Virtua Fighter 5 review

[darkwing]

It's only 720p. Not sure why my Japanese friend says it's 1080p unless they released a different version there.

The graphics are perfect and the framerate is excellent at 720p. it never skips a beat. My only complaint is the load screen. It's quite fast (only a few seconds) but the framerate slows to 1 fps while loading. That sounds like lazy programming to me. You can tell when challenging virtual players in the arcade and their costume window slides onto the screen rather jerkily while the load process goes on. Ick. I hate lazy programming.

Everything else is fantastic. It's a fun fighting game, and if you have 5.1/7.1 surround you're in for a treat with the audio. It's excellent. I've not seen any graphic glitches or tears yet, either.

As with most fighting games, it's a rental. I mean really.. who buys these things? I only did because I have friends coming from California next month and we'll need some 2 player games to play. This gives me time to practice. :)

[MacRumorUser]

Sweet. Mine shipped yesterday from USA - so I'm looking forward to playing this.

[siurpeeman]

As with most fighting games, it's a rental. I mean really.. who buys these things?

i'm a big fan of gaming, and i love fighting games. my favorite franchises are street fighter and tekken. in the past few years, i've collected over ten street fighter games and many in the tekken series. as my friends and i are not big on first person shooters, we enjoy multiplayer gaming via fighting games, in particular tekken 5. i'm really looking forward to tekken 6. does it justify the cost of a ps3? maybe not, but a friend of mine already has one, so i imagine a lot of late nights when the game comes out. there is still a market for fighting games.

[NeoMac]

I just got this game yesterday. I was looking forward to it for months now. I enjoyed it but I was a little dissapointed. I thought it was a little buggy and the AI was horrible. I have been desperate for a new game to play on my PS3. Overall I did like the game but it isn't worth 60 bucks. I enjoyed DOA4 much more than VF5. If you want to pick it up I would recommend to rent it first or wait until it goes on sale.

[Xenious]

IGN seems to think you can go to at least 1080i and that the info on the back of the box is wrong. So what's the real story? I'm one of the "proud" few who has an HDTV that can't do 720p on the component or HDMI inputs (thank you panasonic).

[Chaszmyr]

IGN seems to think you can go to at least 1080i and that the info on the back of the box is wrong. So what's the real story? I'm one of the "proud" few who has an HDTV that can't do 720p on the component or HDMI inputs (thank you panasonic).

Well, Resistance: Fall of Man is a 720p game, and on my 1080i TV i can play it at either 720p or 1080i. It has noticeably better video quality at 720p, but has a bit of a black border around it. I guess PS3 can convert 720p to 1080i, and if I do this, it fills the screen. However, there were reports in the past that PS3 can only do this for TVs that support 720p. There may have been a firmware update since then to fix this, but if there has, I haven't heard about it.

[MacRumorUser]

^ I think it's the bare basic upscaling they introduced in the last ps3 firmware update.

Both titles are still 720p.

I don't mind, if a 720p game looks great and has some decent anti aliasing on show, they look just as good as a 1080p game.

[darkwing]

IGN seems to think you can go to at least 1080i and that the info on the back of the box is wrong. So what's the real story? I'm one of the "proud" few who has an HDTV that can't do 720p on the component or HDMI inputs (thank you panasonic).

I work for Panasonic, so don't blame us! :P If you have a CRT type then it won't do 720p. No CRTs that I know of do. I had a Sony with the same problem and then I upgraded to a 1080p set. I could have got quite the discount on Panasonic's 1080p DLP but the reviews said it was kinda poor so I paid $800 more for the same size Sony. :/

[darkwing]

i'm a big fan of gaming, and i love fighting games. my favorite franchises are street fighter and tekken. in the past few years, i've collected over ten street fighter games and many in the tekken series. as my friends and i are not big on first person shooters, we enjoy multiplayer gaming via fighting games, in particular tekken 5. i'm really looking forward to tekken 6. does it justify the cost of a ps3? maybe not, but a friend of mine already has one, so i imagine a lot of late nights when the game comes out. there is still a market for fighting games.

DOA is a fun series, and I also like Soul Calibur. 2 and 3 were great fun.

[paddy]

This doesnt have an online mode does it?

[darkwing]

This doesnt have an online mode does it?

No it's supposed to be a port of the arcade version, so online play wouldn't do. (So the excuse goes.) There is nothing online at all about it. Since Live on the 360 demands some form of online play, and Sega refuses to do online with a game like this, I imagine it'll be something lame where you trade items with your friends or something.

You can do "quest" mode where you challenge virtual players at arcades and get items and things you can equip your character with for different looks. It's a lame attempt to add some form of "completion" to the game.

[e²Studios]

No it's supposed to be a port of the arcade version, so online play wouldn't do. (So the excuse goes.) There is nothing online at all about it. Since Live on the 360 demands some form of online play, and Sega refuses to do online with a game like this, I imagine it'll be something lame where you trade items with your friends or something.

You can do "quest" mode where you challenge virtual players at arcades and get items and things you can equip your character with for different looks. It's a lame attempt to add some form of "completion" to the game.

Is there another "bonus" stage after the metal looking being in arcade mode? I lost to it and had no option to continue, but i did get to see the credits :p

Overall its a fun game, imo its got replay value going for it when you just want a quick fun game or have some friends over.

This displays in 720p for me, I don't think they made use of the scaler. Sonic scales to 1080, this one doesnt.

Ed

[darkwing]

Is there another "bonus" stage after the metal looking being in arcade mode? I lost to it and had no option to continue, but i did get to see the credits :p

Overall its a fun game, imo its got replay value going for it when you just want a quick fun game or have some friends over.

This displays in 720p for me, I don't think they made use of the scaler. Sonic scales to 1080, this one doesnt.

Ed

Well my friend said that his box in Japan says 1080p on it, so that's weird.

IGN's review says you can play it at 1080i.

[sikkinixx]

I haven't played a VF game since VF 2 on Sega Saturn :o Maybe i should give it another go! Problem is the video stores around here dont seem to get games for a while after release...oh well flOw it is until they do :D

[MacRumorUser]

I haven't played a VF game since VF 2 on Sega Saturn :o Maybe i should give it another go! Problem is the video stores around here dont seem to get games for a while after release...oh well flOw it is until they do :D

Is Flow out already ? damn I best go and download it :)

[2nyRiggz]

If flOw is out Im going home right now and dowload it...That game looks so good.





Bless

[MacRumorUser]

If flOw is out Im going home right now and dowload it...That game looks so good.


:o I just checked, its not there at the moment 2ny....

[sikkinixx]

Is Flow out already ? damn I best go and download it :)

you didn't know it came out on the 22nd? I am surprised at you MRU ;)

It got a 7.8 from IGN, basically because it is short with little replay value. but for less than $10 bucks it seems worth it!



*sorry to steal the thread OP*

[MacRumorUser]

you didn't know it came out on the 22nd? I am surprised at you MRU ;)

It is the 22nd for me ? :confused: :D Damn time-zones ;)

[MacRumorUser]

My copy arrived this morning. Loving it so far. The loading screens are weird though, how the background feels clunky. But in game it's wonderful.

Dare I say it looks slightly better than DOA4

[darkwing]

My copy arrived this morning. Loving it so far. The loading screens are weird though, how the background feels clunky. But in game it's wonderful.

Dare I say it looks slightly better than DOA4

I said that in my review! :P The background while loading gives off a lazy programming feel. They probably used some crappy program like flash or something to make it. Only losers write software in flash and think it's programming. :rolleyes:

Anyhow, I'm glad you're enjoying it! I'm sitting here on hold with the IRS and they have the loudest hold music I've ever heard. I should move to Ireland and I won't have that problem. :P

[MacRumorUser]

Anyhow, I'm glad you're enjoying it! I'm sitting here on hold with the IRS and they have the loudest hold music I've ever heard. I should move to Ireland and I won't have that problem. :P

Dont count on it. Getting in touch with any government body here is a nightmare, even local.

[darkwing]

Dont count on it. Getting in touch with any government body here is a nightmare, even local.

Yes but there is no IRS. Now that's what I call awesome!

[Haoshiro]

Just 30% income taxation!

MRU: I hope you are joking about the VF5 graphics... DoA4 is a first-gen 360 game, I'd expect VF5 to visually destroy it! :D

[darkwing]

Just 30% income taxation!

MRU: I hope you are joking about the VF5 graphics... DoA4 is a first-gen 360 game, I'd expect VF5 to visually destroy it! :D

Isn't VF5 a first generation PS3 game? :P

[Haoshiro]

Isn't VF5 a first generation PS3 game? :P

I understand people making that comparison, and thinking it's fair, but I don't personally see it that way.

Rather then say "gen" we could just say "games a year ago look better then a brand new game?"

Sega has had time with newer hardware, maybe not the PS3 directly, but that should not have limited their art assets.

In this case I'd just chalk it up to Sega, they've never had the visually cutting edge fighters. VF4 being the exception, when it came to PS2 I think it was one of the most stunning games I had seen. I was hoping VF5 would be the same.

[darkwing]

I understand people making that comparison, and thinking it's fair, but I don't personally see it that way.

Rather then say "gen" we could just say "games a year ago look better then a brand new game?"

Sega has had time with newer hardware, maybe not the PS3 directly, but that should not have limited their art assets.

In this case I'd just chalk it up to Sega, they've never had the visually cutting edge fighters. VF4 being the exception, when it came to PS2 I think it was one of the most stunning games I had seen. I was hoping VF5 would be the same.

I think the 360 guys wanted to compare Resistance to GOW because comparing it to Perfect Dark, a 1st gen game on a new platform, wouldn't have been a fair comparison.

I think you'll need to give the devs time to catch up a bit on the ps3. Someday you will become one of us! :P

[Haoshiro]

I think the 360 guys wanted to compare Resistance to GOW because comparing it to Perfect Dark, a 1st gen game on a new platform, wouldn't have been a fair comparison.

I think you'll need to give the devs time to catch up a bit on the ps3. Someday you will become one of us! :P

But see, Resistance is superior to Perfect Dark and it should be. It's a newer game.

It makes sense, to me, to compare games of the same release date. Regardless of platform, etc, if we are comparing graphics the time of release seems the most important factor.

In other matters such as gameplay, audio, AI, etc... I doubt too many people would think comparing a current game with a game a year or more older would be accurate.

It could be argued that PS3 developers had a full extra year to get their content ready. Sure they might not have had that much time with Cell (Sony's fault there) but they did have extra time for R&D, art assests, etc. Graphics fall largely on the artists of a game; modelling and animation can be done largely (but not entirely) without regard for the target platform.

As for becoming "one of you", heheh... that's going to take some serious doing. I wasn't even a fan of the PS1, although it was the one I have owned. Hated the hardware for that even, but a few games (Tenchu, Xenogears, a few others) were just too good. Still, I loathed the system and didn't like the controllers or what it forced games to endure (vs the analog N64 launched with). The system had to be upside down just to avoid overheating, until I upgraded to a "PSOne" - skipped PS2 entirely, and will do the same for PS3. Not saying there isn't good (and even great) software on the systems, I'm just of the opinion it would almost universally have been better on different hardware. :)

[darkwing]

But see, Resistance is superior to Perfect Dark and it should be. It's a newer game.

It makes sense, to me, to compare games of the same release date. Regardless of platform, etc, if we are comparing graphics the time of release seems the most important factor.

In other matters such as gameplay, audio, AI, etc... I doubt too many people would think comparing a current game with a game a year or more older would be accurate.

What's the PS3 have now that the 360 didn't a year ago? 720p? 5.1 sound? They had the same capabilities. Perhaps the reason Resistance is a better game than PDZ is because Sony's SDKs and dev support are better than Microsofts? That goes against all your arguments. :P

It could be argued that PS3 developers had a full extra year to get their content ready. Sure they might not have had that much time with Cell (Sony's fault there) but they did have extra time for R&D, art assests, etc. Graphics fall largely on the artists of a game; modelling and animation can be done largely (but not entirely) without regard for the target platform.

The Cell has had prototypes out, iirc, since 2005. SDKs and technology improves with a system over time. MS has released newer dev tools, and so will Sony by the time the PS3 has been out for a year. If what you're saying is true, then why do recent PS2 games look so good compared to games 4 years ago? Things improve over time. You can't just magically have a new system on par with a system that's been out over a year.


As for becoming "one of you", heheh... that's going to take some serious doing. I wasn't even a fan of the PS1, although it was the one I have owned. Hated the hardware for that even, but a few games (Tenchu, Xenogears, a few others) were just too good. Still, I loathed the system and didn't like the controllers or what it forced games to endure (vs the analog N64 launched with). The system had to be upside down just to avoid overheating, until I upgraded to a "PSOne" - skipped PS2 entirely, and will do the same for PS3. Not saying there isn't good (and even great) software on the systems, I'm just of the opinion it would almost universally have been better on different hardware. :)

My PS1 started getting a little flaky (mostly disc read issues) about the time I got my PS2 in March of 2001. My PS2 lasted since, and I still use it for ps2 games. I see no reason to use the PS3 to play older games.

Did you ever beat Xenogears? I loved the game in disc 1, but in disc 2 it felt like they realized they had 3 weeks before it went to the manufacturer, and rushed it. I couldn't beat the final boss because my mechs were too weak, and I didn't have the money to buy all the crazy equipment from that last shop machine. I recall that I wasn't able to get out of that last area once entering it, and I saved over my save... so I was stuck. :(

[MacRumorUser]

since I started this about DOA4 & VF5 I should elaborate.

Yes the player models are better on VF5, but..... the arena's seemingly arent as nice.

I prefer the multi-layered arenas in DOA4 visually. VF5 arenas feel a bit restricted and lacking in imagination (a bit bland & generic) in comparison.

[darkwing]

since I started this about DOA4 & VF5 I should elaborate.

Yes the player models are better on VF5, but..... the arena's seemingly arent as nice.

I prefer the multi-layered arenas in DOA4 visually. VF5 arenas feel a bit restricted and lacking in imagination (a bit bland & generic) in comparison.

I played DOA on the XBOX and loved the arenas. I really like the ones in the Soul Calibur series. I wish VF5 had the same options.

[Haoshiro]

darkwing:

I think you misunderstood me. I said games should be compared by date of release (or at least was trying to).

Take a game that was released on two systems at once, it's perfectly reasonable to compare those together, even if one of the systems has been out for less time.

This is even more the case if the two systems are equal in power (or the newer system is said to be more powerful). We expect Sonic "next-gen" to be just as good on PS3 as on 360, even though 360 has been out for longer.

People will also expect a game like Oblivion, which is a year-old 360 game, to be at least somewhat improved when it is released on the PS3.

Dates are exactly what I am saying are the important consideration, so a game released in early 2007 on PS3 can be fairly compared to games released in the same timeframe on 360.

As for Xenogears... yep, I finished it entirely including the final boss. And I'm known for not finishing games often, heh. IIRC, it took me about 80 hours.

I actually did like disc 2, but it was a LOT of reading rather then playing... the story was really great, imo, though; so I didn't mind that at all.

The author was too ambitious I guess, but it was a real shame what happened. He was planning a quintology and basically got cut short and only allowed one game (thanks, Square). Then when he left legal nonsense didn't let him continue the game elsewhere. Xenogears was actually #5 of the series.

I almost bought a PS2 just for Xenosaga, the spiritual prequels. Once I heard they were headed to DS I decided just to wait for those. They'll be more like the PS1 Xenogears anyway :)

[darkwing]

darkwing:

I think you misunderstood me. I said games should be compared by date of release (or at least was trying to).

I understand you. I just disagree. Yes, Oblivion will be improved because that's existing work with time to polish up on graphics and stuff. A new game for a new system with tons of unknowns in the system will not look as good as another new game on a system with equivalent power that's got fewer unknowns.

Take a game that was released on two systems at once, it's perfectly reasonable to compare those together, even if one of the systems has been out for less time.

Not necessarily. If a game was being made for the 360 and was ported to the PS3, it's likely the PS3 version won't run as smoothly. That's the nature of porting.

As for Xenogears... yep, I finished it entirely including the final boss. And I'm known for not finishing games often, heh. IIRC, it took me about 80 hours.

I actually did like disc 2, but it was a LOT of reading rather then playing... the story was really great, imo, though; so I didn't mind that at all.

I hated that. You went from exploring an overworld and all kinds of stuff to being forced where to go by a narrative. Stupid. Soylent Green was funny though. :)

I almost bought a PS2 just for Xenosaga, the spiritual prequels. Once I heard they were headed to DS I decided just to wait for those. They'll be more like the PS1 Xenogears anyway :)

I hated Xenosaga. So much that I didn't bother buying 2 or 3. I'm a huge Namco fan, but I skipped those. The load times were horrible.. 15 seconds to go into battle mode? Oh, and if you didn't play with a faq your characters would suck. There was no real way to build your characters through progression in terms of strength. I was at the end of the game and still doing about 200 damage in combat per hit. All because I chose not to use a walkthrough.

I have a hard time believing those games are going to DS, considering all the FMV. It'd be a lot of work to translate all that to rendered DS screens, and I am not sure the games sold enough to warrant it. Got any articles about that? I think it's a stupid move, personally. Release Tales of Destiny 2 for PSP in UK or America though. Having a blast with my UK import of TOE.

[zero2dash]

I hope they put online play into the 360 VF5 or whatever system VF6 is released on. I'm sick of this "lag play will destroy the core of the game" nonsense; I've played plenty of online fighting games with no lag over the last 3-4 years on both consoles and PC; if its put online on a system that only has broadband there will be no lag assuming its properly coded.

I love VF, it's my favorite 3d fighting series, I just wish it wasn't so "constrictive" feeling. Soul Calibur, when I play it I feel like I can do anything that I want to do and it comes off well and looks cool. Tekken for the most part also. But Virtua Fighter has never been this way for me, it feels restrictive like I have to do what the game wants me to do or the combo won't work or something. I dunno, maybe it's just me. :confused:

But I still love VF, no question. :D Sarah + Wolf combo FTW :p

[Haoshiro]

I have a hard time believing those games are going to DS, considering all the FMV. It'd be a lot of work to translate all that to rendered DS screens, and I am not sure the games sold enough to warrant it. Got any articles about that? I think it's a stupid move, personally. Release Tales of Destiny 2 for PSP in UK or America though. Having a blast with my UK import of TOE.

Just google "xenosaga ds" (http://www.google.com/search?q=xenosaga+ds) and you'll find articles, screenshots, videos, previews... etc etc.

[zero2dash]

I'm still shocked to see the videos in Meteos. I have no idea how they did that...:confused: :eek:

[darkwing]

Just google "xenosaga ds" (http://www.google.com/search?q=xenosaga+ds) and you'll find articles, screenshots, videos, previews... etc etc.

Wow. I feel this is a horrible thing to spend time on. Oh well. I hope it works for them, but I'll skip them.

Then again, it might be a way to get the story without the bad load times.

[Haoshiro]

I'm still shocked to see the videos in Meteos. I have no idea how they did that...:confused: :eek:

FF3 has quite the amount of FMV as well...

[darkwing]

FF3 has quite the amount of FMV as well...

There is a common codec used for video for DS games, and there is a logo for it when you turn on games that use it like Meteos and FF3 IIRC. The carts don't hold much data, but you can get a lot of video on them with that codec. I think the limit in size is like 128 MB right? That will hold a lot of video on such a low-res screen.

[Haoshiro]

I don't think they are using much FMV in Xenosaga DS though, I recall reading these were mostly going to be handled ala Xenogears (no, not anime!) - with in-game graphics and message dialogs for text.

[Chone]

As with most fighting games, it's a rental. I mean really.. who buys these things? I only did because I have friends coming from California next month and we'll need some 2 player games to play. This gives me time to practice. :)

I do :) I find fighting games very appealing, you can just play them at your own pace and most games have tons of content so they are worth the purchase.

When I get a PS3 (at the end of this year when the good games come out) I'll definitely check out Virtua Fighter 5.

[MUCKYFINGERS]

As with most fighting games, it's a rental. I mean really.. who buys these things? I only did because I have friends coming from California next month and we'll need some 2 player games to play. This gives me time to practice. :)

Fighting games aren't as appealing to casual gamers. They appeal much more to hardcore fighting game fans. So yes, we do buy them :) They're just not for most gamers nowadays.

[MacRumorUser]

I really like the VF and DOA fighting series. Both games are as 'deep' as you want them to be.

On the surface they are fun ighthearted button mashers

On the inside they are honed to gaming precision with a vasy myriad of combo's and moves that can only be appreciated over long play.

Tekken to me has always been the baby cousin, more for lighthearted gamers than both VF5 and DOA games.

[e²Studios]

I really like the VF and DOA fighting series. Both games are as 'deep' as you want them to be.

On the surface they are fun ighthearted button mashers

On the inside they are honed to gaming precision with a vasy myriad of combo's and moves that can only be appreciated over long play.

Tekken to me has always been the baby cousin, more for lighthearted gamers than both VF5 and DOA games.

VF as a franchise has always been a very technical fighter, it takes time to actually get down all the moves and master them. Tekken to me was a "light" version of VF, it had some combos but nowhere near the level of the VF series. You can just pick up a Tekken game and catch on relatively fast, a VF game has a pretty steep learning curve.

I like VF5, i've got a few of the nice combos down and a sore/raw thumb to proove it :D

Ed

[MacRumorUser]

I like VF5, i've got a few of the nice combos down and a sore/raw thumb to proove it :D

Ed

I love the game now. It's damn hardcore :) It's like DOA4 in that even on 'easy' the odds are firmly stacked against you.

I love the new fighters. El mexican wrestler guy is my favorite, his moves are just sweet :D

[RMD68]

For the most part from the reviews on here it seems like a pretty good game. I've always been a fan of fighting games and this is a decent series. I ordered it online and it should be coming some time during next week. I'm looking forward to it.

http://ps3.ign.com/objects/641/641054.html

I included a link to the IGN review for PS3 version I don't think anyone did yet. Looks like a great review so I'm sure I'll be happy with my purchase.:D

[Xenious]

Just to beat the dead horse VF5 is doing 1080i on my TV. (I know because it won't display 720p.) I do have some kind of overscan issue where just a hair of the top is cutoff (unless the "press start to continue" isn't normally all on the scren). I don't think it looks upscaled or anything (I don't have any other games, but it looks as good as GT HD and the RR7 demo resolution wise).

I would safe its safe to assume it has the same resolutions as the Japanese version.

[MacRumorUser]

^ mmm how are you connected ?

I'm connected via HDMI and it definetly drops from 1080i the ps3 is using in menus to 720p when I start the game ?

[Xenious]

^ mmm how are you connected ?

I'm connected via HDMI and it definetly drops from 1080i the ps3 is using in menus to 720p when I start the game ?

Component cables. Also I have 720p disabled in my PS3 config. It is only set for 480i/p and 1080i. For me it isn't changing resolution between the PS3 crossbar menus and the game.

[MacRumorUser]

Component cables. Also I have 720p disabled in my PS3 config. It is only set for 480i/p and 1080i. For me it isn't changing resolution between the PS3 crossbar menus and the game.

interesting batman..... I'll try hooking mine up via component this evening and see if it does the same. :)

[e²Studios]

interesting batman..... I'll try hooking mine up via component this evening and see if it does the same. :)

It's the save via either interface mate :) Just uncheck 720p in the video selections, rather than using "auto" for resolution selection. Then it forces it to use 1080i/p

Ed

[MacRumorUser]

It's the save via either interface mate :) Just uncheck 720p in the video selections, rather than using "auto" for resolution selection. Then it forces it to use 1080i/p

Ed

wow.. cheers for that Ed. Does it work with every game now or just VF5 ?

[e²Studios]

wow.. cheers for that Ed. Does it work with every game now or just VF5 ?

Most all the newer (post Jan) games that support the scaler via the newer SDK that went out.

You just have to watch out for games like resistance, im not sure how it will react to it. I have mine set at auto, 720p isnt bad. Oddly Sonic still upscales, maybe its all in how they program it.

Ed