Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown unveiled

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 23 August, 2011

For Xbox Live Arcade, PSN next year.

Sega has announced standalone downloadable game Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

It's set for release in summer 2012.

It contains an overhaul of the game's mechanics, balance and animations. There are new game modes (one-on-one online battle and new single-player mode), new arenas (including those with fences and walls that are different for every round) and customisable character items.

Two new characters have been added to the roster: Taka-Arashi from Virtua Fighter 3 and an all-new character, Jean Kujo.

Meanwhile, Final Showdown implements simplified controls for new players.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (29) Latest comment 9 months ago

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  • TheFalc #1 9 months ago

    Finally,the return of the real deal.purists everywhere rejoyce
    Edited by TheFalc at 23/08/11 @ 12:44

  • varsas #2 9 months ago

    Yes! Finally. I was hoping they would eventually release the updated game.

  • Slipstream #3 9 months ago

    I've always been interested in the technical elements of Virtua Fighter but never enough to really 'learn' the game. I think I may actually attempt to play this game how it should be played, I mean I might aswell, I've played them all.

  • cyacomini #4 9 months ago

    "I've always been interested in the technical elements of Virtua Fighter but never enough to really 'learn' the game"

    A short lesson.

    P-P-K
    P-P-P-K
    P-P-G+K

    and repeat.

  • anthonypappa #5 9 months ago

    great news but would prefer boxed release.

    wonder if there is no hope for a VF6? doesn't look like it, sega AM depts are basically no more i think.

  • sonicyoda #6 9 months ago

    Yes, yes and fucking yes. Really want a boxed version though :(

  • lasersrule #7 9 months ago

    The best fighting game there is. Three-button joy.

  • Kayin #8 9 months ago

    Best news ever. I hope it finds a larger player base though - I'd still be playing VF5 online if it didn't take ages to find a game.

    Oh, and Summer 2012? REALLY? Oh well, at least it's coming...

  • GundamJehutyKai #9 9 months ago

    Umm... Yay?

    I have to confess that I skipped over VF5. I had VF4: evolution but the first version was the one I took seriously. If it's a budget Download release, I'd be up for picking it up again!

  • Ironic_War_Criminal #10 9 months ago

    Many, many buys

  • mr2ange #11 9 months ago

    I've always been a Tekken / SC man myself,

    That said, I welcome at last another fighter that actually has gameplay deeper than a pool of spit.

    Maybe Namco has a little competition again...

  • carrotcake #12 9 months ago

    Took them long enough to bring this to console! Makes my Games on Demand copy of vanilla VF5 obsolete. Can't wait to play as the returning sumo fat man.

  • vizzini #13 9 months ago

    That is quality news.

    Looks like my gaming schedule got really busy Edit: next year for fighting games.

    Get in there.
    Edited by vizzini at 23/08/11 @ 13:14

  • layleeloo #14 9 months ago

    Hurrah. A decent fighting game finally. Bored shitless of countless SF iterations

  • layleeloo #15 9 months ago

    @cyacomini. Is that equivalent to

    Fireball
    Fireball
    Jumping kick
    Ground Spin kick

    and repeat

  • Toothball #16 9 months ago

    How can they simplify the controls? There are only three buttons to use along with the stick/dpad. Of course, what you do with those from there is what makes the game.

    I've been holding of the original VF5 in case of an update like this. Surprised that it's going straight to XBLA and PSN, although that suits me fine. All I need now is to remember how to play it. Fortunately I wasn't really that good at VF4, so it shouldn't take too long to get back to that level at least.

  • Triggerhappytel #17 9 months ago

    I'm terrible at VF games but I love them regardless. Glad this is finally getting a release, even if it's only digitally. Hope there's life in the series yet :)

  • vizzini #18 9 months ago

    Toothball: How can they simplify the controls? There are only three buttons to use along with the stick/dpad. Of course, what you do with those from there is what makes the game.

    The major differences can been seen in the inputs, rather than go from [P]+[K] with a diagonal, to a left/right direction [P], like the start of an Akira move, they now go more left or right, then up or down, and have remove multi-evade-throw-escape guards so that more people can enter the moves, but the difficulty is more in how you use the moves (for all players)like in something like a Tekken 2.

    Now, where is that button to add to my most wanted list with Last guardian?

  • Slikz #19 9 months ago

    Awesome game.

  • SteveHolt #20 9 months ago

    Great news for me, since this is the only fighting game where I have a positive W/L ratio online lol. I hope they upgrade the graphics a bit, though, VF5's character models really start to look ancient. Hiring new voice actors would also be a plus, Jacky, Lion and El Blaze's are just too awful.

  • stu9898 #21 9 months ago

    The video looks pretty cool, just reminds me how good the AM departments really were within Sega. The Dreamcast was a great machine with amazing first party support, but can't imagine how Sega would do if they ever wanted to have another go in the console market.

    But back on the subject, this is great news!!

  • vizzini #22 9 months ago

    By comparison to gamespots article this contains very little information Sega gave out.

    The interesting part is that they're all set for DLC and online play for PSN and Xbox live now, and after saying there is no spectator mode and PS Home soon to be redeveloped I'm wondering if Virtua Fighter 5FS will be able to launch from Playstation Home, and offer a big screen spectator mode or modspot setup like Modnation.

    As a way to celebrate, this top announcement and help consolidate the VF5 community, Sony & Microsoft should allow Sega to do a free patch in the meantime for VF5 to bring it up to revision D's AI and game mechanics to tide us all over for 9months.

  • PixelPirate #23 9 months ago

    INSTABUY

    Been wondering where VF has been, this is the real deal for me.

  • Toothball #24 9 months ago

    @vizzini

    Hmm, I could see that helping. I never was that good at hitting moves that involved quick diagonals even on a PS2 pad. Seemed like it would be harder still on an Xbox pad too.

  • KrispyBacon #25 9 months ago

    Love the Virtua fighter series.

  • MrVengeance #26 9 months ago

    Wonderful news - though for some reason I still prefer VF3 to VF5....

  • Pasco #27 9 months ago

    Virtua Fighter 5 is 6 years old. Give us part 6, like, yesterday!

  • Kaminari #28 9 months ago

    Free upgrade to VF5? Kewl!

    Oh wait... It's Seeeega.

  • Jimmy__Fury #29 9 months ago

    Fantastic news, have been waiting for this for ages!! Hope that the download only thing doesn't mean it is stripped of content (i.e., the character customisation, deep training mode). Decent online play and we're sorted. Anyone have any idea of the estimated size of the download...? I'd prefer a box release too but at least a budget release will bring to a wide audience. It seems silly of Sega to have not capitalised on the fighting game renaissance sooner!!

    I wonder if/when 6 will ever be released, and maybe even if it should, given Sega's current downward trajectory in terms of games. Hasn't the producer of VF since day 1 also left the team...?