A newVirtua Fightertitle has been teased at CES 2025. While the trailer didn’t have true in-game footage,it provided proof of concept of whatVirtua Fighter 6may be like. It had a lot of heavy hits and great use of blocking, which are staples of the series. While it isn’t always the most exciting gameplay to watch as an audience, the series is extremely fun for die-hard fighting game fans.
WhileVirtua Fighterwas one of the main pillars of 3D fighting games, a new title hasn’t been released since 2006. Whilemany updates ofVirtua Fighter 5have appeared, includingFinal Showdown,Ultimate Showdown, and soonR.E.V.O.,they were all still the same core game.Several main characters did appear inDead or Alive 5, with some fans often joking that that game is the true nextVirtua Fighter. But it had so many more systems that superseded what many fans expected.
Virtua Fighter Is About Fundamentals And Not Spectacle
Mind Games Trump Combos And Poking
As seen in the pre-development trailer, most of Akira’s moves are simply basic punches, kicks, and blocks. These moves are further divided into high, medium, and low hits. Instead of multiple strikes,each individual attack inVirtua Fighterhits hard. This is exemplified when the first player slams the opponent into a few wooden boxes and deals damage to over 50% of their life bar.
Using just the right moves inVirtua Fighter is crucial, often baiting the enemy into making a mistake and punishing it with the right response. Using the wrong attack andmissing will likely result in losing the round, which strongly discourages button mashing. While combos exist, they are limited to three or four hits. Contrast this to something likeStreet FighterandTekken, which can showcase long combo strings or heavy reliance onflashy character special moves.
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Virtua Fighteris often directly compared to Tekken as two of the earliest 3D fighting game franchises, but both games have very different principles. Being outright defensive and only occasionally poking foe works well in the latter. Additionally,manyTekkenfightershave hard counter-picks, with some high-level players abandoning their main character if it just means winning. However, withVirtua Fighter,the balanced roster results in no clear advantages, and every contender is viable.
Both Series Have Similarities
Surprisingly, severalVirtua Fightercharacters appeared inDead or Alive 5and its updates. This began with Akira Yuki, Pai Chan, and Sarah Bryant appearing in the base game and then Jackie Bryant being added toDOA5: Ultimate. Team Ninja wasn’t working overtime to cram in several misaligned characters. Instead, the two games share a similar foundation, though with additional systems that make them different.
BothVirtua FighterandDead or Aliveare strongly about mind games and tricking the enemy. But, with the latter, this came from a more defensive place to maneuver out of a bad situation. Players could oftenwind up in a critical stagger and be unable to respond. However, inputting the correct defensive hold or “sabaki” could allow escaping or even counter combos.
The main difference is thatDead or Alivehas much more air time thanVirtua Fighter. A few of the characters, namely staple ninjas like Kasumi andRyu Hayabusa fromNinja Gaiden,might actively be jumping for certain attacks. But, in general, there also tend to be lots of juggles or otherwise preventing the enemy from hitting the ground.
Still, both dedicated fans ofDead or Aliveand those wanting more balance fromTekkenshould be on the watch for moreVirtua Fighternews. While the real game footage likely will not match the CES 2025 trailer, it should at least have some remnants in the final design. Plus, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio might add a little spin fromLike A DragonorJudgment.
