Review: Virtua Fighter 2

I have to admit upfront that, back in the day, I was never a massive fan of Virtua Fighter 2. Having enjoyed Virtua Fighter 5 on its release and having fought with Akira and Pai more recently with them making guest appearances in Dead or Alive 5, I was hopeful of a return, but my defining memories of the game were of a very unforgiving (and thereby rapidly coin-munching) arcade machine.

It was undoubtedly a technical marvel in its day. The AM2 arcade engine allowed Virtua Fighter 2 to run at an impressive (and still industry/genre benchmark) 60 frames per second while maintaining a high resolution. At the time its 3D polygons were cutting edge graphics, but then so were elements of its game design.

Games such as Soul Calibur and Dead or Alive may have iterated upon it in later years, but Virtua Fighter was the first 3D game that I saw make use of a ring out system, limiting the fighting space and giving you an alternative victory/failure state than just reducing health to zero. It was also the first fighting game that I saw that had, at least somewhat, accurate representations of various realistic fighting styles — with Shun Di’s Drunken Kung Fu master style being a notable stand out addition for Virtua Fighter 2

However, impressive technical specs and innovative features do not necessarily make for an impressive game. Sadly, I found this to be even more the case with the passage of time. Most of the major fighting games before this point, Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat being prime examples, had been based in 2D environments, and although the waters may have been muddied by many different versions and HD remakes, I still think that they have aged better than Virtua Fighter 2.

Subsequent series, such as Soul Calibur, may have stood on the shoulders of much of the innovation of the Virtua Fighter series, but having a few years separation from the infancy of 3D seems to be dramatically beneficial in reducing the ravaging effect of the aging process.

Some factors of Virtua Fighter 2 were acceptable at the time, but seem oddly substandard by, not only modern standards, but also by the standards set by games that proceeded them. The worst offender in this regard is the jumping mechanic. If you said that the whole game took place on the moon then this might make more sense, but as is, the jumping feels horribly slow, stilted and floaty. It could just be me, but I also found throws were inconsistent and the hit detection to be somewhat inaccurate, especially when characters were standing on slightly different perspectives to each other.

Presented in the old 4:3 format. This can be stretched slightly to avoid having gaps top and bottom, but you will still have some sidebars to contend with.

There is not a lot of game on offer, as such I am glad they chose the 400 MS Spacebucks price point as otherwise it would be very difficult to recommend. I find the difficulty of the AI just a bit too much on the frustrating side for it to be entirely enjoyable. The standard difficulty and health options can be very unforgiving past the fourth or fifth round. Making two mistakes may be enough to guarantee a loss — and by “mistakes” I mean pressing up on the d-pad or punching at the wrong time. The final “bonus” fight being a one shot deal can be annoying given how difficult it is to get to and that it’s the only fight that throws some variety into the combat, but it at least gives a reason for some potential replays.

Within the arcade mode, you can play in the original 2.0 version or the revised (originally Japanese only) 2.1 version. Other options, such as Expert mode or unlocking Dural, are available via inputting cheats on the menu screen — which are rather helpfully, although bizarrely, all told to you via the medium of Achievements.

There is also the addition of an online mode. It is a bit bare boned, but you get the option to play against a friend or in a Ranked match – with the option to filter worldwide or to your local area. A lack of lobby system makes this feel somewhat lacklustre compared to modern equivalents, but it is functional enough for the price point. I did seem to get a small degree of slowdown in one match, but overall it seemed quite stable online and matches were more enjoyable than against the AI in arcade mode…especially when I was actually winning more than I lost — a welcome relief after the brutal difficulty of the arcade mode.

Virtua Fighter 2 was a hard game to ignore, both in the arcades and on the SEGA Saturn, but with the years not being so kind, it becomes difficult to recommend to anyone — aside from fans of the originals or gaming historians studying the history of 3D. Also, good for achievement hunters as, aside from one, the achievements are surprisingly easy and can be unlocked in less than an hour. If you are not an achievement hunting gaming historian you may be better of pulling your punches and inserting your coins elsewhere.

Tags: AKIRA!!, Sega, Sega Saturn, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Fighter 2