History of: The Virtua Fighter Series

[Melf]

Sega changed the fighting game landscape forever with the release of Virtua Fighter, the game many people consider to be crucial to ushering in the 32-bit generation. Sega's 3D blockbuster also received a very good 32X port, and its sequel was even brought to the Genesis! Yes, this franchise has a long and storied history, and we take a detailed look at it in our complete retrospective. Read the full article and start practicing that Stun Palm of Doom!

[The Sports Guy]

A few things. One: I always thought that the 32X game was a lot better in the arcades, and the darn game doesn't have enough gravity! Two: Where I work, Michigan's Adventure, you can play this game for free infinitely because the quarter receptor is broken. Three: The PS2 game isn't too bad, I forgot I had owned it!

[shinobimusashi]

great article!, im crazy for arcade games even though i prefer eternal champions over the virtua fighter universe, great job!

[Jesse813]

Another Great Article from my Favorite German Drunkard especially since I'm a big VF fan

[Aaron]

Great read! I really like the 32x version of VF. I didn't know they released a Genesis version.

[Jesse813]

They released a craptastic VF2 for the Genesis which pales in comparison to the Saturn version.

[Guntz]

I always thought VF2 on Genesis was a pirate game, until I learned the horrifying truth that Sega actually MADE it.

Anyway, I really enjoyed that article. I didn't know anything about Virtua Fighter past the second installment, but now I do. VF3 sounded mighty tempting but apparently the DC version sucks, so I guess no VF3 for me then.

Also, I never knew Virtua Quest existed. Let alone knowing it had a North American release on the Game Cube (and PS2). I was still buying Game Cube games in 2005, so I surely would have heard about it. That one went COMPLETELY under the radar!

[segagamer]

I believe VF Remix was on the ST-V arcade board, and not the Model 2 board. In fact, I think it was ported from the Saturn to the Arcade instead of the other way around.

[The Sports Guy]

VF 2 for Genesis sure plays like a pirate cart, that's for sure. That's gotta be near the bottom 10 games of the Genesis.

[Videogamer.]

Solid write-up!

Virtua Fighter is in a class of its own. The richness of its roster, the depth of its mechanics, the elegance of its input - peerless. This series is without a doubt the most sumptuous feather in SEGA's well-adorned internally-developed cap. True genius.

And, for the record, the Dreamcast's port of VF3tb is really quite good. Unfortunately, the source material is inherently flawed. No, it's not the graduated arena surfaces - those were actually pretty neat. It's the Evade button.

See, the keystone of Virtua Fighter's gameplay is being able to anticipate an opponent's actions by carefully reading his/her movements. Successfully predicting a given action presents an opportunity to deploy an advantageous counteraction. It's this foundational notion of counteraction that makes Virtua Fighter the cerebral joy that it is.

Then, there's the Evade button. With a single press, the player is able to casually sidestep virtually any oncoming threat. Punch, kick, grab - not a problem; simply tap Evade and prepare to attack from the blind side. Strategy, timing, skill - out the window. For shame.

Still, though trailing behind the Saturn's miraculous VF2 and the PS2's mind-boggling VF4 Evolution, Virtua Fighter 3tb is a good game that's certainly worth a play or two.

My rant is, hereby, complete.

[Man-Fish]

Excellent article. It's not often that an article about fighting games interests me.

Time to hook up the 32x again!

[Genesis32XCD]

VF2 is also on the PS2 as part of the "Sega Ages 2500" series. It's a port of the arcade version.

[findout5]

The article is really great.
This is why I keep coming to this site - great stuff all the time!

[shinobimusashi]

just played vf2 for the saturn yesterday and it was alot better than i thought it would be. im absolutely loving the "arcadeness" about it. i had my expectations pretty low for this and sega rally championship and i was pleasantly suprised by both, finally a few games for my saturn that are worth playing. im falling in love with the saturn, if only it were backward compatible for genesis carts it would be the perfect console and the only one i would need for the rest of my life. cant wait to try out vf1 on my 32x

[Guntz]

just played vf2 for the saturn yesterday and it was alot better than i thought it would be. im absolutely loving the "arcadeness" about it. i had my expectations pretty low for this and sega rally championship and i was pleasantly suprised by both, finally a few games for my saturn that are worth playing. im falling in love with the saturn, if only it were backward compatible for genesis carts it would be the perfect console and the only one i would need for the rest of my life. cant wait to try out vf1 on my 32x

Good choice on Sega Rally Championship. That game is one of the best racers I've ever played. Too bad it only has 4 tracks and 3 cars. Now if someone would hack it to add more content!