Virtua
Fighter 4
REVIEW: With Virtua Fighter 4, Sega brought the series back to it's roots,
ditching the multi-tiered backgrounds from VF3 and re-introducing the square
shaped rings from the likes of the original VF and VF2. In
addition, certain stages now featured walls, opening up all new strategy to the
tried and true gameplay.
All of the characters from the previous installment make the return with the
exception of the Sumo wrestler Taka-Arashi, and in Virtua Fighter tradition, of course "two" new characters
were added to the roster. The newcomers are Lei
Fei (a Shaolin monk with a dynamic and flowing fighting style) and Vanessa
(a badass Vale Tudo chick who's a little rough around the edges). The new
characters bring some solid variety and also some much needed personality to the
series.
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Virtua
Fighter 4 character selection screen.
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Also staying
true to the series' traditions, the graphics are nothing short of amazing.
Character models are superbly detailed and show off some of the best clothing
details & effects to date.
Character faces are also some of the most detailed we've seen in a fighting
game, as each
character has a variety of facial animations.
Several stages also have cool graphical effects that interact with the
fighters, such as snow on the ground, rain puddles, and breaking tiles on the
ground. The graphics aren't perfect though, as certain stage textures are
at a notably lower resolution than others, but overall VF4 is a very
very pretty game.
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Gorgeous stages, visual effects, and character models!
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The gameplay
is as deep and as solid as you'd expect from the series... like in any quality 3D fighting game, button mashing
won't do you any good here. There are some odd "ground juggles" that can
be pulled off, but overall VF4's gameplay is beautiful to watch and
rewarding to master. The
sidestepping game and wall game is solid... but possibly a bit "slow" when compared to some other 3D fighters
out there (which has it's pros and cons).
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Easily one of the best-looking PS2 fighting
games.
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The home port of VF4 on PS2 debuts the all new Kumite mode where players fight one computer controlled
opponent after another. Though winning ranked matches, players can advance
through the ranks and can also collect a wide variety of
customizable items such as clothing colors and attire to change the look
of your fighters! Awesome!
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| Page Updated: |
September 6th, 2021
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| Developer(s): |
Sega-AM2 |
| Publisher(s): |
Sega
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| Designer(s): |
Yu Suzuki
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| Platform(s): |
Arcade, PlayStation 2
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| Release Date(s): |
2001
Arcade
Jan. 31st, 2002  PS2
Mar. 17th, 2002  PS2
May 10th, 2002  PS2
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| Characters: |
Akira Yuki,
Sarah Bryant, Jacky Bryant,
Kage,
Lau Chan,
Jeffry McWild,
Wolf Hawkfield,
Pai Chan,
Shun,
Lion Rafale,
Aoi Umenokouji,
Vanessa Lewis,
Lei-Fei, Dural
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Featured Video:
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| Related Games: |
Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution, Virtua
Fighter, Virtua Fighter Remix, Virtua
Fighter 2, Virtua Fighter Kids, Virtua
Fighter 3,
Virtua
Fighter 5, Virtua Fighter 5 R, Virtua
Fighter 5 Final Showdown,
VF5: Ultimate Showdown, Fighting
Vipers, Fighting Vipers 2, Fighters
Megamix, Last Bronx, TEKKEN
4,
TEKKEN 5
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Gameplay
Engine
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9.5 / 10
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Story
/ Theme
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6.5 / 10
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Overall
Graphics
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10 / 10
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Animation
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9.5 / 10
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Music
/ Sound Effects
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7.5 / 10
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Innovation
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8.0 / 10
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Art Direction
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8.0 / 10
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Customization
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9.5 / 10
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Options / Extras
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9.5 / 10
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Intro / Presentation
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6.5 / 10
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Replayability / Fun
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8.5 / 10
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"Ouch" Factor
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8.5 / 10
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Characters
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8.0 / 10
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BOTTOM LINE
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9.0
/
10
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Review based on PS2
version
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| Final
Words: |
Virtua Fighter 4 was easily the best and most polished installment in the series to date. For those who got to play it at arcades (rare in the U.S.), VF4 was a captivating 3D fighting game. The eventual PS2 version was a great port and definitely a fighting game worth playing.
Nearly a year after VF4, Sega released VF4: Evolution
which built upon VF4's foundation, added new characters, moves, and stages... and was an incredible sequel. VF4's Kumite mode, ranks, and customizations options were very innovative for the time - later to be used and evolved in other 3D fighting games such as TEKKEN 5.
~TFG
Webmaster
| @Fighters_Gen
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