TGS '07: Virtua Fighter 5 Hands-On

By Guy Cocker, GameSpot UKPosted Sep 19, 2007 10:40 pm PT

A nearly completed version of Sega's arcade brawler was on show at the company's TGS booth. We grabbed hold of a Hori arcade stick to check it out.

TOKYO--Nowhere is Sega's Virtua Fighter 5 more popular than in Japan, so it was a fitting place to see a very advanced version of the game on the Xbox 360. It was also welcoming to see that Sega had set up customised Hori sticks to play the game in as close to arcade conditions as possible. We spent some time playing through all the modes on offer, as well as talking to the localisation team about the what we can expect in the finished product.

Although Virtua Fighter 5 has been available on the PlayStation 3 for some time now, the Xbox 360 version looks set to be the definitive version. Because the game is based around the latest version of hardware in the arcades, it's the most up-to-date home port of the game and therefore features improved artificial intelligence. If that weren't enough to convince hardcore VF players to buy the game again, the Xbox 360 version's improved, antialiased graphics should tip the balance.

The Xbox 360 version is also set to offer more on the features side. The number of AI opponents has been upped to 1,000, meaning that there are plenty of different fighting styles to encounter in the quest mode. There are also 3,000 unlockable costume items to customise your characters with. The characters in the Japanese build all had localised voices, so American characters such as Jackie still had American accents, and although we didn't get to hear it, there's a full Dolby 5.1 soundtrack on offer, too.

But of course the biggest new feature is the online mode, and although we didn't get to play it at TGS (because there's no one out there to play against), the localisation team did have some more details about what we can expect to see in the final game. First of all, the expected one-on-one battle mode will of course be on offer, but your online ranking will be completely separate to the one you have in the single-player game. The game will also support voice chat for those who want to taunt their opponents, as well as a VF TV mode where you can watch replays of classic fights from the world's greatest combatants.

We played through some arcade, quest, and dojo battles during our time at the Sega booth, and we have to say we're very pleased with the Xbox 360 conversion. It held up a rock-solid 60 frames per second performance while still managing to look substantially polished. Because of our time spent in Japanese arcades, we loved heading to Club Sega in the game's quest mode, and the varying styles of the AI challengers made us want to carry on and play longer than we could. The dojo mode is a great place to familiarise yourself with the hundreds of moves for each character, seeing as it offers command, free, and time attack training. And finally, the arcade mode was just as we expected, offering a perfect opportunity to experience each of the 11 characters.

Virtua Fighter 5 is going on sale in Japan on December 6, with the Hori arcade sticks arriving on the same day for a little over 7,000 yen (around £30 or $60). We're really looking forward to playing more multiplayer games, especially if the online mode holds up, but it's looking likely that we'll have to wait for the finished game to see how well that particular mode turns out. Keep an eye on the site for more information as we get it.

46 Comments

  • vass86

    Posted Oct 25, 2007 9:30 am PT

    i should read before i post lol. i'm definately getting this

  • vass86

    Posted Oct 25, 2007 9:17 am PT

    i'm only getting this if you can play people online. that's the thing that will make this game last.

  • Titanicles

    Posted Oct 24, 2007 4:06 am PT

    I might get this but, Soul Calibur 4 FTW!

  • PS360Fanboy

    Posted Oct 7, 2007 8:06 am PT

    probaly scaled down a lot since the PS3 version

  • Sam_Lowery

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 11:59 am PT

    I might get this, but only because I can't get Tekken on the 360

  • NinjaMunkey01

    Posted Sep 29, 2007 2:37 am PT

    'printice21 woo-hoo this sounds awesome finally another full fledged fighter! poor ps3 owners i hope they get an update or something, 360 has better ai, better anti aliasing, online play wow i cant wait!'

    dont feel sorry for ps3 owners they have a great lineup of games coming out soon. I have a 360 and it has good games but the ps3 has the potential for better graphics and killzone 2 and mgs4 will show that. it has loads of good games coiming out with amazing graphics and gameplay, plus tekken is coming out.

    dont feel sorry for those with only a ps3 they have loads to look forward too anyway. and so do 360 owners with mass effect and all.

  • NinjaMunkey01

    Posted Sep 29, 2007 2:31 am PT

    I dont think I will get this for the 360. I almost got this for the ps3 but I never liked soul caliber much so I missed it. I want halo 3, killzone 2, MGS4, R&C and drakes fortune so I dont need this. for those who like these games I hope you like it though.

  • Pangamaster

    Posted Sep 28, 2007 6:51 pm PT

    Can't Wait for Soul Caliber 4

  • vee36

    Posted Sep 28, 2007 8:39 am PT

    NOT AS GOOD AS TEKKEN !!

  • ebookerd1

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 5:52 am PT

    I love the VF series everything since VF2 has been great. I am a tekken fan but I love VF more it always felt more realistic and deeper strategy combat system. I took time to get to understand the fighting system and it is more than just press a combination. The timing is so important to this game and I am so happy 360 is bringing it home. Oh I can't wait for this one.

  • barnold81

    Posted Sep 24, 2007 5:59 pm PT

    This is the only fighting game I need. I played Tekken series until I played Virtua Fighter 4. I don't think Tekken has the depth of Virtua Fighter - not even close. And now it's online. I hope the game plays well online.

  • imperial_agent

    Posted Sep 24, 2007 11:17 am PT

    meh... waiting for Soul Calibur 4.

  • Ghettoness23

    Posted Sep 23, 2007 4:55 pm PT

    a fresh fighting game comming on its way.....wouldnt mind tekken comming out on 360 tho

  • LorenaLarue

    Posted Sep 23, 2007 2:52 pm PT

    I knew what xboxfan101 was saying but I didn't appreciate having to use the extra effort to translate it.

  • raride

    Posted Sep 23, 2007 10:58 am PT

    finaly a good fighter game for 360

  • TheoleDominion1

    Posted Sep 23, 2007 6:35 am PT

    lol@ Davywin, I'm African-American and I can't understand what xboxFan101 is saying either..so please don't ask me to translate...lmao.

  • Agermemnon

    Posted Sep 22, 2007 6:43 am PT

    Hmm not my most enjoyed fighting series but what with soulcalibur and samurai showdown 2 ( for some 2d fighting ) i think i can avoid this .

  • Wakey652

    Posted Sep 22, 2007 5:40 am PT

    cool news about the sticks! now we just need an ultra hi-res online Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Xbl will be the place for beat em ups

  • c_smithii

    Posted Sep 22, 2007 3:30 am PT

    Woohoo!
    This game and Halo 3 is what I've been waiting on for sometime now. My last Virtua Fighter games was
    Virtua Fighter 4 import - PS2
    Virtua Fighter 2 import - PS2
    Virtua Fighter - Genesis 32X

    Never played VF3, but oh well.

  • Anabub

    Posted Sep 21, 2007 6:25 am PT

    Fantastic ... now if only we can some how steal Tekken as well

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