Sega Announced Return of Fighting Series That Brought Genre into 3D. Japanese Also Delivered Bad News for Fans of Retro Games

Source: Sega. Artwork z Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown

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The Sega company is increasingly reaching for its old brands. At the end of last year, the publisher announced that it was working on new installments in the Crazy Taxi, Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio, Shinobi, and Streets of Rage series. The Japanese company has announced (via VGC) that it is also working on a new installment of the Virtua Fighter series, a cult series of three-dimensional fighting games.

For now, Sega isn't ready to reveal any specifics. Its representative, Justin Scarpone, only stated that reviving this brand won't be easy. The company wants to capitalize on the nostalgia that old-timers have for the series, but at the same time, the game must interest new players who have not had contact with Virtua Fighter before.

It's undeniable that Sega has seriously neglected this brand. The first installment set a new standard for this genre as the first three-dimensional fighting game on arcade machines, and subsequent parts of the series followed suit. Released in 2006 for arcades and a year later for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Virtua Fighter 5 became the last new game in this brand (later we only received various re-releases and extended editions, such as Final Showdown and Ultimate Showdown).

So it's high time for Sega to finally revive this series and we hope that its new installment will prove worthy of this classic brand.

Virtua Fighter 5 on PC

Sega currently releases all of its games on PC, so the new installment in the series will most likely also mark the brand's return to computers after a long absence – the last installment in the series was a port of Virtua Fighter 2. However, this doesn't mean that PC gamers are deprived of the opportunity to play something more fresh from this series. A simplified edition of Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown (featuring only the arcade mode) is included as one of the mini-games in Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

We're writing about this because CookieplMonster modder has developed a couple of mods for these games that unlock the full version of Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown. Unfortunately, the saves don't work here, but apart from that, it is practically the same edition, corresponding in content to the one from Xbox 360.

1. Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown Unlocker for Yakuza 6
2. Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown Unlocker for Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Sega abandons classic collections

Unfortunately, some bad news also came from Sega. The company has announced that it will remove two collections, SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics, and Dreamcast Collection, from digital distribution on December 6 of this year. Individual games included in these sets will also be removed. Gamers who purchase them before this date will still be able to download them.

In total, the following titles will disappear from the sale:

1. Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
2. Alien Soldier
3. Alien Storm
4. Altered Beast
5. Beyond Oasis
6. Bio-Hazard Battle
7. Bonanza Bros
8. Columns
9. Columns 3
10. Comix Zone
11. Crack Down
12. Crazy Taxi
13. Decap Attack
14. Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
15. Dynamite Headdy
16. Ecco Jr.
17. Ecco the Dolphin
18. Ecco: The Tides of Time
19. ESWAT: City Under Siege
20. Eternal Champions
21. Fatal Labyrinth
22. Flicky
23. Galaxy Force 2
24. Gain Ground
25. Golden Axe
26. Golden Axe 2
27. Golden Axe 3
28. Gunstar Heroes
29. Jet Set Radio
30. Kid Chameleon
31. Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole
32. Light Crusader
33. NiGHTS into Dreams
34. Phantasy Star 2
35. Phantasy Star 3: Generations of Doom
36. Phantasy Star 4: The End of the Millennium
37. Ristar
38. SEGA Bass Fishing
39. Shadow Dancer
40. Shining Force
41. Shining Force 2
42. Shining in the Darkness
43. Shinobi 3: Return of the Ninja Master
44. Sonic 3D Blast
45. Sonic Spinball
46. Space Channel 5: Part 2
47. Space Harrier 2
48. Streets of Rage
49. Streets of Rage 2
50. Streets of Rage 3
51. Super Thunder Blade
52. Sword of Vermilion
53. The Revenge of Shinobi
54. ToeJam & Earl
55. ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron
56. VectorMan
57. VectorMan 2
58. Virtua Fighter 2
59. Wonder Boy in Monster World
60. Wonder Boy 3: Monster Lair

It is unknown why Sega decided to take this step. Some players suspect that the company is preparing some other collections containing these games and doesn't want to duplicate the offer.