Virtua Fighter 5: A Return To Greatness?

October 15th, 2007 · No Comments

by SupaSlick

Finally, a fighting game I can get excited about on the 360!

In case you didn’t know, or more to the point, didn’t care, a 360 demo for Virtua Fighter 5 came out over the weekend. All I can say is that unless Sega totally screws it up between the demo and the release, this is a must buy for me.

Do yourself a favor and give it a try.

All next-gen 3d fighters are known for their graphics, and if you take one look at this demo you will see VF5 will be no different. It’s a gorgeous looking game, but it’s truly the controls and play mechanics that make it so fun to play.

I know there are fighting fans out there who will thump their chests for the Dead or Alive and Soul Calibur series, but as far as I’m concerned, this blows them away. I’m sorry, but a fighting game that’s a button masher isn’t REALLY a fighting game. Yep, I’m calling them button mashers. Cue the hate!

How would you like it if I could jump into Halo 3, randomly mash buttons and get triple kills, or instantly mow other people down? Or how about Rainbow Six? Should I be able to jam away and correctly place a plastic explosive, or perfectly throw a grenade without trying? Maybe button mashing should be mandated in all games? Wouldn’t that be fun? No one would need to have any skill at anything!

Skill Required in VF5.

VF5 holds on to true precision and control from the Street Fighter 2d era. Even though its controls seem simple, with only three actions buttons, punch, kick, and guard, it comes with a HUGE list of moves for each character. At the same time, it’s still easy to pick up and play. Unlike other fighters, the huge move list makes it so much more rewarding to pick a character you like and take the time to learn him, or her.

The hit detection and timing is extremely tight. You really feel the combos connect and get a mini rush when you pick the right open in a defense and go for that cool throw or combo. I also love the “stomp” moves where if you time it right, you can get that one extra hit on your opponent while they’re down. No other fighter has that feeling in the same way.

Unfortunately, you need to put in some time to really know what I’m talking about. This series really isn’t a rental. You need to hone your skills on a character, or two, first and then you’ll love it. If you just play it for two days and take it back, you’re really missing what it’s all about.

It also looks like Sega put some extra spit and polish version of VF5. Not only is it looking better than the PS3 version, it’s online! Having a game like this on Xbox Live will be huge. Mark my words, this will sell better than any fighter on the system so far, (not that it has much competition). As long as they can keep out the lag, (and some recent TF2 has reminded me how much lag sucks) this will be an awesome and much needed addition to the Live arena.

I urge everyone out there with an even remote interest in fighting games to check out the demo. If you’re really unfamiliar to the genre, use Sarah, her combos are slightly less complex and she ain’t bad to look at in 60 fps. VF5 is the type of game where you get out of it as much as you put into it, but you’ll never know unless you give it a fighting chance!