Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution

"2 flaws you should know about before buying this almost perfect game"

After renting virtua fighter 4 for about 3 times, I was hooked. By that time, though, I learned that they were making the Evolution version of the game, so I decided to wait. After about 6 or so months, I learned that not only had it come out, it was only $20!. I took the opportunity to borrow the money from one my family members and got the game the day after (other wise it would have been a 2-week wait to get the money). Well, Enough of that, let's get back to the review. So, was it worth it?

Ooh, it's so big and shiny GRAPHICS AND SOUND
VF4: E has some very crisp sounds and graphics. all though not completely flawless, it's hard to beat. There are lots of nice details all around the arenas, including snow the moves as you walk around, rain that splashes when you or your opponent hit the ground, flying birds or a thunder storm in the background, etc., etc. The characters also look very good, and have great facial expressions and details, including the two new characters. Though much in the game looks the same, there are some differences in the different arenas (such as rain in Lau's arena, and it's daytime/evening at Jack's rooftop arena). Some of the graphics have been cleaned up as well, such as cleaned up jagged edges and character models.
There is one thing I don't like about VF4 Evolution: the main menu and the intro. I liked them better in the original VF4. This is simply a matter of preference, as you might think the same way I do, or you could absolutely love it. There is not much to say about the sounds, because they haven't changed at all from Vf4, other than they are very fitting for a fighting game. The voice acting for the characters is excellent, thought as always, not perfect. Overall the graphics and sounds are just great.

The meat and potatoes GAMEPLAY
VF4:E has a very deep fighting system that will keep you working on your skills for a long time. If you wanted a button masher, you came to the wrong place. Although the learning curve is fairly steep, once you master the basics, the game is a blast. Since you can use the game's practice mode to learn all the mechanics, I won't go into the details. The characters are all well balanced, although sometimes you'll have trouble against some characters with your favorite than with others. The new moves compliment the old ones very nicely. I feel that the 2 new characters don't add a whole lot to the game, but they're still nice editions. The thing about Goh the assassin and brad the kick boxer, is that their looks and fighting styles look almost exactly the same( again, this may only be me). There are all the regular modes:Arcade(where you fight a long line of matches up to the ''boss''),VS(where you can fight a friend), Options(adjusting difficulty , sound, brightness, etc.,etc.),and training mode(an excellent place where you can learn how the game works and hone your skills). Worth mentioning, though, is the Quest mode. This is the replacement of Kumite from VF4. The story for Quest mode is basically this: you go around town visiting to arcades playing VF4:E matches and tournaments, all the while working your way into the world championships. Quest mode greatly expands on Kumite mode. Not only does it actually have structure now, it is chockfull of unlockables. This is where you are going to spend most of the game on. There is also 10th edition mode, which brings the graphics back to the days of the original VF. This may hold the attention of veterans of VF, but most everyone else will only play through the arcade mode once(since Quest mode is non-existant here). It's still interesting to see the old-school graphics, though. Overall, the game play holds up just as well as the graphics.

The real reason you're probably reading this THE TWO FLAWS
The first thing that threw me off is that you can't create separate character files for the quest mode. All the different characters are saved on one system file. This means you and your friend can't pit your custom fighters together unless they are on the same system file. This isn't actually all that bad, but am2 still could have done better.
The second problem is that they took away the advice section from the quest mode. Sure, you can still look at your stats to see what you're doing wrong, but it's still not as good as Kumite, where the game actually told you in written form, not just in percentages. This will make it hard for new players to get in the game.

My suggestion to all peoples
Rent the game and get broken into it. This means using the tutorial, playing Arcade and Kumite, learning your characters moves, and using the advice. Once you are broken in, if you like what you see, by all means by Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution. Other wise, you're going to have a painful time at the beginning.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/19/03