VF5 preview: still the king of the world
by Dan Choi 
{ Jan 30th 2006 at 2:12PM }
Eurogamer has a preview up concerning the latest iteration of Sega's 3D fighting franchise proclaiming
that, "for fighting game fans at least, the world revolves around Virtua Fighter."Suki, the preview's author, goes into why the changes planned for VF5 will keep it on top of Namco's Soul Calibur and Tekken series, but the more interesting part of the article comes in the very beginning, where he (or is it she?) goes into the cycle of devotion and withdrawal hardcore fans go through each time a new version of the game is released.
While we all wonder whether a VF will ever be released for online play at home, EuG's fighting street cred remains intact due to its excoriating review of Dead or Alive 4. DoA's not that bad, but it's a shame that there probably won't be any Akira action goin' on on the 360 anytime soon. (Live Arcade, it's up to you now!)
[Via Evil Avatar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sense @ Jan 30th 2006 2:41PM
Why SEGA ignores the prominently action oriented Xbox puzzles me. They put weird experimental titles like GUNVALKYRIE and Toejam and Earl on the Xbox, but they refuse to put guaranteed big sellers like VF on it.
I know that they don't want to make games for a system that they don't sell on, but come on! What kind of test is Toejam and Earl?
DG @ Jan 30th 2006 2:58PM
Wait, is there any chance of VF 5 coming out on Revolution? That's the only next-gen system I plan on buying, and I'd be very frustrated if I missed out of the lastest incarnation of the best-ever 3D fighting game.
Scythe @ Jan 30th 2006 3:12PM
Toejam & Earl sounds like a 360 title to me, yeah maybe they will make one called "Buttcrack and Gate" LOL crap box doesn't measure up to what sony has.PDZ was hyped up so much only to have it to be a crap fest spinning 360 degrees.
I have a lot of my friends with 360's and most of them don't spend much time playing it. We spend more time playing PC games and doing other things. These are guys that reserved the crapbox and waited everyday for it to arrive. So MS didn't do a good job with this system.
Blah Blah Blah
Nossy @ Jan 30th 2006 3:18PM
I don't think it's up to Sega. I think ultimately it's up to Yu Suzuki-san and AM2 to decide which platform they preferred to work on. Very much like how Kojima-san have exclusively developed MGS for Playstations and Itagaki-san has preferred the Xbox platform. When you're a premiere developer you get to decide what to work with. I'm not sure if Sega will bring VF5 to the 360, the chances are very very slim. (Also the 360 performance in Japan hasn't been all that great either). And it's not because the 360 won't be able to handle it either.
Lupos @ Jan 30th 2006 3:19PM
"EuG's fighting street cred remains intact due to its excoriating review of Dead or Alive 4."
http://www.spong.com//detail/editorial.jsp?eid=10109329&snapBack=t
a tad off topic but... seems eurogamer isnt the only site in the world that doesnt think doa4 is the be all end all... (ps, this isnt supversive plugging, i wrote this review) just anoys me that this is the scond time in as many days that someone has reffered to doa4 by sigting euro when i said basically the same things a full week earlier(sept for the onlien bit... aprrently i have a better conection). so there, a little shameless self promotion.
good day :)
Mr. Sparkler @ Jan 30th 2006 3:29PM
Doa4 looks better and #3 is a retard.
Sense @ Jan 30th 2006 3:53PM
I've been a big defender of DOA but VF is a much better fighting game.
I love DOA for giving all characters reversals, which is--in my view--more realistic.
However, the design, and overall gameplay of VF is much better and more realistic.
DOA is "prettier" but I don't know if I'd say it actually looks better. DOA has really nailed interactive environments though. Better than any other fighting game.
Except maybe Power Stone :)
kuroshi @ Jan 30th 2006 4:05PM
the arcade board that VF5 is built on ha a very similar architecture to the 360. This would make it the very easiest port to console. The rev. would be the least likely because of hardware power concerns. If sony can regain a large enough lead, they might get it based on install base. At any rate, I don't expect to see it on the home console anytime soon. To put an exact replica on the home consoles would mean the death of it's arcade business.
Mephy @ Jan 30th 2006 4:28PM
#7: The Lindbergh arcade board actually shares NO architectural similarities to the 360. In fact, Lindbergh has more in common with the PS3 (nVidia graphics card). That said, it's really soon to be saying what's going where. It's not pre-ordained to be a PS3 exclusive, I can say that much for certain.
Dan Choi @ Jan 30th 2006 4:52PM
Lupos, a link with brief referral on Penny Arcade probably had something to do with that:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/2006/01/27#1138375380
lupos @ Jan 30th 2006 5:41PM
i assure you, i emailed tycho about it as well... (that was the twice in two days refference)although i got no reply or mention :(
cest la vie!
:/
SuicideNinja @ Jan 30th 2006 6:08PM
Sega can keep VF. I've never understood how Virtua Fighter could be liked more than DOA, Tekken, or Soul Calibur. I don't care for Tekken that much, but definitely like it better than VF.
Scythe, what exactly does Sony have? The PS2? The PS2 is a slow system lost in the past as far as I'm concerned. Although there have been some good titles (God of War, Final Fantasy, Xenosaga, Gran Turismo), they still lack good online features and replay value. Trust me, I wish my PS2 had some value, but ours just can't see any action with the Xbox, 360, and Gamecube around. I modded our PS2, bought the online adapter...nothing makes it fun. I'd rather play emulators on my computer.
I can understand the joy of PC games, but claiming Sony has something more to offer than even the original Xbox is a misinformed folley. Relying on Sony's empty promises and prerendered tech demos hardly gives Sony a superior offering with the PS3.
Dan Choi @ Jan 30th 2006 6:11PM
I guess the "fighting street" reference was a bit obscure, but I meant the "excoriating review" reference to be a somewhat sarcastic one ("somewhat" given the online bugs and single-player difficulties people have experienced). Like I said, DoA as a series ain't bad, and I'm a big fan of the third game because of its tag battles in party settings. At any rate, sorry if the send-up of elite fighting fans wasn't obvious enough.
bubbacrosbysucks @ Jan 30th 2006 6:17PM
no fighting game will have such a graphical difference as Tekken TT had on the ps2 over the arcades. That said, VF looks just as fake (therefore shitty) as DOA.
Martez @ Jan 30th 2006 7:16PM
VF5 does not have swords, thus it is impossible for it to topple Soul Calibur.
SuicideNinja @ Jan 30th 2006 9:06PM
#14, why make it look real when the moves are still fake? DOA was never intended to look "real".
Tekken was sloppy in my opinion. The moves (throws & kicks) were hardly any fun (aka boring), and none of the characters really stand out.
My all-time favorite is still X-men vs Street Fighter. Graphics shmaphics. For sooth!
kizza @ Jan 31st 2006 7:08AM
"Scythe, what exactly does Sony have? The PS2? The PS2 is a slow system lost in the past as far as I'm concerned. Although there have been some good titles (God of War, Final Fantasy, Xenosaga, Gran Turismo), they still lack good online features and replay value. Trust me, I wish my PS2 had some value, but ours just can't see any action with the Xbox, 360, and Gamecube around. I modded our PS2, bought the online adapter...nothing makes it fun. I'd rather play emulators on my computer."
Just goes to show that were all different as tekken is my favourite fighting game of all time..... I have xbox1, cube & ps2 & have played my ps2 infinately more than any of the other consoles.....As a matter of fact I have enjoyed my ps2 that much, I really never had time or found enough decent single palyer games on xbox & cube......
All the best games that went to xbox originally were brought to life on ps2 (ssx, burnout, etc,etc), the ps2 controller was much better for me & I had more fun on socom alone with sony's half arsed online service, than I had on xbox live with every & any game.....
Basic fact is that as a gamer, I still see some life in ps2, wheras there was hardly any in ms & nintendo's last offerings anyway..... I mean, one fanboy told me the other day that there was no replay value in ps2 games......then continued to ramble on about the unlimited lifespan of ninja gaiden......what crap, gaiden is a single player game just like god of war, once you finish it thats it, starting it again will show you nothing new but harder difficulty just like every other single player game....
If your a hardcore online gamers, then xbox may be better for you.... if your just simply a gamer...then you can't go past ps2.....
That same ninja gaiden guy could also only manage to muster up 2 games for xbox...And to make matters worse for his own intellect, he dissed shadow of collosus....one of the most innovative, original & fun games I've come across in a while..
You say ps2 is "slow & lost in the past", I don't even really know what this means. Maybe it means that sony should spit in the face of current hardware owners & release their new machine & drop ps2 development like a hot rock...just like MS did with xbox....... maybe sony could also rush it out in their own country with high percentage failure rates & low numbers for consumers....
I will say no more other than this (as I have all three companies current gen systems), I am only looking forward to PS3 in next gen as the past has shown me waht I will be getting.....and the simple fact is that in denial fanboys are willing to slam sony for their evil ways & lies & are already putting the consoles online abilities down when thye know jackshit about them.... All I can say about that is that I am pretty confident that sony's next online ambitions will far outweigh ps2's...and even if they were no better, it will not worry me or about 150 million other console buyers, as this is the number that won't be online out of around 155-160million total console owners of all platforms... Online is only a small, steady growing niche thing at present...
I will go on as I have this gen as a hardcore gamer, but most mainstreamers don't even really know what it is.....
Plus I'll never give up on immersing into a solo player experience without having to interact with high pitched, unbroken voiced, headache inducing, pre-pubescent 12 yr old boys screaming non-sensical, not even funny, annoying shit down the headset & into my ear whilst trying to play online..
Don't get me wrong..I personally love online, I just am realistic enough to realise that it's not the be all & end all, future of gaming..I also am honest enough as a live user, to admit that as much critique as sony get about a add on online service they really weren't thinking would have to be released, MS need to get their act together too....& stop with all the useless gimmick features that we'll use 3-4 times, & concentrate more on eliminating lag from all games.
Even 360 users are still reporting bad lag in most of the games. Screw all the other bells & whistles MS...get your fundamentals right before spouting on with your fanboys about your even more superior live service...... I don't care if I can find my friends through a friends list & join them, if I'm only gonna end up in a lag riddled room that will drain all fun from the game.......
Phelix @ Jan 31st 2006 1:59PM
I really cant see how you could compare VF to DoA or SC or Tekken. It really is lightyears ahead. There's nothing better then countering with an Akira knee followed by a loud crashing noise and finishing off with a 4 hit combo before your oponent hits the floor.
To those not femiliar to the franchise it doesn't sound like much, but a combo/reversal/parry/dodge/throw/kick retract in VF is nothing like in any other fighter. It makes you work for your rewards. When you do a good combo, the sweat pooring off your forehead tells you how hard you've just worked. It's about skill and tries to avoid the mistakes of other fighters that quickly turn into button bashers.
VF isn't the easiest game to play. But I like the idea of having to work to be able to be good at a game, instead of pummeling the buttons till someones on the floor. It's easy to see why people can get frustrated with the game as it's not very accessible. But then this game is not for you.. go play Mortal Kombat and punch someones head off if that's what you like.
For the rest of us who want to work for our rewards (and there's not many these days) you just leave VF to us.
Sure you don't get 20 hit ultra combos or fireballs or gigantic weapons, or scrolling mini fighting games or 50 unlockable characters to choose from. But it doesnt matter. You don't need these extras/they just get in the way of the heart stopping fights that can last sometimes only 5 seconds.
VF was a pioneer in 3d fighters and although it's not such a popular franchise outside Japan, still excites those of us who understand what it's about. In my opinion you can just keep your pretenders.