Title: Virtua Fighter 5: Final ShowdownFormat: PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: June 6, 2012
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: SEGA
Price: $15, (Free for PS+ Members)
ESRB Rating: T
Even with gaming behemoths like Tekken and Street Fighter, there are those that still think that the Virtua Fighter series has the best and deepest fighting system on the market to date.
"Whats your diet plan man, birthday cake?!?"
Presentation:The differences in presentation from the original release to the newly enhanced version are minor, but noticeable. There is no story in this iteration, instead it focuses on versus and competitive online modes. The visuals in the game are still solid and smoother, with some minor improvements in the graphics department. Although the game looks good, when you have games like Street Fighter x Tekken and Super Street Fighter 4, Virtua Fighter just ends up looking a little dated at times. Given that the original was released over five years ago, you can't help but think that the game looked a lot better back in 2007. Now on to the audio side of things, the music is okay. There are never any tracks as bad as the mind-numbing opening theme song of Street Fighter 4. You'll hear lots of generic guitar and techno sounds while you do your martial arts "thang," if you will. The voice acting is pretty forgettable, seeing how I've been playing lots of Just Cause 2 lately, I can't help but make comparisons. Voiceovers in both games are pretty horrendous, I could probably do the accents better than some of these actors, just saying. Overall, the presentation pretty much stays the same, five years later.
"Where's Ryu man, oh wait."
Core Gameplay and Multiplayer:I always thought that the fighting system in Virtua Fighter 5 was always the deepest you, even though Tekken was always the better fighting game ( even better than Street Fighter). Every time I start up a match, I just can't help but think that the random person I'm getting connected too, will soon be kicking my ass. You can't just go right into the online, like I foolishly did, you'll just get killed. You need to take advantage of the robust training and tutorial modes to sharpen your skills. I have to give a lot of credit where credit is due, the sheer amount of animations in the game really make the gameplay feel smooth with each different character. There's no quest mode, so expect to spend most of your time online. The netcode in VF 5 is really impressive, I've played a dozen matches, lost every one of course, but I never got any real lag. You can play Ranked matches to climb the ranks and try and become the highest rated player in the world, but ultimately failing in the end and going back to your precious COD. There is a lot of DLC for you to spend your rupees (actual money) on. Some people might have a problem with spending money on borderline cosmetics, just spend at your own risk.
"Did that hurt you man?" "Uh... YAH!"
Final Thoughts:If you're confused by all my random jokes and little tangents, take away this, I love the game. Its a pretty great game compared to the other popular fighting games out there, and if you have Playstation Plus, its free. So give it a shot if you're a subscriber, otherwise listen to your heart, or just listen to me(which i prefer).
S&S Rating: 8/10
