Sega Announced Return of Fighting Series That Brought Genre Into 3D. Japanese Also Delivered Bad News for Fans of Retro Games
Sega will resurrect the legendary 3D fighting series. The company announced that work is underway on a new installment of the Virtua Fighter series. They also have some bad news for us.
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.
- Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown Unlocker for Yakuza 6
- 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:
- Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
- Alien Soldier
- Alien Storm
- Altered Beast
- Beyond Oasis
- Bio-Hazard Battle
- Bonanza Bros
- Columns
- Columns 3
- Comix Zone
- Crack Down
- Crazy Taxi
- Decap Attack
- Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
- Dynamite Headdy
- Ecco Jr.
- Ecco the Dolphin
- Ecco: The Tides of Time
- ESWAT: City Under Siege
- Eternal Champions
- Fatal Labyrinth
- Flicky
- Galaxy Force 2
- Gain Ground
- Golden Axe
- Golden Axe 2
- Golden Axe 3
- Gunstar Heroes
- Jet Set Radio
- Kid Chameleon
- Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole
- Light Crusader
- NiGHTS into Dreams
- Phantasy Star 2
- Phantasy Star 3: Generations of Doom
- Phantasy Star 4: The End of the Millennium
- Ristar
- SEGA Bass Fishing
- Shadow Dancer
- Shining Force
- Shining Force 2
- Shining in the Darkness
- Shinobi 3: Return of the Ninja Master
- Sonic 3D Blast
- Sonic Spinball
- Space Channel 5: Part 2
- Space Harrier 2
- Streets of Rage
- Streets of Rage 2
- Streets of Rage 3
- Super Thunder Blade
- Sword of Vermilion
- The Revenge of Shinobi
- ToeJam & Earl
- ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron
- VectorMan
- VectorMan 2
- Virtua Fighter 2
- Wonder Boy in Monster World
- 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.