Virtua Fighter 2

I'm going to cut right to the chase here. Virtua Fighter 2 is definitely the best thing you can do for your Saturn. The game plays better than Janet Jackson dances. And those sparkling visuals are as sweet as the other two fighting beauties currently vying for our attention in the Playground: Battle Arena Tohshinden and Tekken. But, as far as choosing the best of the three, I'm afraid that's too big a job for me. I love 'em all and I find it difficult to choose which one to play, let alone which one is the best. That being said, I'd also like to clarify that VF2 is, absolutely, the best one player fighter I have ever played. The learning option of the computer opponent is a profound enhancement, destined to be added to fighters from here on out.

Now I also have to say I was somewhat disappointed with some of the graphics in the game. I was expecting so much after all the hype that I was kind of surprised that the overall look of the thing wasn't any more impressive than Tekken and not much of an improvement over Battle Arena Tohshinden. Sure the fighters look beautiful and the 60 frames per second animation is spellbinding but the backgrounds are severely shaky and in some scenes, incredibly aliased - to the point of it being a distraction. The backgrounds in both Tekken and BAT might not look as photo-realistic but they don't quiver like big mounds of jello. When you come right down to it though, you can overlook backgrounds when you've got fighters that look as cool and move as articulately as the Virtua gang. What really blows my mind about VF2 is that the fighters constantly watch each other. Jumping over an opponent causes him to lift his chin and roll his head in time with your flight. When you stand with your back to an opponent, your fighter will be peering over her shoulder, keeping an ever vigilante eye on her enemy. Captivating stuff.

The backgrounds, when they are not shimmering due to anti-alias fatigue, are very nice. Most of the familiar arcade scenery is in there but all of it has been compromised somewhat. As far as I can tell, there is no "fighting on a raft as it passes under a bridge" sequence and I was very much looking forward to that. The forest scenario is very pretty, with prominent shadows and more of the same solidity in the foliage that Sega Rally also provides. Wolf's snow capped mountain top arena is sufficiently impressive. It won't make you choke on your breath mint but it might make you feel like putting on a scarf. Shun's stage, even though we're not actually on the water, has a sweet flowing river in the background. The fighting arena that takes the cake though, is the boss character Dural's. The metallic hellion battles you underneath the waves, amidst the watery rubble of an ancient civilization. The background ripples effectively and in the mass of water all around you, all of your fighting moves get slowed down considerably. It is a very cool bonus but it forces you to rely on the timing skills you've honed on your way to face Dural. You don't get too many second chance hits in this slow motion underwater environment.

Of course, the real beauty of the Virtua Fighter games are their deceivingly simple fighting controls. Each fighter has a ton of special moves (every time you play, you find a new one - it's like a prize in every box of Cracker Jack) and they all have their own way of getting the job done. Most of the moves you learned in VF1 and Remix have been carried over but every fighter has a new collection of ferociously painful looking maneuvers they can swing out. Jacky's Smash Hook is a particularly brutal and incredibly simple new move that can be easily learned and quickly added to the arsenal. I've found Jacky to be one of the easiest fighters to win with. He seems to be perfectly suited to the constraints of the Saturn pad, whereas some of the other characters are definitely suited for the Saturn joystick. Lau and Pai are perfect reasons for you to invest in a good arcade style stick. (We'll be taking a look at Saturn peripherals in the very near future.)

The big story in VF2 is how bloody cool the two new characters are. They are each worth the cost of the game. In fact, I would say Lion and Shun are two of my favorite fighters in all of gaming. I would use either of them in a match against anyone. Fulgore? Bring him on! Motaro? Shun'd smoke his hide! Law? Lion'd be quick enough. Sofia? The one with the whip?... uh... okay. I see your point. In any case, both Shun and Lion are very crafty and incredibly fun to play. All of the other characters sat on the shelf until I was sufficiently skilled with these two. I still think nobody else in the game is as cool as either of 'em. Shun, especially, reeks of originality (or maybe he just reeks). His drunken acrobatics are not only humorous but devastating. With the ability to rock back onto his hands and bicycle kick his opponent, Shun has brought video game martial art imagination to a whole new level.

So where do we stand now? VF 2 is here and it is the end of the greatest year in the fighting game's history. The only thing left to do is compile a round up synopsis of the best of the best and square 'em off against each other. 2D fighting is definitely on the way out. Virtua Fighter 2 promises that, even if we didn't squarely hit it with this one, future 3 dimensional brawlers will be every bit as flashy and accessible as current 2D heavy hitters like Killer Instinct, Marvel Super Heroes and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. What VF 2 says to 3D game design is that the stakes have been raised. Future incarnations of fighting games will always have the high level of design quality of this game, Tekken and Battle Arena Tohshinden to live up to. In other words, in order for 3D fighting game developers to keep captivating the audience, they're going to have to get beyond the novelty of simply bringing us 3 dimensions to scrap in. That has been the secret of Virtua Fighter's staying power and the reason why it can compete with the undeniably flashier Tekken and BAT. Yu Suzuki and company have fashioned a terrific world for us to visit. Let's hope that future trips to Virtua Ville prove to be as inspired as this. For now though, if you own Saturn hardware, this is THE software.

Pros

Cons

Bottom Line