Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown

Is it a ring out or a ring in?

How many features does a fighting game really need? As long as the whacking feels good, do you want much more? That’s the approach here with this port of the most recent Sega fighter (which first came out in 2006, so ‘recent’ is relative).

Even when you land on the menu the fisticuffs are at the forefront, with about half the screen taken up with rolling replays of actual online matches that promise some fine fighting. This is a release largely geared toward getting the game running on modern systems (aside from its inclusion as a bonus in Yakuza games), and grappling online. Only a modest arcade mode offers much in the way of solo play, and you can beat it in less than half an hour. Other than that there’s a basic training mode, and no mission-based tutorials to speak of.

VIRTUAL CHAMP

But the combat itself remains compelling, and it quickly becomes clear why Virtua Fighter has retained so many devotees despite how far it’s fallen down Sega’s Christmas card list.

The core of the game is ridiculously simple. You have a punch, a kick, and a guard, and you can shift around the arena in 3D to catch your opponent with a ring out instead of a KO. The simplicity makes it accessible, but it still has a high skill ceiling. Each beautifully animated martial art (each fighter has their own mastery) rolls together into combos that require a commitment, and each has its own situational use.

Thanks to the dedication to the animation, it remains extremely readable, meaning you’ll be matching your own menu of high, medium, and low strikes against opponents in no time.

The down side is that online matches can get a bit laggy, getting in the way of the solid mechanics. While a surprisingly solid return to form, you might need to have confidence when heading online. It might be a lean offering, but it’s great to see Virtua Fighter return, with mechanics that have aged surprisingly well – if matches play properly.

It quickly becomes clear why Virtua Fighter has retained so many devotees.