Sega Dreamcast Fighting Games
SEGA video games for PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, PS® Vita System, PlayStation®Network, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, PC, PC Download, Xbox 360®, Xbox LIVE®, Kinect™ for Xbox 360®, iPhone® & iPod touch®, iPad®, Android™, Apple Mac®, Apple Mac® Download, Nintendo DS™, Nintendo 3DS™, Wii U™, Wii™ and WiiWare™. The Dreamcast was (and remains) the king of fighters, as the console had a variety of fighting games, all incorporating different mechanics to make each of them feel unique and appealing. The Power Stone series represented exceptional 3D combat on the console, as the four-player battles played very similar to Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Buy Sega Dreamcast Fighting Games Capcom vs SNK. Dead or Alive 2. King of Fighters Dream Match '99. Mortal Kombat Gold. Project Justice. Soul Calibur. Street Fighter III Double Impact. The King of Fighters Evolution. Fatal Fury Mark of the Wolves. Heavy Metal Geomatrix. My top 10 DC fighting games Like if you enjoyed it:) Facebook: BLOG: Mugen Games - Gameplay.
Ah, the Dreamcast: Sega’s final console. It never quite generated a big enough buzz to stay afloat as the PlayStation 2 conquered the market. However, being released 16 months before that, and a whole three years before the Xbox and GameCube, it has the honor of being ahead of its time, and a game changer for the industry. It may be a given now, but it was the first console to feature Internet support for online play, which was huge.
Along with this underdog console comes of plethora of games, many of which are absolute gems, cemented in gaming history. Read on for the best of the bunch.
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Start Now10 Jet Set Radio
A classic action game, Jet Set Radiofollows a ‘rudie’ (a kid who roams the streets with graffiti) named Beat and his crew as they skate around Tokyo, spraying the cities and outrunning the law. Kids, eh? In each level you must tag the assigned graffiti spots before the timer runs out, while avoiding getting caught.
The game was praised for its unique visuals, as one of the earliest games to use cel-shaded graphics. The music is an indisputably catchy mixture of funk, electronic, hip hop, and J-pop. It’s good fun, with an enjoyable rebellious feel.
9 Crazy Taxi
Originally an arcade game in 1999, Crazy Taxi was ported to the Dreamcast a year later. You play as a taxi driver, challenged to see how much money you can earn while delivering passengers as quickly as possible. You get bonus points for performing stunts before the time limit is reached.
The map is much bigger than the arcade version, allowing that great sense of exploration. There’s also “Arcade Rules”, where a one-minute timer which can only be extended from time bonuses if you get the passenger to their spot early. It’s pretty frenzied, and makes for a wild ride.
8 Rez
Shooting and music: it’s a bizarre mix, but one that works well in Rez. Your polygon-esque character, Hacker, floats through the space of a futuristic “supernetwork”, shooting viruses and firewalls that prevent you from doing your task: reaching the AI, Eden, and rebooting her to prevent a catastrophic shutdown.
As you target foes and destroy them, they explode with electronic music sounds, making awesome music as you play. Not quite the zany feel of Rhythm Heaven, and not quite the gritty shooting experience of Halo, it’s a weird and wonderful in-between that’s a lot of fun.
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7 Samba De Amigo
Another arcade game that got a Dreamcast release, Samba de Amigo is a Sonic Team favorite. It’s a classic rhythm game with a twist; you shake maracas to the beat, moving them into high and low spots, and shaking what your mama gave ya.
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The Dreamcast version also has 14 bonus tracks and a Survival mode, where you beat as many songs in a row as you can. There’s a monkey wearing a sombrero, Latin music you can’t help but move to, and maracas – what more do you need in a game?
6 Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Resident Evil: Code Veronica is the fourth installment in the main Resident Evilseries. The story centers on Claire Redfield as she continues her search for her brother, Chris, who has gone missing. The game was praised for its cinematic story and seamless switches between cutscenes and gameplay, giving the player just the right amount of agency in deciding Claire’s fate. It also has fantastic graphics for a Dreamcast game, with newly 3D surroundings, and a camera that follows you better than ever before as you explore the environment. Some fans even consider it the best entry in the series.
5 Sonic Adventure 2
The bigger and better sequel to Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2was the final Sonic game to be released on the Dreamcast. There are two storylines: the “Hero” and the “Dark” story, which can be played whenever you feel like switching between them. It’s got three different play styles: the speedy, reach-the-end style stages of Sonic and Shadow, the shooting-based stages of Tails and Eggman, and the exploration-based stages of Knuckles and Rouge.
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It may have slightly iffy voice-acting, but with hours of gameplay and many different modes (the Chao Garden is fondly remembered) it’s a staple Dreamcast game.
4 Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
Crossover games are always great fun, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is no exception. You can pit Captain America against Chun-Li, or the Hulk against Ryu. It’s that kind of wild cross-series madness that makes these games so likeable. It’s loved by fans for providing more of the same greatness from previous installments, but also building on it; there was new possibility for 3-on-3 matches rather than 2-on-2, a simpler control scheme (making combos way easier), and a new character assist system.
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The new changes made the series even better than before, making this game a solid choice.
3 Soulcalibur
With complex and engaging character backstories, and great 3D visuals, Soulcaliburis considered a must-have for owners of the Dreamcast. Many players rate it as the best fighting game in arcades, and for some, the best fighting game they’ve ever experienced at all. It has numerous impressive weapons – both in appearance and performance – and a ton of gameplay options like Survival, Time Attack and Mission mode. The controls are super smooth, allowing you to move around and circle your enemy with ease. Combine all that with loads of magnificent unlockable art, and you’ve got a winning game.
2 Shenmue
Following Ryo Hazuki’s quest to avenge his father’s death, Shenmue is game hailed by fans as a masterpiece. As Ryo, you search the five environments for items, talk to other characters and gather clues to track down the killer. QTEs (Quick Timer Events) appear in the form of enemies randomly attacking you: exciting, if sometimes an unwanted interruption. There can be some waiting around for the in-game clock to reach the times for certain locations to open or characters to appear. Still, with minigames and endless bonus content, there’s lots of stuff to do. Featuring a gripping storyline and outstanding soundtrack to match, this game feels amazing.
1 Skies of Arcadia
Skies of Arcadia is a classic RPG, with traditional turn-based battles and experience-based progression. It centers on an air pirate called Vyse, as he and his friends fight to stop the Valuan Empire from destroying the world. Fans love it for the brilliantly written storyline and characters. It’s known for being addictive; when the story gets going you’re likely to sink countless hours into this game. It looks beautiful and features innovative gameplay, from battles in ships in the sky, to experiencing your characters’ growth.
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Ticking all the boxes, Skies of Arcadia is a Dreamcast must-have.
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Most people know Virtua Fighter as being the first 3D fighting game that used polygonal models and for laying the foundation for the 3D fighting genre. However, Virtua Fighter was actually a much bigger franchise than people give it credit for. At one point it was so huge it had an anime series, a “CG Portrait Series” (essentially slideshows on SEGA Saturn CD) and even spin-off games. Not only did VF help to establish the 3D fighters, it was crucial to the success of SEGA throughout the 90s as well as other developers.
Before Virtua Fighter
Virtua Fighter is actually SEGA’s third fighting game, with their first entry in the genre being an obscure hologram game titled Holoseum. Afterwards, SEGA made another stab at fighting games with the 1993 game Dark Edge. Technically speaking, Dark Edge was SEGA’s first attempt at 3D fighters, not Virtua Fighter. By using sprite scaling and allowing for movement among multiple axes, Dark Edge created the illusion of depth. Despite the gimmick of creating an illusionary three-dimensional environment, it still failed to stand out in the fighting game market. Virtua Fighter soon became SEGA’s first fighting game hit, releasing towards the end of 1993 (only a few months before Eternal Champions for the SEGA Genesis). Upon release, it was highly praised for its use of 3D polygonal models and realistic animations. Acura rdx service manual pdf.
The Original 3D Fighter
Much of the success of Virtua Fighter can be contributed to the console’s hardware. VF utilized the Model 1 arcade board which was developed by Yu Suzuki along with SEGA’s Amusement Machine Research and Development Department 2 (more commonly known as AM2). Both the Model 1 arcade board and Yu Suzuki had proven to be very successful for SEGA prior to the creation of VF, with the Model 1 being used for the hit arcade game Virtua Racing just the year prior while Suzuki had worked on various other 3D SEGA classics like Space Harrier and After Burner, as well as Virtua Racing.
The Model 1 was one of the most powerful 3D machines when it was released. Even though the board wasn’t the first to use polygonal models (as opposed to sprite scaling) for 3D games, it was one of the most advanced. Older games like Atari’s Hard Drivin’ beat the Model 1 by a few years but had lower frame rates and lower polygon-counts. SEGA's new board could run games at a higher frame rate while providing more detailed models. Since fighting games were huge in the early 90s, it made sense to apply their technology into this popular genre.
Virtua Fighter was praised for having detailed characters and fluid animations as well as utilizing fully rendered 3D environments. Much like Virtua Racing before it, Virtua Fighter saw a lot of success in arcades, but in Japan was where the game really shined. The game was also ported to SEGA home consoles as well. 3D versions of the game were released on both the dying 32X add-on for the Genesis as well as the Saturn. The Saturn version would eventually become of the console’s best-selling games, with it reaching a nearly 1:1 ratio of sales when compared to the console. An updated version of the original game titled Virtua Fighter Remix was mailed out to Saturn owners free of charge in 1995. This version of the game contained more detailed models and textures.
Model 2
Once Virtua Fighter had managed to establish a name for itself, a sequel was inevitable. For the sequel, AM2 used the Model 2 board. Even though Virtua Fighter 2 came out just one year after the original VF, the Model 1 board was already considered to be outdated. The original board was never meant to be used commercially because they were expensive to produce but the success of games made for they system were enough for SEGA to earn a profit. Not only was the Model 2 cheaper to make, it was also a more powerful machine altogether. It was capable of running Virtua Fighter 2 at a consistent 60 frames per second in addition to allowing for more elaborate character models, better backgrounds a larger roster (hardware limitations for the Model 1 limited the game to only have only 8 characters selectable and only being able to render 120,000 polygons on screen at the same time).
VF2 became another smash hit by improving upon the first game in almost every way possible. Improved textures, advanced details like characters changing facial expressions when winning and getting hit, more complex stages, new characters and new moves all helped to bring success to the sequel. AM2 even used motion capture techniques to help animate the game to create more realistic movements; something was relatively unexplored in gaming at the time.
Just like its predecessor, VF2 was ported to quite a few consoles with the Saturn version being one of the most successful games on the console. It even received a port for the original SEGA Genesis (although it was 2D fighter and lacked that two new characters introduced in VF2).
At this point, other developers were trying to get in on 3D fighters. Most notably, Namco entered the genre with their game Tekken. The team that worked on the original Tekken actually had ex-SEGA employees that helped to animate the first Virtua Fighter which helped to focus Tekken’s development from being just a 3D project with human models to an actual 1v1 fighter. The competition between Namco and SEGA and the success of the first Virtua Fighter helped to influence turning the Tekken project into a 3D fighter.
The creation of the Dead or Alive franchise can also be contributed to Virtua Fighter, as well the existence of Koei Tecmo. Video game publisher Tecmo was struggling during the mid-90s and was on the verge of bankruptcy. The company tasked Tomonobu Itagaki and Team Ninja to create a franchise that would turn the company’s fortunes around (which is the reason why the series is named Dead or Alive). SEGA licensed the use of the Model 2 board to Tecmo and DoA became one first non-SEGA games to use the technology. DoA proved to be a big hit for Tecmo and actually saved the company.
Seeing the success of the Virtua Fighter franchise as well as other 3D fighters, SEGA decided to branch out and establish new fighting game IPs using their 3D technology. Fighting Vipers was released in 1995 and utilized the same engine as Virtua Fighter 2. Although the game ran on the same engine as its sister series, Yu Suzuki used feedback from fans of the Virtua Fighter series to design Fighting Vipers. The removal of ring-outs is the most notable change implemented, but at the same time keeping the same control scheme from Virtua Fighter that fans were used to. Fighting Vipers also proved to be a modest success in arcades with it becoming one of the highest grossing arcade game of 1996.
The next SEGA fighting game for the Model 2 would be Sonic the Fighters in 1996. The creation of this game originated after someone in AM2 created playable 3D models of Sonic and Tails in Fighting Vipers. This eventually led to the creation of a fighting game using Sonic characters (the hidden fighter Honey the Cat is actually a reference to the FV character of the same name), as well as helping to inspire the 1996 Saturn crossover fighting game Fighters Megamix. Although Sonic and Tails do not appear in the game, StF original characters Bean the Dynamite and Bark the Polar Bear are playable along with other SEGA “characters”. Despite there being mention of a Saturn port, Sonic the Fighters wouldn’t see a home release until 2005 as a part of Sonic Gems Collection.
The last SEGA fighting game to use the Model 2 board was Last Bronx which hit arcades in 1996, one month after Sonic the Fighters. However, this one was not produced by SEGA’s AM2 division but rather SEGA’s AM3 division (who also made Dark Edge and most notably Virtual-On prior to Last Bronx). SEGA promoted competition among its developers to help foster creativity which explains many of the differences among the two developers’ fighting games. Although Virtua Fighter,Fighting Vipers and Last Bronx use a similar control scheme (a 3-button lay-out containing buttons for Punch, Kick and Guard), Last Bronx stands out for a few reasons. For one, the game was centered around weapon based combat, something that hadn't really been seen before in 3D fighters. A major draw of the game for Japanese audiences was how the game was designed to focus on modern culture. Stages were based on Tokyo while characters were designed around urban Japanese fashion trends of the mid-90s. AM3 also decided to take a more narrative approach for their game by developing deep backstories for each character that expanded beyond the game itself. This can be seen with the anime intro as well as other forms of media, including a radio drama and even a live action TV movie.
Although Last Bronx was a hit in Japan, the game didn’t do nearly as well in the rest of the world. Despite the fact that it was one of the earliest 3D fighting games to focus on weapon-based combat, competition from similar fighting games like Namco’s Soul Edge and Tamsoft’s Battle Arena Toshinden eclipsed its release.
Model 3
Virtua Fighter 3 debuted in arcades in 1996 and was the first game released that used SEGA’s Model 3 hardware. Upon release, the Model 3 was the most powerful game system, even outperforming PCs. This allowed for even more graphical advancements, including more detailed models, characters’ eyes tracking their opponents’ movement and realistic muscle behavior. AM2 also took some liberties with the series and experimented with new features, such as more dynamic stages with different levels of elevation (which led to some interesting bugs). The most notable change would be the implementation of a dodge button that allowed for quick dodges and movement into the foreground and background as opposed to just left and right.
VF3 was a big success in the arcades in Japan which meant that ports to home consoles were inevitable. A Saturn version was planned that would have utilized a 3D processing cart expansion but was eventually scrapped due to the fact that the Saturn was on its way out and SEGA wanted a killer app for their upcoming system, the Dreamcast.
VF3 would eventually makes its way to the Dreamcast as Virtua Fighter 3tb. The “tb” is short for “team battle,” a new mode introduced that allowed for players to build a team King of Fighters style. When one character was defeated, another fighter took their place. Due to the fact that the port was outsourced, there are differences between the arcade and Dreamcast versions of VF3tb. Texture quality is lower on the home version of the game, as well as different lighting and lack of fidelity in shadows. Despite some minor downgrades, the game was still well-received, although it was far more popular in Japan than in the rest of the world. This is due in part because Namco’s hit game Soul Calibur was released as a launch title for the Dreamcast in the US while VF3tb had a delayed North American release. Soul Calibur and VF3tb were often compared to one another, with players tending to favor Soul Calibur for its more detailed graphics, single player content and gameplay (it is even the highest rated fighting game on Metacritic). By 1999, VF3 was 3 years old while Soul Calibur had been in arcades for about a year, which meant that VF3 had become dated when compared to other 3D fighters of the late 90s.
One of the most important things to come from the Model 3 would be SEGA’s most ambitious project, Shenmue. The game was planned to be an RPG spin-off of the Virtua Fighter franchise. Instead of Ryo Hazuki, players would have taken of control of VF mascot Akira Yuki. Eventually this idea was scrapped in favor of creating an original story with new characters (although the idea of a VF RPG would eventually come into existence with Virtua Quest in 2004). Japanese copies of VF3tb were bundled with a disc titled Project Berkley which contained a mini-documentary about the development of Shenmue and showed beta footage and concept art. Shenmue also used VF’s engine for its combat as well as giving Ryo some of Akira's moves.
Fighting Vipers 2 would be the last fighting game made using the Model 3 board. It was released in 1998 in arcades to mixed reception. The game didn’t do as well as its predecessor seeing as how the Dreamcast port didn’t even see a US release.
End of a Legacy
The Model 3 board was discontinued in 1999 in favor of the NAOMI board which used hardware similar to what is found in the Dreamcast. Although it was home to a wide range of classic fighting games from other companies, such as Guilty Gear,Marvel vs Capcom 2, and Project Justice, SEGA only developed one fighting game for it. Toy Fighter was released in 1999 and was developed by AM3 along with Anchor. It separates itself from other fighting games by using a scoring system in which players can earn points by scoring ring-outs, knock-downs, landing special finishers or draining an opponent’s health to zero but with some methods scoring more points than others (if you’ve played Fighter’s Destiny on the Nintendo 64 then you’ll know how it works). A Dreamcast port was planned but ultimately scrapped.
SEGA’s NAOMI 2 board was released in 2000 with Virtua Fighter 4 coming out the following year. New mechanics were implemented while reverting to the traditional 3 button layout that VF had been know for. An improved throw and hold system as well as a re-tuned dodge mechanic helped to advance the series and keep it up to par with the competition. Players were also able to customize the game’s characters as well as play through a career mode that had player rankings. SEGA also implemented AI that mimicked the playstyles of top VF players of the time. VF4 was also frontrunner in using online capabilities in arcades. In terms of both gameplay and features, VF4 was a huge step for the series.
VF4 also received 2 major upgrades in 2002 and 2004. Although the sumo wrestler Taka-Arashi was dropped from the VF4 roster for technical reasons, SEGA made up for it by adding two more characters in Virtua Fighter Evolution. The last update, called Virtua Fighter 4 Final Tuned added new moves, stage changes and more network functions. The original version of VF4 was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2002 while the Evolution update was sold under the Greatest Hits label in 2003. The Final Tuned update was never brought to home consoles. The graphics on the home versions of VF4 had to be toned down to accommodate the hardware but the game was still praised for its visuals, gameplay and content.
Virtua Fighter 5 hit arcades in 2005 on the SEGA Lindbergh board. The character models contained over 40,000 polygons each while the stages had over 300,000. This polygon count for the characters was the highest of any game at the time and wouldn’t be surpassed until Ninja Gaiden II in 2008. Two more revisions of the game would be released; Virtua Fighter 5 R was released only in arcades in 2008. This update brought back the sumo-wrestler Taka-Arashi along with adding a new character to the roster. In 2010, the final game in the series, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown was released in arcades with PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ports published as download-exclusive titles in 2012. Final Showdown brought new animations and customization pieces. VF5 also received critical claim for the same reasons as its predecessors; graphics and gameplay were all top-notch.
Despite the acclaim that the franchise has received over its lifespan, the series has been dormant since Final Showdown. Outside of Akira Yuki, Pai Chan and Jackie and Sarah Bryant making guest appearances in Dead or Alive 5 and Virtua Fighter 5 being playable in Yakuza 6, SEGA hasn’t done much as of late for its flagship fighting game series. Many cite the lack of a competitive presence for the franchise’s stagnation while others blame SEGA’s financial troubles after games like Shenmue and Sonic Boom. However, with the recent revival of Shenmue 3 and SEGA’s interest in reviving classic IPs then maybe there is a chance for Virtua Fighter to return.
TL;DR
-Virtua Fighter was the first fighting game to use 3D polygon models in a 3D environment
-New Virtua Fighter games coincided with new hardware releases, which meant that VF usually debuted with groundbreaking graphics
Sega Dreamcast Robot Fighting Game
-People that worked on the original Virtua Fighter helped to develop Tekken
-Without Virtua Fighter, there wouldn't be Dead or Alive and without Dead or Alive Koei Tecmo might not exist to this day
-Every arcade release of Virtua Fighter saw success in Japan but didn't do nearly as well in international markets
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