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VFDC Member Reviews for VF5FS

Discussion in 'General' started by tonyfamilia, Jun 14, 2012.

  1. tonyfamilia

    tonyfamilia Well-Known Member

    You've read the reviews from non-fans and fans alike about FS. Some of you have probably even had conversations about the good and the bad of FS.

    So, did FS meet, come up short or exceed your expectations?

    Please share what do you love and/or hate about FS. Maybe even what you miss (or don't miss) from vanilla VF5.

    So, what do you, the VFDC members, think of VF5FS?
    I'll be writing my own personal review later this week.
     
  2. Cozby

    Cozby OMG Custom Title! W00T!

    PSN:
    CozzyHendrixx
    XBL:
    Stn Cozby
    Game is awesome overall! Definitely better than I expected. Just fix the problems with room matches and add the invitation option to player matches and we're golden.

    As far as the system goes

    to be continued...
     
  3. Ry4n4t0r

    Ry4n4t0r Member

    If only there was a quest mode to earn the items instead of buying them and I think personally there are some flaws on the online ranked match mode.
     
  4. nstalkie

    nstalkie Member

    A review as a newcomer to VF (only played the first one in arcades when it was new).

    the good:
    - the single most important thing in fighting games: the game feels fluid and extremely well thought out. I really enjoy the gameplay.
    - enough characters to choose from, each with their own style.
    - lobby system, player match, ranked matches.
    - netcode that is very very good. I live in Belgium and I can play people in the US (east coast). Obviously there will be some lag, but even then it actually runs pretty good. In modern day games, this is very important IMHO. I love KOFXIII, but that netcode ...
    - good music. Every stage has it's own theme that fits. You are able to choose music from old Virtua Fighter games.
    - graphics were a little better than I expected (my expectations weren't set very high). They are not as good as Tekken 6 or SCV (that last one isn't a shame though, as that game just looks amazing).
    - character customization is decent. Obviously it's not as good as SCV's customization which is just crazy, but it's still good. I normally don't bother with these, preferring to play with the default costumes, but I actually already made some costumes in this game. Maybe it's because I paid for the complete edition and want to "get my money's worth" lol.
    - very nice training mode. Shows you actual frame data ! Every game should have this really. I haven't delved completely into every option yet, but it seems complete at first sight.
    - the price. 13 euro. There's no excuse to not get it if you are a fighting game fan.

    the bad:
    - minor: sound effects are kinda lack luster
    - minor: no way to kick players from player matches
    - minor: sometimes you get disconnects during lobby matches, with both people still being in the lobby (does it detect disconnects too soon ?)
    - minor: 30 second timer in lobbies. This is for a reason though: you can't join during matches, so this timer allows people to actually join the lobbies. In BB:CT for example you could also not join during matches, and it caused a lot of confusion, because it would list the lobbies, show you they weren't full, yet you still couldn't join. This highly confused people. Out of the 2 ways of dealing with this problem, I prefer the VF approach.
    - minor: no compatibility pack for the costumes. I think Sega is biting their own ass here. If more people would see the cool costumes others come up with, more people would probably buy the packs for their characters themselves.

    So as you can see I mainly have just a couple of minor complaints. I think it's an extremely solid release and I'm actually recommending it to my fellow FG players I know. Do I think anything needs to be patched ? For now, no. All the problems I mentioned I can live with.

    Ideas for a VF6 to attract a more casual crowd of players without sacrificing gameplay / without dumbing down the game:
    - update the graphics engine a little. Maybe introduce hit sparks like in tekken, but give an option to disable it for people that like to keep it classic VF.
    - definately work on the sound effects. I know they want to keep having throwbacks to older versions of the game, but it doesn't sound good these days IMHO. Turn it into an option.
    - Some more single player content (that quest mode ? never saw it, but many people seem to like it). Character beginnings and endings in arcade mode.
    - Add some more explanations in the tutorial mode and expand it a little. Also explain the WHY's instead of just the HOW's.
     
  5. EmX

    EmX Well-Known Member

    The lobby timer and the minimal explanations toward the end of the tutorial are the only sigificant negative things about the game I've found. The changes to the system and (what feels like) a much improved netcode are all pretty kick ass imo.
     
  6. kungfusmurf

    kungfusmurf Well-Known Member

    Bad:

    I can't move akira the way I use to. Don't care much for the physics of the game & the new TE system. For the physics part the reason is mainly because of Taka (Fat Bastard) returning. I'd wish they didn't remove so much of Akira's fun stuff, he feels even more linear in FS than vanilla even with the side stepping fellow ups that he has now. Wish we also had R's stages as well.

    Lastly: The new hop kicks are Bull Shit, especially Akira's!

    Good:

    Love the designs of the new stages & re-animations of moves to all the characters. Online is excellent, much better feel b/c of the dumb down command inputs for the game. Training mode is excellent even better than VF4.

    If I'd miss anything, I'll whine about it later.

    Thanks for asking. :p
     
  7. Dragonps

    Dragonps Well-Known Member

    PSN:
    ENGDragon83
    XBL:
    ENGDragon83
  8. Lygophilia

    Lygophilia Well-Known Member

    I agree, but I would like to say that they aren't enough people using player match and joining errors from invitations.
     
  9. masterpo

    masterpo VF Martial Artist Bronze Supporter

    PSN:
    lastmonk
    PS3/PSN(only) review of VF5FS

    I'm dividing my comments into 4 areas, general comments, 2-player, single player, online.

    General Comments: Best graphics and sound in the VF series. Awesome stages. Two new fighting styles(karate & sumo) are great. Best & most character customizations in the entire VF series. The animations are absolutely awsome, the addition of random animations during a match like when a character is standing still and they do something with their hands, or feet or head, those extras really add a nice touch. The crumples, the delayed, falls to the ground, even the expression on the characters faces when they get hit or kicked has improved. IMO
    the camera angle is much better. The fighters look larger now.
    Vastly improved AI or version B for the PS3, and the addition of Online play makes VF5FS the best VF in the series for the playstation. Although its the best overall in the series(deserves 5 stars in comparison), that doesn't mean it does have room for improvement or a few short-comings.

    2-Player-Mode. Some would argue this is the most important mode. This is the mode where tournaments are really played, this is the mode where gatherings, of family, friends, and enemies meet. This is the mode that made VF. But this mode is the most bare bones in the game. What happened to ring names and PR statements in two player-mode? Sega stil hasn't figured out a way for individual players to make their profiles portable. Maybe our profiles could be stored online and then temporarily downloaded when we need to participate in 2-player offline matches. The money spent on customizations doesn't help you in 2-player mode if you can't take your customizations and records with you. Speaking of records! There are no win/loss statistics kept for 2 player(or single player for that matter). If machine that you're playing 2 player mode on hasn't downloaded all of the customizations, but you have, tough luck. So it seems like Sega has totally given up on the 2-player mode in favor of Online play. Which IMO is a big mistake. I play UFC 3 undisputed and 2 player mode kicks ass. Everything from tournament mode to event mode. THQ proves that you don't have to sacrifice a solid 2-player mode in order to have a solid online-player mode. So although the basics are there, that's all that's there. If you look at VF5FS
    just from the 2-player mode its barely there. Realistically it deserves 2 stars out of 5.



    Single Player:
    VF5FS rivals VF4EVO in Single Player. You could argue that VF4evo is better, you could also legitmately argue that VF5FS is better. The special sparring mode is kind-of comparable to Quest mode with some of the underground tournaments thrown in. The license mode takes things from quest mode but adds far more variety. There is a arcade point score mode that posts highest scores online for all to see, and then there's arcade mode, and a good tutorial mode. With a ton of special sparring session and licenses and the ability to change difficulty one could argue that VF5FS has a much bigger game for single player than any other single player in the VF series. The AI is far more varied and more difficult on the hardest settings. The AI in VF5FS more than any other AI in the VF series can prepare you to fight real players. The AI may not fight like every real player you will meet, but it does fight like many real players you will meet. So from the AI perspective VF5FS rocks. But there are problems, VF5FS does not keep win/loss statistics like the other VF games did in single player, also VF4 and VF4evo would keep a statiscal analysis of your game play in your profile. They dropped those stats in VF5 and now in VF5FS you don't even know how many wins or losses you've had in 2-player mode, or in single player mode. Gone is your PR comments and screen name in single player mode. Forget about recording any kind of fights in Single player mode. It aint happening. You could record Quest mode fights in VF4evo, you could record Arcade or Kumite fights in VF4. But you cannot record special sparring session fights in VF5FS or arcade mode fights in Single Player mode. Although the license mode does give you classes. The fact that you're C2 Class, or A1 class does not show up in 2-player fights or on line, so no-one will know about your class except you (which is okay) but it would be nice to have your class as part of your public profile.
    Recording replay in single player is also a very good training and learning technique. You can make mistakes playing the AI,
    by watching the replay you can see what those mistakes are. Not everyone wants to play 2-player or go online. There are ppl who buy VF for single player and enjoy playing against the AI. And enjoy leveling up against the AI. Whoops There is no leveling up against the AI in VF5FS. You can only have a rank online. Your Online Rank doesn't even show up in 2-player mode WTF! So Sega takes away my win/loss statistics in single player mode, Sega takes away my ability to rank up against the AI in single player mode. If I want to know how I'm doing against the AI all I have is the license classes and whether I've cleared the special sparring sessions.
    That's a bummer for fans of the SinglePlayer mode. Although all of the new character customizations are awesome for single player mode, the fact that you can no longer see your win/loss ratio in single player or two player mode, and you no longer have a rank in single player or two player mode, is a big step down for fans of the single player game. The new single player modes in VF5FS rock and are a welcome addition. The fact that you can't rank in single player against the AI and you can't record in single player special sparring or Arcade matches, and the fact that you don't even know what your win /loss ratio is in single player sux. Realistically Single player deserves 3 stars out of 5.

    Online Play: Here's where the PS3 version shines. This is the first time that online-play has been available for the PS3. So the fact that VF5FS has it and no other version for the PS3 had it means that VF5FS automatically wins in this category as far as the PS3 is concerned. Online chat capabilities in Ranked, Player, and Room matches is good, room matches with up to 8 players/spectators good. The fact that you can spectate and not fight at all is good. The fact that fighter ranks are not visible in player rooms awesome, this encourages everyone to stay in the room and at least try. If ranks were visible, you run the risk of someone say of the Warrior rank signing in and seeing a bunch of Shatterers and Assassins playing and then just signing out. Now everyone stays and in most cases at least tries. Netcode is as about as good as it gets for a fighting game. The online ranking system is awesome. Its good that KYU and Dan ranks are permanent, and that the name ranks are volatile. Although there should be someway to see highest rank held. I like the fact that you have to stay up on your game to keep your rank. But it sux that you can't see win/loss stats for the fighter you're facing. You can see his rank, I've not been able to find their win/loss. For example
    There was someone that had Warrior rank, and only 315 battle points. How the fuck is that even possible? What did the kind have a perfect record against only named ranks? Although I don't want my Win/Loss ratio to show up in online player matches I still would like to keep the statistic for my own personal use. The replay feature and automatic saving of the last game for online is awesome. But again what happened to are PR statements, and the ring names (even online) aren't consistent everywhere they need to be displayed. I also like how they give priority to the highest ranks in room matches. That's a nice touch. Since the online feature is new for the PS3 users and it is for the most part solid, with only a few snafus, Online deserves 4 out of 5 stars.


    Overall Comparison VF5FS compared to other VF 5 [​IMG]
    2-Player Mode 2 [​IMG]
    1-Player Mode 3 [​IMG]
    Online Mode 4 [​IMG]
    Forced DLC, Forced DL -1/2 [​IMG]

    Because of the really bare bones 2-player mode, argueably the most important mode of the game. , forced download in order to play special sparring modes, lack of compatiblity package for for DLC, but otherwise good game. IMO VF5FS deserves a 3 out of 5:

    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  10. Seidon

    Seidon The God of Battle walks alongside me! Content Mgr El Blaze

    PSN:
    SeidonVFDC
    XBL:
    SeidonVFDC
    Nice of you to clarify that.


    I don't think I've played enough to give a final verdict on the game but I will say:

    So far so good.


    The features in the game are neat, there are some things I miss from vanilla (item matches, quest mode in general, VF.TV) but I can do without them. The tuorial was pretty cool and useful, it doesn't last very long though.

    Gameplay wise I'm really liking it but that might just be because it all feels so new and fresh at the moment. I'll give this thread another look in a month or two and go into details then.
     
  11. FightClubHuBBs

    FightClubHuBBs Well-Known Member

    PSN:
    FightClubHuBBs
    XBL:
    FightClubHuBBs
  12. Seidon

    Seidon The God of Battle walks alongside me! Content Mgr El Blaze

    PSN:
    SeidonVFDC
    XBL:
    SeidonVFDC
    Nice review, HuBBS.

    I had a real nostalgia moment when I saw your RAmar avatar. I miss the tavern, wonder what happened to everyone.
     
  13. EmX

    EmX Well-Known Member

    Oh and the lobby system a bit weird and makes it very hard to invite people after the match rotation starts. You can't indicate to other people that you're waiting on people you invited...? This is bad on PSN where a lot fewer people have mics.
     
  14. Genesis

    Genesis Well-Known Member

    XBL:
    Genesis Malakh
    I didn't make this, but it's one I'm fond of.
     
  15. MAtteoJHDY

    MAtteoJHDY Well-Known Member

    Edge Magazine review, Im not creating new post, mod move it if necessary.

    http://www.edge-online.com/reviews/virtua-fighter-5-final-showdown-review

    There’s one word that sums up Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown: economy. In the literal sense, it’s great value for money, with the roster, modes, and online features of a full-price game for less than £10. More to the point, though, it flies in the face of modern fighting game conventions – there are no comeback mechanics to deploy, no super meters to manage and no teammate assists here. It uses half as many buttons as Capcom’s recent brawlers, and is easy to understand at a basic level, but despite all that Final Showdown is a fighting game of staggering, endless depth.

    If Street Fighter is an action game, Virtua Fighter is a simulation, and while Capcom has tweaked and iterated its signature series across two decades to the point where only its iconic cast and their special moves are recognisable, Virtua Fighter is much the same as it was when it debuted in 1993. Across its 19-character roster you’ll find interpretations of almost every fighting style in the world, and there’s a genuine difference between each character in terms of how they feel in the hands and in the ring. That’s not to say it’s even slightly realistic – like Tekken, its 3D brawler peer, there’s a heavy emphasis on juggles, with mastery of gravity-defying combos key to maximising openings – but its mechanics are largely grounded in fact. There are no projectiles, no gravity-defying spin kicks. It looks real.

    At least, it looks as real as a six-year-old game can. VF5 hit arcades in 2006 and consoles the following year, and Final Showdown is its second revision, released in Japanese arcades in 2010. Visually, then, it’s showing its age, but the bulk of the changes are to its mechanics. Aside from myriad tweaks to movesets and frame data – which make a world of difference to high-level players, but are barely noticeable to mere mortals – the principal change is to the throw escape system. In other fighting games, escaping (or ‘teching’) a throw means inputting a throw command when your opponent tries to grab you. That’s not technical enough for Sega AM2, though, so in the original VF5 you had to know which throw your foe was using, and input the correct joystick direction (from a choice of five) at the same time as the throw command. That, mercifully, has been simplified, and there are now just three directions – left, right, and neutral – to pick from, plus you can hold the punch and guard buttons down well in advance, tapping the appropriate direction when a throw comes in.

    The series’ three-button setup – one each for punch, kick, and guard – means that, despite its high technical bar, it’s easy to pick up and play. But even with such a meagre allowance of inputs, each character has a hundred-odd moves, and combo timings are pleasingly relaxed. Pre-canned combos such as PPPK can be easily modified with taps in a single direction, so you can make the kick at the end of the combo low instead of high, for instance, to keep an opponent guessing.

    This is perhaps best exemplified by Jean Kujo, one of the two ‘new’ characters (only Jean is brand new, hulking Sumo wrestler Taka-Arashi having first appeared in Virtua Fighter 3). He’s a karate fighter seemingly modelled on Devil May Cry’s Dante, and can charge certain moves by holding a button down. When fully charged, a move does more damage or keeps opponents in blockstun for longer, but a canny foe will soon learn to spot him charging up, and either dodge out of the way or launch an attack of their own. How handy, then, that Jean can cancel his charge, tricking his opponent into expecting a slow, high kick and preempting his opponent’s response with a backdash or quick, low jab.

    There are little nuances like this that add a dash of extra character to all the fighters. Shun Di, the drunken master, swigs from a flask over the course of a match, growing more powerful as he becomes tipsy. Taka-Arashi is tough to knock down, while his heft dictates that your juggle combos won’t work. Vanessa Lewis picked up a wide range of damaging counter-holds during her time as a security guard, meaning mixing up your attacks against her is a necessity.

    Until the recent Skullgirls, PS2’s Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution was unchallenged in having the best tutorial in fighting game history. Sadly, Final Showdown doesn’t quite go to the same lengths, but it explains the various mechanics and has you try them out. License mode, the meat of the singleplayer component, also sets specific win conditions to ensure you understand what you’re doing. And In Training mode, there’s an option to display frame data, showing your advantage after certain moves so you can work out combos of your own with a little mental arithmetic rather than guesswork.

    That Final Showdown offers all of the above using just three buttons is a vindication of AM2’s decision to adhere to the original game’s template. Fans will readily decry the adverse effects of Capcom’s endless tinkering, and Final Showdown shows that there’s something to be said for economy of design, for an almost minimalist approach to making a fighting game. It should be noted that VF5 came out two years before Capcom reinvented, and repopularised, fighting games with its focus on giving beginner players a chance against old hands with Street Fighter IV’s Ultra Combos and later Marvel Vs Capcom’s X-Factor. Others have followed suit, too: witness Soul Calibur V’s Critical Edge meter, and Mortal Kombat’s violent X-Rays.

    We suspect that Sega might have been tempted to join in if work on VF5 had started a little later. But it didn’t – and, if anything, modern context casts Final Showdown in an even better light. 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. [9]
     
  16. Genesis

    Genesis Well-Known Member

    XBL:
    Genesis Malakh
    That's a good one. I'm rather fond of these reviews that don't try to pin a number on a detailed assessment of a game's quality and entertainment level. It just seems counter-productive, these days.
     
  17. El_Twelve

    El_Twelve Well-Known Member

    VF5FS takes me back to a time when games were games. Compared to any other recently released game, this is bare bones stuff. You pick a character and smash people's faces, while they try and smash yours.

    You're not playing to unlock some crazy end-game reward, or to experience some badly contrived storyline. Here's a game you play for the fun of playing the game. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's a game that sells itself on gameplay and not that other stuff.
     
  18. Genesis

    Genesis Well-Known Member

    XBL:
    Genesis Malakh
    I think a lot of the more negative reviewers seem to forget that this is being released as an "arcade" title. Or digital arcade. You get me. That it even has multiple modes would be a genuine surprise in an actual arcade setting. I think there's been too much comparison to other console fighters with all their mini games and story modes and whatnot.

    That said, I think that whatever form Virtua Fighter 6 takes, I can't say I wouldn't be happy to see a story mode.
     
  19. CRASHEM8000

    CRASHEM8000 Well-Known Member

    I just want to give a detailing of my thoughts on VF5FS, being a VF fan since '93 (when I was a toddler) and always considering VF to be the greatest game series of all time. And I'm sure that most of you will agree with the points I make, seeing as I've already read most of these reviews and seen viewpoints I share! Hopefully this doesn't cause a massive string of tl;dr.

    Having played both versions, 360 and PS3, I can safely speak of both. Therefore, I'll speak of the game in-general, making nods to each version when necessary. Also, I won't be scoring any individual categories, or even overall. Scores are too subjective.

    To begin, I have to say amazing job to Sega for putting this game out for such a low price; VF5FS is DEFINITELY a full, rounded-out game, and for only $15 (and free for Playstation Plus members), it's really a steal, and motivated a great deal of VF-players and non-VF-players alike to buy the game. Likewise, the DLC packs equaling up to the same amount makes an overall $30 purchase if you choose to get the complete package. Even then, you can simply buy the DLC for the characters you choose, which allows you to see everyone's custom costumes whilst only making them for your preferred characters.

    And speaking of the characters, I'm -very- pleased with Sega's handling of them in this iteration; they have more personality than ever before, and in a series where the fighting does the talking, it's kind of a big deal. A great deal of emphasis was put on humor, which helps to take advantage of the fantastical items and infamous voice acting we've all grown to love.
    The addition of Jean Kujo and the return of Taka-Arashi were handled amazingly; Virtua Fighter never had a karateka before, but he feels like he was always there. He even brings a cool, 'modern' feel to the cast with his animations and moveset. The return of Taka is, in my opinion, awesome, and I definitely missed him, as did many other fans. His physics aren't too jarring, and it's great that they made him FEEL weighty without FORCING it. His updated moveset is also great, and he even looks and acts a bit 'older' than he did in VF3.
    The returning characters all feel great. Sega managed to simplify and streamline every character's movelist without blatantly dumbing them down (like Soulcalibur V), and no one character is 'too simple' or 'too difficult.' Everyone has their own individual learning curve, and there are more interpretations to their fighting styles than ever before. An amazing thing, in my opinion, about VF is the fact that no two players are alike. Even with only three buttons, there is an endless number of playstyles, and every character is unique, unlike a lot of recent games with mimic characters (sans Dural, although she has a moveset), palette swaps (to this day), Unlimited versions, etc.

    Now, regarding gameplay, I'm extremely pleased. There seems to be a trend in fighting games lately where every game must have a comeback mechanic (Rage Mode in Tekken, the Soul Gauge in Soulcalibur, X-Factor in MvC, the Revenge Gauge in Street Fighter, etc.); I've heard personally from VF'ers that the only comeback mechanic in VF is to practice. Just this fact alone helps elevate VF to a higher level, and gives motivation to newer players and players that wish to improve. Much like real martial arts, the only way to proceed in rank and apply the things you've learned is by -learning them,- and with the Dojo Mode and the various Single Player modes (License Challenge, Special Sparring, Score Attack, etc.), anyone can learn how to hang with the other fighters. Personally, I enjoyed the tutorial, as it went over mechanics and tactics I'd not thought of before, such as basic fuzzy guarding, and it also helped with basic throw escaping tactics, as well as much more. Although I myself would have liked more lessons (like the character and opponent-specific exercises from Evo), I've seen proof that the tutorial on FS isn't too daunting to new players, and helps them become acclimated to the game.
    Regarding the changed animations, physics, and throw system, I'm pleased. The game still feels like VF, and looks like VF, and plays like VF, but it's still pushing the bar upward. The game is lightning-fast, and I actually had a bit of trouble getting used to it at first (and now that I am, I'm having trouble getting used to slower games again), but it's incredibly smooth and well thought-out. The fact that the animation was retooled completely is great, and unlike Vanilla, the fighters don't look afraid to hurt each other (I'm guessing last time, the motion capturers were playing it safe against each other?), and it really shines with more violent characters such as Goh and Jeffry. The new reaction animations give so much 'ouch factor,' and it is very obvious which attacks hurt and how badly. There are also new properties in matches, such as backdash staggers and the improved side counter system, the new jumping system, and the return of VF3-style blocking (in which spin kicks and other big moves give a visible advantage/disadvantage when blocked, and causing the attacker to interrupt their move), which all help make hit properties more obvious without screaming them out to you.

    Moving on to sound, I'm happy with the direction they took for the most part; although some of the effects are dated, they're part of the VF 'sound,' and really can't be removed. The new effects are pretty great, though. The louder, more obvious blocking sound effect does its job well, and the new contact sounds are extremely powerful and help convey more of the aforementioned 'ouch factor.' The music is -okay,- but thankfully, you can change to classic VF soundtracks (1, 2, 3, 4, Evo, 5, and 5R), and each song corresponds to the stage of the character it belongs to (although, I'm curious as to why certain stages bounce between different editions when a character wasn't present in a certain game). Some specific songs are missing (such as the Chicago theme from VF2, for example), but overall, the fact that you can move back to older soundtracks is a welcome addition, and seems to be a nice trend in fighting games in-general.

    As for the graphics, they are, in my opinion, the best in fighting games right now. Even after Soulcalibur dazzled me with its improved engine, I feel like VF jumped right back in and stole the spotlight back. The mistakes in Vanilla's graphics were fixed and/or covered up, (such as the crunchy textures in the backgrounds being smoothed-out or covered with fog), and character faces were tuned-up to show more movement than before. Every customization item looks consistent with the graphical style, and the amounts of different clothing materials and shiny things look amazing. Add unto that improved lighting and glow effects, and you have a game that really shows that, despite its age, a few tweaks can make it hang with the new titles. A small complaint I have, however, is that certain characters' eyebrows don't change color with their hair. That's such a tiny complaint, though, that it causes no detriment to the game; it just bothers me a little.

    Now, the online is a huge step forward. Virtua Fighter needed lobbies from the get-go, and the fact that they're finally here is amazing! I enjoy that there's several online options (Ranked, Player, and Room Matches), although Player Matches seems a little redundant, since in all other games, they're just what VF's Room Matches are. Of course, there's the requisite Quick Game, Custom Game, and Create Game, where Quick Game immediately sets you up with any available fighter(s), Custom Game puts you into a lobby-of-sorts with other waiting players where you can look at their connections and ranks (if applicable), and Create Game being obvious (although you can set the parameters for joining players and dictate whether or not Dural can be used). The netcode is pretty great, and even with not-so-ideal connection, there's little-to-no lag, and it's very easy to find strong connections. Also, this time around, you can change your character on the fly! Vanilla needed that very badly, so I'm glad FS delivers in that regard, and lists each character in pages of 4.
    Now, some issues I have with connections are the fact that, while you wait for the game to confirm them, you cannot reload the list, and that when there IS lag, it's very debilitating. But, these things are unavoidable, and I can't hold it against Sega.
    What I -can- hold against them, though, is the lack of a Kick function in Room Matches. If an annoying or laggy player shows up, there's nothing you can do except simply ask them to leave, and even then, there's no guarantee that they'll listen. So, I've found that my VF friends and I have had to move to an entirely new room to deal with it. Also, the wait timer is a little too long, although necessary. I do wish it were 15 or 20 seconds instead of that full 30 (plus an extra 5 to start the match). Overall, though, the improved Online is much-welcomed and was much-needed!

    Hopefully, I didn't forget anything, but to summarize:

    Pros:
    -Low price for the game and the DLC!
    -New-and-improved game systems and functionality
    -Re-hauled movelists/animations
    -New sound effects add to the ouch factor
    -Vastly-improved Online play
    -Great tutorial and single-player modes for new/offline players
    -Amazing customization and a good dose of humor added with items

    Cons:
    -Lacking a few lessons/exercises Evo gave
    -Connection status searches can only be canceled, not redone on the fly
    -No Kick function in Room Matches
    -Long pre-match timer in Room Matches
    -A few inconsistencies with customization items

    Overall, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown is the VF game we've all been waiting for, and it shows, with emphasis, that VF is not dead.
     
  20. Libertine

    Libertine Well-Known Member Content Manager Brad Silver Supporter Content Coordinator

    Major praise for using a scale of 1-5 with no half points. The only thing I'd say is that a 5 shouldn't represent perfection, it should represent excellence. No game is perfect. Therefore, a game with standout flaws can still be a 5. The console version of FS has its flaws, but I think I'll be giving it a 5/5 in my upcoming review.
     

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