Bonkers!! PAL Virtua Fighter 4 review at C&VG

WOW! Check out the review at http://www.computerandvideogames.com

Looks like it\'s the \'greatest fighter ever\' GO SEGA

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/r/?domain=&feed=index&page=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/news/news_story.php?id=25773

9 out of 10

Sounds good to me! I\'m gonna have to play both this and Tekken before I decide which one tho!

FUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!! I just wanted to start with page 2 when suddenly "Your Guest privileges for today have expired".

Can anyone paste the article here? Would be very kind... thanks.

Phil

EDIT: Never mind, I registered and went through the hassle.

For those who don\'t want to read through the whole review or can\'t (or too lazy) access it, here are some pits and peaces out of the review that I found to be very interesting:

This focus on defence is best seen in VF4\'s counter moves. By hitting the right combination of buttons, players can deftly deflect strikes and leave their fighter in an ideal position to land the next punch. However, aggressors with lightning reflexes can also reverse these counters, outwitting their opponent\'s block to land an unexpected hit. If you want to see a reversal in action, check out Dance Of Death).

Virtua Fighter 4\'s defensive bent can also be seen in many of its offensive moves. Like Tekken, the action in VF4 is largely based around short three- to four-move combos, which can be used to unleash anything from a flurry of punches to a knockout blow. However, using low punches in Virtua Fighter 4 is an ideal defence against high attacks, disabling opponents as they lunge forward for a head strike. Other offensive moves in Virtua Fighter 4 can be used defensively, again setting Sega\'s cerebral brawler aside from its brutish peers.

Other differences between Virtua Fighter 4 and the majority of fighting games are that it places a greater emphasis on throws (they do more damage than in Tekken, for example), almost all the action is rooted to the ground (aerial attacks are largely unimportant) and juggles are more situation-specific and require considerable skill to pull off (so no more cheesy victories, eh?).

Although Virtua Fighter 4 boasts some of the most sophisticated and intense action ever seen in a fighting game, it\'s not the game mechanics which weave you into the experience. Instead, VF4 boasts some of the best graphics ever seen in a combat title and the most incredibly animated characters on a home console. The attention to detail here is quite staggering, especially when you look at the fighters themselves. Drunken master Shun is definitely our favourite. When the camera zooms in at the end of a battle to show his victory celebration, you can clearly see the old souse\'s red, sunken eyes, crimson boozer\'s nose and leathery face wrinkled with years of alcohol abuse. You\'ll actually believe that Shun is suffering from the mother of all hangovers. The wispy strands of hair around the sides of his shiny head and his long, white beard blow in the wind, these intimate details helping to create a videogame character who blurs the boundaries between fantasy and reality.

But facial details aren\'t just limited to the flashy intros. Instead, expressions of pain, anger, frustration and shock flash across the fighters\' faces as they battle, adding extra pace and emotion to the matches. Believe us, you\'ll almost feel the pain when one of your characters winces as they\'re brutally slammed against a wall.
Even the attention to detail on the characters\' clothing is amazing. The high-kicking Pai wears the robes of an eastern princess – all flowing silks and delicate stitching – which wave, flap and float convincingly as she weaves around the arena. The costume detail extends as far as Pai\'s accessories, with her pigtails wrapped in intricate golden braids. She even has the matching ruby earrings. Pai\'s one classy chick.

But more startling than its attention to detail is VF4\'s character animation. Even though each fighter has dozens of different moves, the transition between attacks in the heat of battle is fluid and seamless. There\'s no uncomfortable jerking as the fighters swap between defensive and offensive moves, again creating the illusion that you\'re watching two kung fu masters on video, rather than a fancy selection of textured polygons.

Virtua Fighter 4\'s amazing characters have been given incredible worlds to exist in, stunning backdrops which are guaranteed to take your breath away. Before you battle Lei Fei in his mountainside dojo, a huge flock of birds swoops around the arena, with smaller clusters whirling around overhead as the battle unfolds. In Wolf\'s underground base, dozens of spectators jump and whoop on the periphery of the battleground, cheering their champion as the hostilities escalate. And in Pai\'s glass-walled, underwater chamber, there are schools of fish darting about in the sea all around you, completely oblivious to the ultra-violence unfolding before them.

In terms of options, Virtua Fighter 4 is stacked with enough modes and challenges to keep players busy for a lifetime. Aside from the normal one-player Arcade and Versus multiplayer modes, the new Kumite challenge aims to replicate the experience of playing VF4 in a Japanese arcade, with an endless stream of fighters queuing up to challenge you. Unlike traditional survival modes, each of the fighters in Kumite is named after one of the game\'s coders or a famous Japanese Virtua Fighter player, making you feel as if you\'re fighting real people, rather than cold, computer-controlled clones.

The AI System option is essentially a souped-up training mode where you can hone your skills against other fighters, but it also allows you to develop your favourite characters and win new costumes and items for them to use. There\'s also a dedicated Training mode on offer, with several different options which allow you learn moves, spar with the computer or even solve special puzzles with your fists. With 13 basic characters to master, a wealth of options and countless secrets to unlock, VF4 certainly offers great longevity and a lasting challenge.

As you\'ll have guessed if you\'ve read this far, we\'re rather excited by this game. Although no one\'s suggesting that Tekken Tag or Dead or Alive 2 aren\'t awesome fighting games, VF4 is a much deeper and more rewarding experience, quite unlike other hand-to-hand combat titles you may have played before.
Virtua Fighter 4 has taken Sega\'s series a million steps forward in terms of environments, animation and presentation, but the coders\' decision to take a few strategic backward steps towards the simple style of Virtua Fighter 2 has helped to create a faster, more exciting game which will instantly appeal to Tekken and Dead or Alive nuts. It won\'t be long before other fighting sequels begin battling for your cash, but Virtua Fighter 4 will be a very tough act to follow.

I am pleased to hear that these guys like the game. I hope it lives up to the high expetations (especially the graphics) of us gamers in the states and europe - but this is already a good sign.

sounds sweet, but ill have to play this , tekken 4, and soul calibre to see what is best.


i found soul blade, the most enjoyable in 1p mode, i know fighters as good in 1p, but my bros moved out, so i have no one to fight anymore, apart from when my friends come round, but it aint the same, we would fight for hours at atime

There wont even be a contest between T4 and VF4 , VF4 will beat on it so bad, from the DVD footage Ive seen TF4 doesnt compare. VF4 is much!!!!!!! more detailed, has much better gfx, has better effects, has faster and more fluid gameplay, basically it rocks ( from what ive seen ) , I have had it on pre order for awhile so I cant wait for my copy of VF4 to be delivered March 30th

They actually say that the graphics is the best they\'ve seen in ANY fighter yet. Dead or Alive 3 is dethroned finally by a console that many regarded as inferior or no better than the dreamcast;) If Sega made hardware the way they make software, they would be unbeatable...

I\'ve heard nothing but good about this game. Same with Tekken. So far I think im slightly more towards getting this game. Either way we\'re going to get a decent fighting game - probably two or more.

It wasn\'t Sega\'s hardware that doomed them. It was their past rep and Sony\'s success and hype.

Originally posted by RichG
I\'ve heard nothing but good about this game. Same with Tekken. So far I think im slightly more towards getting this game. Either way we\'re going to get a decent fighting game - probably two or more.

You obviously missed my posts mate lol...
I don\'t like it at all. but thats just me
Carry on...

Originally posted by FluKe
They actually say that the graphics is the best they\'ve seen in ANY fighter yet. Dead or Alive 3 is dethroned finally by a console that many regarded as inferior or no better than the dreamcast;) If Sega made hardware the way they make software, they would be unbeatable...

I think that if you had them running side by side then you would
probably disagree on CVG\'s comments about the Graphics.
Gameplay wise, i think VF4 has the advantage, but it doesn\'t
beat DOA3 in the graphics department.

But hey, what do i know.

Originally posted by Heat
There wont even be a contest between T4 and VF4 , VF4 will beat on it so bad, from the DVD footage Ive seen TF4 doesnt compare. VF4 is much!!!!!!! more detailed, has much better gfx, has better effects, has faster and more fluid gameplay, basically it rocks ( from what ive seen ) , I have had it on pre order for awhile so I cant wait for my copy of VF4 to be delivered March 30th

But remember, graphic isnt  everything. I cant choose between the 2 games....... so I buy em both, simple as that

i\'ve had vf2 on sega saturn... it\'s nice, but it\'s more for maniacs. not exactly action-oriented, you have to learn tons of combinations and memorize lots of stuff... it is too deep. i prefer doa2. will see about vf4, but i have 1 in mind

FluKe

If Sega made hardware the way they make software, they would be unbeatable...

This is true!!!

I eagerly await VF4 when it releases stateside March 22nd.

[Bobs_Hardware]

Originally posted by Upass
i\'ve had vf2 on sega saturn... it\'s nice, but it\'s more for maniacs. not exactly action-oriented, you have to learn tons of combinations and memorize lots of stuff... it is too deep. i prefer doa2. will see about vf4, but i have 1 in mind

you\'ll find if you sit down and actually memorize those moves in games such as Tekken or Virtua Fighter.. the game is 20x more rewarding than a DoA game.. thats my opinion, but whenever i get a friend to eventualy sit down and learn, they always have turned their opinion into thinking Tekken Tag is the best fighter ever.. you need to learn, then you will have GREAT fun