Back in March of last year when Sega finally pulled the plug on Dreamcast and announced their intentions of publishing on multiple next generation platforms, Virtua Fighter 4 was one of the first confirmed titles for the Playstation 2. Naturally the gaming world became quite excited and the anticipation has grown ever since. With an extremely short development cycle, Sega-AM2 has cranked out the next installment in their fighter series. Unfortunately it does not deliver on the hype that has surrounded its release. The fighting genre is basically sub-divided into two classes: those which rely on the precise timing of combos and those that deliver fewer moves and an effective blocking system. For depth and originality gamers have always turned to the Virtua Fighter series. Therefore it is somewhat disappointing that Virtua Fighter 4 is missing many of the unique features that used to make it stand out from other brawlers.

Virtua Fighter 4 is not the visual masterpiece we were hoping for. While not poor by any stretch of the imagination, there is something about the look that just does not sit right. I thought it was just myself, but it was a general consensus among us that things did not gel together as they could have. The jaggies that plagued first generation PS2 titles have decided to rear their ugly head once again. It would appear that Sega-AM2 did not spend enough time with the hardware to find their way around the jaggy anti-aliasing issue. The game also flickers and shimmers which makes it look worse than it really is. When you take a very close look you can see that an incredible amount of work went into the character models but this is not conveyed due to the issues mentioned. The level environments borrow heavily from the Dead Or Alive series and lack any true interactive element. They look impressive on their own but do very little once the action and pace of the fight pick up. There are a couple of levels that display some intuitive thinking on the developers part. One level that sticks out in my mind is a high roof top environment that takes place at night. Helicopters and spotlights are shone on the roof top as the bout takes place. Nice lighting effects and use of shadows here is quite impressive. Too bad there was not more of this kind of design throughout the entire product. As far as sound goes, Sega-AM2 has used the old formula of guitar riffed tunes with little innovation here. The voice work is about as good as you can expect for a fighting game and is a mix of Japanese and English speakers.

The Virtua Fighter series has always been about control and while this latest installment offers an impressive range of moves, it disappoints on other issues. For example, for some strange reason Yu Suzuki and his team ignored the possibilities of the analog stick on the Dual Shock 2. Instead players are forced to use the inferior digital pad. In order to take full advantage of the plethora of moves, players will be forced to purchase an arcade fighter stick. Another disappointment was the developer's decision to take out the elusive Dodge Button found in Virtua Fighter 3tb. It is still possible to circle around your opponent but the commands lack precision and are less reliable than the eight way motion system found in the Dead Or Alive and Soul Calibur series. As mentioned already, the level designs seem to be more 2D in nature when compared to the elevated sections found in VF3tb. Therefore some backdrops look great but there is no interactive element when compared to the likes of Dead Or Alive 3 which is found on the XBOX platform. Kudos to Sega-AM2 for getting rid of the sloping environments found in previous incarnations. Although ring-outs are still possible, more emphasis has been placed on the bout rather than simply muscling your opponent out of the ring. And as the Virtua Fighter series has shown in the past, a plethora of moves, counter-moves and throws are intertwined throughout the entire package. Playing the computer on a hard level or against a competent friend will yield some of the most fierce and exciting battles seen yet. Some argue that this can tend to rely too much on rote learning, nevertheless intense action is usually an end product and that is fine with us.

In terms of extras, VF4 is a mixed bag. The one-player arcade mode (13 stages, and one-off encounter with Dural) is incredibly boring due to the fact that the stages play in order and result in the same ending over and over. This may work in arcades but for home conversions you have to offer a lot more incentive whether it be hidden arenas or different character endings. We thought it was a no brainer after Namco set the standard with its Tekken home conversions. Thankfully, there is a Kumite and A.I. modes where players can actually build and train their fighter. As your fighter improves his or her skills a number of extra costumes and accessories are unlocked for you to use at your leisure. There are limits to what your fighter can learn but this neat feature makes an engaging addition to a rather weak package.

Ultimately, Virtua Fighter 4 is not the groundbreaking title that many media outlets would have you believe. If you are a fan of the series then you will be right at home. However, if you like your fighting games to play more like Tekken of Soul Calibur then you should rent VF4 first to see if it suits your desires. Regardless, Virtua Fighter 4 still showcases the technical finesse of the series, albeit watered down somewhat.