Official Website

Platform: Playstation 2

Genre: Fighting

Number of Players: 1 - 2

Way back when, Sega unleashed what was at that time, the granddaddy of fighting games. The original Virtua Fighter had gamers popping quarters into the machine in a mad frenzy. Its success led to the release of the game for the 32X, Sega’s short-lived enhancement for the Genesis. Times have certainly changed however, and things certainly aren’t what they used to be. The weight of the competition has put Sega out of the hardware business, and forced the company to turn its sites toward software development for their once rival systems, and it came as no surprise that Sony set its sites on Virtua Fighter 4.

For anyone that’s unfamiliar with the game, lets look at a bit of the history of the whole fighting genre, and just where VF falls into place. Capcom can technically be the company that holds the place in gaming history of introducing gamers to the fighting genre with the release of Street Fighter II. That was back in 1991, and players couldn’t get enough of the 2D, side-scrolling fighter. It introduced a whole new element into game play as best friends would head into the local arcade and beat each other mercilessly until they ran out of money. Quick to see the potential and profits that this new genre held, Sega quickly came out with their solution: Virtua Fighter. What set it apart from SFII however was that VF wasn’t based in a 2-D environment. Instead, it was done in full 3-D, giving players a completely different environment to fight in.

Again we see how times have changed. Back then; the polygon graphics were quite simple and rudimentary, especially in comparison to what gaming hardware these days is fully capable of. As the demand for better graphics grew however, so has the demand for better games, betters sequels, and new and innovative ideas. That combined with the fact that the Atari generation has grow up and is still playing games of all kinds has generated huge revenue for the gaming market, and has also created fierce competition not only between systems, but between software manufacturers as well.

If you’ve played fighting games in the past, then you’re familiar with the concept and you know that only in the most extreme circumstances is there an actual storyline. Without that plot to weigh you down, the idea behind VF4 is quite simple: choose one of 13 fighters and battle your way up to the final confrontation with Dural. This installment in the series is regarded as the Fourth World Fighting Tournament, and each character of course has a bit of history behind them as well as their own fighting style and special moves. VF4 features returning fighters from the previous games like Pai-Chan, Sara, Lion, and Lei, but also features tow new fighters; Vanessa and Aoi.

Sega has plenty of time between VF 3 and 4 to take a look at what has made some fighting games great, and has managed to replicate some of these features. VF4 features some highly detailed backgrounds and arenas, and are done just as well as you’d see in almost any fighting game. However, there are a few changes that are found throughout that may have a few companies rethinking the way they design their games. Just about every fighting game has its snow or ice stage to fight in, and Virtua Fighter is no different in that regard. The difference however is how players interact with the snow. Generally, there are no footprints left as the combatants brutalize each other, but this is where VF is different. Players will actually leave trails in the snow that stay in place though the duration of the stage. There’s no mysterious regeneration between fights, and it’s definitely a nice touch. VF4 also features several break away sections in some stages, something we’ve seen with Dead or Alive, among others. When it comes down to awe-inspiring graphics and fantastic arenas, Sega has this one nailed.

However, the graphics are the point where the good tings end with the game, and things take a turn for the worse from there. For starters, the game is a bit too easy to beat in one player mode and offers little challenge, especially for players that are seasoned veterans of the fighting genre. The only real tough opponent is, obviously, Dural, but once you start to see the computers patterns emerging, this become much easier. The characters feel a bit stiff in their movements and response as well, making fights a bit frustrating at times. It doesn’t have near the fluid movement that games such as Tekken Tag or Soul Blade. Also similar to many of the other fighting games on the market is the Kumite mode, where players fight one opponent after the other until they are finally knocked out. Also like other titles, this proves to be one of the most challenging parts of the entire game.

Probably one of the worst features of the game is the Create a Fighter mode. In reality, this feature is merely a poor excuse for pallet swapping, letting the player adjust the coloration of the fighters. There’s no change in the characters fighting style or movements at all. Working your way up the ladder in this mode occasionally rewards you with a few items that serve as nothing more than glamorous decoration that do nothing really to enhance anything about your character. Of course, once Sony releases their hard drive expansion, I’m sure things like this will change quite a bit, and give players access to many new things including new moves and the like, but until then we’re stuck with what Sega can provide.

Overall, Virtua Fighter 4 isn’t a bad game if you’re craving something out of the fighting genre, and it doesn’t stand up too badly against some of the other 3-D fighting games that are out on the market. In fact, it looks better than many of the games on the market. However, Virtua Fighter 4 is simply just another pretty face with little to no real variation, and nothing too terribly innovative or new to put it up above the whole mass of fighting games that continue to come in droves. If you really feel like you need to get a fighting fix, or have been a long time fan of the Virtua Fighter series, there’s no doubt that you’ll have a tremendous amount of fun with this. However, there will also be gamers like myself that see VF4 as just another fighting game that fails to make a positive lasting impact.

-mike-