Virtua Fighter is the most disappointing launch title of all time.
The one thing that does save this version of Virtua Fighter from being a complete disaster is the core gameplay, which is actually quite good. The controls are responsive, and well mapped to the Saturn's pad, an attribute helped through the fact that you are never forced to use those god awful shoulder pads. Virtua Fighter requires a far more tactical approach to the fighting than others of the ilk, as the A.I. puts up far more of a fight, and so you'll have to master a character's moves in order to be able to unlock your full potential with Virtua Fighter, and in that sense, it works out more like a fighting simulator than a game.
Unfortunately, that's where all the plusses for the game end. The game looks and sounds truly awful. Now, while I would have looked past this normally when there was exemplary gameplay to be had, the fact that this was supposed to be a system seller is shocking.
The Saturn used square based polygons instead of triangles like the Playstation, and this is severely evident in Virtua Fighter, where every piece in the game is made out of squares, and the faces of all the characters are horrid, and they all look like robots. To top it off, the animation is quite jaggy, and the arenas are lifeless. The soundtrack is mildly irritating at first, but soon grates more and more as it constantly loops, and pauses slightly just before each repeat, causing a couple of seconds of nothingness to invade the game.
The option list is anaemic to say the least, with a simple Arcade and vs. mode to keep you busy. The depth required to become really good at the game does add some longevity, but there just isn't enough to do.
Closing comments: If it wasn't for the deep gameplay, then Virtua Fighter would simply not be worth playing at all, as it has almost nothing going for it. Sega put even more salt into the wound by offering a free upgrade in the form of Virtua Fighter Remix, which was a vast improvement over this rubbish, and showed just how badly Sega had dealt with the Saturn's big first game.