Virtua Fighter 4

UPC: 010086630060

Platform: PlayStation 2

Publisher: Sega of America, Inc.

Developer: Sega AM2

Category: Fighting

Style(s): 3D Fighting

Synopsis: Considered the series that founded the 3D fighting style of video games, Sega's Virtua Fighter returns to home consoles with this release. The PS2 version of Virtua Fighter 4 is designed to offer the same rich presentation and, more importantly, the same solid gameplay of the instantly successful coin-op version of the title. The PS2's Virtua Fighter 4 features the same cast of characters and assortment of battle locations available to arcade gamers. Detailed fighters, vivid visual effects, and deformable arenas have been translated with care to Sony's 128-bit generation console. Two new characters join 11 veterans of the series for a selection of 13 fighters, each with a different style based on actual martial arts techniques. New counters and defensive moves let characters adjust their stances in the middle of a bout. Other new features are available only to home gamers, including accessories to customize a favorite character and the opportunity to prove one's skill in ranking tournaments. Players can also "train" an AI-controlled fighter, who can be built up through sparring then let loose in a real contest. Developed by series creator Yu Suzuki and AM2, this fourth Virtua Fighter game is designed to live up to its impressive heritage, at home as well as in the arcade. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 52-page Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The game manual is exactly as frustrating as the game structure is fascinating. Though printed in full color with a biography and move list for each character, the manual is only disappointment in the whole package. Printed instructions are vague and ambiguous. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Animations are absolutely superb. Character models are richly detailed and look natural no matter what outfit or items they're wearing. Area backgrounds add flavor and provide a good sense of space without too much distraction from the action. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

AM2 returns to its premier 3D fighting series to release this exemplary effort for the PlayStation 2. Easily the best fighting game on the console at the time of its release, Virtua Fighter 4 does an almost perfect job of refining the series' now-classic control system. The manner in which button presses translate to character movements should be the core of any fighting game. This one gets it right. Such logical and precise handling, coupled with the smoothly flowing frames of spot-on character animation, seduces the player to become one with any of 13 accurate representations of real-life martial arts styles. From Wolf's bulky big-time wrestling to Lei Fei's intricate kung fu, VF4 puts the player in the heat of battle and in complete control. The topmost choice on the main menu screen is the "Arcade" game, which looks and plays very much like the coin-op version of VF4. In addition to this accurate conversion (and a truly worthwhile Training campaign), the two-player "Vs." and the tournament-style "Kumite" modes can be selected. Players can enter any of these play modes anonymously for one-time games, or in the role of a saved character. There are two types of saved characters: those controlled by the player, and those controlled by a personalized artificial intelligence system that the player helps develop. Player-controlled saved characters begin just like regular versions of the fighters, but as the player uses them they build a record of wins and losses, they can go up in rank and gain access to new clothing colors, and they may even acquire new items and accessories by winning fights with key opponents. This allows for lots of personalization and conveys wonderful replay to the basic fighting of the main game. It's not quite as simple as that, though. A separate file must be created for each saved character and there is no easy way to internally organize these files. The saved character system is structured for each player to keep all of his or her fighters, and only his or her fighters, stored on the same memory card. Only the player using Controller 1 can use characters saved on the memory card in Slot 1, for example, and characters stored on a memory card in Slot 2 can only be accessed using Controller 2. This is great for the player bringing his characters to battle at a friend's house, but it complicates character management and makes it difficult to set up certain matches. It's impossible, for example, for two saved characters on the same card to fight against one another; one must be copied onto a second memory card to enter the contest as "Player 2." Due to this structure, it can be a small hassle to manage several different saved characters. Yet it is more than worth the effort. The saved character system elevates Virtua Fighter 4 from a solid arcade fling to a lasting single-player pleasure. Kumite is the most engaging single-player mode and it ups the ante of the basic gameplay by offering unlockable items, recurring personalities, new character outfits, and opportunity for promotion. All of this encourages players to challenge, define, and develop their saved characters. Characters enter Kumite at the lowest rank: 10th Kyu. After facing off against a number of similarly skilled opponents, a winning character will eventually come to a "Ranking Match." A win here promotes the character one level, to 9th Kyu. As the character progresses, so does the average rank of his or her challengers in the tournament. This allows an advanced saved character to always jump right to a worthy match in Kumite, instead of slogging through a slew of lower-level opponents before reaching challengers of comparable skill and speed. The other wholly persuasive feature particular to the home version of Virtua Fighter 4 is the option to develop a saved character who is controlled by artificial intelligence that the player helps program. The game's complex AI system is difficult to fully understand and the manual is so ambiguous in describing it, part of the challenge is just trying to figure out how it all works. But even playing around with the AI system is fun and adds up to hours of extra enjoyment. Like the player-controlled saved characters, AI characters can be any of the 13 fighters available in the game. For the most part, the player teaches an untrained fighter how to perform any number of moves, which the fighter can then use against other opponents. It takes a while before an AI character can beat even the easiest opponents, but once a basic offense and defense are established, the player can turn the character loose to hone his or her craft in any of the game's main play modes. Like a player-controlled saved character, an AI character can enter the Kumite tournament to win new items and increase in level through Ranking Matches. As AI characters improve in rank and gain experience, they become faster and begin to string together combos all on their own -- though using only moves possible with the button combinations they've been taught. AI characters learn to block and evade on their own as well, becoming quicker and more skillful as they gain experience. The player can put this increase in speed and smarts to use, through additional training, but there comes a point when an AI character seems to take on a life of his or her own. With only a little bit of continued nurturing, in fact, some players may find that their AI characters outrank them and perhaps even beat them on regular basis. As AI characters develop, there seems to be a nice mix of player-influenced particulars and general, pre-programmed improvements in defense and speed. It should be said, however, that most AI characters eventually learn more from their experience fighting other computer opponents than they do from the player's direct instruction. The player's guiding influence remains apparent in the character's repertoire of moves, but AI advancement is ultimately determined more by the game's built-in learning system. As they continue to enter fights, AI characters are almost always learning which techniques and timings seem most effective in which situations. Once they've mastered the basics, most AI fighters can at least gradually improve with no further coaching at all. Leave the game running, go out for a nice dinner, and see if the AI character has gone up in rank or won any new items upon returning. The player need not be an expert Virtua Fighter to raise an expert AI character. Patience is at least as important as practice. This aspect of character personalization in the AI system is also well applied in the Kumite mode. Whether entering the tournament as a saved player character, a saved AI character, or just for a one-time game, the computer-controlled opponent fighters in Kumite behave like AI characters themselves, favoring certain moves and particular techniques. Kumite opponents have colorful ring names, many which seem to note the AI's particular fighting sub-style. The "Poke Poke" version of Lion tends to come at his opponents with a lot of jabbing punches, while "Evil Lion" favors cruel "floater" and "down" attacks. One might quickly learn to beat the aggressive "Hyper Shun," yet fall repeatedly to the crafty "Gnome" version of the same character. Just as there is great variation in the different martial arts that the Virtua Fighter series' characters use, there is now another layer of variation in the styles of these different character AI personalities. Sadly, it is impossible to know from the game's documentation if these interesting and distinguishable opponents are actually hand-trained AI characters, but the mere implicit suggestion demands acknowledgement. It's a practical demonstration that the game is not just about learning basic patterns, but dynamically applying those patterns in a personalized way. A player's style and technique are at least as important as his or her character's innate abilities. It's really not just the fighter, but how the fighter is played. Elements of presentation in the game are fitting and consistently good. The sounds of kicks and punches vary greatly and are always accurate and precise. Along with the brilliant animations, Virtua Fighter 4's stage and background graphics are vivid and sturdy. Backgrounds look nice and natural, with interesting scenery and mostly-unobtrusive events. There is an indulgence in a few contemporarily showy special effects, though, and the player may occasionally wonder if certain graphic elements were included just because they could be, instead of because they should have been. Still, aside from a few gratuitous lens flares and incongruous phenomena, the background graphics serve to emphasize the mood of the battle much more often than they distract from it. True, the player may be distracted the first time lightning strikes and causes a building to crumble in the distance, or when first fighting in the stage inexplicably filled ankle-deep with water, but these location-based quirks soon become familiar if not readily anticipated. The rowdy crowd around Wolf's underground caged arena is spectacular. The game's graphics are above average in all regards and its sound effects are good. Training is rewarding and effective. The Kumite mode is a bright spot that continues to offer just the right degree of challenge each time it is played. Saved characters become valued companions and new items feel like payday. The AI system offers an innovative, alternate approach to play and opens up new ways of thinking about the overall game. More important than any of this, however, is what goes on between those two opposing characters when the announcer says "Ready, Go!" Most important is the solid, basic fighting game upon which all of these other features are built. The pacing, the control, the animation, the look, the feel -- the Virtua Fighting itself has been polished to near perfection. The strength of the basic arcade game mode alone is enough to heartily recommend Virtua Fighter 4. The compelling new modes of play and well-crafted saved character system make a great game truly excellent. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Kumite mode makes the game last and AI characters are fun and interesting. VF4's great depth and enticing rewards will encourage players to practice and improve their fighting skills for a long time to come. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The game skillfully employs a large library of smacks, whacks, thuds, and crashes to make each hit sound natural and believable. Characters make goofy taunts after winning a match (as in earlier Virtua Fighter games), but this only reinforces their exaggerated personalities. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Perhaps more than any earlier version of Virtua Fighter, this game gives a sense of direct, precise control and it backs that up with amazingly responsive and believable character animations. Actions and reactions become almost instinctual. Extraordinary depth for a fighting game. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.