| Virtua Fighter 5 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Sega-AM2 |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Designer(s) | Noriyuki Shimoda (producer) Yoshihiro Tsuzuku (director) |
| Series | Virtua Fighter |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Release date(s) | Arcade
PlayStation 3 Ver.B
Xbox 360 Ver.C
|
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | Blu-ray Disc, DVD-ROM |
| Arcade system | Sega Lindbergh (VF5 and VF5R), RingEdge (VF5FS) |
| Display | Horizontally oriented |
Virtua Fighter 5 (バーチャファイター5 Bācha Faitā Faibu) is the latest game in Sega's Virtua Fighter series and direct sequel to Virtua Fighter 4: Final Tuned. The original version was released on July 12, 2006 into Japanese arcades and in February 2007 in European arcades. A revised version (called "Version B") was ported on the PlayStation 3 on February 20, 2007 (despite the advertised date of February 23) and was a launch title for the console's European release on March 23, 2007. The Xbox 360 port of arcades' "Version C", was released in February 2007 in North America and October 2007 in Europe.
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All of the sought after invitations for the Fifth World Fighting Tournament have been sent and now the 17 best fighters in the world begin their final phases of preparation. They must learn from their prior mistakes and perfect every aspect of their mind, body, and soul - for there is no room for mistakes in this competition. Little do they know that J6, the organization funding the tournament, has sinister ulterior motives for the contest and the company's top secret Dural program is already well underway. In the organization's quest for world domination, the scientists at J6 are creating the ultimate fighting machine with human features. Their first model was defeated in the Fourth World Fighting Tournament, which drove them to kidnap Vanessa. She was able to escape with the help of an insider, but not before they captured her combat data and transferred it to the new advanced Dural model named V-Dural.
J6 is determined to find out who the inside traitor is that released Vanessa and more importantly, if V-Dural is indeed ready to defeat the world's best fighters. The Fifth World Fighting Tournament will reveal both - let it begin.
The PlayStation 3 port is based around the older Version B revision.[4] On January 16, 2008 Sega confirmed online features will not be added to the PlayStation 3 version due to the Version B's technical limitations.[5]
The Xbox 360 port of Virtua Fighter 5, known as Virtua Fighter 5 Online in North America and Virtua Fighter 5 Live Arena in Japan, benefits from the additions and refinements that have been made to the Version C arcade revision, including online play and an online update ability.[6]
On February 14, 2008, at the AOU Amusement Expo, Sega AM2 announced a revision to Virtua Fighter 5 known as Virtua Fighter 5 R. This new version was released for the Arcades on July 24, 2008 and features brand new stages as well as a new character named Jean Kujo[7], who practices Karate. The sumo wrestler Taka-Arashi also returns, making his first appearance since Virtua Fighter 3 and bringing the fighter count up to 20 (counting Dural). It is not known when or if the consoles will receive this new version. A form has been posted on the Virtua Fighter website that requests that the game be ported to the consoles.[8]
Version B of Virtua Fighter 5 R was officially released in the Japanese arcades on May 21, 2009. This version featured changes in the animations of moves on all the characters, as well as changes to enhanced the gameplay modes, and an improved camera system. Version C was released on November 25, 2009. However this particular version mainly added new team items for the character's outfits.
On February 18, 2010, Sega released a trailer for a second revision called Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown. This update will debut at the 2010 AOU Expo, and will feature new character costumes and new animations. The game was officially released in Japanese arcades on July 29, 2010. Version A of Final Showdown was released on April 20, 2011 at the Japanese arcades. It was announced at Gamescom 2011 that Final Showdown would be coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita in Summer 2012, complete with online play for both platforms. The game will be released in downloadable format.
| Publication | Response | |
|---|---|---|
| 1UP | A+[9] | |
| Gamer.tm | 9 out of 10[10] | |
| Game Informer | 9 out of 10 | |
| IGN | 9 out of 10[11] | |
| Eurogamer | 9 out of 10[12] | |
| OXM | 9 out of 10[13] | |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 9.5, 10, 9.5 out of 10[14] | |
| Famitsu | 34 out of 40 [15] | |
| GameTrailers | 88 out of 100 [16] | |
| Official Xbox Magazine | 9.0/10 | |
| IGN | 8.8 out of 10[17] | |
| Gamespot | 8.1 out of 10[18] | |
The PlayStation 3 version debuted at #1 on the Japanese charts on February 20. The game received significant critical acclaim from most reviewers. In the 200th issue of Edge magazine (April 2009), Virtua Fighter 5 was voted #24 in their '100 Best Games to Play Today' feature. It was the second-highest ranked fighting game, after Street Fighter IV at #14.
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