One of the very best fighters for the Sega Saturn.

User Rating: 9 | Virtua Fighter 2 (Saturn Collection) SAT
By gamefreak197 | Review Date:
When it was first released in the arcades and ported on to the failed Sega 32X in 1993, Virtua Fighter was considered by many to be revolutionary for the time for its realistic fighting techniques and for its 3-D graphics, which most other fighting games like Street Fighter didn't have. Virtua Fighter actually helped mark the beginning of using 3-D graphics in video games. But its engine soon much improved in its sequel for the Sega Saturn, not only technically, but also in its mechanics. The mechanics are much the same as the original, but are more refined this time around, making for a more fluid experience. Virtua Fighter 2 helps to make an improvement upon its predecessor and it is certainly one of the best fighters for the system.

Virtua Fighter 2 is, obviously, a 3-D fighting game. You take control of one of the nine original characters (and two new ones) and you set out in an arena and you fight for a couple of matches. Like many fighting games you pull off various combos to help finish your opponent off. A winner is made when either one character's health is gone, when a character is knocked out of the ring, or when one has the most health when time runs out. Unlike other fighting games of the time, Virtua Fighter 2, like its predecessor, relies on realistic fighting styles and physics (though you still jump like you're on the moon) and this works rather well for the game. The controls also work rather well and pulling off combos can be simple if you know what to do. The game is also rather challenging, even on the easy difficulty. The AI knows when to dodge and their attacks can be brutal on you. So unless you customize the rules you're going to have to practice in order to get better and face these higher difficulties.

Speaking of which, there are also a couple of customization options you can make. For one, you can change the amount of damage you take, even going up to where you're invincible. This can give you an upper-hand trying to defeat some of the harder opponents, as well as being able to learn to pull off combos. You can even change the arena size to your liking. These features are very interesting and can make for some good fun in multiplayer. Of course, like any good fighting game, the game is best played with others.

Like its predecessor, this game also brought about revolutionary graphics for the system. This is certainly one of the best looking games on the Sega Saturn. The character models look excellent and the animations are very fluid and rather realistic. The pseudo 3-D environments also look great. Just as good as the graphics is, predictably, the music. Sega was always known for making kick ass arcade games with awesome music and this game is certainly no exception. The sound effects also work rather well, even if some of the voices can sound annoying.

To sum things up:

PROS:
-Superb graphics
-Good control
-Realistic physics and moves work well
-Nice little customization options
-Great music
-Multiplayer of course
-Challenging gameplay

CONS:
-Challenging on even the easy difficulty

This is one of the must-own titles for the Sega Saturn and for fighting fans out there. Fans of Sega arcade games shouldn't pass this up either.

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