This took fighting games out of the 2D rut that they were stuck in (read Street Fighter II and its hundreds of virtually identical iterations), an into the realm of the side step.


As you might have guessed, Virtua Fighter 4 is the 4th game in the series, and is the first to grace the PS2. Being a Sega game, its prequels all first appeared in the arcade and then were ported to Sega consoles. It is a significant coup for Sony to bag this sure seller as an exclusive (for the moment at least) title. With Tekken 4 out in Japan, and in US by the end of summer, it seems that the PS2 is developing into the console for fighting games.
The game features all the old favourites from the Virtua Fighter series, with Pai, Kage, Kacky, Akira, Wolf et al being joined by two new characters: Vanessa (female security guard with two stances) and Lei Fei (Chinese monk).

The big change from Virtua Fighter 3 is in the fighting system. The evade button has been ditched, and replaced by pressing up and down, and the game reverts back to the three button configuration of Virtua Fighter and Virtua Fighter2. This gives a simple punch, kick, block control system that belies a complicated game. The game features dozens of moves and combos for each character, as well as an impressive array of throws and reversals.

The multi-tiered levels in Virtua Fighter 3 have also been replaced by flat arenas. Combined with the simpler button set-up this gives the game a back-to-basics feel that suits the game. Virtua Fighter games have never been that immediate, and while they have always dazzled with fancy graphics, the games themselves have all required a certain degree of patience for the novice. This is no bad thing, but it does force gamers to put the hours in.

The graphics are the most stunning thing about the game, and the backgrounds particularly make those of Tekken 4 seem relatively sparse. On one level a whole flock of birds circles above the fighters, and nothing seems to slow down at any point. The game also uses an impressive snow effect on one level, in which foot or body prints are left. However, as the arenas themselves are all square and flat, the actual playing area always seems rather bland (snow or sand apart). Although some arenas have walls (which in some cases are breakable), they are all roughly equally dimensioned squares and play more or less the same. A bit more variety in arena design would have been preferable, and the game would be improved with a mix of claustrophobic or expansive levels. Still, this is a purist's game, and maybe such features would distract from the fighting.

The characters are all very detailed, with flowing hair and clothes, as you would expect from a next-gen fighting game. The animation is smooth enough, but it is possible to have issues with it. A lot of the moves are familiar to the series and can be traced right back to Virtua Fighter. For reasons of consistency these moves have obviously kept pretty much the same basic animations as they had in Virtua Fighter. Unfortunately, motion capture technology has improved greatly since the days of Virtua Fighter, and a lot of Virtua Fighter 4 moves seem badly animated as a consequence. This is more noticeable in Virtua Fighter 4 than before due to the impressiveness of the rest of the graphics. It is a slight shame to see such well drawn characters moving in a slightly wooden unnatural way, and it gives the game a slightly dated feel.

The background music is the usual mix of poor rock that seems the norm in fighting games. This shouldn't bother anyone though. Who the hell listens to fighting game music anyway? The rest of the in game sounds are nice however, with blows sounding meaty enough. The pre-fight announcer is particularly enthusiastic, reminiscent of one of the guys from Banzai on Channel 4, so much so that I keep expecting him to shout 'Place you bets now!'

The game offers the standard Arcade, Vs, Training modes with a couple of very notable additions to the mould. One of the most important is the Kumite mode which is the first of two truly innovative features of Virtua Fighter 4. Kumite sees you pitted against a series of progressively harder opponents, noting your win ratio as you go. This mode is meant to reflect the experience of playing winner stays on in a local arcade. It has much more to offer the single player than the Arcade mode and you get the feeling that the developers sensed that most solo play would be done here. An impressive array of secrets are unlocked by progressing through this mode. Good as it is though, it can never compare against playing the game against a human opponent, and Vs mode is where the heart of the game lies.

The second innovative feature of the game is the AI Training mode, where you can train an AI opponent to fight like you. This AI opponent can be saved, and swapped between friends. A brilliant idea, and it is surprising that no one has thought of before.

Like any fighting game, what really counts is obviously the gameplay. Fights in Virtua Fighter 4 are short lived tactical affairs, with a strong emphasis on defence, evasion and throws. Mixing up high, mid and low attacks is the key, and it is always important to keep moving. Button mashing will get you nowhere, and you need to have an idea of the basic game mechanics and a have a few combos up your sleeve before you can compete.

Overall Virtua Fighter 4 is a very solid fighting game that will not disappoint fans of the series. In fact, fans of the series will love it. It eschews the fancy multi-tiered levels and complicated controls that made Virtua Fighter 3 a bit of a let down to some. Virtua Fighter 4 represents a true return to form, and is well worth its place in any fighting game fan's collection.

However, it is not without faults and casual gamers or those new to the series may be advised to try before you buy.