Quick Byte – Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown

Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is a fighting game that is for truly skilled fighters. Precise timing on blocks and attacks is required, with each fighter having a huge list of combos and button mashing will only get a player so far in this game that focuses heavily on competition.  

As with a lot of fighting games, it was originally released on an arcade machine and was then ported to the PlayStation 3 in February 2007. This is actually the second remaster of Virtua Fighter 5 and while there are marginal improvements to the character models, it is not anything I would call drastic.  

Once the player is in the main menu their playing options are as follows:  

• Ranked Match – Play online against other players to gain online rank.  
• Room Match – Enter a room with a number of players that can chat and fight against each other.  
• Training – Offers a tutorial, command training and free training to become a better fighter.  
• Offline Versus – Connect a second controller and fight locally against friends and family.  
• Arcade – Fight against CPU opponents.  

The right-hand side of the main menu showcases previous fights between players, and it is interesting to watch how different players approach combat. Spectating fights is as important to learning how to master controls as training is.  

There are nineteen fighters in the roster and each of them have a unique fighting style that has a more realistic representation of martial arts than most other fighting games. Virtua Fighter has a simple three-button fighting method, with punch, kick and block, though the complexity that each fighter offers in the way of combos is exceptional. It is not the kind of title where the player can move from fighter to fighter and expect a good result each time. Each fighter and their style have to be learnt over time and with fantastic training options, over time any fighter can be mastered.  

The few online matches I had were against similar ranked players and though I had a full bar connection there was quite a bit of lag on a couple which makes it a bit difficult to fight when it requires a lot of precise inputting. I am not sure the size of the game’s current player base but there was only ever a short wait to find an opponent in ranked.  

The arcade mode is a good way to learn how each fighter handles as the player has the ability to customise the difficulty, health, round count and time limit. The player can also enter the menu at any time during a fight to check their fighters command list and lay a mean combo on their opponent. The player fights opponents one by one until they compete in a final “Bonus Stage” where, if the opponent is beaten, the credits roll. The single player is without any sort of story and it is a serious blow to players that enjoy fighting games but, like myself, are not very skilled and end up getting demolished on an online stage.  

Brando for One More Game Au

7 – Good – This is an all-round solid game that delivers some features really well. It’s a game that most gamers will likely enjoy. If you’re not a fan of the game or genre then you may want to wait for a deal before picking it up.

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Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown was reviewed on a PlayStation 5 and is available for free to all PS Plus members until the end of June.

All thoughts on this game are ours and ours alone.