Virtua Fighter 5 - Xbox 360 (Demo)

[EvilBoris]

The animation should have improved further but it has come a long long way since Tekken 1 and I think animates better any other fighting game out there.

To me they look so stilted and wooden, but in a game like this you can't change the animations without changing the entire game. Different style of game altogether, but I still prefer the fluidity of DOA4.

[saturn-gamer]

The animations in VF were always a sight to behold. Its a matter of looking closely.

Like those counters from the ground with Aoi, those looked totally crazy in VF4 when I studied them well. Its like there is true interaction between limbs, unlike so many other fighters.

They are in a different, not so over the top, league when compared to DoA... but imo not less impressive at all. Besides that, DoA is also a standout for me. Tekken has become stale in animations, and SC, which was on the DC once the king of animations, is becoming just as stale.

[rmoxon]

Sould Calibur is the same game now that it was on the DC thats why.

Virtua Fighter has always been an oddity in this depatment compared to all of the other established fighters. The animation looks fantastic if you know what youre doing yet it looks terrible if you dont... kinda like how the game plays really.

[Soi]

Some of the animation is bad because the old skool fighters have some moves that have not changed since VF1. When VF1 was made, animation was a lot less developed than it is now. But VF5 is still stuck with the old animations, as people want to see the old moves. Kage and Akira particularly suffer imo.
Compare the animation of Kage to El Blaze. Kage's moves are really stilted, whereas El Blaze really flows.

Of course, this doesn't affect how it plays, but it is noticeable. The high kicks and roundhouses of the old characters all look unnatural.

It is the same with Tekken. The older character's moves (e.g. Kazuka's WGF -lovely move in the game, but looks really awful -no one punches like that!) look poor when compared to the newer ones.

[Charlie]

Dunno what to make of this. I adored VF1 and 2, thought 3 was poor, never played 4, but sadly this has yet to grab me. On one hand it looks very pretty, on the other it looks far too shiny, strangely more 2D than 3D (the fighters, not the arenas) and ultimately feels rather soulless and lacking in character. Animation's not that great either. Will probably pick it up anyway, if only from a lack of quality competition.

[Dazzyman]

Which one, and where have you ordered? So I can pick one up myself...

Does VF5 have a customiseable character thingy, if so, how in depth is it? as Evo had that and I would love the idea of showing my characters off online whilst I chin you Dazzyman.

Yea you get outfits on it and all sorts (even create a motto). Full game is great as you enter competitions in acades against the AI. PS3 one was crap though like I said due to poor AI but from what Ive read even with the much better AI on Rev C they are making the Quest mode even bigger

I got the VF5 officiai stick from Amazon its out already for some reason (Hori stick) Its the same stick as DOA4 just with VF5 stickers to add. Mine arrived this morning and got to admit I do prefer it to the hulking Arcade pro. Link here for it.. (just noticed its gone up it was ?45 when I ordered it)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Virtua-Fighter-Fighting-Stick-Xbox/dp/B000SKLUW4/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4/203-3956698-8581566?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1192455068&sr=8-4

Anyone will beat me on this I aint that good at it, the AI was just VERY bad you could cheese your way with certain moves against it to win :P I got that disheartned with the PS3 version I benched it waiting for C just after I got the Black book from Japan so its been months and of course with my stupid coma brain of memory loss I need to learn moves again hehe. I tried going back to VF4 Evo on PS2 but it looks crap so gave up and sat and tapped feet for 360 version :P

VF3 was dire, VF4 Evo was for me the best due to great AI etc.. VF5 B was pretty but rushed out the door in JPN just for 2player arcade C is really the single players version.

[Skull Commander]

I never really 'got' virtua fighter until 4 evo. I thought 2 was fun but it never propery clicked with me.
I played the demo a great deal on friday and I love it. I'm not great at virtua fighter and never expect to be, but the graphics look amazing and it plays like a dream.

[Jebus]

This may be a really thick question, but I've not been into my fighters for a long long time, but why is a joystick nearly £50?

[Bleeders]

Mainly because they use half-decent parts for the stick, the whole shebang tends to be of a decent, solid, build.

[eastyy]

for me i will always prefer virtua fighter to the tekken games

tekken i found more frustrating as for example with alot of moves the press of the buttons say for 10 hit combos and throw combos etc the button presses have to be very precise

with virtua fighter what i liked was you could actually start the motion for the next move while still in the middle of the previous and the timing was much more relaxed (with the exception of a few moves)

if with tekken they could make the animation more fluid and relax the response times then i would be alot happier

anyway does anyone know if the x360 version has the awesome training mode from vf4:evolution ?

[Yoshimax]

If there's one thing not present in VF5 it's "relaxed response times"

[eastyy]

well i had no problems

tekken i would always get frustrated when the moves i try to do mid combo dont come out.....hmm perhaps i have a dodgy joypad

[merf]

never been a major fighter fan but i got this at lauch with teh ps3 and hated it.

grabbed the demo and seems quite nice on the 360, is it exactly the same game and i'm just imagining things or are there differences in the mechanics ?

[Dazzyman]

VF series is the only 3D one I cant nail so I prefer it due to depth. Ive always found DOA a doddle, same with Tekken but VF 2 and 4/Evo really did have the AI spot on (hence being disapointed with VF5B). Some characters are stiff on VF due to the style they fight with ie Akira . Choose someone like Pai, Jacky Lei-Fei if your used to DOA/Tekken etc.. and you see a massive aray of stances and fluidity.

That has always been the problem for me anyway with VF in who to choose to play as. I started with VF1 and only ever tried Akira. I detested the game due to it so never touched it again. I think thats the problem as Akira is seriously technical based, he has very specific moves what your talking a few frames to pull off and loads of counters but he has a very rigid style (no flashy kicks for me etc..). He is a very hard character to learn but he is usually the picture on the front of the box so people try him first.

I then played as Jacky on VF2 and adored the series after that. You just need to go thru loads of them to find the style what suits you because their is so many that it alters how the game plays. I dont like wrestlers but I have friends what do and they prefer the slow style and grabs etc.. I like fast fluid kickers what can stance change so when I started using Jacky it changed for me from this stilted wooden game to a fast action fighter. All characters have weaknesses though which makes it great

If I was coming to it as a new character from games like Tekken/DOA Id try Jacky, Pai (as she has great counters) and Lei Fei first (he has loads of stances so could be abit hard). Kage can be abit marmite as you either like him or think its daft how floaty some of his moves are. Then if you decide you like VF then move onto a type for you. Akira is strong but has more a set style of moves and then you have Shundi for stance changes due to drinking and on and on really for wrestlers like Wolf and even Judo Goh.

It is a VERY hard series for a new player, your talking months and months to master half of it as you have counters for certain characters like Pai then dodge moves (up or down timed right when someone attacks you which opens up moves). Certain characters like Lei you have to do a move to go to another stance which ends up tripling the normal moves base in the end as he has so many of them.

All I know is Im a massive fighting fan, I adore Tekken also but thats a different fighter its more arcadey for me, VF is more true I guess to real life and moves to another level in fighting for me as each character is unique.

[eastyy]

well the only problem i have with just about all the 3d fighters is they still have not quite got the collision detection right

there are alot of combos i have seen in virtua fighter that just dont look like the blows connect