| Platform Reviewed | Sega Saturn |
| Genre | 3D Polygon One-On-One Fighting Game |
| Number of Players | 1-2 |
| Multiplayer Value | Minimum |
| Length | Short |
| Difficulty | Variable |
| Skills Required | Hand-Eye Coordination |
| Interface Devices | Sega Saturn Joypad |
| Interface Design | Good |
| Programming | Good |
| Game Design and Playability | Excellent |
| Type Of Fun | Beat-Em-Up |
| Replay Value | High |
| Overall Value | High |
| Quality | High |
| The Best | A great improvement over Virtua Fighter, good graphics and sound, realistic (relatively) attacks. |
| The Worst | The arena doesn't track with the background, certain touches are absent in comparison to the arcade version, such as the bridge, the colors could be brighter. I miss the arcade music and demo. |
| How much would I be willing to pay for this | 45 Bucks |
Description:
It's 3D polygon-based game, but the fighting occurs essentially in one plane, there's a number of fighters to choose from, and, well, they fight.
Story:
You get hit, you fall down. There's this martial arts tournament. A cast of fighters are invited. They get their keisters kicked, somebody wins. The End. Time to go to sleep, children. Good night.
Review:
Virtua Fighter was perhaps the very first 3D polygon fighter, now everyone and their dog is coming out with one. Virtua Fighter II improves upon the original and is a pretty good reflection of the arcade version, in fact the actual fighters themselves actually look better and smoother than the arcade. What has suffered, however, are the beautiful backgrounds that made the arcade Virtua Fighter II such a joy. Gone is the bridge in the river raft fight, buildings have been simplified, and the little touches that made me so amazed are simply not there. The worst crime of all, in my opinion, is that the area stage upon which the fighting occurs fails to track properly with the background scene. The impression is of fighting on a Lazy Suzan floating in front of a painted wall, which (programming-wise) I am fairly certain is essentially the case. Compared to the real and solid worlds of the fighters Tekken and Battle Arena Toshinden on the Sony Playstation, I find this graphic failure quite annoying. Such a thing really destroys for me the feeling of immersion, but then I am very picky about such details.
If what you want or truly care about is the PLAY of Virtua Fighter II, then I can say that the Saturn version delivers all of the moves and action one could hope for. Playwise the Saturn version is identical to the arcade, and as has been previously noted, if anything the fighters themselves look even better.
Recommended, with the aforementioned caveats.
Jennifer Diane Reitz is a Game Designer and Computer Artist, and one of the founders of Happy Puppy. She is the creator of numerous games and software products, including Boppin' , Shark Chums, Elsewhere, and many others. She has worked for such companies as Activision, Sculptured Software, Epyx, SRI, and Electronic Arts, and founded Accursed Toys. She has been active in the computer gaming industry since it's earliest days. She considers games to be works of artistic merit and achievement, and views computer entertainment as the most important media of our era.