Battle of the Ports

[Yakumo]

Really? I never knew that. It seemed back then that Namco would always release a game similar to what Sega had just done. Virtua Racing - Fastest Lap, Virtua Cop - Time Crisis, Virtua Fighter - Tekken.

Wasn't Tekken based on PlayStation hardware? The PlayStation it's self was inspired by Sega's Virtua Fighter.According to SCE's former producer Ryoji Akagawa and chairman Shigeo Maruyama, the PlayStation was originally being considered as a 2D focused hardware, and it wasn't until the success of Virtua Fighter in the arcades that they decided to design the PlayStation as a 3D focused hardware.

[baad bwoy]

I don't remember VF being a glitchy mess on Saturn, I'd thought it really impressive at the time.

[Yakumo]

I don't remember VF being a glitchy mess on Saturn, I'd thought it really impressive at the time.

It was impressive but at that time we had the actual arcade in Liverpool's Aladdin cave arcade so it was easy to tell how crappy the Saturn version looked. The floor is falling apart, characters flickering like mad and the HUD even has issues at times. Don't get me wrong, I loved the game and still play it every now and then but it was far from perfect or as good as it could have been as VF Remix shows.

[baad bwoy]

I guess it all comes down to expectations. I remember playing Shinobi in the arcade and then being severely disappointed when Master System Shinobi fell so far short of the performance of arcade Shinobi. Was a real wake up call about the limits of the Master System...a fact nailed home when Double Dragon was released on the console :-)

[Team Andromeda]

The Saturn version is the best for me . Loved the old simple polygon look , the gameplay was Arcade perfect the controls better and the Saturn versions not only features a stunning soundtrack, but also the best sound effects I've ever heard in a fighter to this very day

[Nu-Eclipse]

I guess it all comes down to expectations. I remember playing Shinobi in the arcade and then being severely disappointed when Master System Shinobi fell so far short of the performance of arcade Shinobi. Was a real wake up call about the limits of the Master System...a fact nailed home when Double Dragon was released on the console :-)

MS Double Dragon is terrible.

Mind you, NES Double Dragon isn't that much better, what with its weird RPG-style experience points mechanic.

[Asura]

I don't remember VF being a glitchy mess on Saturn, I'd thought it really impressive at the time.

Remix exists for that reason (it came out much earlier in Japan than everywhere else; by the time it was out in the UK, we were waiting for the imminent release of VF2).

The Saturn version was very playable, but it had all sorts of glitches and a very inconsistent framerate. The character poly-counts were lower (e.g. in the arcade, the characters had individual fingers whereas on the Saturn, they all had "mittens") and even the backgrounds were less detailed than in the original version.

Despite that, it was impressive purely because the 3D fighting it offered was still very fresh. Tekken on PS1 wouldn't come out until 5 months later. Toshinden was its only rival initially, and the less said about that the better.

Everyone in the arcades was always huddled around Street Fighter 2, never around VF, and for good reason.
VF was just turd.

Bit harsh to say Tekken wouldn't exist if VF wasn't made though, Tekken was well into production before VF was released, so it would have came about regardless of VF.

Can't say I agree with this. In my experience, Virtua Fighter was very popular; people were impressed by 3D visuals that portrayed something crude, but recognisably human (one of the first times I can recall that). Worth remembering Tekken came out over a full year later.

Another thing I'd say is that I disagree with the idea that Tekken was the superior game in any department other than looks. Virtua Fighter feels clunky to a beginner because the basic moves are genuinely basic (i.e. a punch is a punch), unlike Tekken where quite basic moves can look quite flashy (one direction and a kick produces some cool-looking spin kick). I've always found Tekken 1 shallow, whereas VF1 had a great deal of depth (though the character roster was imbalanced in favour of Lau).

VF/Tekken 1 set up one aspect of the games which persisted; that VF is a great game with a lot of depth, but is only really fun for people who are prepared to become good at it (and not particularly fun for beginners), whereas Tekken's strength lies in its ability to be fun for people of various skill levels, and Tekken's sequels were far deeper than the first.

[Team Andromeda]

It was impressive but at that time we had the actual arcade in Liverpool's Aladdin cave arcade so it was easy to tell how crappy the Saturn version looked

The Saturn version looked far from crap at the time - Sure the floor have issues but it really wasn't that bad an back then it blew away every other game .

Remix exists for that reason (it came out much earlier in Japan than everywhere else; by the time it was out in the UK, we were waiting for the imminent release of VF2)

I I think it was more do with AM#2 conduncing tests with VF II and SEGA no doubt wanting a cheap version of VF in the Arcades too- VF Remix is port of a ST-V game after all

[Asura]

I I think it was more do with AM#2 conduncing tests with VF II and SEGA no doubt wanting a cheap version of VF in the Arcades too- VF Remix is port of a ST-V game after all

I had no idea; I knew VF-Kids was like that though.

Still, I doubt it would've got a ported release if the original left no room for improvement.

[Team Andromeda]

I had no idea; I knew VF-Kids was like that though.

Still, I doubt it would've got a ported release if the original left no room for improvement.

I can think of plenty of SEGA Arcade ports that could have plenty of room for improvment tbh . To me it was just AM#2 were doing tests on the VF II (of which no doubt VF remix was one of them) and SEGA wanted a cheaper version of VF to try and get some of the sales Tekken was getting in the Arcades thanks to it using system 12 and being far cheaper for Arcades to have the untits

[Solar]

Can't say I agree with this. In my experience, Virtua Fighter was very popular;

In all the Notts arcades, SF2 was the only fighter anyone was interested in. VF didn't stay around for long.

[Team Andromeda]

In all the Notts arcades, SF2 was the only fighter anyone was interested in. VF didn't stay around for long.

Well VF never did well in the West , not quite the case in Japan and well in a lot of Arcades I went too and the Vs Fighter that got most people talking was MK , but I wouldn't use that to have a pop at SF II and make out that MK was more . VF came out before the likes of Namco even had a PSX developent kit and SEGA was showing off VF II by the time Tekken was about the hit the Arcades . Not that SEGA hasn't copied Namco it's self , people forget that Drivers Eye's came out well before VR

[Leon Retro]

Well VF never did well in the West , not quite the case in Japan and well in a lot of Arcades

The Virtua Fighter series has always been huge in Japan, but far from popular in the West. Of course, it has also had a small following in the West, with enthusiasts telling people it's a fighter worth learning.

I'd say it's a fighter with its own distinct vibe and gameplay that really needs to be appreciated and learned. If you don't put the effort in, the games won't gel with you, and you'll find little enjoyment in playing them. Tekken - and also Soul Calibur - on the other hand, can be played and enjoyed by people who just want to mess around. The same for the Street Fighter games, but to a lesser degree. All fighters ultimately require the player to learn the moves and develop their knowledge of the game. I can imagine that Virtua Fighter, with its very distinct feel, is off-putting to lots of gamers. It's definitely an aquired taste when it comes to fighters.

Mortal Kombat has always been a terrible fighting game. It's a game focused on finishing moves. The fun for fans of that series comes from learning all the finishers. I'd say Killer Instinct is a far more intricate, satisfying fighter with the same sort of focus on gore.

[Nu-Eclipse]

I'd say Killer Instinct is a far more intricate, satisfying fighter with the same sort of focus on gore.

That is questionable.

Beyond the flash combos, there is next to nothing of depth or nuance in Killer Instinct (as far as the first two KI games go - can't speak for the XB1 game).

[nakamura]

Really? I never knew that. It seemed back then that Namco would always release a game similar to what Sega had just done. Virtua Racing - Fastest Lap, Virtua Cop - Time Crisis, Virtua Fighter - Tekken.

Wasn't Tekken based on PlayStation hardware? The PlayStation it's self was inspired by Sega's Virtua Fighter.According to SCE's former producer Ryoji Akagawa and chairman Shigeo Maruyama, the PlayStation was originally being considered as a 2D focused hardware, and it wasn't until the success of Virtua Fighter in the arcades that they decided to design the PlayStation as a 3D focused hardware.

Winning Run came ages before Virtua Racing. Also a 3D F1 style racer.