Virtua Fighter dot com

While this may not be the E3 news everyone was hoping for, this Gamasutra article shares some insights into SEGA's new focus, according to SEGA West president, Mike Hayes. Here's an excerpt:

“What we’ve done as a company is try to be as agnostic as we possibly can,” he says, “so everything’s focused on the brand, rather than Sega as a company.”

While legacy brands and content are important where they fit, and help benefit smaller products and large brands like Sonic, Hays says, that can’t define Sega as a company. Sega’s profits doubled for the fiscal year 2010, showing that while a diminished focus on the Sega brand may irk the hardcore fans, it’s working for the company.

If SEGA are doing so well financially, how about throwing us VFers a couple of bread crumbs, eh?

Hot off everyone's favourite Japan-only news press comes news of a newly released Command List App for iPhones and iPod touch called the VF5FS All Command List. Probably a convenient pocket guide with system information and basic command lists, however, it appears to be devoid of any frame data.

As great or as disappointing this may sound, it's all for naught anyway since it's currently not available to anyone outside Japan. Surprised? Didn't think so.

» VF5FS All Command List

The Virtua Fighter 5 Original Soundtrack is available to purchase from most online stores that will import from Japan. This OST includes tracks from the Virtua Fighter 5 (2006), Virtua Fighter 5 R (2008), and Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown (2010) versions.

Featured on 2 CDs with a total of 72 tracks, this is a must have for all fans and collectors alike! You too can now enjoy your favourite tracks from versions of VF5 you never got to play at your own convenience!

» Soundtrack for VF5/R/FS coming May 2011? discussion thread
» Wave-master info
» VF5 OST on Amazon

2011 Pre Beat Tribe Cup

The Pre-Beat Tribe Cup tournament was held on 4th May 2011. This 5-on-5 tournament was comprised of 49 teams where each team represented a single character. Below is a promotional video for the event, but head over to the 2011 Pre Beat Tribe Cup discussion thread for video links to the Semi Finals and Finals!

» 2011 Pre-Beat Tribe Cup Video Playlist (features quarter final, semi finals and final)
» 2011 Pre Beat Tribe Cup discussion thread

"I want to get as many people around the world as possible interacting with the entertainment Sega produces." - Yukio Sugino, director of internal game development at Sega of Japan.

"Our team members have spent long nights trying to make games as fun as they can get them, really valuable experiences. From my standpoint, seeing games like that go unnoticed by people is about the saddest thing I can think of. As a company, we need to bring our newest creations wherever they can go and show people the fun involved with them. This challenge of bring Sega-style play, Sega-style entertainment, Sega-style content to people worldwide is the road Sega needs to tackle going into the future."

Translation of a Famitsu interview with Yukio Sugino from 1up.com. Additional information from that interview can be found in this link

VF5FS Version A Released Today

VF5FS Version A is officially released today in arcades across Japan. DK's latest diary entry details several changes and have been kindly translated by Reno in the VF5FS Version A System Notes thread.

Some of the changes include a revised Bound system, bugs like the "Super OM" now fixed, the backdash counter hit priority increased, as well as tweaks to various attack properties and hit boxes.

As a bonus, DK's diary entry includes some nice smart phone wallpapers available for download, such as the one seen here.

» DK's Diary Entry #87
» VF5FS Version A System Notes discussion thread

Final Showdown ver. A in Arcadia

The latest issue of Arcadia also has some info on the latest version upgrade for VF5 Final Showdown. They showed off some of the new costume items that a few of the characters will get and shared some nice, albeit scant info about the upcoming upgrade. I don’t normally take snapshots of Arcadia itself but I like Virtua Fighter a lot more than other fighting games, so... yup.

Check out the discussion thread for more info!

Sega to donate to Touhoku victims

Sega has announced that a portion of the revenue earned from March 14th until April 30th by the games listed below will be sent to the victims of the earthquake/tsunami in Miyagi and Fukushima.

- Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown
- Network Taisen Quiz Answer Answer Live
- Border Break Air Burst
- Shining Force Crossraid

Source: Official Sega press release

Historic Rivalry: Bunbun-maru vs Daimon Lau

El_Twelve posts a great account of an old and famous rivalry from the days of Virtua Fighter 2:

"Starts off with guys in Tokyo hearing about someone in Kyoto who was unbeatable at VF2. The weird thing was that practically all his wins were by ringout. Thinking that if the guy was only winning by ringout, he couldn't be that good, a bunch of 20 top players from Kantou (East side of the main island of Honshu) made the trip out to Kyoto to beat him down, and none of them could take a game off him. Daimon Lau was that player."

Read on in the Historic Rivalry thread for the full story, and videos!

Otenami Haiken AC Area Finals - Live Stream

Kantou Area B Finals

The LIVE stream is about to start (20 minutes from this post). Catch all the action on SEGA's USTREAM channel vf5fs-otenami.

Players you can expect in the Kantou Area B Finals include Yatsuki (JA), Iitdomo (KA), Jin (KA), Shimuso (GO), Donpacchi (BR), Papion (LI), Seikisei (SH), Saona (EI), Homestay Akira (AK), Oomitsugen (BR), JF (JE), Naoto (LE), Snafkin (SH), Miroku (AK), Yoshida-sama (VA), Hamichichi Gold (TA), Balm (PA), Natsu (JA).

UPDATE[/size]: The LIVE STREAM is over, but you can watch the recorded event on USTREAM: Kantou Area B Finals