Virtua Fighter

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Virtua Fighter
VIRTUA-FIGHTER-logo.svg
Studio Sega
Publisher Sega
Senior Developer Seiichi Ishii (Design), Yū Suzuki (Director)
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 1993
genre Fighting Game
Game mode Up to 2 players at the same time
control Joystick (8-way); 3 buttons
casing default
Arcade system Sega Model 1 hardware
NEC V60 16 MHz, MC68k 12 MHz
monitor Raster , resolution 496 × 384 (horizontal), color palette: 8192
information First arcade 3D fighting game, after 4D Sports Boxing ( Amiga )

The computer video game Virtua Fighter is a fighting game from 1993 that was developed by Sega in collaboration with Studio AM2 . It was the first in a series of slot machine games that were also implemented for home consoles.

In 1998 the series was recognized by the Smithsonian Institution for its contribution to the arts and entertainment, and became a part of the Institute for Innovation in Information Technology's Study Pieces.

overview

The nickname Virtua indicates that the processes take place in 3D; Virtua Fighter was the first arcade game of its kind. The images were generated by calculating wireframe models and filled polygons . In addition to the display, which was revolutionary for the time, Virtua Fighter is best known for its extremely detailed combat system, which is primarily based on real combat techniques.

successor

Virtua Fighter was released as a slot machine game in 1993. The hardware for this was developed by Lockheed Martin in collaboration with Sega. New versions of the game were always accompanied by a new hardware base (Sega Model 1, Model 2 and Model 3). Virtua Fighter 3tb added team fighting to the gameplay in 1997. Virtua Fighter 4 was finally released on the in-house NAOMI hardware in 2001.

Sega also used the adjective Virtua in other products such as Virtua Racing and Virtua Tennis .

chronology

  • 1993: Virtua Fighter - Sega Model 1 hardware
  • 1995: Virtua Fighter 2 - Sega Model 2 hardware
  • 1995: Virtua Fighter Remix - Sega-ST-V-Hardware
  • 1996: Virtua Fighter 2.1 - Sega Model 2 hardware
  • 1997: Virtua Fighter 3 - Sega Model 3 hardware
  • 1998: Virtua Fighter 3 Team Battle - Sega Model 3 hardware
  • 2001: Virtua Fighter 4 - Sega-NAOMI -2 hardware
  • 2002: Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution - Sega NAOMI 2 hardware
  • 2004: Virtua Fighter 4 Final Tuned - Sega NAOMI 2 hardware
  • 2006: Virtua Fighter 5 - Sega-Lindbergh hardware
  • 2008: Virtua Fighter 5 R - Sega Lindbergh hardware
  • 2012: Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown - Sega Lindbergh hardware

Console versions

Converting Virtua Fighter to home consoles was a difficult affair as the consoles of the time were not powerful enough to compute the polygons in real time. In 1995 the game was launched on the 32X and the Sega Saturn . At Christmas 1995 Virtua Fighter 2 was implemented on Saturn, as well as an offshoot of the series called Virtua Fighter Kids . Other games related to the Virtua Fighter universe appeared for Saturn : Fighters Megamix (1996) and Virtua Fighter Portrait Series (1996).

Sega's Master System (8-bit) and Mega Drive (16-bit) were not suitable for displaying 3D worlds. However, since the series was so successful, Sega wanted to benefit from it on the old console systems as well. Sega created 2D offshoots of the games in 1996. The Mega Drive was equipped with a 2D version of Virtua Fighter 2 , which was kept in the graphic style of the machine template, but missed two fighters of the machine version and had very few game variants. Therefore, and because of the mediocre graphics for 16-bit conditions, this version was unsuccessful. The conversion for the master system had little in common with the original and had a greatly simplified 2D graphic. Consequently, the game was titled Virtua Fighter Animation .

The only implementation of Virtua Fighter 3 appeared on the Sega Dreamcast as Virtua Fighter 3tb , which was implemented by Genki and appeared in 1998. After Sega withdrew from the hardware business, Virtua Fighter 4 was implemented for the PlayStation 2 and released in 2002. A slightly improved version called Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution was released in 2003 and included two new characters, better (because flicker-free) graphics and minor changes in the game mechanics.

Virtua Fighter 5 , which previously appeared as an arcade game in Japan, was released for the PlayStation 3 in early 2007 . The Xbox 360 version followed at the end of October 2007 , which also offers an online mode and, compared to the PlayStation 3 version, is based on a newer version of the Virtua Fighter machine and contains other unlockable items.

Others

The working title of the Dreamcast game Shenmue , which was also developed by AM2 / Yu Suzuki, was originally Virtua Fighter RPG and included a combat system very similar to that of the Virtua Fighter series. During the entire duration of the game - and also with its successor - you will find characters whose appearance and fighting styles are very close to the model of the characters from Virtua Fighter . For example, the main character should actually be the Virtua Fighter veteran Akira.

In addition, a 35-part anime series was released after the Virtua Fighter 2 video game was released. In the US appeared two seasons that contained 24 episodes. In Italy, the series was initially broadcast on a private broadcaster with all episodes and was later published on an 18-part VHS collection at regular 14-day intervals.

Web links