Personal Reflection
Virtua Fighter was one of those games you remember where you were when you first laid eyes on it. For me, it was in a local gaming store called the Player’s Edge, long since bought out by Movie Gallery and then closed. The animation of the game simply floored me, far and above what could then only be considered choppy and unrealistic efforts of Street Fighter II.
It’s not something you look back on and laugh at yourself for believing it was the pinnacle of gaming. It was far too special, and it still is today. Akira became my character of choice, and while Jacky eventually superceded him over the years, that first 50 ¢ (likely the first time I paid that much for a single credit) is always remembered.
The game nearly led me to purchase a Saturn when it was released, though the overly high price tag led me to hold off. Instead, I found a 32X at Wal-Mart around a year later on clearance and of course, Virtua Fighter. That copy remains on my shelf, and while I’ve been through far more 32X consoles than any other in my collection, that first copy remains in a special place on my shelves, much like the game does is my gaming memories.
Images and review courtesy of Digital Press.
Article comments
1 - RCM
"It's amazing to think that after 14 years, the series has remained this way. Little has been altered"
Ah, but you forget the "massive" overhaul Yu and co tried with VF3. An added button and elevated/different terrain gives this game a different feel when compared to the other titles. It's the best entry in the series and the best fighting game ever.
The original VF certainly hasn't aged well. The series holds strong from VF2 on. All of the surviving 3D brawlers are rooted in the 32-bit era. Those being the Virtua, Tekken, Soul, and DOA series.
Also, the US release of Saturn VF was "cleaned up" slightly when compared to the Japanese release. Also, while the Saturn version looks like it's flat shaded, in reality they "fake" some of the graphics with textures. I prefer the Saturn version, I could tolerate the glitches (mostly in replays) back in 95 and the soundtrack and effects were perfectly replicated from Model 1. The 32X version is nice, but I'll stick to Saturn.
Oh yeah, VF Remix was free to folks who registered their Saturn's for a limited time and came in a cardboard sleeve, as opposed to those clunky, fragile, plastic Sega CD cases.
Not a bad VF article for noobs to the series
2 - Ken Edwards
Gotta say, I am loving VF 5. It should be online, there is no excuse. The die hards would bitch but the general players would have a blast playing it online.
Losing the exclusive to the 360 is a big deal, a blow in the ever growing list of games that are going multi-platform.
Great article Matt. Now I need to get my VF 5 review done.