Virtua Fighter 5

"Kick, Punch, it's all in the mind"

Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3) (Xbox360)


Sega's Virtua Fighter series is solely responsible for bringing the fighting game series in to the realm of 3D. The fifth in the series beings back all the things that make VF great, while offering even further refinements to the gameplay and graphics.

Virtua Fighter is without a shadow of a doubt the most complex yet balanced beat'em up on the market. Each character is very different yet no choice offers any significant advantage. The unprecedented level of balancing is the true strength of the Virtua Fighter series. The game has a very steep learning curve and newcomers will initially find things very difficult, but on the other hand it rewards practice and people will find that cheap wins and button mashing become next to impossible against more skilled players.

Now let's get one thing straight: This is easily the best looking fighting game of all time. The characters and environments use an incredible amount of details to bring things to life, but at the same time they retain a strictly video game look that makes everything very stylish. The game can be played at the highest levels of High-Definition provided your TV supports it. The sound is appropriately cheesy, and grunge guitars supply most of the music for the various stages. Everything sounds slightly muffled at times but it doesn't take away from the experience

The game's downside is the lack of modes and on-line support. With only a 1 on 1 Versus mode it can at times feel too much like a basic arcade port. The quest mode is interesting and it offers the chance for players to customise their characters' appearances, but that's about it.

The game's biggest issue is the lack of on-line support. The PS3 version was released well in advance of the Xbox 360 port, but the cost of this early release was too high. Apparently the 360 versions sports full on-line support. This one lacking feature is the single greatest downfall of this game in my eyes. What is the point of spending time playing through quest mode and customizing a character if you can't show them off? Even if a friend was to come by your place with his data on a memory stick you still wouldn't be able to use both parties' custom fighters in the same match.

It's one to get, but if you have the option make sure you pick up the Xbox 360 version for the chance to fight on-line.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/25/08

Game Release: Virtua Fighter 5 (EU, 03/23/07)