Virtua Fighter 5 for PlayStation 3

I have been a Virtua Fighter (VF) fan since its release in 1993. I remember the crappy looking, block characters and floating jump action. The series helped launch the Sony Playstation (original), so irony has it that the latest was released on the Playstation 3 (PS3).

The first thing I noticed when turning on Virtua Fighter 5 was the requirement of a system install. The game requires 2.5MB of data to be stored on your PS3's internal Hard Drive (HDD). I thought, OK, 2.5MB isn't that bad (compared to other titles). My first complaint is that every time you load the game, you must approve the fact that VF5 places this 2.5MB file on your HDD. It's a little annoying. Once you get into the game, the annoyances are over.

With the game loaded, beautifully rendered characters show the power of their fighting styles in the game's attract mode. Sadly, the game is an initial release and only rendered in 720p (1080p is full high definition). The level of detail blows VF4 out of the water. On some characters, you can see the veins in their arms; while others, you can see detailed shadowing and contours on their skin. It's the most detailed VF game to date. While playing as Sarah, I was thrown down in some water. When she got up, her shirt and pants were soaked in a realistic manner. The game continues to amaze with stunning backgrounds. Unlike previous VF games, cheering fans have much more detail than before. (VF4, you saw faceless dolls cheering in Wolf's arena) The arenas are well lit. The only visual issues I can cite is a white gleem that happens with most games. For some reason, certain colours of white tend to reflect light in an unnatural manner. This seems common among many seventh generation games.

The audio is somewhat recycled. VF has been using most of the same sound effects since VF1 (1993). The difference is that they get sharper and more refined as the series progresses. Roundhouse kicks have the same woosh sound as they did in VF1, but now it sounds much better in stereo. Despite the recycled hits and miss sounds, the voice acting is all new. I'm sure its the same voice actors, but I can tell that these weren't recycled voices. Even some of the new sayings are more amusing than before. Once of the characters asks if the opponent things they can win while shaking her head "no". It's somewhat clever, but the voice acting does what it needs to. The music is all new, but is another soundtrack comprised of piano music and hard rock. Depending on the stage. From the audio department, I enjoyed the voices, but the sound effects and music just follow suite.

Virtua Fighter is all about the fighting. That's what makes the game worth playing. The controls are simplified, using a punch, kick, and guard button. All moves stem from pressing combinations of these buttons and using the directional stick/D-pad. For beginners, most characters use a combination that starts with three punches then a kick. You can beat some opponents using just this combination, but when you hit the more advanced characters (such as Aoi who can reverse any move in the game), this combination begins to fail. As you progress, the system becomes more momentum based. If you can keep your momentum moving, you can rock an opponent to defeat in no time flat.

Once you get past the elementary level of playing VF, there's a very deep system. I'm disappointed that VF5 does not feature the training dojo that taught players the intricacies of the system, but training mode does teach each character's individual moves. The system gives every character the ability to counter (but not reverse) any move in the game. Players can side step into throws or counter attacks. Beyond side stepping is the multiple throw resistance moves. Players must now learn to recognize a guarenteed throw from a high risk throw. Still, knockdown recoveries and slam down damage reduction returns. All of these intricate parts of play help players learn the advanced skills required to play VF at a competative level.

Regardless of how deep you want to learn the fighting system, the game features a 17 character roster. Each character's style is based on real fighting styles. Characters using the same style have very different feels to them. Jacky and Sarah use Jeet Kun Do, but Sarah fights with speed and focuses on kicks while Jacky uses more boxing style of Jeet Kun Do. There are three wrestlers in VF5: Wolf (Pro Wrestling) uses a more throw based approach, Jeffry (Greco Roman) employs more power strikes, and El Blaze (Lucha Libre) is a speedy and outlandish in his high flying manuvers. The styles branch out from there.

New to the VF series are Eileen and El Blaze. Eileen uses Monkey Style Kung Fu (unlike Shun, who uses Drunken Monkey Kung Fu). Like Lion (Mantis style), she can use poke attacks to pick apart her opponent. El Blaze's Lucha Libre is everything you'd expect from a Mexican wrestler. The oddity of El Blaze is that he's one of the shortest characters in the game. This makes him harder to hit (at times), but also reduces his reach. To make up for it, he's quick. When playing against El Blaze, players must be aware of his tendency to just pull off crazy looking throws at the drop of a hat. When I play as El Blaze, I found his striking attacks can set up for some serious combination attacks.

The returning cast remains familiar but different. Sarah is my favorite, and I found playing with her to be like getting back on a bicycle. Other characters (like Akira) were more difficult. I had to relearn some of the older moves and combinations I used to use when fighting. Brad Burns (the kick boxer) was easy to rush and push opponents with, but now requires a little more strategy. SEGA has balanced older characters to a point where they can cancel out some of the older combinations I used to rock friends with. Mainly, SEGA has refined their system in a welcomed manner.

Just like VF4 Evolution, VF5 features the Quest Mode. Here, you can travel to different arcades and play against higher level players. You create a character/profile, then earn items and rankings by defeating opponents. The items allow players to customize their character's appearence and some of the icons displayed near the player's name. Unlike VF4 and VF4 Evolution, it seems that items just don't come as quickly as before. I also don't understand how money works in VF5. There is a shop where you can buy costumes, but I rarely see ways to earn money.

With a tight fighting system and beautiful visuals, Virtua Fighter 5 is the fighting title of choice. I'm disappointed that the PS3 version doesn't support online play nor downloadable content. Either way, I enjoy this game enough to recommend it.