On a local FG level, this really does seem like an absolute treat. A lovely remastering of a fighting game that feels like it has an absurd level of technical depth, great art design (with some particularly amazing animation work) and great gamefeel.

But as an "Esports" reinvigoration of the game, it sadly falls at the first hurdle. For all it's cute bells and whistles, tournament modes, and events coming down the line, the game just feels bad to play online. In a game with such very tight timing windows, having so much delay is basically unacceptable, even playing against others with what the game presents as the best possible connection. Going from training and local play to online and watching what feels like a 300ms delay between the offline and online play just makes it feel unworkable and its extremely hard to adjust between the two. Even by the standards of delay based netcode, it's bad.

If you gave me 100 hours, maybe I could adjust to it. And maybe in 2010 I would have, it seems like a supremely good game in local play. But it's 2021 and the middle of a Pandemic - at this point, I have plenty of options for games which are both supremely good and don't feel like shite to play online - which, considering that's the emphasis of this title, basically defeats the point.

What a shame. If the online was good i'd probably be going into discords trying to build up a lobby for the next little while, trying dumb shit and having a great time with friends. And maybe I would anyways, but it's at least going to be squeezing a much harder fruit for the same amount of juice - and I don't have patience for that in my online games anymore.

The fact that this is free with PS+ is already amazing enough. Past that what you have here is an updated version of an amazing fighting game with pretty decent - good netcode. The netcode can vary but in MY personally experience I have had way more good connection matches then bad ones. If you have a PS4-5 and PS+ there is no reason to not play this game as there is both offline and online modes for everyone to enjoy. The only downside is that there doesn't seem to be quest mode which was such a fun mode but that is the only downside I can think of.

Highly recommend.

Virtua Fighter has always been a main stay in the arcades since it came out, and honestly I never really understood why. A lot of the games felt basic, mildly confusing, and overall not very approachable. It's not so much that I dislike Virtua Fighter as I don't get it.

My time with Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown though has ultimately led me to the thought that this is just a basic fighter. Honestly it says it on the title right there, It's a fighter, it's virtual, and it's the 5th edition. Sure, there are more characters and some interesting stages to see, but honestly it's just what it says. I wish there was more to this game aside from fighting, but the only other extra you really get out of this game is an arcade mode with no story, and a tutorial mode to just teach you the basics.

Like I really do like fighters, and I like these cast of characters, but I wish there was more to it. It's just versus mode, online stuff, and arcade. The content is so bloody basic I swear it's straight from the arcade itself, without any thought to what else someone might want from a fighting game, and as someone that is apart of a super small niche of players that like solo content in fighting games, Im a little attacked at the fact I have to play with people.

In the end, Virtua Fighter 5 is a basic fighter. It's not flashy, the mechanics and fighting is interesting to get into for some, and the amount of moves you can use is far more than a usual fighter, but really it's only if you want to give it the time of day. Virtua Fighter really only wants to impress you by fighting, and for some that's enough.

First of all, let me just get it out there. Virtua Fighter 5 was a great game. But this is one of the laziest ports/re-releases I have ever seen come out of a company. It's so basic it hurts, the content is trash compared to the original PS3/360 releases that are fucking FOURTEEN YEARS OLD as of this writing. Oh, the lighting is better? Who gives a shit.

This game had a wet fart of buildup with esports in big blinking lights and obviously banking on online being popular, so you'd think they would make the online any good? Of course not. Even better, lets put it against Guilty Gear Strive and its rollback netcode and the fact that it's actually a brand new game and not something from literally fifteen years ago.

The worst part of this thing is that the top shitlords at Sega of Japan are going to use this as an excuse to go "oh I guess people don't like Virtua Fighter" and shelve the series eternally. This company deserves every ounce of liquid shit thrown at them.

A damn shame too, I liked this series.

The biggest problem with Virtua Fighter as a franchise is that the cast isn't interesting. All fighters looks like generic dudes (some have cool designs ideas) and they have cool movements at least. But even with a good combat I serious can't get in love with the franchise. There's nothing special about besides begin the first 3D fighting game. I didn't expect to this port fix that but even with they taking a thing or two from Tekken I still can't say I really like Virtua Fighter. Is fun and a good game but a bit meh at the same time.

It's Final Showdown. I would've given it 4 or 5 stars if it wasn't more barebones than Final Showdown on ps3 and still a farcry from VF4Evo.

Weird character models, weird lighting, features like replays gone and lobbies are awkward as fuck to get around now. Features that were in previous VFs are now dlc. Inconsistent netcode, inconsistent netcode, inconsistent netcode and inconsistent netcode.

Fine for people who never played the games before and it's nice to get SOME rerelease but other fighting game series had better means of returning to the spotlight.

*Edit: It's nice they added a search functions for rooms but wake me up when they added Type S costumes and Hyper Fighting mode.

Let me start out by saying the only reason I don't give this a 5/5 is simply because the remaster is very barebones cutting out tons of cosmetic items and aside from arcade mode there isn't much in the way of single player options, sadly quest mode from the original VF 5 does not return. However the graphical overhaul and new OST are really do help breathe new life into this classic.

Easily one of the greatest fighting games of all time to me. Incredible depth to the combat with an insane amount of moves and combos to do plus every character has multiple styles to master and they all play very differently from each other. It's an easy game to pick up, play and have fun with even for beginners and people who don't play fighting games, but it has the depth fighting game fanatics crave and will take hours upon hours to truly master. Plus it has Sarah Bryant what more could you want?