Virtua Fighter 5

Low Punch

And that's your lot - which leaves a rather gaping hole, of course, a gaping hole shaped a bit like a network socket. VF5 totally lacks any form of network functionality; you can't play the game online, but you can't do fun stuff like training an AI character and sending him off to fight your friends or any such thing, either. Frankly, it's a shocking omission from the game. While we can overlook the dropping of much of the window dressing that accompanies more mass-market titles like Soul Calibur, online functionality could have added a lot to this game for hardcore players and more casual gamers alike. SEGA's reasoning for dropping online play is simple - the lag would have destroyed the gameplay, they claim, and if they say so, we can accept that. Not bothering to exploit any of the potential of online, on the other hand, stings badly.

There are some other pieces of window dressing which games like Soul Calibur have introduced that Virtua Fighter completely ignores, too. The game does offer plenty of unlockable content, and there are all manner of accessories and extra costumes to pick up as you move through the various Quest tournaments and ranks - but the complete lack of a proper storyline mode, and the paucity of match setup options compared to the likes of Soul Calibur or Dead Or Alive, will not endear this game to more casual players. VF fans won't even notice they're not there - that's not why they play VF, and in defence of the game, it's not what it sets out to do.

As such, that's not reallly a criticism, so much as a Caveat Emptor. All the gushing about the beautiful, intricate fighting system shouldn't disguise one key fact; this is not a game which the majority of people will like much. It is designed to sate the needs of a specific audience, and it does it brilliantly, but despite vague overtures towards accessibility (such as the rather good Dojo), this remains a game which you don't pick up and play and enjoy. You pick it up, play it, get frustrated, and if you're of the right mentality, you then learn it, and keep on learning it, and get good at it - and then you enjoy it.

One thing you can enjoy from the outset, at least, is the graphical splendour of the game. The characters, particularly, look wonderful - with fluid movements, billowing cloth and hair, and realistic facial animations. Realistic apart from the mouths, anyway, which are a bit artificial looking, but it's still a cut above anything we've seen in other beat 'em up titles. The environments, too, are impressively lush and detailed. The game sacrifices looks for playability - as usual - by confining the action to a traditional ring rather than allowing people to be punched through walls and out windows, as in Dead or Alive. However, it makes up for it by having beautiful backdrops and lovely environment effects, like fog which rolls over the stones of the fighting arena in some stages.

The whole thing runs at 720p - sadly, there's no 1080p support - and maintains a perfectly steady framerate throughout, which is impressive for a game which moves this fast. We were less impressed with the audio, though, not least because of some of the worst English voice acting we've ever heard. This is at least confined to a couple of lines before and after each match, but it's enough to make you cringe every time; bad enough to be awful, not quite bad enough to be funny. The music, too, is unremarkable, and tends towards the crap instrumental rock which SEGA's composers have seemed to have a love affair with for the last five years. The sooner that engagement gets broken off, the better.

Throw!

Weighing VF5 in the balance is tricky. As was stated at the outset, this as much a religion as a game; it inspires fervour and dedication in its followers, and we can see why. The mechanics of this game are as close to perfection as any fighting game can come. It is brutal and unforgiving, yet beautiful and intricate; it marries speed and strategy where most games must choose one over the other. In almost every way, VF5 is a worthy, welcome and brilliantly implemented evolution of its highly regarded predecessors. This is the game arcade sticks were invented for.

On the other hand, despite the high score which a game of this quality absolutely demands, the simple fact is that many of you reading won't enjoy Virtua Fighter 5, and shouldn't buy it. This is not a game which welcomes new players; it's not a game which is designed to be picked up when you come home from the pub with a couple of mates and want some good beat 'em up fun. It doesn't have the immediacy of Dead or Alive, the panache of Soul Calibur, or the accessibility of Tekken. It totally lacks the canny sense of fun over competition which those three share.