| paleface [sys=PS3; cat=Fighting; reg=NA] |
| | | I'm not sure I ever played VF2 in the arcade, although I would certainly have seen it there, as I saw the first--but this PS3 version at least feels convincingly like a very high-fidelity re-creation of the Virtua Fighter 2 arcade game; you can even select between versions 2 and 2.1, although I forget the tweaks 2.1 made. : P At 720p, it looks really sharp, has very good anti-aliasing, and runs very smoothly. The old arcade cheats--ranking mode, expert mode, etc--work.
I played a few embarrassing online matches when it first came out, years ago, and I don't remember if they were laggy or not. Mostly I just remember getting a cheap victory against a probably insulted opponent by spamming flying knees and getting lucky.
Now I'm just playing single-player, and specifically, just Jacky Bryant, because he's the only one who, in Arcade mode, never has to fight in his sister Sarah's Roman amphitheater stage---which I avoid because its constant lightning flashes make my eyes feel bad. 8P
Sarah is the second Arcade mode battle, but if you're playing as Jacky, instead of meeting in her amphitheater, you to to a gritty urban stage, apparently (internet says) Chicago.
The game is hard! : P The controls are very sharp and precise, and maybe unforgiving compared to other games; and movement can feel a bit unnatural, especially how you push up against the opponent--there's sort of a rubbery feel, and if a strike is blocked the blocking character sways back strangely, without it feeling like any contact is made, so fights can become a weird wobble back & forth (and if you end up being thrown or whatever to the side, the camera may end up showing the action from a really awkward, disorienting angle for a bit), hard to deal with if you're relying on Jacky's standard throw, which seems to have a probably way too generous range--but doesn't seem to work at all unless you're stepping toward the opponent; if you get too close you seem to get into this kind of swaying block vortex where you can't land a punch because they're blocking, and you can't throw because you can't move into them! Sheesh. Also I'm a noob.
The order of opponents in Arcade mode is fixed, and the difficulty curve is not gentle: the first, Lau, is always easy to beat; the two, Sarah and Shun, are beatable if you don't screw around too much--after that, you may be on your own, left to whatever trickery you can devise to get through--unless you've actually mastered the game's moves, of course. : o The full opponent order is: Lau, Sarah, Shun, Pai, Lion, Jeffry, Kage, Jacky, Wolf, Akira, Dural (bonus round, no continuing).
Past a certain point, I find that the AI will simply block all my normal punches and kicks, every time. : P This feels a *bit* much...especially since I don't really know many other moves. ; ) Jacky's cheap throw always stands a chance, though, as does his punch+kick haymaker, although they may be able to block that one.
Except, oddly, Jeffry and Wolf, at least on the lowest difficulty setting--which is still incredibly hard for me against, say, Kage and Akira--cannot block Jacky's default flurry of punches, so you can just mash the punch button at them and they'll keep getting hit in the nose until they're knocked out. A rather obvious flaw in the AI's defenses, you would think!
So, it's that old-time difficulty not-so-curve of either crushing or getting crushed. : o
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| | | Interesting cheats in this game--from the original arcade version, I think gamefaqs , contributed there by me):
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Alternate costume:
On the character select screen, hold up while selecting your character. Your selected character will be wearing the alternate costume that Player 2 would normally be wearing in a mirror match.
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Expert mode:
On the character select screen, press down twice, up twice, left twice, and right twice, then select your character.
If successful, you will hear a confirmation sound, "Expert mode" will appear above your health bar, and the AI will be tougher (and supposedly learn from fighting you).
Can be combined with Ranking Mode: no difference will be visible until Game Over, when you will receive a ranking card, and will have no Continue option.
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Ranking mode:
At the title screen--after setting difficulty, etc--press all three buttons together with Start when starting a game. Requires precise timing.
If successful, "Now ranking mode !!" will appear above your health bar, you will get ranking points for performing certain moves, a ranking screen at the end of your game--and you will be unable to continue. Can be combined with Expert Mode, in which case "Expert mode," instead of "Now ranking mode !!," will appear over your health meter. But if you entered the Ranking Mode code correctly, you will still see the ranking screen at the end of the game, and will still be given no continue option. |
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It seems as though, during a play-through, I will get stuck against some character for an hour. : o Oh I get stuck on others for maybe 10 minutes, but then there's that one, who just seems to collision-box-cancel me out of all my move inputs, mercilessly input-read and counter those that somehow try to come out, and just keep piling on the pain. Although, I've found at least that it certainly helps to remember to do those downed attacks consistently, when you *do* manage to knock them down--that damage really adds up. |
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On PS3, playing SEGA games like or at least sort of like the five SEGA arcade games you can play in "Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name"--which I just played on PC, for comparison.
Virtua Fighter 2
Lots cleaner than the Gaiden version visually, w/o Gaiden's scanline filter, & you've got move lists & higher difficulty settings (oh & these PS3 ports have online; no match in my hasty, frightened check). Otherwise felt about the same mashing on pad: still got toyed w/ & destroyed by Pai (she maybe let me get a HAIR closer here? slightly less input delay? don't know really).
PC version is more convenient. Gaiden's filter, torment of a hint more input lag... Dang I'd have to do a test. Wish I could wean myself off fixed platforms.
... PS3. |
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| | | "Normal/Large/Full" graphics options: Normal is 1.29 aspect bordered, Large is 1.29 full screen height, Full is 16:9 stretch. No 57.5/60 fps toggle option. DOES have move lists.
PS2 version implies that arcade version ran in 1.509 ~3:2 aspect. |
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