Virtua Fighter 5 (review)

 

Let’s just get one thing out of the way: it would be easy for GameSpy to have gone out and looked for someone with a veritable laundry list of credentials and know-how to review a fighting game that warrants the sort of anal-retentiveness that has given it such a strong cult following among the kinds of people who dismiss Soul Calibur with the same scoff that most of America saves for professional wrestling. Phew, that was long. Instead, we’ve taken a completely different route. Rather than having someone who can pinpoint, frame for frame, move for move, the subtle differences of Pai Chan between VF4: Evo and now, the team has assigned a reviewer who owns a copy of Evo, but somehow, never got around to actually popping it into his PS2. With that in mind, VF fanboys, sorry, this review’s not totally aimed at you. You knew you were buying this game when you stood in line for 24 hours on November 16th, or at least, while we all thought it was a PS3 exclusive. There’s nothing, good or bad, that we can say that’s going to change your mind.

No, no. There are lots of early adopters who are on the fence right now about the investment they’ve made in Sony’s machine. Resistance is awesome, but there’s a point where adding a few more ribbons to the ranking is getting a bit grueling, and Nathan Hale has taken down the core of the Chimera threat one time too many. Maybe the wait for the EU launch of PS3 has sapped a little wind from the Ridge Racer 7 sails. Outside of playing a lot of PS2 titles, what’s there to do, besides play more ports of 360 games? Suffice it to say, there are some who will argue that Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection will tide them over until Tekken 6. Those people obviously haven’t seen Virtua Fighter 5 and Dark Resurrection running on HDTVs yet.

Another way to describe Virtua Fighter 5 is that it’s like the Pixies. The average Joe gamer probably has gone for the Tekkens, DoAs, and Soul Caliburs well before reaching for AM2’s fighter. There will undoubtedly be a strong sense of “why didn’t I discover this game sooner?” that will accompany the first few hours of play. Kind of like most rock fans were some three years ago when the Pixies announced their reunion tour. Never fear, PS3 owners; this monkey’s gone to heaven, and brought back manna in the shape of Sixaxis controllers.

What truly makes VF 5 shine so brightly lies in its controls. While VF’s detractors have complained that the series is too hardcore for the average gamer, who they’d say would rather rattle off button-mashing combos with Heihachi or Helena, VF 5 is surprisingly accessible for anyone who’s picked up a 3D fighting game. Indeed, while the hardcore gamers will be purchasing PS3 fighting sticks in anticipation of this one, casuals will be able to jump in and knock the crap out of a friend in no time. Gamers who’ve cut their teeth on other blockbuster 3D fighters should have little problem getting into the groove.

Unlike other fighting games, however, highly evolved, well-timed combos will begin to evolve out of the primordial ooze, and eventually, anyone who puts in enough time on characters will begin to see the subtleties at work. It’s small things, like combo canceling, or the fact that sometimes, a certain five punch setup won’t work as fast as the player would like, because the fighter’s animations haven’t completed their run, that show off a certain depth that more popular fighters lack. Players can fight cheap in VF 5, but it’s going to take a hell of a lot more effort and polish to do it in comparison to other titles.

If there’s anything that we don’t like, we wish that there was an option to utilize analog controls instead of the D-pad. While not every fighting game allows for it, the option to turn it on or off, depending on preference, would have been a very nice touch, and one that would leave everyone happy. Also, in the spirit of comparing VF 5 to its predecessor, we popped in VF 4: Evo and gave it a test run. While the visuals on the new game are so intensely beautiful (especially on an HDTV) that it makes the PS2 game look nearly unplayable, the core mechanics of more than one character felt nearly identical. We sense that the hardcore might complain that VF 5 really feels like VF 4 Evo with a facelift, but the visuals more than draw the line in the sand, and for newcomers, the argument likely won’t, and shouldn’t, matter.

The Kumite that’s central to the plot brings the combatants from VF 4 back in the fray, and introduces Eileen from China, and El Blaze, a masked Mexican wrestler. Eileen’s techniques lie in Monkey Kung-Fu, and her style is deceptively vicious. El Blaze has a variety of unique styles that feel like half-Rey Mysterio Jr. luchador and half-”insane martial artist.” Really, though, regardless of new fighters, it’s all an excuse for everyone to beat the unholy hell out of each other, and for friends to find new ways to screw their buddies on the couch over, now that we’re in the generation of Sixaxis as the standard and the “unplug the Dual Shock” trick no longer works. The truth is, the actual Kumite takes a backseat to an experience that’s a fighting game about the experience of playing fighting games.

Just like in the last game, VF 5 boasts Quest mode, which enables players to play in virtual arcades around town against opponents of various skill levels, from pwnable noobs to opposition that will put players on their backs in less time than it takes to load the fight. It’s all A.I.-driven, and while, at times, the CPU can be maddeningly cheap, especially on higher difficulties, it’s a wonderful primer for newcomers to sharpen their skills. It’s also ripe with opportunities to unlock all sorts of quirky costume adjustments and collect gold, although money is often harder to come by than a wad of hundreds in a homeless shelter.

There has been a bit of controversy regarding VF 5’s lack of online play. Some people feel that it’s a serious detraction, especially in light of the fact that Dead or Alive 4 has online multiplayer. Even more cynical people feel that Sega has deliberately left out online play because it would take a sizable chunk out of the profitability of VF 5 in arcades. My feeling is that between the lukewarm online implementation of most games on PlayStation Network, and the laggy gameplay issues that DoA 4 has faced over Xbox Live, it’s probably better for AM2 to have left online out of the game.

There have been many a times that we at GameSpy have tooted the online horn, but at least, in this reviewer’s case, there have been enough poorly implemented online experiences that we’d rather not have it, than to play a horrifically embarrassing experience, replete with chugging framerates, frustrating near-victories, and redneck teenagers screaming into headsets. While we don’t deny that there are people unhappy with VF 5’s lack of online multiplayer –in fact, we anticipate a litany of angry responses to our stance– we don’t feel for a split-second that it worsens the experience at all. That does not mean, however, that we don’t wish there were online leaderboards; for a game that aims to simulate an arcade experience in a variety of strange ways, it’d be nice to have a nice, fat scoreboard on PSN for all to see, a la Tony Hawk’s Project 8 on 360.

Instead of online matches, part of what makes VF 5 so satisfying for multiplayer is the sense of personalization, combined with the traditional on-the-couch trash talk that defines the fighting game experience. Players can take a character, run it through Quest mode, and build up some definitive victories, then play against friends, and the win/loss tally will still be affected. It explains why, outside of a few cheap victories from the CPU, some friends and loved ones have managed to put a few dents in my armor. There’s a strong sense of time and value invested in each character, and it really adds to the experience.

While Virtua Fighter has been known as the fighting game for the hardcore for several years now, it is with Virtua Fighter 5 that the series has a fine opportunity for some mainstream love with the average gamers. There’s never a strong sense of “oh, you picked the crutch character” that there are in other fighters. Instead, it’s a pure fighting experience that gamers who’ve only played Tekken, DoA, or Soul Calibur will be able to jump in and appreciate, while veterans will hop in and log in endless hours on unlocking as many items as possible. Of course, there’s no such thing as a perfect game –that’s entirely too subjective– we wish that VF 5 had some online leaderboards, slightly less cheap A.I., and we’re concerned that the hardcore might feel that in spite of its visuals, it’s really just “VF 4: NEXT Evolution” with prettier graphics. Again, while some might disagree strongly with us, we’re okay with the lack of online multiplayer in this case. Although none of us own a 1080p TV, we wonder if the resolution wasn’t capped to give the upcoming 360 version a little more “umph.” At the end of the day, however, we close with this advice: for gamers who’ve mocked their PS3-owning friends, it’s time to suck up to them and hang out at their crib for this one. One taste of this, and it’s going to feel like a long, long wait for the summertime release on Xbox 360.