Fresh from the news that Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown will be playable on PlayStation 4 in a roundabout way, Microsoft has announced Xbox One backward compatibility for the Xbox 360 version.
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown
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Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Review
Last hurrah.
Digital FoundryFace-Off: Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown
Technical knockout.
Digital FoundryVirtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown PS3 Performance Analysis Video
A revised version of the 2006 game, VF5 retains its signature 60Hz update.
Digital FoundryVirtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown Xbox 360 Performance Analysis Video
The requisite locked 60Hz from start to finish.
Key events
13th June 2012
14th June 2012
12th June 2012
Virtua Fighter 5 is coming to PlayStation 4
But in a slightly roundabout way.
Rejoice! The greatest fighting game ever made - and I'm typing this well out of earshot of Street Fighter obsessive Wes so I think I can just about get away with this - is coming to PlayStation 4 this year. Only it's doing so in a slightly roundabout way.
Sega petitioned to release more games on PC
Particularly its Japanese crop.
A petition for Sega to port more games to PC, particularly those made in Japan, is gathering steam, as more than 6000 people sign their name in support.
New Street Fighter 4 world champion crowned at Evo 2012
Infiltration beats Daigo on way to glory.
Street Fighter 4 has a new world champion: South Korean Akuma player Seon-woo Lee.
Game of the Week: Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown
Kick, punch, you all remember.
Game of the Week is back, after a short, E3-imposed hiatus when we were a mite too busy looking at games of the future to remember the games of the present. Happily the last three weeks hasn't been as hectic a period of new releases as the same period last year, when the games business attempted to slip everything from Duke Nukem Forever to Child of Eden (via Dungeon Siege 3, Hunted, inFamous 2 and Alice: Madness Returns) past us while we weren't looking.
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Review
Last hurrah.
For all of its achievements in the 19 years since it was born via a partnership between Lockheed Martin and Sega, AM2's Virtua Fighter series has never received the wider praise it deserves. One of Yu Suzuki's most enduring creations once christened every round of new arcade hardware, was a pioneer in 3D graphics and helped establish online fighting. All the while, beneath those achievements emerged a game of exceptional depth and nuance.
There's an understated elegance to the series, and beyond the signature shiny plastic Sega patina, there's even a certain restraint to Virtua Fighter's sparring. The showiness and immediate spectacle of 2D fighters such as Street Fighter is absent, the fireworks and extravagant kitsch of fellow 3D brawlers like Tekken and Soul Calibur nowhere to be seen. In its place is combat that, while far from realistic, is a perfect tangle of real-life fighting styles painted with a wash of subtle flair.
The lucha libre of El Blaze, a mix of cocky throws and showy beat-downs, can face off against the stuttered acrobatics of Eileen's monkey kung fu or the staggering artistry of Shun Di's drunken fighting; and as ever, Virtua Fighter's greatest trick is how it brings together such disparate techniques in what's surely the fighting genre's most exquisite balancing act.
Digital FoundryFace-Off: Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown
Technical knockout.
Available for just £9.99 on PSN or 1200 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown represents something of a bargain. Not only do you get an incredibly deep and rewarding fighting game, it also represents a sizeable gameplay leap over and above its five-year-old predecessor.
The core gameplay mechanics have been reworked extensively. From a variety of moves and timing changes to revised animations and a weightier feel to the physics, the difference over Virtua Fighter 5 is considerable, while the existing cast of 18 fighters is joined by another two combatants - newcomer Jean Kujo and veteran Sumo powerhouse Taka-Arashi from Virtua Fighter 3.
The rendering technology behind the game's appearance hasn't quite changed so dramatically though, despite the switch to more powerful arcade hardware. VF5 uses Sega's older Lindbergh hardware, while Final Showdown operates on the newer RingEdge board, featuring a faster Intel CPU/NVIDIA GPU combo and more RAM.
Digital FoundryVirtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown PS3 Performance Analysis Video
A revised version of the 2006 game, VF5 retains its signature 60Hz update.
Digital FoundryVirtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown Xbox 360 Performance Analysis Video
The requisite locked 60Hz from start to finish.
Digital FoundryVirtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown - PS3/360 Face-Off Video
Console versions of Sega's new cut-price VF offering compared.
FIFA 12 bundle, Virtua Fighter 5 on EU PlayStation Store
And Journey gets a demo.
EA has launched a new FIFA 12 and UEFA Euro 2012 bundle on the EU PlayStation Store, Sony has announced.
Sony Europe reveals PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection list
Announces PlayStation Plus Presents.
UPDATE: Sony has confirmed that you can play games downloaded under the new PS Plus scheme for as long as you subscribe.
Meet and beat Eurogamer in East London next week
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown and Ni No Kuni to feature at our next community night.
Booze and fisticuffs make for a typical Monday night out in East London, but Eurogamer's next meet-up allows you to scuff some fight sticks rather than bloodying your knuckles as we present a chance to play Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown ahead of its release early next month.
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown release date, price announced
Launch day DLC adds customisation items.
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown launches on PlayStation Network in the US on 5th June and on Xbox Live Arcade everywhere on 6th June, Sega has announced.
It costs $14.99/ £9.99/ AUD$18.25/ €12.99 for PSN and 1200 Microsoft Points for XBLA.
Sega said today character customisation DLC packs will be available to buy from launch day for all 19 fighters. Each character customisation pack, which includes 600 to 950 items, costs $4.99/ £3.59/ AUD$6.25/ €4.49 for PSN and 400 Microsoft Points for XBLA.
Out this summer.
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown screenshots
Sega fighter coming to PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade.
Sega fighter coming to PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade.
VideoVirtua Fighter 5 dev diary goes behind the scenes of series
Sega talks franchise origins and cut content.
Sega talks franchise origins and cut content.
VideoVirtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown vid
Sega fighter shows its moves.
Sega fighter shows its moves.
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown unveiled
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.