Hands on VF4 Evolution Impressions

Okay, I've had a weird couple of days. I lost my 7-dan Aoi card one day after getting 7-dan (and in turn being able to get that amazingly kewl red outfit), and it's definitely affected my gameplay. On top of that, there's still no word whether or not data can be transferred from Ver. C to Evolution, so I might be wasting my time trying to build up another character. It's amazingly frustrating, but I'll do my best here. So, on that note, let's begin.

For starters -- This is *NOT* Virtua Fighter 5. Contrary to what our counterparts have said, this is still Virtua Fighter 4, and it still 'feels' the same. Some characters are obviously more affected than others, but besides more items, stage upgrades, and two new characters, this is basically Version D with some new modes to make the game a bit more interesting.

Before I get everyone too excited, I only used two characters -- Lion & Aoi. There was quite a line, so unless you won a few in a row, you didn't really get to get a good feel for the new moves. Also, a LOT of people used Goh, and as such, I had no clue how to attack. Some of them sucked, but some were pretty decent, considering they didn't have much practice. So, here's what I know about the two characters I played.

Lion: I pretty much used a lot of attacks that I've used before. Damage he inflicted seemed to be the same. One move that is different is . He now takes a back step, and finishes with a quick finger jab -- doesn't have much distance, and I never connected with it. The only new move of his that was listed on the chart (each character had 5 moves listed, most of them from the old version) was +++. It pretty much looks the same as if you put that input in in VF4, but is one move. He dodges to the side, and then a low attack, which is the OLD +. Other than that, not much else to report.

Aoi: Her single seems to recover faster. Didn't try for some reason, so can't comment. Her new moves are + and +. I connected the latter once, (which is similar to her but takes a bit longer to wind up, but has better distance) which took off about 20 pts I'd say. I would think it would crumble on counter. I never connected with the former. I'm sure both would lead to a good combo or pounce, but never pulled them off. Also to note, when you crack someone's arms when they're lying down, they've taken out one of her yells.

Here's who I wound up fighting against:
Lion:

Lei Fei: I wanted to try Lei Fei, but there were plenty of people playing him. He has quite a few new attacks from his ++ stance. One where he seems to hit the ground w/ both hands, and then does a mid kick. Another, with a combo starting from what looks like an upper cut. Quite kewl. I'll try him next time. I beat the one Lei Fei I played.

Akira: The guy playing wasn't that hot with him, so I won. Akira has quite a few new moves as well. The one that sticks out the most is a new low punch. It's got a wind-up though, so Aoi should be able to reverse it pretty easily. HOwever, it crumbles on counter, so his comes in after that. If it doesn't crumble, and elbow to the chest does some good damage. Also, one of his elbows seemed to be a two part hit. Like first w/ the forearm, then the elbow -- quite kewl.

Sarah: The Sarah I played seemed to be to preocuppied w/ playing w/ the Flamingo. I wound up winning. She seems to be a good nickel-&-dime character now... or maybe this guy just didn't know what to do.

Goh: I lost against Goh when using Lion. Just don't know his moves. Basically, he's got a lot punch/kick leading throws. After time, it might not be a problem, but I see him as being a deceptive character. He's got one where he runs up and pulls your legs out from under you, then throws you back. He's got the best voice out of anyone of them I think (couldn't hear THAT well, but good enough) and the most intimidating victory pose. The camera shows from the losing characters view, up at him. He says something I couldn't make out, and then stomps you. Oh, yeah -- his evasive attack is exactly the same as Vanessa's & Jacky's.

Aoi:

First opponent was Jacky. I destroyed this guy. I guess he wasn't any good. I basically would do +,+. Got him quite a bit with that. However, I wouldn't say he was terrible as when I did my + he knew to just sit there and let his Inashi take affect. Next time, I dropped the and did a throw. All in all, I'd say Jacky seems a bit more tamed, and has gone through some changes. I didn't see anyone do +. It always ended differently, and there were quite a few Jacks about. One who is a 9-dan and pretty well known only won 3 in a row. I don't use Jacky, so can't say, but I would say that it's a great sign for people that don't play Jacky.

Lau: I beat this guy as well. He wasn't bad, but wasn't used to being inashed so much. I think I even pulled off a reversal on him. Lau has a few news moves that everyone seemed to be using, as well as a new throw. His new move looks a bit like a 2-part bitch slap. Hard to say, as I don't use him, but I'd say he generally seemed the same in terms of flow.

Shun: Lost this one. The guy wasn't that hot, but Shun is one of those guys where if your'e just screwing around, you can do some weird stuff and confuse your opponent. That's me. The guy that played me didn't do any new moves, although they're there. I saw one other guy do some type of flying elbow thing. Not sure if it's mid or high.

Wolf: Lost this one as well. Wolf doesn't have a lot of MAJOR changes, but seemed to me a lot of little ones. His throw that you see in the promo video (opponent on back, head near Wolf) where he grabs the opponents shoulders doesn't take off a ton of damage. That should be considered a down attack -- like what Aoi's + does to downed enemies. He also got me on a low kick when I was falling down. Quite quick. Not a lot of damage, but could be quite tricky.

Other characters I noticed but didn't play against:

Vanessa: Vanessa seemed to be the most affected. I talked to one guy that used her. He said she does have her MT stance, but that a lot of her combos were different. I didn't see anyone do her + elbow from the MT stance. Not saying it's not there, but didn't see it. Coincidentally, out of 4-5 Vanessas there, I think only one of them ever one. Could be coincidence.

Jeffry -- only one guy played Jeffry. He did good, but I couldn't notice anything different.

Pai: Pai has some new aesthetically appealing moves. Quite a few from a turned-around position. Dont' play her much, so can't say, but she looked pretty kewl.

Brad: Nobody played Brad while I was there on the VS machines. One guy played on the single machine, but I didn't really watch much. DIdn't look to interesting.

VF.NET:

Everyone had to buy new cards for Evolution. You could change your items, but only if you had iMode (DoCoMo). I hate NTT, and as such, have J-phone, which doesn't work. I asked if J-phone's would be compatible would when EVO was released. He said he didn't know, but that I was probably safe. There were only a few people that equipped their items. I did notice that one guy had Aoi's Hachimaki (white bandana) and one Kage had a new item - looked like a backpack or something. Still no word as to whether data can be transferred to Ver. C to Evo, but since some of the items are the same, that gives me a glimmer of hope. Hopefully at least the rankings will be transferred. At the unveling, a friend of mine asked someone at the Sega booth, who told him that data won't be transferred, but I've got hope.

Quest Mode: Didn't really get far, and didn't have iMode, so can't say.

Prize Matches: I had one of these, and won, but can't tell what I got (iMode) problem. Didn't look like I was gambling one of my own items, since I didn't have any. I would like to know more about this system.

Small changes:

Announcers voice -- terrible. They need the old guy.
Life metter - a bit different, as you can probably tell from the videos.
Kyu/Dan level is now black w/ white outline -- also noticeable in the fights.
Stages -- look amazing. Especially Lion's castle stage.
Gon's stage looks a lot like Aoi's. Sakura and whatnot all over the place. Also, Dural stage is available in vs. mode. Also, one stage (Jacky's I believe) still had an unbreakable fence, but not on the corners -- adds a bit of spice to the match.

Single Player. You can apparantly get experience points in single player mode now. There were a few guys that started playing w/ 0 wins 0 losses, but had a few experience points. This might get more people playing during off hours.

From a few glances I had over at the single player machine, the opponent order seems different from arcade mode on Ver. C. Not a big change, but worth noting.

Well, that's all I can think of from memory right now. I'll try to take a notebook later tonight/tomorrow when I go back. Overall, I think it looks fantastic, and that even if you have nothing better to do than whine about the new characters, that you'll be pleased with this upgrade.

 

thanks for the wonderful report! seems like you have pretty much cover everyone. but one question about vanessa. i heard that she had moves that lead her to MT and stuff. (something that might be similar to lei fei) is that just a rumor?

and when you said her moves are different, you mean animation wise or new moves coming out? were you able to see any of her MT style moves or they got different input commands to execute?

 

I've not used Vanessa yet, but can't say. I simply asked one guy that used her, "Does she have her MT" and he said yes. Didn't say how he went into it. He also said "Her moves are different" meaning commands. I did see a few new combos, but some old ones as well.

My friend is coming to pick me up, and his main characters are Lau & Vanessa. We're going to head down there. Perhaps he can give me some more insight on those two.

 

How is Brad?
I got the feeling that He moves a lot like Vanessa's MT stance

 

I was thinking the same thing Mr Noisy. It may say that Brad practices Kickboxing but I think this is just to differentiate him from Vanessa. And since all of Brads techniques are within Muay Thai he has to have priority in move allocation.

They've probably tweaked Vanessa so that her moves don't clash with Brad's. May be they'll even down play the MT stance and make it an option like Sarah's Flamingo rather than a full on moves set like before. That would be harsh for Vanessa players though. We won't know until someone discovers if the MT stance is voluntary or automatic.

 

Cool report! I can't wait to read the next ones. Any not obvious gameplay adjustments like wall properties and stuff?

As for Vanessa getting her MT toned down, I doubt it. It would kill her gimmick being the Gen in VF. I'm sure there are enough different moves for her and Brad.

 

I went back but only had time for one match. I used Lei Fei. I played against a REALLY good Aoi (much better than me) and ALMOST one -- last round, he had about 10 pts damage more than me, and ran away to get the time out. /versus/images/icons/frown.gif

Anyways, Lei's new ground stop move I believe is: ++. It's also the only new move listed on the chart, although he's got more.

That one guy pulled off Aoi's new one on me, and some other people. Command is: + and then on hit, . It didn't crumble, but you can't get out of the later kick. The opponent looks a bit like after Aoi's current .

Vanessa -- I saw one guy flat out change stances. Doesn't look like an option -- seems she's kept her fighting style. One new combo I saw was a low kick followed by a high elbow -- looked quite affective.

Jacky: I believe I did see the + pulled off. Just really don't know until I play him.

Wall properties -- other than some of the stages (all maybe?) having no walls at the corners, I can't really say, although I noticed nothing amazingly different.

Nobody was really using Brad, so I can't make any comments, although our Japanese friends seem to think he looks Tekkenish, so it's not a cultural thing. Hehe.

 

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Vanessa -- I saw one guy flat out change stances.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well that's good news for Vanessa users. One thing though. That new front kick Jacky does that's been in all the video clips, is that his new knee? Have you seen Sarah or Jacky's knee as apparently they've been drastically changed.

 

<font color="ffcc00"> if you have nothing better to do than whine about the new characters,</font color> <font color="ffcc33"> you'll be pleased with this upgrade. </font color> /versus/images/icons/smirk.gif /versus/images/icons/smile.gif /versus/images/icons/grin.gif roflmao. <font color="pink"> the aoi player that just ran away "just ran away to get time out"</font color> .. question GP. <font color="cc6633"> Is this a common occurance in arcade battle?</font color> <font color="pink"> The run away </font color> <font color="996600"> to win with time out?.</font color> /versus/images/icons/cool.gif <font color="red">

 

It's part of the game -- I do it all the time as well, and considering the line, I'd do ANYTHING to not lose. Really sucked. In all honesty, he was a pretty good Aoi, so it didn't bother me. Just sucks it was set to 30 seconds.

Er... Jacky's knee. Yes, he does have a Lion-esque knee. Not sure if it's a replacement or not. Sarah seems to still have her double-knee. Didn't see anything like Lion's with her,although I've heard it's there.

 

<font color="ffccoo"> Adio wrote:</font color> That new front kick Jacky does that's been in all the video clips, is that his new knee? Have you seen Sarah or Jacky's knee as apparently they've been drastically changed.
<font color="GPresponded:ffcc66">
Jacky's knee. Yes, he does have a Lion-esque knee. Not sure if it's a replacement or not. Sarah seems to still have her double-knee. Didn't see anything like Lion's with her,although I've heard it's there. </font color> Keep the reports coming ! thx /versus/images/icons/grin.gif /versus/images/icons/smirk.gif <font color="red">

 

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Sarah seems to still have her double-knee.

[/ QUOTE ]

Cheers. I take it you're referring to Sarah's Knee-Rising Knee ++ or do you mean the the Rising Knee variants +? I don't mean to be difficult. It's just that Sarah has three techniques that could be dubbed double knee.

 

err...anything on the new 'tricky' Kage? {:[

 

BTW, did you see Aoi new counters?
I wonder if they are done using the mid counter command.
I also wonder if she could counter moves like wolf's drop kick.
Ok, I know it's asking too much, but... /versus/images/icons/grin.gif

Do you know if Goh has reversals? I am wondering about this...

 

I played Aoi vs. Akira about 2-3 times... didn't try for any reversals though. Again -- I wanted to win, and it's a bit risky w/ Akira due to his shoulder. Perhaps I can get someone to go w/ me next time and experiment.

I think Sarah's was the rising knee, but don't quote me on it.

 

Gajinpunch:does leifei have any new stances?

 

Kil: No, no new stances, but new moves from different stances.

Okay, I might've spoke too soon. Depending on your character, there's going to be a lot of getting used to. Lion & Aoi generally play the same, but today, I played about 5 matches w/ Lei Fei -- there's quite a bit different with him. The most noticeable, is that the third punch in is a normal punch -- you can't hold it and stagger your opponent (ouch!). I found that out the hard way. There's a couple of other mis-commands I did, expecting something else, and ate shit. He does have a nice little butt-stomp though, when facing backwards, which doesn't turn him around. Very powerful.

Lion: Figured out a couple of new moves.
+ - very quick jab. Didn't hit with it, but could be useful.
Also, I did something like (maybe something else) and something totally different came out. Much quicker jabs than the old one. I could've messed up the command.

ITEMS:
Saw a few more items. One Lei Fei had on a boat-people hat... sorry, but you know those villagers in the boats in vietnam movies? Looked like that. He also had some glasses, and a huge metal ying-yang on his back.

Two items of particular interest I saw were Vanessa's ponytail (apparantly no longer a sphere item) and Aoi's short hair -- obviously not a 100-win derived item.

Hmmm! Someone is going to register my cards and equip my items for me, so I'll have more details later.

 

Oh, yeah, I forgot. On that note of depending on your character, you'll have some relearning to do -- a friend of mine was DEFINITELY not played w/ the Jacky changes. Namely, he ain't got not elbow no more! (Only after two punches). So, if you block a low sweep, you'll have to find another way to punish your opponent. The guy mentioned that it was totally different from Ver. C.

Wolf -- I got the same impression, although from what I could tell he was the same.

Akira -- also much different. It's not that he has new commands, it's that they've replaced a bunch of moves. Maybe they're trying to even it out.

 

Whoa...so Jacky can no longer do + anymore? No elbow as a stand alone move?

That would remove elbow-backfist, elbow-heelkick, etc...I can't imagine. You sure this is the case?

cheers,

 

yup
according to reports that I know of...elbow backfist is gone.

The move that replaced the elbow is that Jann lee looking punch...
go to pyrexia and see it for urself.

I love all the changes they will be making to Jacky...too execiting...being able to sit down and think of new ways to play him is just plain fun!