The Virtua Fighter games have always been the most hardcore of all beat-'em-ups. The complexity of the fighting system is leagues beyond the likes of Tekken, Soul Calibur or Dead or Alive, but - a little ironically - that complexity has long been a weakness outside of Japan's arcades. Virtua Fighter 5 goes beyond "depth;" where Soul Calibur is almost immediately accessible and fun even for button-mashers, Virtua Fighter is simply too complicated for the average gamer to ever sink in to. In
Much like the Winning Eleven series, there are two ways to play Virtua Fighter games. Theres the “casual” post-bar, fight-it-out-with-a-friend kind of way, and then theres the slavish, almost scientific approach - fueled by the sort of devotion thats made the series so hugely popular in Japanese arcades.
For those who prefer option one, Virtua Fighter 5 wont disappoint. On the surface, its definitely a next-gen game, with hyper-detailed looks not so different from the stunning
Hardcore. Its a word thats thrown around too easily nowadays; applied to everything from the outrageously crazy to enthusiastic pastry consumption. Truth is, very few things in life are actually that hardcore - but Virtua Fighter is one of them. While DOA focuses more on curves than combos and Tekken happily disguises its lack of depth with flashy pyrotechnics and oddball characters, VF has continued to hone and develop the most painstakingly in-depth fisticuffs youll find
Here’s an obvious fact: There’s a whole lot of fighting
games slated to release in the next year, including quite a few big names and
sequels. Sega recently threw its hat into this increasingly crowded ring with
the announcement of Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown for Xbox Live Arcade and
PlayStation Network. You have no doubt heard of Virtua Fighter as a revolutionary, genre-defining
series, but odds are that, even if you’re a major fighting game fan, you’ve
never really sat down to dig into why reviewers and fans of the game extol its
virtues at every opportunity...
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown is coming to consoles this summer. It's a five year-old fighting game, but there are a few twists and wrinkles to the formula designed to get your attention...
Virtua Fighter 5’s making a comeback on consoles - and this time, it’s pulling out all the stops. Check out what’s been added to the Final Showdown iteration of this complex fighter, as well its outstanding low price...
We've been waiting for this one a very long time. Virtua Tennis and its sequel defined the racquet genre, giving us more multiplayer fun than the real thing could ever offer - and without the need for physical exertion. Virtua Tennis 3, you'll be happy to know, gives to players even more generously than Sharapova gives to grunt fetishists.
The game was running at TGS in full progressive mode - polystyrene labels taped to the Sony monitors confirmed 'Full 1080p, 60FPS' by way of a great boast -
We love Virtua Tennis. Its colorful blend of arcade smashery and addictive gameplay caught our attention immediately and each successive update has only enhanced the appeal. Now Virtua Tennis 3 is heading out on to the next-gen court later this year, and so we've picked up our racquets for the PS3 build to see what Sega can do.
Unsurprisingly, Virtua Tennis on PS3 looks so sharp it's a wonder your eyeballs aren't left in two cleanly hewn pieces. What we like most of all are the crisp, glowing
Sega sent us an updated version of Virtua Tennis 3 for the 360, and the online features the company promised us have begun to take shape. Most importantly, we were able to play several online games, and we're happy to report that the action is fast - so fast it appears to be just as good as playing in person. In fact, there's one thing that's better...
Getting into an online game is as simple as you'd expect from Xbox Live, so it doesn't really bear much discussion: you just get in and go. We
Anyone who remembers the Dreamcast knows Virtua Tennis is money. If you never played it all those years ago, you're in for a really nice surprise. Unless you're a fan of the sport, tennis games tend to lack that special something that keeps you coming back for more. Virtua Tennis has it. The control is smooth and simple, the graphics are crisp and easy on the eyes, and - now that it's coming to the Xbox 360 - online play is firmly in place.
PS3 owners get motion-sensitive Sixaxis control, but
