you ample opportunity to get some good combos in for those with no experience and some truly jaw-dropping annihilation moves for the virtua expert. Some combos are intuitive and flowing, creating a nice sequence of chains that show virtually no disconnect between movement and order. Half of the glory of the game is refining individual techniques, and mastering the ultimate grab moves that launch your opponent and get the most "ohs" from your real-life antagonists sitting next to you. It really is accessible for the beginner and rewarding for the die-hard who is willing to devote the time and effort improving those skills.

It is through this mode that you gain the most rewards towards your character customization. Besides unlocking a costume and new character through the arcade mode, you get the most items and money during versus, adding to the replay value, but providing a slightly interesting round of achievements to work towards; hey Lion needs a new look anyway, no one takes him seriously. These are just a superficial layer of icing on an already beefy replay cake.

My one huge question concerning this game is: Why can't I play it against others online? Seriously, when is a Playstation 3 game going to really grab this market by the throat and just own it? Come on, the game is perfect for it, I don't mind getting beat up by some Asian kid, in Asia. The mind just boggles with all of the tournament possibilities. You know I'm right.

Virtua Fighter 5 scores high with me, with its awe-inspiring graphics, its fluid controller style, and most importantly its ease of picking up, but complexity of delving into. All of this makes for a truly promising transition to the next-gen consoles. As for my "research" I had to kick everyone out late because we couldn't stop playing and I finally needed some sleep. I have to tell you though; my thumbs still hurt. It's a good pain.

Apr 13, 2007 | 0 comments
Paul Bishop