Обзор VF5 так сказать "изнутри", сделанный Leonard McCoy, одним из киперов сайта VFDC, специально для сайта Gamersglobal.com
http://www.gamersglobal.com/news/1045
Некоторые выдержки:
Virtua Fighter is different from any other 3D-fighter: not only that you won't encounter any fireball-throwing karatekas, or katana-swinging samurais ala Street Fighter or Soul Calibur, no! Virtua Fighter
is even to-day the most authentic fighting simulation with a cast of fighters from different martial arts.
If I were to describe Virtua Fighter
with one word only, it'd surely be "balance." Game balance has always been a showpiece of the franchise. No matter which character you take, you have equal chances to win, in spite of button-mashers ala Dead or Alive 4 & Co where certain moves can be abused easily.
"IT'S SO DEEP, SO ULTIMATELY DEEP." BUT NO ONE SAYS WHY!
The core game principle of VF is that two players of different fighting styles, that exist in real life, fight each other until one goes KO or ring out. The martial arts firework that is rendered on screen, when for instance drunken-boxing Shun fights against the beautiful Japanese Aiki-Jiujitsu schoolgirl Aoi, speaks for itself. If you're looking for gory action, or flashy special effects, then Virtua Fighter 5, and the VF series in general, won't get you nowhere near satisfaction.
I have to admit that I have played the franchise since the very first Virtua Fighter installment. To a certain extent, I can even understand the point
that Asians like to make about VF: having mastered a character and his style in Virtua Fighter is equated to having mastered a real martial art.
Every single frame can be the start of an action: an attack, throw, evasion, etc. Thus, it is every single frame that counts: if the player knows beforehand how high his frame-wise advantage is after having blocked an opponent's move, then he can utilize this knowledge to his advantage by buffering his reaction according to that, resulting in the highest possible damage outcome. This is also quite similar to the performance of the better combos of a character where frame-precise input, due to the lack of temporal buffering options when the opponent's floating in the air, has to be trained beforehand.
Yes, knowledge is power in Virtua Fighter 5: knowing your options in a situation is as vital as your next move in a good game of chess.
"DON'T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD, ...
It's like a whimpering out of desperation: even though accepted
as the deepest and most complex 3D fighter of all times, Virtua Fighter 5 is hardly played by the Western audience. This can be put down to the fact that Virtua Fighter doesn't take the player by his hand at all guiding him through the mechanics of its vast gameplay elements. The player is, quite literally, thrown in at the deep end without him letting know how to swim, or that there's even such a thing as "swimming."
...as CPU to fight against; and the AI is pretty decent (Xbox 360 version only) especially if set on Expert level, where the AI tries to emulate particular playing styles.
VF5's newest character additions, Eileen and El Blaze, who were especially designed for beginners and who are easy to pick up and play with
By leaving the player so much on his own AM-2 has made a grave mistake. This is a mistake that can't possibly appeal to the common Western audience. Left at the beginning of an odyssey the player has to quest his own way, on the search for knowledge - a journey that he is forced to do outside of the game. The Official VF5 Homepage in English (nor Japanese) won't help you there either. However: the Official VF5 Strategy Guide by BradyGames gives a first helpful glimpse at the game, which can then be nurtured by browsing through Virtua Fighter DC with their extensive Virtua Fighter Wiki, command lists, and a knowledgeable English community forum.
http://www2.sega.com/gamesite/vf5/phase2/index.html
http://www.bradygames.com/articles/article.asp?p=698917
http://virtuafighter.com/wiki/doku.php?id=vf5:start
the Xbox 360 version that has online play. And it works so surprisingly well that the times of a laggy Dead or Alive 4 & Co. are over. Virtua Fighter 5 provides you with an engine that works in both ways: off- and online.
Even online you can still enjoy all the frame-precise techniques that you would perform offline (sabakis, reversals, hit-throws, Fuzzy Guard, 0-Frame-Throws, and so on). As well, the lag compensation for intercontinental matches is more than good.
Gameplay-wise the Xbox 360 version provides you with Revision C which holds important move and gameplay tweaks (camera angles); a more refined Dojo mode & AI, better background anti-aliasing, and some more items, also in the form of downloadable content, that you have to pay for on Xbox Live Marketplace, await you on the Xbox 360 as well.
Whichever version you will get though, it's unlikely that you will avoid buying an Arcade Stick. A normal controller pad won't get you far in the world of Virtua Fighter - an investment one has to take into account.
From rubbish to royalty (top to bottom): There where HORI's Fighting Stick EX2 only disappointed, the HORI Real Arcade Pro 3, for the bigger pocket, wants to score: quality. Possibly only the Virtua Stick High Grade (PS3 only) by Sega though can compete with custom-made arcade sticks.
So, is Virtua Fighter 5 a game for you? If you like to dive into the depths of games, if you enjoy challenges in a great fighting game, and if you are not afraid of googling VF5 guides and FAQs, then yes: Virtua Fighter 5 will keep you entertained for many years provided that you have someone to train with, and to play against. If you are an occasional gamer though, that likes to pick up a fighting game from time to time, then VF5 might stress you too much. Only constant playing will advance you forward. You will better be off with the upcoming Soul Calibur 4 or even Street Fighter IV that are ideal for occasional gaming.