Virtua Fighter 3tb

"Pure polygon fighting perfection"

It's hard to believe that Virtua Fighter 3 had taken 3 years to hit the home market. Now it's here, and I was personally hoping for an arcade-perfect conversion. Is it?

Well, yes and no.

Let's start with the pros.

Quite simply, no other fighting game boasts as robust, as balanced and as perfectly executed an engine as the one that drives VF3tb. Controls are dead-on and spotless. Each move is instinctively executed and characters react instantaneously. The 4 button controls may seem simplistic at first, but it works wonders in the middle of a heated battle, where you are focused on strategic timing and countering, not on whether you press left punch or right punch. The only complaint is that the Escape button seems a bit underused.

The sound is rather decent. The sound effects are a step back from VF2, but the music retains the same VF style. Overall though, the sounds work and give just enough impact.

However, the graphics do leave a bit to be desired. To be fair, the game does boast a hefty amount of detail, from the characters' eyes, to the sand on Jeffry's isle, to the destructible lights on Jacky's construction site. However, the arcade version was released in 1996, and as such is not up to the standard of its Dreamcast contemporaries, like Soul Calibur and Dead or Alive. Though it is interesting to note that since 1996, VF3 was THE standard for video game graphics up until the release of the Dreamcast.

As an arcade port, it is rather straightforward. There are no extra modes or costumes. There are no secret endings nor are there any time-released features. So, you may ask, does VF3tb have value for money?

It sure does, in spades. VF3 is not for the average joe who picks it up and flings it away after 30 minutes. It is a deceptively deep fighting game, even though it has only 2 attack buttons. To play through the game is easy enough, but to master even one character takes an enormous amount of effort. It requires thorough knowledge of a character's strengths and weaknesses, and employing each character's skills in properly timed and executed maneuvers. To win at VF3tb with pure button mashing will bring only an empty victory, and when you finally master Akira's insanely difficult Stun Palm of Doom, a 3 hit combo that takes off 50% damage, it's a kind of videogame high that is unmatched by any other fighting game. It's also worth noting that ring outs in VF3tb feel more legit than those in Soul Calibur, and learning to utilize it in accordance with your character's advantages takes weeks and possibly months.

Bottom line, no fighting game is as deep as Virtua Fighter 3 tb, and to say otherwise would mean an ignorance of all its subtleties and nuances. What keeps this game from perfection are its dated visuals, but otherwise, this is pure polygon fighting perfection. Only hardcore gamers need apply.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/02, Updated 01/02/02