Hear me out for a second: Steam Big Picture is great. Really, I mean it! Sadly that's not the whole story, though.

The analysis

The last two and a half years have been a wild, wild ride for Linux enthusiasts who want to play games on their favourite distros.
We went from hoping our favourite games will run inside a manually configured Wineprefix (using that slowwwww WineD3D translation layer) to having Valve treating us with Steam Play and Proton, effectively cutting out a lot of the pain that was once daily routine. While this is certainly great, and people who have their games library on Steam for the most part benefit a lot from this, this isn't true for everyone.
That's where the open source community really shines. Thanks to awesome developers, we have masterpieces like Lutris, PlayOnLinux and GameHub readily available to us to manage and install games from other storefronts.
This is actually fine for everyone but some categories of people:

• People who want a way to just launch their games from just one place and within a reasonable amount of time.GameHub already tries to solve this problem and it even has controller support, but it still lacks compatibility with some well known storefronts/wrappers;
• Console players trying to migrate to PC for their gaming needs;
• People who just prefer to sit on a couch and play games with their controller.

The new struggle

This is Bob. Bob is a Linux user with a decent computer and a gamepad. He wants to get his hands on {insert a well supported triple-A title name here}. Bob knows that getting the game on Steam would be ideal, since it will just run fine under Proton and ProtonDB rankings are good enough. However, there's a flash sale for the same game over at GOG. Bob is now conflicted: will he save some bucks and get the game on GOG or just go the safe way and buy it for the full price on Steam?
A: Bob chooses to buy the game on Steam; he values his time and he just wants to enjoy the game, after all.
B: Bob chooses to buy the game on GOG; he values his pocket money more than his time. He will, then, spend his time trying to get his game installed either manually or via Lutris/GameHub. However, he may lose some days before he gets his gamepad set up just about right.
Case B is where the pitfalls of current day Linux gaming really show themselves; and if you, like Bob, enjoy couch gaming or any kind of gaming that doesn't rely on a standard mouse and keyboard configuration, you're easily screwed if you don't own the game on Steam.
To compare it to Cyberpunk 2077's environment, Steam Play is Night City, and life's painfully hard outside of it. (And that's basically what Valve wants IMHO)
(To be totally fair, every reference to GOG is casual and actually it applies to other storefronts as well)
(No I am not hinting at Cyberpunk 2077 when I said {insert a well supported triple-A title name here})

"Oh but that's not a problem, you can..."

• "...drop your controller shilling and just use keyboard and mouse like every PC gamer should do! PC MASTER RACE YEEEEAH"or
• "...just buy an Xbox controller, which is supported everywhere and it always shows you the correct button prompts"

I shouldn't have to say this, but this is really not a solution. People have preferences, and I wouldn't ever switch from my DualShock 4 and my DualSense, not even for all the money in the world tbf.

• "...add your game to your Steam library and leverage both Steam Big Picture and Steam Input's controller remapper"

Valid use case, however, I would need to make another paragraph just to discuss Big Picture. Get ready, here it is.

Steam Big Picture is just not that great

Sure, with time we learned that it's just plain better to spam game launchers/wrappers' devs basically the same feature request: "please add a command or URI handle to launch games from Steam Big Picture".
This is fine, but I always got a bit nervous about that: why should Steam always be at the core of my Linux gaming experience? Besides, it's not that Big Picture is especially cool either.
It just sat there, with its blue shades and plain old UI/UX since years now. It takes you a lot of time to jump into the action from the "main menu" of Big Picture. Heck, the Xbox 360 "Metro" dashboard was quicker and it actually offered a way better user experience; and mind you it launched before Big Picture was available to the general public.
Adding non-Steam games to the library makes the entire library look messy after a while, with missing banners, icons, inaccurate titles and so on and so forth. Besides, we won't get news and achievements history, and the playtime won't be as accurate. That's quite the disappointment.
The disappointment in Big Picture doesn't really end here either: in my experience, I always saw it lagging behind when I were to navigate through menus and launch games. This alone makes me want to ditch it and stay away from it, but that's not even the whole story; it freezed and crashed on me multiple times (even on Windows tbf). I wonder why Valve's devs are still putting that much effort into maintaining it without realizing the bad design and crappy UX they're basically giving to users. (I mean, not that they seem to be willing to bite the bullet and fix it either; the Friends tab is just the mouse-friendly desktop version but fullscreen. Awful).
The final nail in the coffin is Steam Input, really. Don't get me wrong, Steam Input's legacy is totally respectable, but it doesn't work as well on Linux as it does on Windows; not in my experience, at least.
For those who don't know, the logic applied here is the same as it is on Windows: if the game is owned on Steam and if it uses Steam Input API, then the controller is basically handled by that API and the game will also display correct button prompts for whichever game you're playing.
The problem manifests itself when playing games which don't use Steam Input API. For those games, developers can still make official controller mappings that will remap your controller to an Xbox one internally but still show the accurate prompts to you. A quick example would be the entire Yakuza franchise. However, this does not work on Linux. I imagine this is some kind of limitation that I hope will get fixed at some point, but this basically makes every game which would support accurate button prompts on Windows look bad on Linux under the same conditions (also, anyone besides me gets confused when seeing Xbox's X button and its resemblance in shape and color to PS' Cross button? Yeah that made me miss multiple quick time events on Yakuza 0. I hate it).
Finally, non-Steam games and Steam games without official controller mappings will just assign a "default" mapping to your favourite controller, which could be either fine or horrendously wrong. And still, Xbox prompts.

It doesn't have to be this way

I believe in the Linux gaming community, and I am looking forward to bring something new to the table. Enter my idea which doesn't even have a name for now.
But wait a moment, who am I again? I am the same girl who took unixporn by storm on April 2020 with the Glasscord project (for those who missed it, it was Discord/VSCode + transparent, blurry background).
I am trying to plan out and make an entire console-like dashboard for Linux desktops (and maybe Windows, though that's not a priority for now).
​

Hold on a second, cowboy! From here on we're talking hypothetical stuff!

The goal is really just making a modern TV- and gamepad-friendly dashboard (and game overlay) that really unifies all of your games (installable and installed) and makes you get into the action in seconds, just like it is on consoles.

Avoiding XKCD's prophecy

I don't want to just make another game launcher like Lutris or another attempt at GameHub but TV-sized. Instead, I want to take advantage of those projects to build what is, essentially, a GUI frontend to them.
As I am imagining it, the dashboard should be fully modular. Plugins for Steam, RetroArch, Lutris, Legendary, Itch, GameHub, et cetera, can then be made to add games into the dashboard. Other plugins for ProtonDB, IGDB and Metacritic could also provide useful information regarding game plot, game ratings and Proton compatibility ratings.
Finally, plugins for Discord or Mumble could add party chat support to the dashboard so that you don't really have to alt-tab out of the game you're playing to switch voice channels or send screenshots or a quick message to a friend.
Essentially, everything is a plugin and every plugin provides useful features to the dashboard.

On the topic of controller remapping

The dashboard should natively support as many controllers as possible. In the long run, I plan on kickstarting a controller remapper that can actually remap from and to a reasonable variety of controllers (for example, remapping a DualSense to a DualShock 4); and that would obviously get a plugin for the dashboard in the long run.

Keyboard and mouse, please?

If the idea actually catches up, I might also make a desktop suited GUI for keyboard and mouse people. Though, that's not the main focus for now and I doubt that'll be needed anyway.

Feedback is welcome!

As it stands, I am still not touching any code. I will probably outline the theoretical functionality of every core component and make some concept UI/UX designs before doing so.
Also, I am looking for people willing to help with this idea. If you're a developer or UI/UX designer and you want to make Linux (couch) gaming better, you're invited to join me in this crazy adventure.
I will read each and every comment about this idea here (and in my Discord server) and reply as soon as possible.
(Note for the moderators: Please forgive me if I'm using the wrong flair, maybe I am)
EDIT: Up for brainstorming, I made a whiteboard that you can view here and get the link to edit on my Discord server.
EDIT 2: It could look like this.

A couple of years ago, I took a quick look at top review scores in the genre (RIP GameRankings). Perspectives from outside this subreddit are always important, so I took another look around, this time from a general user score perspective. I built lists from GameFAQs, IMDb, Grouvee, and Metacritic. This comes with the usual caveats on user ratings with regards to astroturfing, review bombing, fan brigading, etc.
A few notes here, first. The actual genre classification was the biggest sticking point. I cast a wide net, based on subreddit mood over the past few years. Generally speaking, if there has been any sort of substantial controversy here that a game should be included, I included it. NieR, Undertale, Yakuza, and some mobiles are among these, for example. Zelda, Metroidvanias, Monster Hunter, South Park, and Soulsborne games were not included.
Games with very few ratings compared to the larger pool were also omitted (there weren't many of these).
I included some duplicate ports/re-releases depending on how the site listed games. These are denoted with asterisks. In those cases, I pulled extras from further down the list (hence, the "25ish"). One exception here is the Kingdom Hearts series; I did not include every single re-release and remaster, as they would have unduly cluttered the IMDb and Grouvee lists.
If there are any obvious databases I missed with datasets of this size (or there are corrections in general), let me know and I'll edit them in. I already passed over Giant Bomb, MobyGames, and VGChartz due to small datasets.

GameFAQs

Starting in 1995 as a site for guides and other game information, GameFAQs added personal game collections and ratings several years ago. Overall, I would expect ratings from such a site to lean positively toward longer games such as RPGs versus other games, but I'm not sure what kind of bias would be within the genre. Scores are out of five stars.

Rank	Game	Score	Number of ratings
1	Persona 4 Golden	4.59	6845
2	Chrono Trigger (NDS)	4.58	5619
*	Chrono Trigger (SNES)	4.57	6968
3	Xenoblade Chronicles	4.55	4881
4	Final Fantasy VI (SNES)	4.54	6294
5	Persona 5	4.54	5706
*	Persona 4	4.54	6611
6	Suikoden II	4.53	2854
7	Mother 3	4.52	1807
*	Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition	4.49	474
8	Final Fantasy VII	4.49	13599
9	The World Ends With You	4.48	4770
10	Lunar: Eternal Blue	4.48	594
11	Tales of Symphonia	4.47	4691
12	Rune Factory 4	4.46	2397
13	Skies of Arcadia	4.46	748
14	Panzer Dragoon Saga	4.46	761
15	Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars	4.45	5136
16	Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition	4.45	640
17	Persona 3 FES	4.45	5540
18	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door	4.45	4520
*	Final Fantasy VI Advance	4.43	2657
19	Tales of Vesperia (PS3)	4.43	712
*	Chrono Trigger (Final Fantasy Chronicles)	4.43	1125
20	Kingdom Hearts II	4.43	8789
21	Golden Sun: The Lost Age	4.42	2678
*	Tales of Vesperia (X360)	4.42	3858
22	Pokémon SoulSilver	4.41	6252
23	NieR: Automata	4.41	2378
*	Xenoblade Chronicles 3D	4.41	996
24	Pokémon X	4.41	15957
25	Fantasy Life	4.40	3165

IMDb

The well-known movie database has the second largest pool of ratings in this post. I don't know how long ratings have been around (or how far back video game pages go), but the database itself went to the web in 1993. Users are likely movie fans, which possibly gives Kingdom Hearts and Ni no Kuni a boost. Ratings are out of 10 stars.

Rank	Game	Score	Number of ratings
1	Persona 5 Royal	9.5	244
2	Chrono Trigger	9.5	2526
3	Final Fantasy VII	9.5	8676
4	Persona 4 Golden	9.4	652
5	Kingdom Hearts II	9.4	6518
6	Final Fantasy VII Remake	9.3	1541
*	Persona 5	9.3	1747
*	Persona 4	9.3	780
7	Suikoden II	9.3	342
8	Kingdom Hearts	9.2	6555
9	Xenoblade Chronicles	9.1	476
10	Persona 3 FES	9.1	449
11	Final Fantasy X	9.1	6424
12	Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force	9.0	82
13	NieR: Automata	9.0	1669
14	Yakuza 0	9.0	709
*	Fairy Fencer F	9.0	83
15	Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep	9.0	1345
*	Persona 3	9.0	650
16	Mother 3	9.0	308
17	Terranigma	9.0	170
18	Final Fantasy VI	9.0	2100
19	EarthBound	9.0	760
20	Yakuza Kiwami 2	8.9	252
21	Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age	8.9	286
22	Undertale	8.9	1876
23	Fire Emblem: Awakening	8.9	776
24	Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch	8.9	686
25	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door	8.9	699

Grouvee

A video game collection tracking/backlogging site going back to 2011, Grouvee uses the Giant Bomb wiki API. If there is any overlap with the backlogging fiends over at /patientgamers, this might be a similarly older crowd. Grouvee does not see as much traffic as Backloggery, but Backloggery does not appear have a database for user ratings. Ratings are out of five stars. This list required a minimum of 100 ratings, as per the site's sorting.

Rank	Game	Score	Number of ratings
1	Persona 5 Royal	4.79	153
2	Mother 3	4.63	386
3	Chrono Trigger	4.60	2475
4	Persona 4 Golden	4.60	1118
*	Persona 5	4.56	1777
5	Final Fantasy VI	4.54	1840
6	Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix	4.54	401
7	Trails in the Sky SC	4.51	143
*	Persona 4	4.50	969
8	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door	4.47	1243
9	Suikoden II	4.46	323
10	Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver	4.45	2325
11	Final Fantasy VII Remake	4.45	468
12	Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward	4.43	230
13	Persona 3 FES	4.42	917
14	Pokémon Gold/Silver	4.42	3991
*	Persona 3 Portable	4.42	623
15	Final Fantasy VII	4.42	3514
16	Final Fantasy IX	4.41	2122
17	Fire Emblem: Three Houses	4.41	629
18	Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix	4.40	243
19	NieR: Automata	4.39	1829
*	Pokémon Crystal	4.39	1551
20	EarthBound	4.38	1074
*	Persona 3	4.38	303
21	Skies of Arcadia	4.38	116
*	Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster	4.38	756
22	Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age	4.37	329
23	Yakuza 0	4.36	816
24	Rune Factory 4	4.34	196
25	Final Fantasy Tactics	4.31	945

Metacritic

Rounding out this list of lists is the smallest pool, Metacritic. This critics' review aggregator launched in 1999. Metacritic weights their review scores, but I do not suspect the site user ratings to be anything more than a straight average. Scores are out of 10.

Rank	Game	Score	Number of ratings
1	Crystar	9.6	1243
2	Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman	9.6	283
3	Xenoblade Chronicles	9.2	1326
4	Pokémon SoulSilver	9.2	830
5	Xenogears	9.2	309
6	Final Fantasy VII	9.1	2083
7	Xenoblade Chronicles X	9.1	1715
*	Pokémon HeartGold	9.1	849
8	Chrono Trigger (NDS)	9.1	634
9	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door	9.1	524
10	Paper Mario	9.1	411
11	Suikoden II	9.1	265
12	Tales of Symphonia	9.1	229
13	Vagrant Story	9.1	199
*	Final Fantasy Chronicles	9.1	183
14	Kingdom Hearts II	9.0	1260
15	Final Fantasy IX	9.0	1253
*	Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition	9.0	819
16	Pokémon Platinum	9.0	783
17	Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers	9.0	611
18	NieR: Automata - Become as Gods Edition	9.0	475
*	Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX	9.0	449
19	The Legend of Dragoon	9.0	326
20	Golden Sun	9.0	282
21	Golden Sun: The Lost Age	9.0	191
22	Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius	9.0	113
23	Final Fantasy Record Keeper	9.0	111
*	NieR: Automata	8.9	3676
24	Final Fantasy X	8.9	1645
25	Kingdom Hearts	8.9	1054

Heading into the end of Q1 for 2017, we have already seen some remarkable games in 2017. A shortlist of notable games includes:

• Resident Evil 7
• Yakuza 0
• Nioh
• Tales of Berseria
• Horizon Zero Dawn
• Nier: Automata
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

A few of these games are definite Game of the Year contenders. Breath of the Wild is currently the fourth best reviewed game of all time according to Metacritic and number one on GameRankings' equivalent list. Resident Evil 7 reinvigorated a franchise that had tread a bit too far away from the path that made the series work. Neoh presented a Souls-like challenge in a memorable setting. Horizon Zero Dawn showed that a new IP can still make a mark in this gaming world of sequels and HD remakes.
Looking to the near future, Nier: Automata and Mass Effect Andromeda are looking like they are everything fans of those franchises have wanted. By the end of April, we will have Persona 5, Yooka-Laylee and Dawn of War 3.
Has there ever been a start to a year that can come even close to this lineup? Just over two months into 2017 and I honestly cannot recall the last time I felt almost overwhelmed by the sheer number of quality titles being released. I remember the annual game release calendar almost always being focused on the holiday season, and now it feels like that annual "game season" has given way to a nearly endless series of highly anticipated titles.

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.
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
-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
Sources:
^{https://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8132
http://segaretro.org/Yu_Suzuki
http://segaretro.org/Dark_Edge
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Model_1
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Model_2
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Model_3
http://segaretro.org/Sega_NAOMI
http://segaretro.org/Sega_NAOMI_2
http://segaretro.org/Category:Virtua_Fighter
http://segaretro.org/Category:Fighting_Vipers
http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Fighters
http://segaretro.org/Shenmue
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/virtuafightevirtuafighter.htm
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/lastbronx/lastbronx.htm
http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/08/02/the-history-of-dead-or-alive
http://www.gamesradar.com/making-tekken/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HgBkY6Ep68&t=131s}

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.
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
-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
Sources:
^{https://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8132
http://segaretro.org/Yu_Suzuki
http://segaretro.org/Dark_Edge
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Model_1
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Model_2
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Model_3
http://segaretro.org/Sega_NAOMI
http://segaretro.org/Sega_NAOMI_2
http://segaretro.org/Category:Virtua_Fighter
http://segaretro.org/Category:Fighting_Vipers
http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Fighters
http://segaretro.org/Shenmue
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/virtuafightevirtuafighter.htm
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/lastbronx/lastbronx.htm
http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/08/02/the-history-of-dead-or-alive
http://www.gamesradar.com/making-tekken/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HgBkY6Ep68&t=131s}

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.
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
-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
Sources:
^{https://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8132
http://segaretro.org/Yu_Suzuki
http://segaretro.org/Dark_Edge
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Model_1
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Model_2
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Model_3
http://segaretro.org/Sega_NAOMI
http://segaretro.org/Sega_NAOMI_2
http://segaretro.org/Category:Virtua_Fighter
http://segaretro.org/Category:Fighting_Vipers
http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Fighters
http://segaretro.org/Shenmue
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/virtuafightevirtuafighter.htm
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/lastbronx/lastbronx.htm
http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/08/02/the-history-of-dead-or-alive
http://www.gamesradar.com/making-tekken/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HgBkY6Ep68&t=131s}

I was a PC gamer but was overwhelmed by my steam library (500+ games). More of a Indie and niche player. So I bought a PS4 Pro because in my head there weren't as many games I could choose from.
I started with Destiny 2 but lost interest quite easily after finishing the main story line. Then there was inFAMOUS which was okay but also didn't really catch me. So I restarted my old habit of hoarding games.
Now I'm in the same place as before. When I start my PS4 I can choose between Persona 5, Bloodborne, Yakuza 0, Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted 1-4, Zero Escape, Final Fantasy 12 (the only game I played so far from this list), Wolfenstein, Doom, MGS5, Nier Automata. And then I get overwhelmed, which leads to me starting the youtube app instead or play a few rounds of Marvel vs Capcom 3 or Crypt of the Necro Dancer.
I did create lists with metacritic and time to value scores. I watched several review videos to get a ranking. It's really frustrating.
Recommendations what to play first?

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.
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
-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
Sources:
^{https://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8132
http://segaretro.org/Yu_Suzuki
http://segaretro.org/Dark_Edge
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Model_1
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Model_2
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Model_3
http://segaretro.org/Sega_NAOMI
http://segaretro.org/Sega_NAOMI_2
http://segaretro.org/Category:Virtua_Fighter
http://segaretro.org/Category:Fighting_Vipers
http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Fighters
http://segaretro.org/Shenmue
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/virtuafightevirtuafighter.htm
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/lastbronx/lastbronx.htm
http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/08/02/the-history-of-dead-or-alive
http://www.gamesradar.com/making-tekken/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HgBkY6Ep68&t=131s}