Virtua Fighter
Yu Suzuki, mastermind behind Sega's AM2 team, decided that, in the midst of developing Virtua Racing, the next great 3-D game should feature people as the main character. The pit crew in Virtua Racing actually ended up being a test for implementing humans into a 3D world. The next step, however, would do more than show people with six-sided heads.
The decision was made to make a one-on-one fighting game to showcase these people in 3D. Sega's Model 1 technology was used, as it was in Virtua Racing. Work began and continued. In 1993, the final product, Virtua Fighter, was released in the arcade.
Virtua Fighter attracted people with its (then) amazing graphics. But the game was not all about eye candy, as it contained extremely deep and strategic gameplay to compliment the visuals.
Story
Once in the Era of Shows, the defunct Japanese Army intended to approach Henry Pu-yi, the last Emperor of the Ching dynasty, in their effort to take advantage of his position. However, they were defeated by the Imperial Guards utilizing the martial art called "Hakkyoku-ken." Later on, the Japanese Army is said to have plagiarized the mysteries of "Hakkyoku-ken" to create the strongest infantrymen and based \on this art, complemented the ultimate martial art. Approximately half a century has elapsed since then and now, Akira Yuki, a young man goes on his fighting tour to test his ability. The ultimate World Fighting Tournament is now to start and all kinds of fighters from all over the world, solely relying on one's physical strength, engage in a life-and-death struggle to determine the world's number one fighter. Behind the Tournament, however, there exists an intrigue designed by the evil Syndicate.
Gameplay
Control is amazingly simply, using only three buttons and an eight-way stick to control the characters. Buttons are used to punch, kick, and guard, while the stick controls jumping, crouching, and lateral movement. One of the Virtua Fighter series trademarks, the floating jump, is seen here in all of its glory.
Characters
Akira Yuki
Nationality: Japanese
Date of Birth: September 23, 1968
Age: 26
Occupation: Kung fu Instructor
Hobby: Kung fu
Technique: Hakkyoku-ken
The only person to whom the ultimate martial art (complimented on the side of the Chinese "Hakkyoku-ken" which the defunct Japanese Army plagiarized) is handed down. To test his ability, he is on the fighting tour throughout the world.
Pai Chan
Nationality: Chinese (Hong Kong)
Date of Birth: May 17, 1975
Age: 19
Occupation: Action Film Star
Hobby: Dancing
Technique: Ensei-ken
She is an action start of Hong Kong and haters her father (Lau) who has been at the pursuit of his own ideas at the sacrifice of his family. Also, Pai challenges her father to a fight.
Lau Chan
Nationality: Chinese
Date of Birth: October 2, 1940
Age: 54
Occupation: Cook
Hobby: Chinese Poetry
Technique: Koen-ken
Lau is said to be the world's best chef and the greatest fighter. He is intending to complement the Chinese "Kenpo" so as to be the ultimate fighting art.
Wolf Hawkfield
Nationality: Canadian
Date of Birth: February 8, 1966
Age: 28
Occupation: Pro Wrestler
Hobby: Karaoke
Technique: Pro Wrestling
An Indian descendant, a wood-cutter turned pro-wrestler who has Hurculean strenght boasts that he has never been defeated ever since his debut.
Jeffrey McWild
Nationality: Australian
Date of Birth: February 20, 1957
Age: 37
Occupation: Fisherman
Hobby: Reggae Music
Technique: Pancratium
A fisherman whose boat was destroyed by a brutal man-earter shark. While improving his Pancratium technique in order to down theshark, he fights to earn him the shipbuilding expenses.
Kage-maru
Nationality: Japanese
Date of Birth: June 6, 1971
Age: 24
Occupation: Ninja
Hobby: Mah-jongg
Technique: Hagakure-ryu Jujutsu
Kage, whose specialty is jujutsu, is on his fighting tour throughout the world in order to annihilate the evil Syndicate that took his mother away and killed his father, a former Ninja.
Sarah Bryant
Nationality: American
Date of Birth: July 4, 1973
Age: 21
Occupation: College Student
Hobby: Skydiving
Technique: Jeet Kune Do
While investigating the car accident in which her brother was injured, Sarah is captured, hypnotized and brainwashed by the Syndicate in their evil intention to let her kill Jacky.
Jacky Bryant
Nationality: American
Date of Birth: August 28, 1970
Age: 24
Occupation: Indy Car Racer
Hobby: Training
Technique: Jeet Kune Do
Utilizes "Jeet Kune Do" in his effort to investigate the suspected intrigue involved in the car race accident in while he was injured and at the same time, to recover from the injury.
Stages
Codes
Interestingly Enough...
Akira, the unofficial posterboy of the series, was the last character to be added to the game. He was a late replacement for Siba (aka Shiba), a middle-eastern fighter who would later appear as an unlockable character in Fighters Megamix. Judging by the FMM version, Siba didn't make it very far into development, having only a handful of moves. Oddly enough, arcade versions of Virtua Fighter still displayed Siba on the outside art and even a few screenshots of the character were released.
- An original Virtua Fighter arcade machine sits in the Smithsonian Museum as a testament to 3D graphics.
- While in China doing research for Virtua Fighter, Yu Suzuki met with a master of Hakkyokuken, the techniques used by Akira in the game. During the visit, there was quite a bit of customary drinking as the two parties greeted each other. Later on, during a demonstration, the inebriated master's punches went further than expected, striking Suzuki in the gut. At this point, Suzuki fell to the ground head first, leaving the scar on the left side of his head. (http://games.kikizo.com/features/sega_yu_suzuki_iv_feb06_p4.asp)
Media
12/01/2008