Virtua Fighter 5 Review

Sega's fighting series hits with authority on PS3.

Posted by Robert Workman on Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Over the last fourteen years, Sega's Virtua Fighter franchise has improved graphically, but never strayed from its realistic hand-to-hand combat; discarding fireballs, 100 hit combos and fatalities in exchange for good old fashioned brawling. This year, developer AM2 continues this tradition with the stellar Virtua Fighter 5 for PlayStation 3.

Fighters from previous games return, along with two new faces -- the versatile Eileen and the suave Lucha Libre wrestler El Blaze. Each of these characters sport powerful, unique fighting styles. Shun Di, for instance, wavers around unpredictably with a drunken fighting technique, which becomes more impulsive every time he takes a swig from his bottle. Jeffrey McWild prefers WWE-style wrestling moves, slamming opponents to the ground and howling like a madman. None of the fighters exploit an advantage over the others, keeping things balanced.

Players can access a Command List for each character by pausing the game. Here, people will discover combos and power moves; along with grapples, described here as "offensive maneuvers". They can also learn how to break out of a throw with a quick defensive maneuver, done more realistically here than in the counter-riddled Dead Or Alive 4. In addition, gamers shift movement upwards and downwards with a double-tap on the directional pad. This sets up opponents for a good counter-attack, while dodging an incoming punch or kick.

As for controllers, Virtua Figher 5 works fine on Sony's SIXAXIS, with responsive buttons. However, some may prefer a good old-fashioned fighting stick to perform some of the more complex motions.

Computer opponents put up a good fight -- maybe too good. The artificial intelligence will pummel most people, especially inexperienced n00bs. To sharpen one's skills, players need to become acquainted with Dojo mode. Here, gamers select a fighter, set up a particular scenario and go to work. This lets them get the hang of the moves and counters, or try out some of the game's deeper bone-breaking combos.

Sega AM2 deserves credit for its work with the visuals. All of the fighters look phenomenal, right down to the wrinkles in Shun Di's face and the seams on Sarah Bryant's body suit. Even with the smallest of motions (like rolling off the ground), the characters move with fluid brilliance. The backgrounds also stand out. The street level, for instance, features passing traffic, buildings with separately lit windows and rain -- all at 60 frames per second. Other levels, like a snow-capped mountain and a heavily crowded wrestling arena look amazing as well. Even the menu system overflows with extraordinary detail, as players select from floating icons to reach their desired mode.

The music sounds great, and the fighting effects come through almost perfectly. However, the voice acting needed work. Sometimes it works well, like with Sarah's classic "Better run home to momma now!" taunt. Other lines, however, sound corny. El Blaze sounds like a superhero impersonator instead of a genuine Lucha Libre wrestler, with dialogue like "My body is the ultimate...WEAPON!" Also, AM2 threw in a pointless commentary option, featuring an announcer who just says things like, "That had to hurt!".

Virtua Fighter 5 features two new modes VF TV and Quest Mode beyond the standard Arcade and Versus offerings, VF TV not only lets people record matches for later viewing, but also comes with some pre-loaded for study. Quest Mode presents players with a rewarding journey, as they visit arcades to challenge opponents. Through this mode, they rank up their characters, starting a 10th Kyu and eventually getting to 10th Dan, the highest level available. Quest Mode starts out easy at first, but gets harder as more of the Dan-ranked opponents surface. Players can earn other bonuses as well. These include additional accessories for their fighter, currency to be spent on items and powerful orbs.

Sega's latest comes up short in one major department -- online play. Virtua Fighter 5 features no online connectivity whatsoever. This means no VF TV fighter downloads or uploads, no versus action, not even any leaderboard updates. Hopefully, Sega remedies this problem with the upcoming Xbox 360 version.

Even without PlayStation Network support, Virtua Fighter 5 deserves a place in every fighting fan's library. Not only does it provide hours of fun, but also the presentation finally gives PS3 owners something to "ooh" and "ahh" about. It'll keep them busy...until Virtua Fighter 5: Evolution arrives.

Final Score: 8 (out of 10)



Final Score: 8/10