I am drinking Hoegaarden. A white Belgian ale. It is good. Luckily there are no umlauts in the name, for I do not know how to type them. Anyways.

Sega’s and AM2’s fighting series Virtua Fighter debuted in the summer of 1993 and was hailed as the first 3-D fighting game in the world. At the time the combination of graphic prowess and a cast of eight playable characters had arcade patrons running around with fist fulls of quarters like maniacs.

Fourteen years later Sega and AM2 release Virtua Fighter 5. The game now boasts a cast of fifteen characters and a variety of online modes. Hazzah!

Presentation and Graphics: Graphically, this game is amazingly similar to the PS3 version. Which is to say it looks great. More so in the areas of the face and hands, but everything looks nice. Though I find that being able to see my characters pores is…weird. The foregrounds/ backgrounds have had some obvious care placed in them as well. Some of the water affects seem exaggerated, but whatever. 4.5 of 5

Sound & Music:The music and voices are par for the course. I really don’t understand why fighting music can’t seem to really get it together. It doesn’t suck, but its completely forgettable. And odd ‘tinny’ affect sometimes rears it head, mainly in the voices. Its not that noticeable though. 4 of 5

Gameplay: Anyone who has played any other entry in the series (four especially) knows what to expect. The timing for the moves is different than other fighters, but once you get it down, your in like Flynn. Not that I know what that means mind you, but it’s always had a positive tone, anyways. The menus while linking to online modes make me want to tear someones face off. But I’ll get used to it and so will you. Dural is so hard on the higher levels you’ll want to smack a sibling. If you don’t have one, find one. Seriously. 4 of 5

Multiplayer: As stated above the menus for the online are frustrating, but once you get there the fighting is visceral and , you face opponents who will try to crush your skull immediatly. I myself found the matching to be well placed based on skill and modem speed. Really the only reason this game has replay. So do it. 4.5 of 5

Lasting Appeal: Once your hooked into the online, you’ll most likely be there for a while. Once that fades, you’ll still be popping this your 360 at least a few times a year. 3.5 of 5

Final Word: If your a fan of the series, buy this. If your a fan of fighting games, rent then heavily consider buying. If your not a fan of the series, meh, this won’t change your mind, but rent it just to make sure. You might be surprised.

Overall:4.5 of 5