Fighting games can arguably be considered one of the defining genres for consoles and arcades both. Reaching across platforms, they would help to define ass kicking for a growing generation of gamers, sparking tournaments where the only blood spilled was from the noses of those stressed out that they had lost to someone just starting grade school. But while 2D fighters would dominate digital rings during the early 90's thanks to titles such as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, Sega's Virtua Fighter would spark a 3D revolution that would be followed by Tekken, Dead or Alive, Soul Calibur, Wargods, and countless others. With the fifth iteration, Sega has demonstrated that while it may not be as flashy as its competitors or offer much in the way of extras, it is still very much faithful to the roots that it has refined in the last thirteen years.

Leafing through the manual, players will see that Sega has cut into the strategy guide market by filling its included booklet with encyclopedic move lists, building blocks to the combinations that can tie everything together to fully embarrass opponents, demonstrating the kind of depth that exists within the game just waiting to be exploited. Although these lists can be called up during the game, it's refreshing to see that there are still publishers out there that dedicate some time to giving the player more than a warranty card. Small tidbits detailing the reasons that each of the seventeen fighters have for joining this latest contest of strength are also included, although there really is no story to speak of even though one is provided for the setting. Make no mistake, VF5 is purely a fighting game and every piece of it has been focused towards that end. That means no cutting to an unexpected twist or text aside following your match. Nothing but the bare fisted bludgeoning that the player can deliver to the CPU or to a friend who joins in.

The deep fighting engine that has been a hallmark of the series is something that might seem intimidating at first, but the intuitive feel lends itself easily to experimentation with a vast array of moves and attacks. Beginners who haven't spent as much time with the series, or those who have been weaned on Tekken, Soul Calibur, and Dead or Alive, will find Virtua Fighter's controls simple to get a handle on. Veterans will likely dive right into the Arcade mode; the controls that haven't dramatically changed since the first title as AM2 continues to polish the system from one iteration to the next.

For beginners or for those coming off of other fighters, AM2 has continued to keep the scheme simple. There's only one punch and one kick attack to remember; much of everything else is chained off from combinations starting with those basic moves. In addition to attacking, the player can guard, recover from falls, deflect strikes, step to the side to watch the enemy flail at empty air, escape from throws, or reverse the opponent's attack. VF5 even allows players to map many of these 'basic' moves to any buttons, allowing them to truly customize their fighting styles. Although the fighting is in 3D, don't expect to start running around the ring. Both fighters face each other until one falls, although you can use the space to maneuver, feint, and step away from oncoming attacks.

A tutorial system is available to allow the player to practice, showing off the options that AM2 has given to both amateurs and aces. Moves come up via a small window showing off which buttons to chain together to perform the attack, increasing in complexity as the player succeeds in performing each one as they learn how to fight. For veterans, another option toggles the display for number of frames that have transpired with each move and in between each attack, allowing players with uncanny timing to hone their skills to an even finer point. For someone like myself--who had been nicknamed the "Fundamental Fighter" because of my uncanny knack to do little else other than use standard attacks in any fighting game into which I get pulled--this was a lot of fun, feeling like I could at least appear to know what I was doing. This mode makes it very handy to get used to the fighting styles inherent within each character and even those characters that appear to share similar styles, such as Lau Chan and his daughter, Pai Chan, have their own distinct way of delivering their attacks to stand out from each other.

This kind of attention to detail makes more sense if you consider Virtua Fighter's extensive history in Japan where arcades continue to thrive. In a land where character cards can be purchased to store data such as the player's fighting history and even the customization options that they may have earned in their bouts with others, Virtua Fighter has become the arena where anyone with enough skill can become the virtual gladiators of their particular haunt. The arcade game is treated much like a live thanks to "VF.TV" system which allows arcade goers to watch matches as they happen elsewhere, complete with commentary. Sega has attempted to bring this home with VF5 for the PS3, making it a literal translation of its arcade roots in bringing that kind of flavor to the PS3's audience. To some extent, they've succeeded.

The home version of VF.TV allows players to review saved replays from VS matches between friends and even bring up an option to display what buttons were used during the fight in order to study their opponents while watching the fights. The Dojo is where the tutorial is located, along with a free practice mode against an AI opponent or another player without the risk of actually losing. The player can adjust the AI in the Dojo to create the desired kind of opponent, setting options that include from simply deciding whether it can defend itself from throws at all to how well it will defend. The AI is pretty competent and at the higher levels of difficulty, it will adapt to your attacks while dealing out a drubbing of its own. Performing the same combination against a smart AI is an invitation for it to slip through and deal several punishing moves, sometimes finishing the round as quickly as it had started. Button mashing will only get players so far in VF5, as the AI can demonstrate a brutal finesse for the fighting system. It grapples, reverses, blocks, and waits for the player to make a mistake, seemingly demanding that the player do exactly the same thing in return. VF5 is never short on challenge, but it won't make the player feel stupid.

Turn the page for more on Virtua Fighter 5's various modes.