Virtua Fighter

Generation (32) X-s who thought that their system was dead in the water should stop their cryin'. This version of Virtua Fighter is great!

Boxy Boxers

Although you can set the options for almost everything, VF 32X basically remains a best-two-out-of-three fighting game. Employing authentic martial arts styles, the game has a realistic look and feel.

This version includes options that the Saturn version doesn't. An elimination Tournament mode has been added, and other options enable you to change costume colors and camera angles.

With all these options, does the game still pack a punch? When considering control, the answer is yes. Along with all 700 moves from the original, you'll find the basic button set -- Punch, Kick, and Defend.

Square the Wild Things Are

The graphics are very close to the Saturn with noticeable differences being a little slowdown and a lot of polygons missing from the win animations. Even so, these setbacks are minor for this nearly flawless portover.

The sounds, unfortunately, suffer dramatically in translation. Most of the Japanese exclamations are here, but their impact is lessened by the tinny sound quality.

Don't get us wrong -- Virtua Fighter isn't everyone's cup of sake. But if realism and smooth fighting are what you want in a fighter, this is the brawl you've been looking for.

Virtua Fighter

The Saturn title largely responsible for the massive sales in Japan is Virtua Fighter, and it is impressive. The smooth fighting and 30 look of the arcade original are there, as are all the original characters and their realistic moves. If Virtua Fighter has any advantage over Toh Shin Den (which we don't think it does), it is the realistic fighting. Virtua Fighter's backgrounds are flat in comparison to Toh Shin Den. The verdict on Virtua Fighter is that it just doesn't compare to Toh Shin Den.