Virtua Fighter 5


Virtua Fighter 5 is the fifth and final installment in Sega's Virtua Fighter series of arcade fighting games. The original version was released on the Sega Lindbergh arcade system board. The first location tests took place on November 26, 2005 leading to the official release on July 12, 2006 in Japanese arcades. An export version, based on Version B, was released to arcades outside of Japan in February 2007.
The revised Version B update was released in Japanese arcades in December 2006 and was ported to the PlayStation 3, for which it was released on February 20, 2007 and was a launch title for the console's European release on March 23, 2007. "Version C" was released in Japanese arcades in July 2007 and was ported to the Xbox 360, for which it was released on October 26, 2007 in Europe and October 30, 2007 in North America. The Xbox 360 version would allow users to compete online via Xbox Live, a feature that was not available on the PlayStation 3 version.

Gameplay

All of the 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. They are unaware that J6, the organization funding the tournament, has sinister ulterior motives for the contest and the company's top secret Dural program is already 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 the traitor that released Vanessa and see if V-Dural is ready to defeat the world's best fighters. The Fifth World Fighting Tournament will reveal both. Let it begin.

Characters

Returning characters

PlayStation 3 version

The PlayStation 3 port is based around the older Version B revision. 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.

Xbox 360 version

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.

''Virtua Fighter 5 R''

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, 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.
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 enhance 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.

''Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown''

On February 18, 2010, Sega released a trailer for a second and final revision called Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown. This update for the Sega Lindbergh arcade system debuted at the 2010 AOU Expo, and features 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 PlayStation 3 on June 5, 2012 and Xbox 360 on June 6, 2012, complete with online play for both platforms. The game was released in downloadable format. Within a week, Final Showdown surpassed Japanese Sale Goals expectations.
Version B of Final Showdown was released on March 25, 2015 at the Japanese arcades, and removes Internet functionality. This version of the game is playable at the in-game arcades in several of the Yakuza games, including Yakuza 6, Judgment, and .

Reception



The game got to number 7 in the UK sales chart. The game received significant critical acclaim from most reviewers. In 2009, Edge ranked the game #24 on its list of "The 100 Best Games To Play Today", stating "One of gaming's great myths is that VF is inaccessible to all but the initiated. It takes care of frame-counting junkies, of course, but the core of AM2's series is a beautiful balance of attack, block and counter-attack that anyone can enjoy. Each new entry refines, making that solid animation even more seamless and introducing new characters that seem like they were always there."
Final Showdown received a 9/10 from Eurogamer, which called it "deeper than any of its peers." Edge favorably compared Final Showdown with Street Fighter IV, , Soulcalibur V, and Mortal Kombat, noting "Its prudence, that veil of simplicity masking a system of astonishing possibility and depth, makes it one of the purest fighting games on the market today." The game was featured in 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die, with journalist Richard Stanton stating "No matter how good the latest Street Fighter or Tekken is, they'll still be undisciplined teenagers compared to Virtua Fighter's cool, mature mastery of fighting."