Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3)
This fighting series, which is challenging and has some great
characters,
is definitely up there with Tekken and Soul Caliber, but has it kept its
place with this version, and does it get the best out of the new PS3?
Gameplay: 78%
The gameplay
is fun, as you can’t button bash like most other fighting games, but it
helps if you have played one of the previous versions of the game as it’s
not very beginner friendly. The game has the usual modes, from the quick
fight ‘Arcade’ mode, a ‘PvP’ mode where you can challenge your
friends (offline), and a ‘Quest’ mode which is the main character based
single player mode.
There are many different characters to choose from in the game, and they all have around a hundred different combo moves each, which is good given that there are basically only three buttons (moves) you can use (guard, punch and kick).
There is one huge problem with this game though as I think it is very challenging, in fact it is almost too hard. There are two sets of skill rankings for your character, Kyu and Dan. You start of as 10th Kyu and work your way to 1st Kyu, before starting on your Dan’s. It is when you get to 1st Dan where the game gets really hard as you have to fight opponents of 5th Dan, and even 10th Dan. This is when I really struggled as the computer opponents seems to block everything you try to do, and then they do a mass combination of strikes back on you. To have a chance of winning, your must therefore master your characters moves, however the easy ones are hard to master, while the hard ones are virtually impossible. Overall, while I think this game can be fun at times, it is a bit too hard.
Graphics: 98%
The game may
be hard to play, but it looks great as the graphics are absolutely amazing.
In the previous PS2 versions of the game the graphics were getting better
each time, and the makers have done a great job here as they take full
advantage of the PS3. The characters look real while the background scenery
is great, and overall there is nothing bad to say about the graphics.
Sound: 78%
The sound
effects are pretty much the same as they were in the PS2 versions of the
game. This is a little disappointing as I had hoped they would be better.
The background music is okay, but the fighting sounds are nothing special.
Online: None, which was a shame.
Value:
74%
The long term
value of the game is summed up by the fact that I have already traded it in
for another PS3 game!
Conclusion:
While the
graphics in this game are superb, a game needs a lot more than good graphics
if it wants to be a success. Given how good the previous versions were, and
the competition from other similar games, Virtua Fighter 5 was a bit of a
disappointment.
Overall Score: 82%