Xbox 360 fans were probably not best pleased when they thought that Virtua Fighter 5 was going to be a Playstation 3 exclusive, after all we are talking about one of the most popular fighter series of all time. So now that the Xbox 360 version has hit our shores, with the added bonus of online play, how should those same Xbox 360 fans feel now?
Virtua Fighter has always been a difficult game to master, if like me you are in the habit of bashing any old button whenever you try a new fighter game then you probably won’t get very far, the reason for this is it requires you to learn the multitude of combos the game has on offer in order for you to be able to compete against the best, though thankfully the learning is part of the fun.
Virtua Fighter 5 offers a good choice of features to get you started, there is the usual Arcade and Vs. modes and to offer something a little different you have the Quest mode and Dojo (training).
The Dojo is probably the ideal place for beginners to start, within here you will be able to practice combos and various other techniques, you are also able to play a timed combo game where you try to do all the different combos as quickly as possible while the relevant commands flash up on the screen, a few hours in the Dojo will certainly set you up nicely for the challenges ahead. The Quest mode is quite an interesting idea, here you travel to various arcades and challenge the world’s best players earning money for new items and character upgrades as you go, this is a very addictive part of the game as it allows you to fight a large variety of AI characters all while unlocking new modifications for your fighter and increasing in rank.
Thankfully the best thing about Virtua Fighter 5 is the fighting, once you manage to learn at least some of the combos on offer it is a very rewarding experience, the fights between your character and the AI opponents are also very balanced, meaning that whatever character you choose, it should not be a one sided affair. One of the only criticisms I have of the game is that sometimes it is too easy to punch your opponent constantly, run and repeat in order to win a match, although ramping the difficulty up does seem to help matters slightly.
It is hard to imagine how Playstation 3 owners must have felt when the online mode was given the go ahead for the Xbox 360 version because this is certainly a major inclusion. Xbox Live has always been a major player in everything the Xbox 360 does and Virtua Fighter 5 online shows why, the whole experience is virtually lag free. The ranked matches allow you to increase your characters rank online, starting at 10th Kyu and working your way up to 10th Dan, it will take a while for you to do this but playing online is so much fun that the time will fly by. Should a ranked match not be your thing you are also able to set up normal player match which will have no effect on the rankings.
The arenas in Virtua Fighter 5 are quite varied and while they are not completely interactive they do provide you with some obstacles for you to use to your advantage, such as the large cages and fences that surround some of the arenas, while others are completely open, allowing you to knock your opponent off the battle area which gives you an automatic win.
Graphically the game looks fantastic, the character animation cannot be flawed, with all of their flowing clothing and hair blowing in the wind and any movements they make being as smooth as you could wish for, the backgrounds are also fairly impressive and varied so combining all of this makes for a impressive site.
There is no doubt that Virtua Fighter 5 kicks every other fighter on the Xbox 360 into submission. It offers an impressive range of characters, great looks and a brilliant online mode, which is both fun and addictive. If you only want to get one fighter for your Xbox 360 then this is the one you want.
