Beating people up is a hobby shared by many and there is no better legal way to do it then by playing Virtua Fighter 5. Virtua Fighter 5’s satisfying game play can be attributed to one major factor which is character balance. Unlike the competing 3D titles mentioned earlier, Virtua Fighter has done an astounding job of giving users a legitimate chance with every last warrior in the lineup. Sure there are some overpowered moves here and there, but they’re minimal at best and are easily recognized after a couple of matches. This means that 90% of the time, good Akira players match up well against good Pai Chan users and advanced Aoi users won’t dominate advanced Vanessa players. From a mechanical standpoint, there’s nothing more important in a fighter than that.

Perhaps the best part is that even playing with friends is extremely satisfying. Even when getting your ass handed to you by a superior player, the smooth controls and deep combat compel you to play more. The weak computer opponents is shortly forgotten after the addictive Quest mode which simulates the practice of traveling to various arcades and challenging the world’s best players which throws hundreds of AI-powered foes at you and serves as the primary way to gain new items for character modification. There is an immense number of modifications that can be made to a single fighter which keeps the game interesting as you try to unlock all the secret items.

Even though you may not hear about Virtua Fighter 5 like you do Tekken and SoulCalibur this game deserves to be. It is in many areas equal to or even better then both of these games. There would be no risk if you bought this game as it would certainly provide you with countless hours of enjoyment.