"One of the best retro console games ever made"

Back in '99, when I started to lose interest in games, Sega put forth this stellar offering on the Dreamcast. For whatever reasons people had, the amazing processing capabilities of the Dreamcast went unnoticed by the masses (and they still are to this day, but the Internet is allowing more and more people to get the word out). What Virtua Fighter 3tb (or 3tb) has going for it is the faithfulness to the original arcade game. In fact, the game uses virtually the exact same hardware as the original arcade board, and even the same programmers behind the original did this port. The result is an arcade perfect port, a phrase seldom used in the world of retro gaming, yet always ultimately desired by the gamer. It's a bit sad how such an arcade perfect port of such an amazing game turned obscure and eventually became an overlooked game. The changes between VF3 and 3tb are minute, mechanic-wise; the biggest difference is the addition of the tag team battles (which are optional, of course).

The gameplay is pretty self explanatory; after all, this is a review of how well the home port translated, not a review of the original game (and what it's all about). However, for those not in the know, the revolutionary mechanics of the Virtua Fighter series are considered to be the deepest 3-D fighting experience available. Each addition has better graphics and more moves (but the same, addicting mechanics, more-less). I've read mixed things about 3tb; it seems to be a love it or hate it kind of game. I actually welcomed and embraced the changes over VF2. The changes improve on what should be improved (graphics, character designs), whereas they didn't really mess with what didn't need fixing (mechanics, controls). The new designs for Pai and Sarah are sexy! I even liked the new evade button. I grew up playing a lot of Tobal 2, so being able to move freely in the 3-D plan seems intuitive and I was familiar with what the new dynamic does to the gameplay — it makes sense. Evading also makes it easier to counter attack overtly aggressive opponents IMO. I haven't even tried the tag team mode, but that's there if the player wants to change things up.

My only pet peeves are Kage's costume (he looks like a disco goer rather than a ninja) and the uneven stages. The stairs and puddles in most stages, add a new dynamic to the fighting; depending on where the fighters are standing, high attacks may become mid attacks and visa versa, as examples. It does take some getting used to, but is certainly not a flaw. What the new gamer has to know coming into this game is he's getting an arcade game, no more, no less (well maybe a tad more modes). It is the hardcore console gamer who will totally miss the point behind this offering and expect console-like extras we take for granted today. It's an arcade perfect port — what more could a retro gamer want? This is the dream of every gamer kid who grew up in the nineties; if someone had told me (back in '91 or '92) there would be a system released in '99 that could do arcade perfect ports of such high calibre games (like VF), I'd have just chuckled and said, "No way!" The Sega Dreamcast took away my doubt, and to this day, it's still hard to believe how powerful the Dreamcast was for its time.

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

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