Sega’s most popular asset is indeed Sonic the Hedgehog. They have used Sonic not only as their mascot, but as a competitor in the fight against Nintendo’s Mario. So when someone talks about Sega, Sonic is what usually comes to mind first. Sega has had other things under their sleeves as well, including Vectorman, Shinobi and Ecco the Dolphin. None of them achieved the same success as Sonic, but one franchise has come very close. Capcom and Namco have been neck and neck in the fighting game genre for years, but one franchise always seems to be overlooked yet is considerably better than the more popular options. The Virtua Fighter series is by far the most complex representation of the fighting genre to date. The characters in the game all use real fighting styles that add a sense of realism to an often overblown genre of fantasy based moves and special attacks. The first three Virtua Fighter games were highly neglected due to the platforms they were placed on. Luckily the series has always been a hit in the Japanese and American arcades and in some cases more popular than its competitors. Last year the Virtua Fighter series was finally given its due. Sega made the wise choice of releasing Virtua Fighter 4 on the Playstation 2, which is currently the best selling home console system out there. The game was praised by critics and sold extremely well. Some critics named it the best fighting game ever and up till now, they were right. A year has passed and many fans have mastered their favorite characters. Never bored, they continue to play the game on weekends when their friends come to visit. Things couldn’t be better. Or could they? How can you improve on the best fighting game ever? We have no idea, but Sega sure did. They have upped the ante and given us an even bigger fighting experience. Whether it will stand the test of time against the competition (Soul Calibur 2) is another story, for we have one hell of a game right here.

    This game is essentially a remixed version of Virtua Fighter 4 released last year. It includes all of the features from last years game along with adding two new characters, new arenas and an infinitely deep quest mode. The biggest draw of this game is its $19.99 price tag. VF4: Evolution was immediately marked as a Greatest Hits title mainly due to the original versions mass success and it will prove to be a must buy for fans and non fans alike. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution has the most advanced fighting engine ever seen in a game from its genre. Its complex, yet highly accessible. Fighting veterans will find a lot to learn from this game as every character can literally take months to master. Each character has a viable strength and weakness. Some will be a master at kickboxing while others will be good at basic karate. Learning these aspects of your character is the key to your success against friends and the sometimes brutal AI. There are over 100 moves and combos for each character (that I have found so far) and thousands all together. This will lead to endless combinations of fighting styles, kicks, punches ,flips and throws, that can turn you into a fighting masterpiece. There is an updated training mode that will teach you everything you need to know about each individual character. It is highly recommended for new players to spend quite a bit of time in the training mode because Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution is no button masher. A lot of skill is needed to progress in the game and the training mode is the best way to prepare. The two new characters that were added to the game are Brad and Goh. These two fighters are not recommended for new players of the series. They are very difficult to get the hang of and can only truly be mastered by very skilled players. Strangely, these characters don’t fit in too well with the rest of the cast and can unbalance the scales a bit when playing with others. Their moves are very eccentric and if they aren’t used correctly, it could lead you down the losers path. Along with the new characters, there is a new quest mode that replaces the widely loved Kumite mode. Fear not, for the Kumite mode is trash compared to the extremely deep quest mode. You enter the quest mode as a low ranked fighter. You must enter the numerous arcades and complete a series of tasks that will make you eligible for the main tournament of that arcade. In winning the various matches you will receive money and/or prizes including wallpapers for the main menu, hair colors, outfits and other trinkets. This allows for severe customization of your character. The quest mode alone can last a gamer over 100 hours if they are extremely dedicated. There are tons of tournaments and arcades to enter making this game the most repayable fighting game on the market, even more so than Soul Calibur 2. The computer AI in VF4:Evo is some of the best ever seen. The computer opponents were programmed move by move after the entrants and champions of numerous competitions held in Japan. Some of the AI can be downright brutal as they unleash insane combos that are seemingly impossible to defend against. Luckily, more skilled players will always find a weakness and claim the crown because this game is based around real skill. The game features the typical versus mode that allows to human players to duke it out. You may use the characters that you created in quest mode, but you cant bring your character over someone else’s house and fight each others creations because of an inexcusable lack of use in the second card slot. It’s a small flaw in an overall wonderful game. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution also includes a special 10th Anniversary edition of the game by changing all the graphics back to their original blocky forms and by restricting the game back to 2D movement. There is no quest mode but it is fun nonetheless. Learning the uses of wall combat is essential in this version of the game and it will provide even more play time for dedicated players.

    Another highly touted feature of this new version of VF4 is the enhanced graphics. Frankly, they were awesome to begin with but it seems that the anti-aliasing problem from the original version has been fixed. Characters look sharper and more believable and this version is even more faithful to the arcade edition. The graphics aside from that aspect are breathtaking. Characters clothes blow with the wind as does hair and accessories like earrings. The backgrounds are beautifully detailed as lightning strikes behind you and scenery crashes to the ground. The environments are highly immersive without being a tiny bit interactive. Some nice touches include footprints from snow and ripples when running through water. Each of these things add to an already complex and beautiful game. The character designs of the two new characters Brad and Goh are very nice aside from the fact that their styles do not seem to mesh with the rest of the cast. Brad is very suave and cool while Goh keeps a shadow about him that makes him even more mysterious. Overall the visuals are top notch and easily compete with those of Soul Calibur 2.

    The audio presentation in VF4: Evolution is the only real area that still wasn’t fixed up as well as it should have been. The music has been remixed to include more heavy rock tracks that set the mood for fighting and their really isn’t much that could have been improved from that aspect but the sound effects don’t fare so well. The voice acting ranges from good to laughably bad and for a game that has you spending hours with one character, this can get quite irritating. The new characters Brad and Goh were done very well but some of the older characters aren’t quite on par with some of the better voice acting that has begun to pop up in the last few years. There is a severe lack of emphasis on most lines and it can really kill the mood with some characters. Thankfully it isn’t as bad as it sounds, mainly because you fight more than taunt. I wish they could have done better with the voices but we cant have everything these days. It was an admirable effort on their part.

    In the end, is Virtual Fighter 4: Evolution worth your money? Yes! Anyone who is merely interested in the fighting genre should as least give it a rental and for hardcore fighting fans, it’s a must buy. No game has ever taken its genre and mastered it so perfectly as VF4: Evo has done. Not only does it have an attractive price, but it has the gameplay and graphics to boot. This is a requirement for any gamer who considers themselves hardcore.