"For the hardcore fighting fan"

Let's get the unpleasant stuff out of the way first:

1) It doesn't look as good as Soul Calibur. Sad but true.

2) Yes, it's slower paced, and the gameplay seems less flowing (at first...).

3) There's no Vs. mode. This is by far the biggest problem.

OK, now that that's over with, let's talk about the best fighting game made on any platform ever. Hyperbole? Maybe, but hear me out.

There's always been two types of fighting game player. There are those who play ''just for fun'', and think Tekken/Soul Calibur (maybe even Mortal Kombat!) are cool. There's nothing wrong with that -- the Tekken series is great fun, and I play Soul Calibur every lunchtime with my workmates, and have a blast.

But then there's those who regard a fighting game as _virtual fighting_, a highly competetive and strategic sport as much as a game. These are the people who will appreciate VF3.

Why? Because it assiduously avoids cheesiness, even when that means making design decision that alienate beginning players. For example, in VF3 moves tend to have _looong_ recovery times. If you leap up in the air and flail your legs around, you're gonna spend 1/3 to 1/2 a second recovering when you land, and you're vulnerable in that time. Even a simple punch or kick has a noticeable recovery time.

This is what makes the game feel like it doesn't flow to those who are unfamiliar with it. Beginners feel like they are fighting the controls rather than their opponent because they haven't yet learnt that in VF move choice and planning is _critical_. Button mashing will get you _nowhere_ in VF (unless it's beginner vs. beginner).

The upside to all this is that it allows natural fighting strategies emerge. Any martial artist will tell you that the jumping spin kicks that look so cool in 3D fighting games are simply too risky to use in a real fight (except in exceptional circumstances). And so it is in VF3 -- unless you're damn sure of what you're doing, flashy techniques will land you in a lot of hot water. I'm not saying VF3 is strictly realistic -- it isn't. But it's a hell of a lot closer than Soul Calibur, and the fighting strategies are more natural as a result.

A side effect of this ''flashy = high risk'' policy is that the occasions that you _can_ pull off the flshy sh*t mean a lot more. I have never enjoyed any game experience more than pulling off a tough Akira combo on a skilled opponent. I regularly do things with many more flashing lights and sound effects on Soul Calibur, but it means very little.

Of course, some people argue that the fighting devolves into just simple techniques. That is true, in a sense, but it's hardly a criticism. Again drawing a parallel with real world fighting, punches are perhaps the most efficient technique you can use. They are quick and low risk. Is it any wonder that they feature in VF battles? When combined with the rock solid defense possible in VF, two skilled players spending minutes looking for a opening big enough for a single punch is gripping, inspired gaming.

Which brings me to defence :) I am a block button believer. I am not a fan of the ''pull back to block'' system, although I concede it works perfectly in Street Fighter. But I love the fact that in VF you can ride the block button and block any incoming attack (except throws) simpy by reacting to the attack level. This is technically possible in Soul Calibur (except for unblockables :-/), but in practice the graphical flash makes it exceedingly difficult to tell where some moves should be blocked. In VF high attacks look high, low attacks look low, and there's only a couple of (deliberately) confusing moves -- and once these are identified it's not hard to react in time. When players compete regularly, in is not uncommon for fights to for a long time with no-one actually scoring a hit. Perhaps this sounds dull, but I find it utterly compelling. It's like a long, long rally in tennis. You can hear the crowd's excitement building as they wonder how long the players can last without someone screwing up! The pressure this puts on you as a player is unusually intense, and I've often noticed my heart rate so elevated that my hands shake after a hard fight. Quake is the only other game that does this for me...

There's just a few more points I'd like to make. First, the fighting styles in VF, while exagerrated, are by far the most realistic of any fighting game. Not that important, sure, but it might pique your interest if you have an interest in martial arts.

Second, the reversals in VF are great. I thought Akira's reversals were a little too hard in VF2 -- you ran the risk of losing to a masher if you relied on them. They are friendlier in VF3, but still not easy by any means. In other words: perfect. As in every area, VF3 lets you do the cool stuff, but it makes you work for it. For the record, I am yet to come across a fighting game with moves as difficult as VF3 (except VF2, which was harder =Þ). I defy any Tekken ''master'' to perform Akira's SPoD or DLC combos in a game situation without extensive practice. Whereas I'll have your ''tenstring'' down in minutes :)

Third, the throws are really neat. They look great, they do good damage, and thanks to the recovery times of all moves they are a viable strategy (especially against defensive players).

I think that's it! As you can tell, I love this game. Reactions have varied, but in my experience most serious gamers ''come around'' eventually. VF3 is not an instant gratification sugar-rush, though. If that's what you want, stick with Soul Calibur (which is a fine game, don't get me wrong).

I haven't really talked about the single player game. I find the AI pretty decent. Certainly fun and not too bad to practice against -- but it's all about multiplayer. And too much AI play will give you bad habits! The Team Battle mode is useless, in my opinion. The TB mode in Saturn VF2 was way better. The lack of a Vs. mode is a serious pain -- it basically means that the winner can't change character without resetting (so you lose the match tally). This was a really brain dead move in my opinion, but I gather it's been fixed in the US release.

If you've made it this far you'll have realized that I'm pretty keen on this game. All I can say is that if you believe that video games can be as ''serious'' (and I mean seriously fun!) as chess and other ''traditional'' games, then VF3 is for you. It has depth like you won't believe, but you gotta find a friend who'll take the journey with you.

Juu'nen hayain dayo!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/27/00, Updated 01/27/00