Virtua Fighter 3tb

"The Twirl 'n Hurl is Easier to Execute Now? Hells Ya!"

Well the Truck is back after heavy studying for exams and summer school, bringing you the next batch of reviews. Enjoy!


After searching for the last 6 months for a decently priced copy, I decided that I couldn't resist any longer. I spent the 25 bucks, and bought Virtua Fighter 3TB. I would have paid 40 for this. It is a much better than reviews and other people's opinions led me to believe. I though that after that vast improvement Virtua Fighter 2 was on Virtua Fighter, the step from 2 to 3TB wouldn't be that large. Boy was I wrong. Everything is a step up in this game, and what stands out the most is the game play.

Game play: 10/10

Virtua Fighter 2 made game play a lot better than Virtua Fighter (even though there wasn't really anything wrong), but Virtua Fighter 3TB takes game play for Virtua Fighter games to a new level. The controls are 100000000% EFFORTLESS. VF2 controls were effortless, but this is ridiculous. Just by playing around with the controls here and there, I discovered so many new moves that I did not see on the previous 2 Virtua Fighters. Furthermore, there are now a lot more game modes. Team Battle is back, but now we finally have a practice mode, and even a theatre mode (which shows some pretty nifty videos). Also, with two new characters, there is more game to discover. All in all, game play supersedes the previous Virtua Fighters. The biggest leap from the first two games though are the levels. Terrain now plays a major part in how you attack your opponent. If you are to high up, a kick to the face will miss, whereas if you are down below, if you try a low attack, you will hit ground thus accomplishing nothing. Story will be next.

Story: 9/10

For the first time in a Virtua FIghter game, you have a story that accompanies the game! The story is very good. Each fighter has their own motives to take part in the tournament, such as Wolf beating Akira, Pai trying to usurp her father's throne, and Aoi trying to prove to Akira that she is as good as he is, however none are as important as Kage's. He sneaks into the corporation's headquarters to find out why his mother has been affected so much from her transformation back into a human from Dural. Of course I'm not going to spoil it for you. Graphics are next.

Graphics: 10/10

Not Soul Calibur 10/10 or DOA 10/10, but not far off of those two. The graphics in this game are beautiful. The backgrounds are especially fantastic, with the highlights being Wolf's stage, Jeffry's stage, Shun's stage (again, what is it with him and amazing-looking levels?), and Aoi's stage. The characters themselves set a milestone in the Virtua Fighter series; No Blocks! That's right, the blockiness from the first two games is now completely rid from the Virtua Fighter Series. Aoi looks really good (not from a sexual point of view), with her garments and the way they flow with her every movement. Sound will be next. No surprise here.

Sound: 10/10

One thing that Virtua Fighter has been consistent with (besides having an enormous fighting engine) is that their sounds and music are always fantastic. Each character has his/her own music for their stage (as usual) and while the tunes aren't really mind-blowing as they are in the previous two games (some are), they fit the level so well, and they are very catchy tunes that you will never get out of your head. As for sounds, there are new and added sounds, and the characters also have new sounds for their voices and their various fighting sounds (grunts, groans etc.). Sounds hit no major snag here. How about replay ability?

Replay ability: 9/10

With the new Team Battle format, and the fact that you can now save your games a lot more easily (pesky cr2032s), you will be playing this game for a long time, trying to beat your records and get better times. Plus, to master this game, you must spend A LOT of time on it to master the giant move lists. This game is a lot more captivating though than the previous 2, and that is another reason why this game will be in your Dreamcast a long time.

Buy or Rent?

A must own title for any Sega fan (duh), Shenmue fan, Tournament Fighting fan (such as myself), or anyone who just wants to have a good time. This game has everything you need. Buy it.

Good 'ol Virtua Fighter. I will never tire of the series because each game is quantum leap over its respective predecessor. As usual, this game is not an exception. From double kicks, to terrain-based levels, to more in-depth stories, to amazing graphics and sounds, this game is an out and out winner. "I will face you, for your strength (or race or whatever Wolf says)."

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/24/06, Updated 11/10/08

Game Release: Virtua Fighter 3tb (US, 10/18/99)