AM2's Virtua Fighter vs. RGG's Virtua Fighter???

After comparing the credits of VF5FS to the credits of VF5US its clear that the old AM2 team barely played a role in VF5US. Sure there was some minor advising going on here or there. But VF5US is a RGG game, and all the rest of the Virtua Fighter games were made by the venerable, famous, legendary AM2 team. And there is a difference between the AM2's Virtua Fighter and RGG's Virtua Fighter. TBH RGG's Virtua Fighter is a significant departure from AM2's or classic Virtua Fighter.

• RGG's Virtua Fighter has the absolute weakest arcade mode in comparison to all of the AM2 Virtua Fighter arcade modes. In other words even on hard RGG's arcade mode AI is weak, weak, very weak

• RGG's Virtua Fighter has the least amount of single player and VS mode (offline content) of all the Virtua Fighters. Its RGG's poor attempt at making an e-sports only Virtua Fighter

• RGG's Virtua Fighter introduced Tekken skins, a Tekken UI, and Tekken music into the VF universe

• RGG's Virtua Fighter for the first time in VF history removed significant customizations that were in a previous version of VF

• RGG's Virtua Fighter defaces and ruin's Virtua Fighter's beautiful presentation by adding Tekken style Hit Sparks

I've been playing VF4 and VF5FS over the last couple of weeks, and decided to play VF5US today. AM2's Virtua Fighter is overall a better experience for casual players, players who enjoy offline VS modes, and players who enjoy Virtua Fighter single player modes such as Kumite Mode, Sparring Mode, Quest Mode, License Mode, and the Underground Tournament modes.


If RGG's VF5US is any indicator of the direction that the Virtua Fighter Reboot is going to go, then I think they should just rename the game to something else. Its not likely that it is going to have any of the real splendor , beauty , finesse , and appeal of AM2's Virtua Fighter.

AM2 was one of the most talented development teams to ever make video games. Their only real competitor was Project Soul. Team AM2 understood that Virtua Fighter is about the intersection between Beauty, Art the Martial Arts and video games. And they produced a literal masterpiece in the Virtua Fighter series. AM2 will be missed in the video game landscape. And at this point, it is doubtful that RGG and Seiji AOKI can live up to the high standards, and achieve the levels of excellence that AM2 achieved in Virtua Fighter

 

I mean, it's not like it's a new game. It's a cheap relaunch for esports (that's the name of the game in Japan) and to test the viability of the franchise. If anything, I'm just grateful to RGG Studio for keeping VF alive in the arcades of the Like a Dragon series, with this "remake" on the dragon engine and for supposedly helping with VF6, JSR, SMB and other games.

About renaming the game. Honestly, it would be commercially better, since VF is a series seen as a failure and lacking personality by many. Likewise, FromSoftware could rename Armored Core, which also hadn't had a new game in ages, but they decided to keep the name for Armored Core 6.

 

Yes, I would much rather see VF continue to lack personality and fail into oblivion than to be subject to the to the mauling its has already suffered under the auspices of RGG. The addition of Tekken Style Hit Sparks and other Tekken paraphernailia was nothing short of desecration of VF's pristine and elegant presentation. It truly was an abomination to that which true VF fans hold sacred.

I agree RGG should rename their efforts and call it something more fitting and modern than Virtua Fighter. Virtua Fighter should be preserved as is. It is a classic, its historic, and a viceroy of 3D arcade fighting games. The best thing that could happen to the Virtua Fighter series is for Sega to release a remaster of Virtua Fighter 4, Virtua Fighter 4 EVO for current gen (with no online).

 

What fans? Half a dozen? VF elegant presentation? This is one of VF's weakest points. It seems too generic and sounds like action seen in comedy films or cartoons. Look, if I created an account here it's because I'm interested in VF, but it's undeniable that the franchise has room to improve and gain more personality in terms of presentation. Hopefully the game will be revealed at one of these showcases soon. And then we'll see what happens.

 

Well, tbh maybe Tekken 8, Mortal Kombat I, Street Fighter 6, or perhaps Guilty Gear would be a better match for a gamer such as your self. I make this recommendation simply because your observation:

Virtua Fighter's elegant presentation is one of the features that distinguishes it from the more pedestrian arcade fighters (e.g. Tekken) and one of the features that has garnered so many awards and landed it in the Smithsonian Institute:

https://www.interactive.org/special_awards/details.asp?idSpecialAwards=4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtua_Fighter


If you don't like VF's generic visuals, lack of character, sounds and actions that seem like they're from a comedy film, then might I point you in the direction of the classy, flashy, jaw-dropping graphical styling of Tekken 8 accompanied by the unmistakable punch and kick sounds that are identical to gunshots (perhaps 357 magnum) Or maybe even the new Street Fighter 6 there's nothing cartoony about that game right

Now its entirely possible (and probable) that future RGG Virtua Fighter series might live up to what you envision is proper for a fighting game series. But from your comments I don't think that AM2's Virtua Fighter series (VF1 thru VF5FS) is for you