Virtua Fighter Remix

"Yes another Virtua Fighter, but this one's FREE!"

Okay we all know about Virtua Fighter. If you've played video games for any length of time, you've heard all about Sega's great fighter series. A fighter that was *so* deep, it actually turned off US gamers. WHAT?! You mean 12 year old kids DON'T want learn the nuances of drunk kung-fu? Unbelievable :) Anyway, that fact that most US gamers were blind to the depth of VF didn't stop Sega from pushing this sucker down our throats. And that full-blown push culminated in the FREE give away of Virtua Fighter Remix. It was free, you say? Yes it was. All you had to be was a registered Saturn owner, and you got a copy in the mail. Along with some other CD's containing some awful demos and crappy music. But let's focus on VFR shall we? Essentially the "Remix" means Vitua Fighter 1 with improved graphics. VF2 graphics, to be exact. All the character's moves and appearances were revamped, as were the backgrounds. The polygon count was boosted, and the soundtrack was tweaked. The result...the game that *should* have come with the Saturn. The original VF was nice, but WAY outdated when it debuted on the Saturn. Remix is a much better game, and it shows off more of that Saturn muscle.

GRAPHICS: Dated by today's standards. But polygon-based games have come a *long* way in the past two and half years. The graphics in Remix are a tad less refine than those in VF2. The character's portraits are hand drawn art, which looks nice, but seems out of place. The background graphics aren't great, but they are a step up from VF. More details were added to each of the original stages giving VFR a very polished feel. ****

SOUNDS: The sounds were tweaked, but you'll strain to hear *any* difference from VF. The soundtrack was solid to begin with, so major changes weren't needed. The sound effects are not up to par though. The SMACKS and POWS just don't *sound* right. They don't convey any force behind the blows. And don't get me started on the voice "talent" used for the fighters...bleck. **3/4

CONTROLS: Control was always the focus of the VF series. VFR handles perfectly, even if it doesn't require the finesse that VF2 demands. And in VFR, nothing was changed as far as the controls go. Instead, a smattering of moves from VF2 were added to each fighter. You see, VFR was sort of a "teaser" for Saturn owners. The new moves consist mainly of throws, but they do spice up fights and add substance to the game. ****

OPTIONS: You've got all the options given in VF. Such as difficulty and damage settings. The final boss, Dural, is also selectable via code. And she too is modeled in her VF2 form. ***

REPLAY: Well, VFR uses the original VF engine. So the depth that VF2 sported just *isn't* there. And consequently there's less to learn and less replay value. But VFR is still a fun ride. And the lack of depth lets you relax and enjoy the fights. One of the problems of VF2 was that it *required* totally concentration, taking away from the fun. **2/3

Hey man...what else do you want from a free game? This is the best version of Virtua Fighter out there. It even surpasses the original arcade game. The improved graphics, new moves and price, all add up to a great game. And a nice gesture from Sega.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99