It was a few years ago that Sega opted to bring Virtua Fighter 5 exclusively to the PlayStation 3 following its release on the market – well, for a few months anyway. It wasn’t long before an online-compatible version of the game – titled Virtua Fighter 5 Online to boot – came to Xbox 360, letting players challenge each other in matches. (The same couldn’t be said for the PS3 version.) That’s still a great fighting game, but it’s since been overshadowed by other efforts, packed with features. Well, hang on tight, because Virtua Fighter’s comeback is official. Sega has announced that it will be bringing Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown to Xbox Live Arcade next summer. It’ll pack all the fundamental features that made the original VF5 Online such a hit, along with other components to help make it one of the most addictive fighting games out there.
“Virtua Fighter 5 has always been an authentic arcade fighter, even when played from the comfort of a home console. And, like any proper arcade dynasty, we have continued to support, expand and tweak the game in the years since its release,” said Haruki Satomi, Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “With Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown, we get to bring the ultimate expression of competitive one-on-one gaming to console players in one perfect package.
Unlike other efforts on the market, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown relies heavily on realistic fighting tactics. You won’t find any fireballs, super moves or twenty-plus hit combos here. Instead, you’ll find fighters such as Akira, Sarah Bryant, Jacky, Jeffrey, Wolf, Shun Di (our greatest drunken fighter of all time) and many others – 19 in all – engaging in realistic martial arts and wrestling-based combat. They’ll execute punches, kicks, throws and slam moves to bring their opponents energy dwindling down to zero – or perform a ring out, where they go stumbling or flying out of the specified area. You can put together some cool combos with these characters, or block accordingly and wait for the key moment to strike back. Final Evolution adds a few new fighters to the mix, including Jean Kujo, Taka-Arashi and Eileen, all of whom pack some powerful moves. What’s more, these characters are fully customizable, as you can change them up with various costume and character items, such as a cowboy outfit for Wolf (and, yes, you can knock the hat off his head) or a beautiful gown for Aoi. You can unlock more outfits over the course of the game, choosing from dozens of favorites.
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