Virtua Fighter 2

Further adding credence to Eugene Jarvis� argument that today�s 3D games are really just 2D titles with spiffy graphics, comes the 16-bit rendition of what many still call the greatest fighter of all time; Sega�s Virtua Fighter 2. On the Genesis the game is a mere shadow of itself but when the original is so strong, sometimes a shadow can be enough.

Choppy But Satisfying

Obviously, the graphics for this game are a tad disappointing when you hold it up to the original. So, in an effort to be fair to this diversion on its own merits, I tried to wipe the Saturn and Arcade revs of VF2 out of my mind and look at this title like it was wholly original. Of course, that was impossible.

As a two dimensional brawler, Virtua Fighter 2 is a straight forward proposition. The fighters are smallish and extremely colorful. The backgrounds are vibrant and equally rich in color. The various textures from the original VF2 have been ported down to the Genny in grand style. Looking at screen shots of this conversion, it�s fairly easy to see the artists at Sega have done a great job of recreating the look and feel of the VF legacy. The bitmapped animated look of the fighters is very close to the textured polygons found on this cart�s bigger brothers.

Problems start to poke through when this game starts moving. The animation of this VF2 is rough by regular 16 bit scrapper standards but when you compare this title to its more advanced pedigree, it almost looks like it was constructed using primitive stop motion technology.

The task was not easy - break down one of the most advanced and beautiful fighting games ever made and port it to a Genesis cartridge - but even still, you can�t help but notice the missed frames of animation and the slippy-choppy feel of the fighting. Jacky, Akira, Lau and the rest of the gang deserve to move at least as smoothly as the brawlers from Mortal Kombat 3, Samurai Shodown or Super Street Fighter 2, which all have worked well on the Genesis in the past, but the VF2 crowd is not that lucky, I�m afraid.

Many Macho Moves

VF2 fanatics will be happy to learn that many of the original moves have been transferred down to the side to side fighting found on this cart. That means most of those two and three button and direction sequences you�ve worked out will still be usable when you grab your Nomad and head to the beach with this game.

Because of the smaller scale of the fighters and the somewhat less than flattering way in which they move, however, the wealth of fighting moves at your disposal doesn�t divert your attention from the fact that this is a fairly ho-hum affair. To be honest with you, as cool as it is to see these shrunken representations of the VF troop, I�d still rather be shooting out Ryu�s fireballs, hacking away with Haomaru�s blade or making people dizzy with Kabal�s speed spin. The fabulously accurate VF2 moves might have made it into the translation but the slightly less realistic, ultimately flashier moves of VF2�s 16-bit competition tend to keep me interested longer any day of the week.

Haven�t I Heard That Before?

The music and sound effects are shockingly familiar on this cartridge. It really makes you wonder what the developers aren�t getting into on the Saturn if they can so closely reproduce so much of the Saturn soundtrack on the creaky audio chip sets of the Genny.

The inescapable theme music will reel you in for at least one bout with these 16-bit fighters but the echoes of the rest of this game�s tunes will have you thinking that the music in VF2 was classic stuff (it wasn�t). Funny how repetition and reproduction has a way of smoothing over the rough spots. I always thought the music of VF2 was its weakest attribute but on this cart, it�s positively welcomed.

The sound effects also ring true to their original creations. The solid thumps and bumps of VF combat have been expertly ported into the Genesis. Even bits and bytes of character speech have made it into this port (albeit slightly scratchier than you remember them). Very impressive stuff. If you buy this game, you�ll definitely want to hear it - don�t be afraid to turn this one up loud. That�s not something you hear about a Genesis cartridge every day.

For Fans Only?

I don�t feel that Virtua Fighter 2 offers enough fighting innovation to make this cartridge stand above the other great fighting games that are currently available for the Genesis. I do think that VF2 represents a good job on the part of the conversion team and the artists that were called in to recreate the mood of this game�s more advanced roots. It is impossible to ignore this title�s major shortcoming, though - it is not nearly as smooth as its predecessors. Because of this, I can�t recommend Virtua Fighter 2 for the Genesis as anything other than a catch up cart for collectors and fans, or for those patient enough to wait for this title to hit the discount bins. The rest of you; keep it in your wallet.

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