Virtua Fighter 5 is here!

Recently launched in the States and due out across Europe this month, does the PS3 Virtua Fighter 5 live up to its arcade big brother?

All of the sought after invitations for the Fifth World Fighting Tournament have been sent and now the 17 best fighters in the world begin their final phases of preparation. They must learn from their prior mistakes and perfect every aspect of their mind, body, and soul - for there is no room for mistakes in this competition. Little do they know that J6, the organization funding the tournament, has sinister ulteriour motives for the contest and the company's top secret Dural program is already well underway. In the organization's quest for world domination, the scientists at J6 are creating the ultimate fighting machine with human features. Their first model was defeated in the Fourth World Fighting Tournament, which drove them to kidnap Vanessa. She was able to escape with the help of an insider, but not before they captured her combat data and transferred it to the new advanced Dural model named V-Dural. J6 is determined to find out who the inside traitor is that released Vanessa and more importantly, if V-Dural is indeed ready to defeat the world's best fighters. The Fifth World Fighting Tournament will reveal both - let it begin.

"This latest installment in the critically-acclaimed series will elevate the arcade fighting genre to all-new heights as it takes true advantage of the capabilities of the next-generation hardware," according to the developer.

Virtua Fighter 5 features an all-star cast of 17 fighters, including characters from the previous iterations along with two new characters named El Blaze and Eileen. El Blaze is a Mexican fighting champion who defeats opponents with his quick Lucha Libre fighting style. Eileen, originally from China, uses a Monkey Kung-Fu fighting style that she learned from her grandfather, a former Kung-Fu master. Players will be able to customize their characters by selecting from four uniquely patterned costumes and a wide range of attachable items that can be placed onto each fighter's various body parts.

Virtua Fighter 5 delivers fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping action as players head into battle, taking on a host of popular characters. Players not only achieve victory by defeating highly-skilled opponents, but can also compete for prizes and earn in-game money through the match to buy many items at an in-game shop. These items allow players to customize their ultimate warrior and become the top Virtua Fighter. In addition, the game introduces "Offensive Move", a new maneuver that allows players to easily approach opponents from the side, adding a more strategic element to the battle. The game also supports 720p HD resolution.

Ranking system
The new implementation of the ranking system has lead to some player's confusion as to what is the highest rank. Upon obtaining "Conqueror" players have not gone through the other two ranking trees, and so, believe that other ranks exist above them. A character's winning percentage can and does change over time. This can lead to crossing from one rank tree to another (i.e. an "Enforcer" can rank up to "Barbarian" and then up or down to "Vindicator" or "Protector"). The only time a rank tree is final is when a character obtains their 28th rank, "Liberator", "Destroyer", or "Conqueror". It is impossible to change ranks once a character obtains their final rank, the experience bar stops moving, even when fighting other 28th rank opponents. It also appears to be impossible to rank down from this level, locking a character into their final title.

Still, as with all Virtua Figter games, VF5 is really all about fighting, and it delivers some of the best console fighting you’ve ever seen or played. Go enter the arena today!