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Review: Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown Before Street Fighter IV completely revamped excitement in the fighting game scene back in 2009, Virtua Fighter was still going strong with the fifth installment hitting a couple years earlier. Even though the arcade, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 iterations were all vastly different from one other (with each having their own set of unique problems), Virtua Fighter 5 was heralded as one of the best fighting games to ever come out. As its name implies, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown is the last refinement of a five-year-old game. For the first time in the game's history, it finally has a golden standard across all three platforms. It took two years to make the jump from the arcades to the console, but as it turns out, the wait was well worth it.
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade [reviewed]) This is a very different game from the one we received five years ago. What's readily apparent is that Final Showdown is a title for the dedicated, competitive fans, but also a welcoming entry for newcomers alike. The rich single-player experience has been all but done away with. What solo players are left with is Arcade, Score Attack, License Challenge, Special Sparring (which requires you to own all of the DLC item packs), and the Dojo. Arcade has one fighting their way through a set of opponents, while Score Attack is almost the exact same thing but the goal being to get the highest score possible. License Challenge is a tiered mode that puts the player up against a themed wave of challenges, which unlocks a new rank in their license after completing a certain amount. Think of the Challenge Tower from Mortal Kombat, but less fun and more tedious. Having said that, it definitely succeeds in providing the perfect way to understand the mechanics of the game better or to get an overall mastery of them. Dojo is where one goes to engrave those finger-blistering combos into their psyche. If you have never played a Virtua Fighter title, this is the first place you should visit. A tutorial that baby-steps the player through the very basics of the game can be found here, as well as Command Training for the more advanced player. And, of course, there's Free Training which lets you beat a dummy player senseless.
The biggest changes can be found in the rest of the game. Animations and graphics look more refined and sharper than ever before, adding an even greater level of precision. The online multiplayer has seen a huge overhaul as well, with an improved eight-player lobby system in which I had no lag during the time I spent with it. And yes, this is the first time PS3 players will be able to take the fight online. Too bad they had to wait so long just for these additions. Even though costumes didn't particularly add anything to the experience, the only way the player can now dress up their characters in absolutely ridiculous outfits is if they shell out money for the nineteen day-one DLC item packs. Sold individually at 400 Microsoft Points ($4.99), or bundled into two packs at 1200 Microsoft Points ($14.99), it's a bit unfortunate that Sega wouldn't allow at least some of the over 14,000 custom parts to be added into the overall package. If you really want to play dress up, be prepared to spend the cash.
At the end of the day, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown is well worth the cost of admission. Designed equally with hardcore fans and new players in mind, it's simple enough to pick up and play, but takes a sheer amount of dedication to master the seemingly endless amount of combos for each individual character. Even though the single-player modes leave something to be desired, this is simply the best version of Virtua Fighter 5 yet. With the market now full of unbelievably fantastic fighting games, and it being a revision of a five-year-old title, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown still manages to stand head and shoulders above most of its competition. It may not have the install base of other fighters, but it's still one of the deepest fighting game experiences to date. THE VERDICTLegacy Comments (will be imported soon)Does one need to get all of the dlc to get special sparring? If so, seems a bit excessive - that's something like $200. @Starman I should've cleared that up in the review. If you get the two bundle packs it's $30 for all the DLC. Separately, you'll spend a lot more. I love that I got this game for free on the Plus June Extravaganza thing that PSN had. It's so much fun. And yes, it's completely newby friendly. So much that it has the easiest achievements (trophies for me) ever. But then you dare to go online, you will regret it soon enough if you haven't actualy learned how to control the thing with finess Love this version. Really wish it had the old "arcade" mode where you go to different arcades and try to gain more prestige. I'm not great at the game so online isn't my jam, so I wish single player had more. But for a digital title, I can't complain You know, Street Fighter gets a whole lot of credit for revitalizing fighting games when DOA4, SCIV, and MK vs DC were all million sellers and, of the "revitalized" genre, it continues to be Capcom's stuff that is petering out. How about this. Before Capcom revitalized the Street Fighter franchise with Street Fighter IV. Because, right now, it's kind of like saying NBA Jam revitalized the Basketball game genre. The shit wasn't dead and they only really helped themselves. I know that this is mostly a re-release of an old game, so it doesn't get the full rundown that a normal game would get, but it seems a bit strange to say "one of the deepest fighting game experiences" in the last sentence of the review without mentioning anywhere in the content of the review exactly what makes the game deep. A little bit of talk about the actual fighting mechanics would have been nice. *shrug* The game is definitely improved over the original VF5, especially the PS3 versions. It almost feels like a sequel instead of an update. The graphics are noticeably improved, and the smoothed out animations actually make a difference in the gameplay. The online play is definitely where it is at, and it's one of those games where I can feel myself improving with each match. This game might be for the VF uninitiated, but this review sure as shit isn't.
How precise do the inputs need to be? Are there shortcuts or does it demand the precision of a stick, SNK style? Are there any copy/paste fighters(think Shotos) or are they genuinely unique experiences to play as and against? Any balance issues? What makes it deep? Are there huge movelists, Tekken style, or does it allow free-form combos off the top with enough skill, KOF 13 style? Any shout outs to countering mechanics? No disrespect to the writer, but this review could've been cracked out in 1 minute, and would simply read: "Played VF5? YES? This is better. Buy it. Didn't play it? Well then fuck off somewhere else and hope for a review with a bit of depth. Sorry chum." @tinman: Inputs are fairly loose and juggling is pretty easy, though not as overpowered as in the tekken series. You still need to know what you're doing but you won't be parcicing for ages just looking for that right frame to do a difficult move.
A stick will definitely make things easier though. The input for the game is incredibly simple. Just punch, kick and block so the characters aren't as unique as one may want. There's a lot of similarities in their movesets but you can definitely feel the difference when playing the larger characters compared to the weaker ones. There are characters with specific abilities too, like Jean Kujo, who can charge his moves and fake opponents into lowering their guard or Aoi Umenokoji who's the only character in the game who can counter any strike from the opponents. Balance issues only become very apparent at very high level games but there's nothing like in VF3 where it was all about Akira Yuki. It's far more freeform than Tekken as well. Combos aren't canned like in the namco fighter and you can stop them halfway and launch straight into another. Movelists are fairly expansive but not massive as the inputs are usually fairly simple, aside from certain moves which require multiple inputs chained together. As for counters, only some characters can do it. A few characters have some moves which can parry others but are very specific (sarah, for example, must be in her flamingo pose so you can't do it on the fly). Pai Chan has a wide number of counters but can only counter highs and mids. Aoi is the only character who can counter lows and even down attacks. Timing is also much more strict than with other games so it's really something to be proud of if you can do it regularly. But the Review did do its job. You have to remember that the game is the latest iteration of a 5 year old game. It's not that different from the releases back in the day so there's not much point in doing a really detailed review as all the stuff which was written back then about the earlier releases is still applicable here. I don't think ppl really cared for an in depth review of SSFIV:AE after the previous versions, or Blazblue: SC2E after 3 previous iterations. Awesome game, especially to get for free with PS+.
As for the customization DLC, if you love customization and can spend hours doing it, the DLC is worth it. There's about 5 times as many customizations as there are in Tekken 6. fucking amazing game :P
still i wish they brought back the extra opening before the opening of the match, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGX417veOcM extra costumes should be able to select at the character select screen and not having to select them as your main one at the character customization. the game modes seems less compared to VF4 Evo, no VF5 and VF5R stages, no encyclopedia for terminology(like Okizeme, just frames etc) not all moves can be demoed(only the harder ones, should have paid attention to Tekken or Soul Calibur) no selectable music(though i appreciate the ability to hear the old songs) doesn't give us ability to us use the custom costumes in practice for the dummy, the ability to rematch is dictated whoever entered the mode first and not like SFIVAE where the loser usually decides what to do in matches. i think they should add more win poses and japanees and english voice cast in all characters as well as toggle options from the options menu. i think they could have solve all of these problems if it where in disk release since i heard that the bigger the file the more money you have to pay either Sony or MS. other than that, amazing and godly franchise. bought this Day FUCKING 1. this is the game the shows who is the "TRUE" fighter. Tekken, Dead or Alive, Soul Calibur, and Bloody Roar are awesome games but Virtua Fighter is just on a whole another level, congrats Sega and hopefully in Next Year's Virtua Fighter 25th Anniversary event, hope Yu Suzuki is there at the event ^^ oh and can we have Virtua Fighter 6 with Tag mode, but take it to the NEXT level like you always do. in each installments?? ^____^ This is well worth the price of admission. It has its faults, content and presentation wise, but its still one of my top fighters of all time
RIDE THE TIGER! @Gundam - Thank you for that, I appreciate it.
I hear what you're saying about other games not needing in depth reviews after their X iterations and whatever, but VF, unlike them, hasn't seen a release in years and for all I know(which is fuck all, I gladly admit) this is a serious update that essentially completely changes the game. Thanks though dude, I'll check the demo out. I'm torn between this and KOF 13 for a fighter. I can't be in more then one at a time, I just worry this'll be too technical. But with only two attacking buttons how bad can it be!(probably, VERY. =p ) This was indeed well worth the price of admission... being as though it was free on PSN+ this month! I am glad to see this game get such a good score on non-fighting game websites.
BUT.... Questionable review. You spend too much time talking about the Single Player experience when that's not even the focus of ANY fighting game. Also, you didn't mention that it only costs a total of $45 (still less than a "normal" new game) to get the game + ALL DLC. Or that you could've gotten it all for only $30 on PSN if you bought it within the first two weeks. Or that this game is FREE to PSN Plus members. You didn't even really talk about the gameplay at all. I don't think anyone who isn't already into VF is going to be convinced to get this game based on this review. But again, I am glad at least you liked the game and gave it a good score rather than being another stupid mainstream gamer who doesn't understand VF and bashes it for "being stupid" when the reality is THAT person is the thing lacking knowledge here. Side-note, hey Destructoid: If you guys ever want to have a hardcore fighting gamer* on the team to talk about fighting games, I just may be available. WINK WINK. *I mean as in someone who is the REALLY HARDCORE type who knows what things like Frame Data are. As well as "Option-Select" and all these crazy terms we use. I'm also very good with speaking on layman's terms and bridging the gap between hardcore and casual players. Capcom responds to Monster Hunter 4 Vita rumorsMonster Hunter 4 is no doubt going to be a massive win for the 3DS. The combination of traction Nintendo's handheld already has, along with the massive install base, and the incredible success of the Monster Hunter ... more The Street Fighter X Mega Man update is hereRemember when Capcom released Street Fighter X Mega Man without a number of core features -- like, oh I don't know, a password or a save system?Well, they had a change of heart, and now you can reap the benefits of fan demand... more Pour one out: Monster Hunter Tri servers nixed in April"Out with the old, in with the new," as they say. Capcom is getting ready to launch Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, and in return, they're shutting down the servers for the Wii's Monster Hunter Tri on April 30th. You'll have six w... more New DmC: Devil May Cry costumes revealedAfter I beat DmC: Devil May Cry the other day, I unlocked the white-haired Dante costume. Essentially, it's the new Dante in his same "new" style, with his old hair color. It was small concession for fans who really cared wha... more This new custom Sigma figure is pretty badassToy modder Jin Saotome has come up with a pretty awesome homage for the big bad of the Mega Man X series himself, Sigma. Jin took a bunch of parts from different toys, assembled some glass gems and metallic domes, and came up... more Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate now has a March 19 release dateIt seems as the North American and European release date for the long-awaited Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is finally upon us: March 19th and 22nd respectively. It'll launch in both 3DS and Wii U form (the latter of which is ca... more New title update for Resident Evil 6 goes live next weekWhile a fair number of us weren't enthused with Resident Evil 6, some players are into it, and for that reason it's nice to see continued support from Capcom. A second title update centered around providing more options will ... more Mega Man 25th anniversary celebrated with Avatar GLORY!Capcom has today revealed its ultimate gift to Mega Man fans everywhere. To celebrate the blue hero's 25th anniversary, Capcom has seen fit to grace the world with the only gift that measures up -- Xbox Live Avatar items! Dr... more There is hope for a Mega Man Legends re-release after allMega Man fans have probably given up on the Legends series by now. Between the cancellation of Legends 3, and the fact that Mega Man Legends 1 and 2 can't be released on the PlayStation Network because Capcom no longer has th... more See what new Dante thinks of the whole white hair issueIn the first level of DmC: Devil May Cry, Dante gets a little surprise while taking on the game's first boss. The video is below the fold as the thumbnail is a a bit spoilerish. [Thanks, Zak!] more |     Dtoid is... Dale North Editor-in-Chief Jim Sterling Reviews Editor Hamza Aziz Dir. Communications Conrad Zimmerman Managing Editor Jordan Devore PC Editor Andy Dixon Community Manager Rick Olson Dtoid.TV Producer Niero Gonzalez Publisher Editors Meet the team Our sites Flixist Japanator Tomopop Contact Us Suggest News Advertising General Info  |
5:00 PM on 06.25.2012
