It's depressing how under-the-radar this game is when it's a likely contender for Fighting Game of the Year, PS3 Game of the Year, and possibly even Game of the Year. It's not even on GameSpot's top 10 (traffic) PS3 titles as I type this. Thus, I figured a thread was in order.
I figured I was the guy to do it, even though I'm new to the PS3 board. I'll introduce myself now. I'm Patrick Mifflin, better known as DarkCatalyst in fighting game circles (and the GS forums). I was a moderator here off and on from February 2000 to July 2006, have been in game journalism with GameAddicts Network and now Amped News also off and on since February 2000. My credentials in the fighting genre include being Utah's only sanctioned tournament director in APEX league history, as well as winning an APEX league Tekken 5 divisional title (Pacific North) as the top-ranked player in the division as of Evolution 2005. I have been into competitive fighting games from the start (the Street Fighter II heyday), and renewed my involvement in the competitive scene back in 2001 after a six-year layoff, around the time Justin Wong started dominating.
Just wanted to get that out so you all understand I'm not just some know-nothing fan coming in to spread wishful thinking. I'm right there in it.
I'll start the thread off with a FAQ to get all the basic info out.
First things first - is there online play? There is, in fact, no online play in Virtua Fighter 5, whether you're referring to this upcoming PS3 version or its sibling on the 360 this Summer.
Why not? The fact that it's offline for the 360 as well as the PS3 takes away the "Sega didn't want to maintain their own servers" argument. Despite that, there is still a very good reason. Virtua Fighter is the tightest fighting game on the market, frame by frame. Even more so than Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. In order to be enjoyed, this game must have latency that is faster than the framerate, meaning the ping would have to be less than 1/60 seconds. Any slower than that, and the game would not only be pointless for serious players, but frustrating and clunky for casual players. One argument I hear a lot is that next gen systems should be able to put all fighting games online without a problem, but system hardware can only do so much. A next-generation of consoles will not fix things; it will take a next-generation of Internet connections before something like online VF becomes possible.
Okay, that makes sense...what about other online features? Stat tracking? Ghost databases...? Unfortunately, there is actually no online functionality whatsoever in Virtua Fighter 5 - again, regardless of what version you speak of. This is the real bitter pill to swallow, because VF.TV has such great application in Japanese arcades (live broadcasts of marquee matchups from around the country being the most noteworthy) that it could be moved to console online services very well. It would have been nice to have a Sega-provided match video vault and ghost database, and it would also make things very convenient for player data.
So there's no online play and no online functionality at all? What's the upside? The upside is, Virtua Fighter is and has always been the gold standard of technical excellence in the 3D fighting genre. While there are other fighters that offer rewarding experiences and really make you earn your skills, Virtua Fighter takes it to a level that nothing else touches. It's an established institution in Japan, with arcades constantly packed, tournaments getting major coverage, and even dojos in place that will teach you the game...for a price. You don't get that kind of popularity and respect by being half-ass.
That's all well and good, but won't the game have a limited lifespan without online? Virtua Fighter is what you make of it. It's best with a friend, or especially several friends if possible, provided they know what they're doing, but Sega has gone to great lengths to give isolated Virtua Fighters a chance to get a taste of the real experience, even if we're stuck in the competitive VF wasteland that is North America. First and foremost, Virtua Fighter 5 will feature a quest mode packed with player ghost data from many of Japan's top players. Though not quite a substitute for live competition, it'll certainly teach you a few things about Virtua Fighter. Another thing that will teach you how to play will be the game's tutorials which, if VF4 Evolution is any indication, will teach you everything you can possibly learn without experience, getting you on the right track fast. These issues have been taken into account long ago, so you can join in with confidence.
How is the high-definition support looking? Though we've seen Japanese boxes mention 1080p, word on the street is that the game will go no higher than 720p. It will still look great, rest assured.
What about hardware? I know Virtua Fighter is as serious as games get...I take it I will need a stick? You will. Thankfully, the PlayStation 3 has no shortage of high-quality sticks despite being a very young console. Since all three that are out right now - the Hori Real Arcade Pro 3, Hori Fighting Stick 3, and Virtua Stick High Grade - are Japanese only, you'll have to get them through an importer like Play-Asia or NCS. You'll want one though, with both this and Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection on the way. Rest assured it is a good investment, as you can only get so good on a gamepad, even a good fighting pad like the SIXAXIS.
There you go. I hope that helps. Now, I don't want to see this thread limited to topics covered in the FAQ, I'm hoping to see it grow into a good all-around general knowledge VF5 thread loaded with centralized, organized information for those who have yet to read up on this amazing game-to-be.
I'm a PS3 owner and a huge fighting game fan. The Japanese release of Tekken 5 DR was enough to make me go out of my way to get it before the US release.Â
Virtua Fighter 5 is my number one purchase once it is released in the US on February 20th
I remember reading somewhere that those excellent tutorials from VF4 are gone, as well as the option to view the moves being performed, is that true?Doomshine
I could only answer that if I had some hands-on time with it myself. The only people who can answer that question are those who have the leaked North American copies. I haven't heard one way or another, but if it's missing, you wouldn't know it from all the positivity of the people I've been hearing.
So, to sum up, it's tight, serious, doesn't have online play, and needs a stick. Why so many words for so few points?coreyb42
It's also going to be one of the best 3D fighters of all time, if not the absolute best. There's just a lot of crap surrounding this game as far as GGD discussion goes...lots of points that people want to debate, that don't need to be debated...I wanted my post to really counter all of the arguments before they're even posted.
sorry about that here you go : http://kotaku.com/gaming/virtua-fighter-5/virtua-fighter-controller-probs-game-sells-less-than-doa4-235688.php
Wow that's not good for Sega. I played VF years ago and cannot remember the version. During that time I usually had friends over but not anymore so i wish the game had some kind of online play. Playing against the Computer will get boring in a day or two.
sorry about that here you go : http://kotaku.com/gaming/virtua-fighter-5/virtua-fighter-controller-probs-game-sells-less-than-doa4-235688.php
Wow that's not good for Sega. I played VF years ago and cannot remember the version. During that time I usually had friends over but not anymore so i wish the game had some kind of online play. Playing against the Computer will get boring in a day or two.
Sales are down largely because there's very little incentive to play the console version when the arcade game is there. Without VFNet functionality and online stat tracking, the arcade version is vastly, vastly superior. Make no mistake, Japanese players are dumping more money into this game than we'll ever see. It's just one coin at a time, plus their VFNet subscription fees. However, there will be enough AI data thrown into VF5 that you won't have to worry one bit about not having any competition. Some of the names that made the cut last time around were completely insane.
I agree. And for the no online play. I don't really give a crap anyway. Offline games are fine for me. I reccommend getting some friends and duking it out. Kinda sucks that it doesn't even have some downloadable ghosts. Oh well.
Check out the new issue of EGM, they gave it a 9.5, 9.5 & 10. They said it was the best 3D fighting engine ever created & a must-own PS3 title. ColoradoKindBud
Sounds consistent with what I've been hearing elsewhere.
it really sucks that there's no online play. Certain games can live without online play, like action/adventer games, thats fine with me, but it's just stupid to make fighting games nowadays with no online play. Without it, the games lifespan will be short and for the most part, is a very great rental.
As a Virtua Fighter fanatic I was disappointed with the review from GameInformer which gave it an 8/10. The reasoning behind the score was chiefly their disappointment with the lack of online gameplay. What really made me upset was them calling it a 'by the numbers' port of the arcade version. The magazine also said the game wasn't 'innovative', what exactly were they looking for? Tell me how many fighting games have been anything other than arcade ports? With the exception of DOA, perhaps.
I'm starting to think this game could get the same treatment that Soul Calibur 2 received. Like VF the game had fun, solid gameplay but because it didn't want to mess with perfection (it did receive a 10 here); it was denied a superb score. Tekken tried to stir away from it's sound formula and look what happened (Tekken 4.)  Online is a wonderful addition but a lack of it shouldn't be that damning to the game itself.
the ps2 versian of soul caliber 2 was bad IMO thats why they made the 3rd one ot make up for it...and the 3rd one was superb IMOÂ Im gonna need to demo VF5 before I make my decision
I stickied this on DC's request, but never, ever, ever, ever call us MODS. We're moderators, not music files. :|
I dont mean to be a d***, but maybe you should remove the icon by your name that says "MOD"
So the all caps tags that say ADMIN, LEADER, and OFFICER mean nothing? You can take this up with me via PM if you like, I'm not going to hijack this thread. The simple fact is this-- a mod is a moderator (like on a forum) or modification (like how Counter Strike is a Half-Life mod). A MOD is a module music file. 'Nuff said. I'm really looking forward to playing VF5 someday... it'll likely be my first venture into the series. From what I've heard, it's a great place to start. :)
but seriously is it similar or different. could someone posst some compare and contrasts or something I have no clue what VF series has been like. KaptainKernal
To explain it...VF does use basically the DOA control scheme, but there is no universal countering system (instead it's a straight-up guard button). However, one major difference between Virtua Fighter and other 3D fighting games, and one thing that a lot of casual players tend to rail on it for, is the fact that it doesn't bother trying to build up a sense of forbidden It doesn't have the same inherent freedom of movement as DOA or SC have, either. Rather, it is thought of on the level that everything you do is a skill, including mobility. You have to earn everything you get, even if it's something as simple as the ability to walk around. What you get in return is one of the most rewarding and lasting gaming experiences you will ever encounter, in a genre that you're probably not used to getting a lot of staying power from (unless you know people who are really good in your area).
Wow, very cool! Haha didn't mean to sound like a geek there, but this is a very good thread. Thanks for mentioning the sticks, too...Can you plse go a bit more in depth in that? Price-wise, quality-wise, which ones need a Ps2-PS3 adaptor, which ones are just overall worth getting? AND, I, like many other young gamers out there in the PS3 forums, don't have a credit card, and have parents unwilling to give out their credit card #, and are therefore stripped of our ability to import. Is there any other way else to get these sticks beyond the internet? Thanks.
Wow, very cool! Haha didn't mean to sound like a geek there, but this is a very good thread. Thanks for mentioning the sticks, too...Can you plse go a bit more in depth in that? Price-wise, quality-wise, which ones need a Ps2-PS3 adaptor, which ones are just overall worth getting? AND, I, like many other young gamers out there in the PS3 forums, don't have a credit card, and have parents unwilling to give out their credit card #, and are therefore stripped of our ability to import. Is there any other way else to get these sticks beyond the internet? Thanks.glitch2424
Everything I listed is PS3-only. The Virtua Stick High Grade has been recalled but will probably be the best stick pound-for-pound once they get it worked out. The budget stick is the Hori Fighting Stick 3, which weighs in at around the cost of a SIXAXIS (making it a steal)! That one is basically a clone of the Xbox 360's Dead or Alive 4 stick, which I can confirm is a really nice, solid budget stick. If you want to go higher end, prepare to pay around $80-90 before shipping for one of the other two sticks. Unfortunately, as these sticks are only available in the North American market, your options are extremely limited without a credit or debit card. If you can't find something on eBay, my recommendation would be to open a checking account at a reputable national bank, and make sure you get a strong and usable (ie: Visa) debit card to go with it. The Visa Check Card can be used just like a credit card, deducting money from your account instead of charging it, but giving you all of the convenience therein.
I personnally cannot wait until next tuesday, mainly because of a new PS3 game which is definitely in need, and it is a great game at that. Visually it will be stunning and playability will of course be just like we are used to. Yeah the lack of an online mode is a minor setback but if the game delivers on gameplay then the online mode wont matter.
My t.v. only supports up to 720p so thats awesome. Virtua Fighter 5 is tied with the tekken series as my favorite fighting game. I put 5 down the other day
The import has all 3 versions on it (Japaneese, Asian, English). They are releasing all versions on 1 disc, it is the profile that your PS3 loads upon startup that choses the language.Â
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