| Virtua Fighter | |
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| Developer: | Sega |
| Publisher: | Sega |
| Series: | Virtua Fighter |
| Genres: | Fighting |
| Release date(s): | 1993 |
| Platforms | Arcade, 32X, Saturn, Windows |
| Followed By | Virtua Fighter 2 |
Virtua Fighter is a fighting game created by Sega to compete with Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter in the fighting game market. Though not very popular compared to the competition, Virtua Fighter was the first 3D fighting game ever, and was the beginning of a whole series. Along with a sequel (Virtua Fighter 2), there were also two advanced remakes, Virtua Fighter Remix and Virtua Fighter PC, with enhanced graphics and a higher polygonal count compared to the original Saturn and 32X versions. Upon release, Virtua Fighter was considered revolutionary, as it used real-world fighting techniques and an in-depth fighting engine.
Gameplay[]
Virtua Fighter, unlike other fighters, only required one joystick and three other buttons (punch, kick, and guard). Although seeming more simplistic, many combinations could be put together to perform moves that matched the character's fighting styles. For example, the main character, Akira Yuki, uses a Chinese martial arts style of fighting, so all of his moves are based on the specific real-life fighting style.
Characters[]
- Akira Yuki -- Birthdate: September 23, 1968—A Kung Fu teacher from Japan, fights with (Bajiquan)
- Pai Chan -- Birthdate: May 17, 1975—Martial arts movie star from Hong Kong, fights with Ensei-Ken (Mizongquan)
- Lau Chan, Pai's father—Birthdate: October 2, 1940—Cook from China, fights with Koen-Ken (Tiger-Swallow Fist)
- Wolf Hawkfield -- Birthdate: February 8, 1966—Professional wrestler from Canada, fights with Professional Wrestling
- Jeffry McWild -- Birthdate: February 20, 1957—Fisherman from Australia, fights with Pancratium
- Kage-Maru ("Kage") Hagakure—Birthdate: June 6, 1971—Ninja from Japan, fights with Ninjutsu
- Sarah Bryant -- Birthdate: July 4, 1973—College student from San Francisco, CA, fights with Jeet Kune Do (Sega changed her fighting style to "Martial Arts" in Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution)
- Jacky Bryant, Sarah's older brother—Birthdate: August 28, 1970—Race car driver also from San Francisco, fights with Jeet Kune Do
- Dural, A gynoid-like creature. Dural is the game's boss character. She is also, somewhat inexplicably, Kage's mother. She fights with a mix of all the other characters styles.
An Arab fighter named Siba was planned, and his character model even appeared on some Virtua Fighter arcade cabinets (though, in some cases, Akira's name was placed under his portrait). He was ultimately dropped, but later appeared in the Sega Saturn Fighters MegaMix game.