by: Jason Solorzano

January 12, 2008

Editorial Note: This is my first time playing the series.

Virtua Fighter 5 has finally made its way to the Xbox 360 after making its debut on the PlayStation 3. The biggest difference is the online multiplayer but does that make this game that much better than the PlayStation 3 version? How does Virtual Fighter compete with similar titles like Dead or Alive 4?

Getting to the core gameplay of Virtua Fighter 5, it’s already polished to perfection. The problem is that it doesn't branch out to what it already mastered. It doesn’t add anything new to the genre unlike Dead or Alive 4 where you can fight throughout the whole level and interact with your surroundings. This isn’t what Virtua Fighter series is about but it feels last-generation gameplay wise. It gives you the impression that it’s just an update to it predecessors but with better graphics.

The learning curve is going to take a while for those new to the series. There are dozens of combos but none of them come easy. This might detract casual players from the game considering it takes time to actually know the buttons you’re pressing to pull off a combo and not pressing buttons out of random. It does give you a sense of accomplishment knowing how to pull off a difficult move at will but it’s not for the faint of heart. Virtua Fighter 5 is arguably the most technical fighter to date but it leaves casual player in the dust. I recommended looking at VF.TV to see how other experience players play before heading into a real difficult match.

Added to Virtua Fighter 5 is Xbox Live Multiplayer. This is a great addition for those who want to fight players online and test out your skills with others. The online competition is smooth so you can enjoy fighting others without lag. The problem jumping into a multiplayer match is that you feel like your playing against a random AI opponent and not someone over Xbox Live. You get in and out of a match with no rematch feature. It’s about a two second conversation before you go to another person. More multiplayer features would have done this added feature justice but it becomes old fast. Fortunately, you can relive some of your finer moments with Replay Mode to see how you kicked ass in your previous match.