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Sega brings Twitter to Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown arcade machines
Arcades may unfortunately be few and far between in North America these days, but they are still fairly big in Japan and, apparently, keeping up with the times. The latest big advance comes courtesy of Sega, which recently announced that its forthcoming Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown game will be Twitter-enabled -- a first for any arcade machine. That will let players link their Twitter account to their online VF.net profile and send a tweet whenever you hit a winning streak or mark another accomplishment -- like the fact that you're playing Virtua Fighter 5 in an arcade in Japan.
Virtua Fighter 5 update on 360 brings saved replays, pants
X3F reports that SEGA has launched an auto-update for Virtua Fighter 5 on the Xbox 360. The update includes various bug fixes, and minor tweaks to the online gameplay experience. Most notably, however, the update adds the ability to save replays from online matches, and select pants for your character independent of the rest of the outfit.Oh that's right. Now, El Blaze can be sporting Costume B, but wearing the pants from Costume A. It's a brave new world, people. Check out the full list of updates after the break.
X3F hands-on: Virtua Fighter 5
We spent the better part of this morning wrapping our fingers around the new Virtua Fighter 5 demo on Xbox Live Marketplace. If you're familiar with the series, you can probably stop reading this right now. You know what to expect, and you know that you'll love it. For all the other fighting game fans out there, as well as fans of pretty games in general, go ahead and read our thoughts on the demo. You can find them after the break.
TGS vids storm XBLM: SCIV, VF5, Ace Combat 6, more
With the Tokyo Game Show officially kicking off today, a new batch of "Bringing It Home" content has landed on Xbox Live Marketplace. In addition to loads of new themes and gamer pictures, there are five new trailers for upcoming games. All told, there are new trailers for Virtua Fighter 5, Soul Calibur IV, Ace Combat 6, Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom, and Dark Sector. We're probably most intrigued by the Soul Calibur IV trailer, as it reveals a few more tidbits about the supposed final chapter in the series. Kingdom Under Fire: COD will likely disappoint fans of the series, as it isn't a true sequel, but rather a button mashing spree akin to Dynasty Warriors. Check out more trailers after the break. Now, if you'll excuses us, we have to continue crossing our fingers that we'll see a Ninja Gaiden 2 demo before the weekend is out.
VF5 may not hit (or kick) Japanese 360s
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at Leipzig last week, Tohru Murayama, lead designer for Virtua Fighter 5, intimated that the game may not see the light of day on Japanese 360s. According to Murayama (and everybody else for that matter), the Xbox 360 has not done well in Japan. As a result, the install base of just under 400,000 units may not justify the release of Virtua Fighter 5 in Japan. It's a shame really, considering the features of Virtua Fighter 5 360 that aren't offered on the PS3, chiefly online play. Our condolences to Japanese gamers, the prognosis isn't looking good.The rest of us can look forward to fighting bliss come October 30th.
Virtua Fighter 5 may not be on Japanese Xbox 360
GI.biz is reporting that Japan may not get Virtua Fighter 5 on the Xbox 360 because the console's install base is too low. Speaking with Tohru Murayama, lead designer on VF5, they were informed that the decision is not final at this point, but with only 400,000 Xbox units sold in Japan, the Japanese may need to get a PS3 for the game. The PS3 is selling comparatively better in Japan with 1 million units. VF5 is currently available on PS3 with one little thing missing that'll be on the Xbox 360 version -- online modes.With any luck there will be enough of a hardcore following for VF5 to make it to the Xbox 360 in Japan. That's what Murayama is hoping for anyway. Call us new-fashioned, but it just seems odd to have a fighting game in this day and age without online support.
First Virtua Fighter 5 360 online play video
While Virtua Fighter 5 is a damned fine fighting game in its own right, there can be no doubt that its biggest boon on Xbox 360 is the inclusion of online play. As the first in the Virtua Fighter series to include the feature, much attention is being paid by fans. Dead or Alive 4 currently stands as the only Xbox 360 fighting game to utilize online play, and many players find it less than satisfactory. Without a miracle of a connection, fights often turn into lag-filled nightmares where victory has little to do with skill. The Gamersyde video above shows off Virtua Fighter 5's online system as displayed in Leipzig. The lobby system appears to be a no frills affair, though it looks like it gets the job done. The play looks solid, and any slowdown could be attributed to the video quality. Still, we're sure that Sega went out of its way to set up a smooth match for the convention, so we'll have to reserve final judgment for the retail version.[Via Joystiq]
First video of Virtua Fighter 5's online play for Xbox 360
It may not be the 10th Dan insanity of Super Battle Opera, but this video from the good folks at Gamersyde shows off the single most important addition to the Virtua Fighter series: online play. Coming straight from Leipzig, we're willing to bet that Sega had a pretty beefy connection in order to pull this off so well. Aside from a few fits of slowdown (as seen in fellow online fighter, Dead or Alive 4), we definitely like what we're seeing.Your chance to put Sega's network code to the test comes October 30th when Virtua Fighter 5 is released on the Xbox 360.
Sony's Peter Dille: 'We're attacking online very, very aggressively'
In a lengthy interview with Gamasutra's Brandon Sheffield, the senior vice president of PlayStation marketing discussed Sony's approach to the online gaming space and how it differs from that of competitors. "We're attacking online very, very aggressively," said Peter Dille. "We do have a different approach. The other offerings are just fine, and they do things really well, but that's not to say that we feel like we have to do everything they're doing." Indeed, found in the category of things not being done by Sony: charging for online play and depending on "content from previous generations" for its PlayStation Network. However, a serious omission is a dependable online standard for those developers less enthused by the network nitty-gritty. You can be sure that Virtua Tennis 3 and Virtua Fighter 5 aren't trapped in the offline realm due to the PlayStation 3's lack of technical cooperation. If you want to attack (each other) online very, very aggressively, you'll have to do it on the Xbox 360. That's another subject Dille responded quite candidly to, noting that Microsoft's inconsistent design precludes it from partaking in the ten-year life cycle coveted by the PS3. "Some of them have a hard drive, and some of them don't," he said. "None of them have a Blu-ray player, and the HD-DVD will be out of business in a matter of months. Is this a ten-year product?" Naturally, no answer to that question would be without a jab at the system's notoriously unreliable hardware. "By the way, it doesn't even work, so do they want to be selling it for ten years and refurbishing them all for ten more years? I don't think that's a ten-year product. You or they could disagree with me, but I'd put that up against the PS3 anyday."
Fighting fans take note: VF 5 on October 30
If you like fighting games, you'd best mark your calendar, because Sega has confirmed with GameSpot that Virtua Fighter 5 for the Xbox 360 will ship October 30. As we've reported before, the 360 version includes several new features beyond those found in the PS3 version. The biggest of these is undoubtedly online play. Other changes include smoother graphics, leaderboards, downloadable content, a deeper quest mode, and gameplay based off of the latest arcade revision. Now, if you'll excuse us, it's time to go place a pre-order.[Via Joystiq]
Xbox 360's Virtua Fighter 5 slated for October 30th
Sega has given the inquisitive chaps over at Gamespot the heads-up on Virtua Fighter 5's Xbox 360 debut, officially set for October 30th. Released back in February on the PlayStation 3, Microsoft's version of VF5 features a first for the series: online play. Not just limited to slugging it out online, Xbox 360 owners will be able to compete in time trials, download match replays and spend billy bucks on downloadable content.Personally, we're looking forward to reproducing our favorite tournament moment as to spread the shame.Other improvements over the PlayStation 3 port include improved graphics (no jaggies here), more robust training options and gameplay based on the latest arcade revision.
Joystiq impressions: HORI VF5 joystick for 360
At Sega's Virtua Fighter 5 360 demo station at E3, there were two shiny HORI joysticks, which are being released alongside the 360 release of VF5. While we were (barely) bested by Sega's employee in our matches, we definitely enjoyed the hardware on which we played. The buttons and joystick have a nice, durable feel to them. The joystick has a definite tactile click to it, and it's not too loud either, which is nice. The buttons click solidly and the joystick inputs seemed spot on. We managed some nice body checks with Akira with no problem at all, and diagonal inputs were easily recognized too. The Sega rep informed us that the stick should retail for around $50 or so, which seems fairly standard. Considering the DOA4 stick is now nearly impossible to find (and damned expensive if you do), you'll definitely want to pick up the HORI stick if you're serious about your virtual fighting.
Xbox 360's Virtua Fighter 5 to feature online play
Sega of America and Sega Europe have announced that the upcoming Xbox 360 version of Virtua Fighter 5 will indeed allow you to transfer your violent impulses to a complete stranger on the internet. Scheduled for a release in Autumn 2007, the game will feature an online two-player versus mode via Xbox Live, leader boards and several other enhancements over February's PlayStation 3 edition. That's what we jokingly refer to as a "technical knockout."If you don't usually extract satisfaction from pugilistic polygons, you might be wondering why Virtua Fighter 5 is held in such high regard. Well, the reason is... uh, there are lot of reasons! Very good ones, in fact. "For a lot of very good reasons, Virtua Fighter 5 is regarded as the deepest and most revered fighting game available on next generation consoles", says Gary Knight, the European marketing director for Sega Europe. "Bringing Virtua Fighter 5 to the Xbox 360 will not only capture an entirely new audience, but will allow gamers to show their Virtua Fighter skills online against friends and foes."Your Virtua Fighters: let me show you them.[Via Gamertag Radio]
360 Virtua Fighter 5 has online play!
Yeah, you read that right. Despite all the cries that it would ruin game balance, and that Virtua Fighter just wouldn't work online, there it is. Sega has officially announced that Virtua Fighter 5 for the Xbox 360 will feature online versus multiplayer. Given that this was one of our personal predictions for E3, we couldn't be happier. Online play in Virtua Fighter 5 will allow players to take on opponents in 1-on-1 matches over Xbox Live. The 360 version is based on the latest arcade revision and features new additions to the Quest and DOJO modes. Of course, Online play stands out as a particularly ostentatious feather in the 360 version's cap, as the PS3 version is an offline-only affair.
Virtua Fighter 5 is prettier on the 360
The crew over at IGN received an "eyes on" preview of the Xbox 360 version of Virtua Fighter 5 and came away starry eyed impressed. SEGA was eager to show off the ported PS3 game and rightly so, because they went back into the code and polished everything for the 360 version. IGN says that VF5 on the 360 is noticeably prettier, because subtle new effects were added (like morning fog) and the aliasing issues that were so noticeable in the PS3 version have been fixed. And for you arcade diehards, SEGA also mentioned that HORI will be releasing a plain Jane VF5 arcade stick when the game releases.Even though SEGA hasn't confirmed or denied online play (we're praying it does), it sounds like the 360 version of Virtua Fighter 5 will be the uber edition. Things are looking great for Virtua Fighter fanboys.
SEGA: VF5 will be a summer release
It seems there's some confusion surrounding the release date of Virtua Fighter 5 according to Eurogamer. It seems that several online retailers, including GameStop, Amazon, and Play.com, are listing the game as a fall or even winter release. SEGA begs to differ and has confirmed with Eurogamer that Virtua Fighter 5 is still planned as a summer release. Eurogamer also notes that we still don't know exactly what will be different between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the title, especially given recent revisions to the arcade game. Of course, we're all still hoping for online multiplayer, but we're not hoping too hard.%Gallery-3554%
Haze becomes a PlayStation 3 exclusive?
In a press conference today in France, it appears that Ubisoft announced Haze will be released exclusively on the PS3, initially at least. This suggests that Haze is most likely the exclusive they mentioned last week. It appears that it will be a timed exclusive, like Virtua Fighter 5, though nothing has been confirmed on that front yet.Little is known about Haze at this point outside of a vague release date of later this year, but considering it's from the developers of Goldeneye and TimeSplitters, there is a lot of excitement building for the game already. The highly unusual move of switching from multi-platform to exclusive will surely bring additional attention to this title as well so expect the hype to increase. We'll have more information as soon as Ubisoft can confirm Haze's exclusiveness. [Via N4G]
Dead or Alive 4 VS. Virtua Fighter 5: Fight!
Fighting games used to be king. Once upon a time, back in the 90s, arcades (remember those?) were full of fighting games of all kinds. You could fight with and against just about anything you pleased: dinosaurs, robots, time travelers, ninjas, werewolves, you name it. With so many games from which to choose, rivalries were formed. After the Street Fighter VS. Mortal Kombat era rose the Virtua Fighter VS. Tekken era. When the Dead or Alive series arrived, Virtua Fighter's influence was unmistakable (the original DOA ran on the VF2 arcade board after all). The game's had identical control schemes (as long as you disregard VF3's unfortunate dodge button), similar combos and even shared many fighting styles. So, which one is better?GameTrailers is letting the gaming public decide by pitting Virtua Fighter 5 against Dead or Alive 4. It's simple, watch a video (also in HD) then vote for your favorite game in several categories. Cast your vote on the best graphics, gameplay, characters, and more. After you vote, see how your choices reflect the general public.Currently, it's a pretty close race, with DOA4 winning people over with its stages and modes, while VF5 wins in the areas of graphics and gameplay. Which do you prefer?
A fistful of new Virtua Fighter 5 screens
Frankly, we're still miffed that SEGA refuses to add online play to its flagship fighting title, Virtua Fighter 5. Of course, that doesn't mean we won't ravenously devour every scrap of information about the game that comes our way. Today's latest on Virtua Fighter 5 comes to us from Gamertag Radio in the form of three new screenshots. Yeah, it's not exactly earth-shattering (like, say, announcing fully integrated online play), but it's better than nothing. Besides, the game is just damned pretty.VF5 hits (and kicks) the Xbox 360 this summer. Anyone out there plan on picking it up?
Virtua Fighter 5 Box Art
Sure, the game is already out for the PS3 and so people can have a pretty good idea about how the box is going to look for Virtua Fighter 5, but it's always nice to see it with the proper 360 cover dressing. The difference between the two is slight, at best. The image is the same on the top, bottom and left sides with the 360 version showing more of the characters in the backround on the right. We have a humongous resolution version also available for your scrutiny. Box art aside, you down for some Old school SEGA style fighting?
