Virtua Fighter image knockout

Monday 18 September 2006
Virtua Fighter 5 is set to make the leap from arcade to PlayStation 3 next spring and this new batch of battling screens gives you a glimpse of the game's stunning backdrops, as well as the two new characters: El Blaze, a Mexican wrestling champ using the lucha libra fighting style; and Eileen, a Chinese fighter who uses the brilliant-sounding monkey kung fu approach.

Sega's Virtua Fighter 5 also enables you to create your own character, choosing from four costume styles. You'll also be able to fight for new items or earn money through successful battles to spend on twinkly adornments for your character to make them truly unique. Plus, there's a new move that lets you skirt around your opponent to search for an opening in the 3D arenas, bringing a fresh, unpredictable twist to the series.

With PS3 now delayed until March 2007, Virtua Fighter 5 is looking like a perfect launch-day purchase. We'll have more on this next-gen punch-fest soon.

Ben Richardson is a former Staff Writer for Official PlayStation 2 magazine and a former Content Editor of GamesRadar+. In the years since Ben left GR, he has worked as a columnist, communications officer, charity coach, and podcast host – but we still look back to his news stories from time to time, they are a window into a different era of video games.