PS3 Virtua Fighter 5 golden

Nearly one month ago, Sega announced that Virtua Fighter 5 would arrive on US PlayStation 3s on February 20, 2007. Though the game has been available in arcades in Japan since last year, its arrival across the Pacific would mark the fighting genre's debut on Sony's new console stateside. (Currently, the only title offering fighting on the platform is EA's boxing game Fight Night Round 3.)

Luckily, while many games saw their winter release slots slip, Virtua Fighter 5's stood fast. Today, Sega announced that the game has gone gold and will arrive on the PS3 as planned, months before the Xbox 360 edition. It is rated T for Teen and will retail for $59.99.

The first console installment in the series since 2002's Virtua Fighter 4 and 2003's Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution, Virtua Fighter 5 was developed by Sega's popular internal AM2 studio. As outlined in GameSpot's recent exclusive hands-on preview, the game revamps the series with new 3D graphics and several new characters. Its roster now boasts 17 different fighters, most of whom are returning favorites such as action star Pai Chan and wrestler Wolf Hawkfield. It will sport five gameplay modes and extensive character customization options.