Historically important but dated fighter
Virtua Fighter is notable for being the first one-on-one beat 'em up which brought the genre into 3D as well as its use of real-world fighting techniques rather than the commonly used fantasy-style moves of competitors like Street Fighter 2. Fortunately, the game's historical importance is not the only thing it has going for it, and it remains a fun and fluid fighter. The basic premise of Virtua Fighter is the same as every other such game and pits a variety of combatants against each other in a series of bouts that simply require them to knock the living daylights out of each other. There are eight fighters to choose from here each with the usual variety of punches and kicks and with plenty of combinations being possible, while battles take place against a number of different backdrops to add some visual variety. In terms of graphics, while Virtua Fighter was undoubtedly groundbreaking back in the day, it sadly now looks rather dated, with block and plainly detailed characters which are more comical than anything else. The gameplay itself though stands up somewhat better, with fighting that offers strategy and action in equal measure, while the sound is equally impressive. If you're used to the likes of Street Fighter 2 or Mortal Kombat though, the slower pace may be hard to adjust to as the game's slightly more realistic nature lends it a more thoughtful aspect. Apart from this though, this remains a enjoyable and slick fighter that is worth checking out for historians and fighting fans alike.
