I received this game free from Sega, back in the day. I guess they used my Sega Saturn warranty registration info. I was pleasantly surprised as a kid to get this in the mail out of the blue. Later, I picked up Christmas Nights as well, for free from EB. Those where the days...
Sega was legit, they sent us a copy of Sonic 2 back when it first came out by mail because we bought a Genesis and filled out some type of mail thing. I was like 5 or 6 years old blown away by that.
I got Xmas Nights with some US magazine that was $7. I'm pretty sure I only bought it for the game, it wasn't one of my usual magazines. I didn't have an EB in my town.
yea totally i agree.. for me, I don't see the point in playing VF Remix./. we have VF2 for that graphical style (and that one supersedes remix anyway), but for VF1 I prefer the flat shaded look as well.
Honestly this is why Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution is the greatest I've ever played. Being able to play the entire cast like the original and super smooth was a dream in my teens and early 20s
I bought a Saturn on launch and was able to mail in a post card to get Virtua Fighter Remix for free. I remember it as an apology for how bad Virtua Fighter turned out.
@retro game fan ...the same sega that always ignores the US market? The one that released the GG micro Japan-only? Sure, for japanese fans Sega has been fantastic. Look up the Sonic 15th anniversary bundle.
Bad?.... I LOVED virtua fighter! The original one... but the remix was okay. I still prefer the original ... it had a great fun feel and reminded me of the arcade more than enough.
@@greenkoopa actually the one that made the GG mini isnt the same SEGA... they got bought merged, acquired, and changed.. but they were always a great fun,edgy company... yeah internally they had some issues... but I still love Sega classic products..and Sega as a company.
Oh this "champagne" color Saturn at 0:25 😍 I'm sure the machine would have done better in the west if they kept the same color as the protype.. But they said it was too expensive 😥
I LOVED the look of this game in the arcade! It just had that feeling of "finally we're getting something new". I felt exactly the same when Virtua Racing was released.
At the time, I hated those early 3D arcade games with the low polygon count and flat look. I thought they were ugly. I really appreciated good sprite art and was fond of hand-drawn comics and animation, so that was my preferred look. I wasn't fond of Star Fox either. But I've since developed an appreciation for it, especially with the last re-release of Virtua Racing as the high resolution makes the flat, shaded polygona look great. I never actually played Virtua Fighter until 1995 and the Saturn and the game hooked me pretty quickly. I think it was better that way as I probably wouldn't have liked the arcade version with how quick matches could be.
@Brian Babin It certainly stuck out on initial release! It made Mortal Kombat look cheap and lifeless by comparison. It's hard for graphics like this to still hit me as high tech now, but it's extremely endearing and charming in its own way. :3
My first experience with Virtua Fighter Remix was the Windows PC release for Direct X. I used to spend hours and hours playing that version and it was neat how I could take the CD, pop it into my living room stereo's CD player and jam out to the tracks without playing the game. 😇
I didn't have a Saturn in the 90s so I was thrilled to buy Virtua fighter PC. It was my favorite game because it played well and it supported the gravis gamepad. My Packard bell could run it no problem.
Khajiit I think it was rated about right. I mean, Saturn didn't release in a vacuum, it released alongside n64 and psx. Sure it was a great system with great games....Definitely wasn't a 3do or jaguar....and I think everyone acknowledges that. Ok I'll see myself out
I Never owned this one back in the day, but fell in love with Megamix, which had all the virtua fighters, and fighting vipers all together. By far, my favorite Sega Fighting game!
The thing about the "moon jump" of the early 3D fighting games is that, on the 2D fighting games, was very common to jump over the other fighter to go to the other side of the screen, but for real, to jump over a full standing person is almost like to make a "moon jump", when you see it in 3D you see how ridiculous is to jump in a fighting games., and now most 3D fighting games got rid of the jumping thing
Sega really needs to do a Virtua Fighter collection. If they included Fighter's MegaMix and Virtua Fighter Kids as part of that compilation I would buy two copies.
I love your intro. It's so nostalgic. It reminds me of the intro that HBO used to introduce their movies when they were about to start back in the 80's. Not sure why, just gives me the same feeling.
i really like the flat shaded polygon arcade games sega made. they represented an interesting time in arcade development and i always thought sega should have made virtua fighter and a port of virtua racing as the pack in games for the us release to mitigate the $100 premium over the ps1.
My saturn came with the triple pack of Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Cop, and Daytona USA (plus I think a demo pack). But I think that was later on and not on launch.
my Saturn came with nothing and I bought Virtua Fighter and Daytona, I think that was 95-96. I loved the music so much, I think it is what I liked the most, but after seeing what PSX was having, I was so disappointed. For years I regretted buying it. The best game I have is a Panzer Dragoon Saga (PAL really bad port, not recommended), I payed like 30 euros in a second hand shop, i guess in 99. Good memories after all!!!
Yet another great Saturn video. Makes me glad I still have mine that I bought in 1995, and your vids make me want to play it. Reminds me when I was a kid when we had to read the manuals to our Atari games to get pumped to play.
my first Sega Saturn Game when i got my console for Christmas. Hours upon hours to learn the different characters, a true masterpiece only to be peaked by VF2
Grew up playing this, it's my Street Fighter 2. One of my favorite games of all time, love everything about it. Liked it much more then Tekken 1 and 2--even tough Tekken 3 was killer and finally got me into Tekken for a while. Wished the franchise received more love by Sega in the west...
It annoys me how little this game has been celebrated over the years. Seeing this for the first time at the arcade is singularly the most mind blowing experience I've had as a gamer. It just felt like a huge leap forward at a time when improvements in 2D games seemed like they were becoming predictable and incremental. To my knowledge, this game has never been re-released. I think the same is true of Virtua Fighter 3. It seems strange to me, because Sega traditionally love repackaging their old games. I'd buy a Virtua Fighter collection in a heartbeat! I just checked Wikipedia to see if there was any mention about VF1 or VF3 being re-released and came across some interesting info. Here's a copy/paste of the relevant section: Virtua Fighter played a crucial role in popularizing 3D polygonal graphics. Some of the Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) staff involved in the creation of the original PlayStation video game console credit Virtua Fighter as inspiration for the PlayStation's 3D graphics hardware. According to SCE's former producer Ryoji Akagawa and chairman Shigeo Maruyama, the PlayStation was originally being considered as a 2D focused hardware, and it was not until the success of Virtua Fighter in the arcades that they decided to design the PlayStation as a 3D focused hardware. Toby Gard also cited Virtua Fighter as an influence on the use of polygon characters-and the creation of Lara Croft-in Tomb Raider: "It became clear to me watching people play Virtua Fighter, which was kind of the first big 3D-character console game, that even though there were only two female characters in the lineup, in almost every game I saw being played, someone was picking one of the two females". John Romero also cited Virtua Fighter as a major influence on the creation of 3D first-person shooter Quake. Team Ico's Fumito Ueda also cited Virtua Fighter as an influence on his animation work.
Awesome video ! I never grew up with the saturn or any sega console, since they were not very popular here. So, I am always a bit sad that I never played these games when they were new. But still, your videos are always a pleasure to listen to and give me a feeling of nostalgia at same time. Thank you and keep up the good work !
The jumping mechanics were always weird in the virtua fighter games, last Bronx was a much better game- Virtua fighter 2 looked amazing though, easily better than anything the PlayStation could offer.
Virtua Fighter Remix will always have a special place in my heart. Not having a story, given how they forced something Tekken-like into it, was a plus for me. Whatever was said about the fighters in the manual was enough.
It will forever kill me that Toshinden played such a big part in killing the Saturn. Whereas you can go back and play launch VF1 from either region and it remains a playable game, Toshinden is an absolute dog.
@@democrazy69 Toshinden showed the graphical prowess of the PSX. Few Saturn games could match it graphically. If weaker teams were able release great looking games on it then once better development teams released their games, like Tekken, that was it for the Saturn.
Imagine if Sega hadn’t rushed it’s Saturn release in the West and released it in September of 1995 as originally planned. Imagine if they had bundled the console with Virtua Fighter remix. I wonder if things would have gone better for Saturn in the west.
I also think instead of wasting resources on 32x Sega could of took that money and time to bring more launch exclusives to Saturn like knuckles chaotic
Wouldn't have mattered, the japanese version of the original virtua fighter is in the same state as the US version (I own it), and the Japanese launch was much earlier, I think the US launch effecting this game and the original is a complete myth.
Virtua Fighter remix was a huge step up for the system, plain Virtua Fighter really gave the Saturn a bad image making others think the low poly original was the pinnacle of the systems hardware.
I was a very late adopter of the Saturn during it's run, & I remember by system was one of the ones that came with this game packed in. It was part of the reason I took the plunge. That & the fact that the system was being heavily discounted at the time as well. I had always been curious about the Saturn but not all that interested, but when the price dropped way down I couldn't help myself anymore. I ended up buying all of the main heavy hitter titles for the system but unfortunately missed out on the RPG"s which is what I really would have been interested in.
I remember being impressed at a home release of Virtua Fighter way back when. Though, I had no idea Remix even existed! I have to say it was quite a stunning game during the mid-90's when 3D games were still in their infancy. I played it in the arcades once as a kid and was just awestruck by the graphics and how fluid the game played. Of course, I only had a Genesis at the time, so I had not really played any full 3D games before. 😅
I like the look of this game and I see it as an apology from Sega for dropping the ball on the original's port. But from a purist stand point, I still like the original flat shaded look. It has it's charm. We never really got an authentic port of the arcade original till decades later when they released that Astro Cab plug n play.
Great review. I've played Remix first, I had the japanese one. Any thoughs on VF3 on the DC versus the Arcade one? The arcade ports of VF1 and VF3 blew my mind. Vf1 was the 1st 3d game that I had seen in the arcades, and the third entry took 3d gfx to the next level, it was the most beautiful game that I had seen, and I still think it looks great.
They should've done with Virtua Fighter Remix on Saturn what they did with Virtua Fighter PC, which is allowing to switch between the new textured models and the original flat shaded ones.
Yeah I hear you about adding story line to the characters, they did however do that for the port of battle arena toshinden on saturn which isn't on the ps1 version
I have to wonder how close they could have gotten to the arcade version on saturn if they tried porting it one last time after their experience doing vf2 and megamix.
As always, a very informative video. Thanks a lot for this! Personally, I would like to see a video about the homebrew scene. For example, a Kickstarter campaign is currently running for a new 2D fighting game for the Genesis. This game is called "Insane Pain" and, according to the development team, is almost finished. The games "Phantom Gear" and "Irena" will also be released for the Genesis soon. There are also playable demo versions for all of these games.
Me, I like the flat shaded look. Sega made the flat shaded look, look cool. 8:45 I agree. Durals flat shaded look, made her look metallic and cool. In remix, she looks like a sandy, humanoid concrete block. 11:25 Saturn had online.👍😄
Had the Saturn on launch, I remember Sega sent Remix to me for free, came in a paper sleeve. Basically an apology for the poor Virtua Fighter botched release.
I played VF 1 and 2 a lot in the arcade, but I never got why they made the jumping so floaty. I think it stopped them from truly being near the top of the fighter class.
It was just something all 3d fighters at the time did, the first 2 or 3 tekkens were the same way, toshinden was the same, so was dead or alive 1, etc.
What I'd give to get some the original AM1/AM2 versions of Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racing, Wing War and Desert Tank. Love that original flat shaded polygon style
excelente , he visto muchos videos de tu canal y son muy buenos , esto si es dedicarle vida y pasion por lo que te gusta los video juegos , viva sega . saludos desde colombia
VFR is one of the best games ever made! Best fighting game ever, it's so good playing it against a equally skilled player, performing the more or less special moves. It's such a reward to get the windmill special move of Wolf performed or the awesome back braker of Jeffery, but my favourite special move is Akira's special move going behind the opponent and hitting him in the back with his elbow! Loving this game, awesome music too! It's pure fighting pleasure, but you need skilled players for a good battle. Try a tournament. :)
You sure you not mistaken that "best fighting game ever" with Virtua Fighter 2? The original VF1 and Remix were very good games but I can't see it taking the 1st round of 3D fighters mantle as that rightly goes to Tekken 1. When VF2 came out, holy crap... that was when it was game on for VF2 still plays awesomely even to this day, and a much superior game than Tekken 2. Man.. I miss Versus battlecast. :( They covered that battle damn well.
@@EAprima I prefer VFR over VF2 because it's gameplay is purer and I like the music more. Technically VF2 war a huge improvement over VFR, high resolution, twice the framerate, still impressive today.
I think VFI and VFI remix were hindered more by the barebones presentation than anything else. VF2 home port really as well but the jaw dropping visuals make up for it. Fighters Megamix was when they finally had that super deep and long home fighter game experience. I felt the same way about Saturn and PS1 racers until Gran Tourismo came out, that's the type of deep experience I wanted at home...fun as Ridge Racer/Daytona/Sega Rally are and were.
I don't disagree. Sega failed to add meaningful home features to many of its arcade ports at the time. Their games needed a content boost, particularly so since the competition was doing that very thing.
You are the sole reason that I got interested in the Sega Saturn a few years ago. This was the console that I, nor any of my friends had, so I never got to experience its library of games. The only thing I knew about the Saturn was that GamePro, GameFan, and EGM constantly shit on it in favor of the PlayStation.
I agree too that This and Daytona were the single two games Sega needed to get right to ensure the popularity of the Saturn, but they completely fumbled it and by that time the (admittedly not even that improved remix editions came out) most kids my age were already fist deep in some mediocre Playstation title.
It's a shame they didn't add gameplay elements to enhance the game, like new moves, bonus levels, unlockable new characters and stages. Also it may sound crazy but a story showcased as a CG movie with individuals endings would have been AWESOME!!!! I guess that's why Tekken has surpassed this game in sales and popularity by lightyears.
I don't know how, but Sega sent me two copies separately, though they arrived at the same time. I must have been registered twice. Perhaps it was because, in addition to sending in the registration card, my Saturn had to go back to Sega for repairs twice in the first three or four months of owning it. It's a mystery. I always appreciate reviews like this that are critical even if the overall review is positive. Changes like loss of light sourcing are worth hearing about and might be important to some. I know there are some who prefer the original flat look as well. It's a shame they couldn't make it optional so that those who only got Remix could play the old way, though perhaps with the new VDP2 rings. I prefer Remix and it's a shame Sega got it out so late. It would have helped the image of the Saturn if it was ready early, but it also was just too close to Virtua Fighter 2. I loved Virtua Fighter 1 and 2 back in the day. Without ever playing it in the arcades, I was kind of a natural at VF1 when I played it for the first time at a friend's house. I had a knack for anticipating high kicks and doing throws. I never was a fan of those floaty jumps. They seemed out of place with everything else, but still they were great games.
They both look cool, but Remix looks so different. You'd think the original was like a 32x game or something. I wonder how many more units Sega would have sold had they really pushed this type of quality from day 1. I was never a fan of Saturn originally, but, I would have likely purchased one had Sega just made a few better decisions back then.
I still can't believe Toshinden was taken seriously and people thought it was good. To be fair, it's been like 20 years since the last time I touched it, but I remember thinking it was boring, the gameplay was not interesting, the characters were meh, I don't remember a single good thing about it. My guess is just being 3D made people go "wooooooow". Tekken 2 is a million times superior to Toshinden. I don't have that much experience with VF1, but I like 2, I played it a lot on PC.
If I remember correctly, Battle Arena Toshinden and Tekken came out around the same time. Toshinden received glowing reviews and all the press, but Tekken felt better and was more appealing to me personally. I chose Tekken as my purchase and have no regrets to this day.
@@TheRelen222 Toshinden was pretty much 3D eye candy, plus it had great music. That's what caught people's attention. The Saturn didn't have anything close to matching that visual wow factor. But for game play Tekken is what satisfied them.
I bought the Saturn first day, so we got the regular VF 1. then they had a rebate for people who bought it early, to get a free VF 1 Remix provided they had a receipt. Unfortunately I threw mines away. But they gave it to me anyway! Thanks Sega.
I always appreciated the VIRTUA FIGHTER series because of its arcade like appeal. Simple moves for the fighters and a simple concept over all. Just some raw “versus” fun and nothing more!
don't think I ever got to play this one, we had VF1 and kinda just skipped to VF2! agreed that the jumping always felt weird but it's just one of those things you learned to deal with.
The original arcade game had a special visual charm. Remix completly lost that. In my opinion remix was a step back and I never did appreciate the effort.
Remix in the PC at the time was the ultimate Virtua fighter Experience, where we could toggle between the original flat shaded graphics and the remix texture mapped ones. unfortunately in the Saturn i think it's not possible. I still find the original flat shaded graphics have more charm than the ones in Remix.
Back in the day I was hyped to no end for the launch of the Saturn and the main draw was Virtua Fighter. I had spent countless hours playing the arcade version with my friends and could not wait to have it at home. One fine day I walked by a shop window and there it was, running on a large projection TV. And my first reaction was well... that looks like crap. I actually thought it had to be the 32x version I also had heard was in the works, ironic considering the 32x version actually ended up looking better. It dampened my enthusiasm so much that I ended up buying a playstation for Toshinden and Tekken. I eventually got the Saturn and when the time came, I actually opted for the original version rather than remix. It may not have lived up to the Arcade, but there was a certain charm on the flat polygons that I had grown fond of. That's the version I still have today.
I get why they did the Remix texture update, but the original flat polygon look is much more iconic in my mind. Looking at Remix today feels like it's very generic. I'm glad flat polys didn't completely go away with Tobal No. 1 on Playstation also adopting that style later on.
It still shocks me Sega put together a small team to effectively remake the game and another team did the impressive 32x port and yet Sega never put together a small team to improve the original Saturn version in the 6 months between the Japanese and North American launch!
I remember a friend of mine who once had a Sega Genesis, he got the Virtua Fighter 2 port for that console and was really disappointed cause that game sucks. He later then sell away that Sega Genesis to get a Sega Saturn and he then bought this game thinking it's the better game with a better roster. He was again disappointed cause it had the same 8 lame fighters from the Genesis version. He eventually sell away that Sega Saturn to get a PlayStation and eventually stick to Tekken and he had never look back since.
I received this game free from Sega, back in the day. I guess they used my Sega Saturn warranty registration info. I was pleasantly surprised as a kid to get this in the mail out of the blue. Later, I picked up Christmas Nights as well, for free from EB. Those where the days...
Same. It was a great time to be a Saturn owner
Same here, too. I remember opening the mail one day and finding a free copy of Remix addressed to me and thinking “solid move, Sega.”
Got this one for free from Sega as well. This was such an improvement over the original Saturn release.
Sega was legit, they sent us a copy of Sonic 2 back when it first came out by mail because we bought a Genesis and filled out some type of mail thing. I was like 5 or 6 years old blown away by that.
I got Xmas Nights with some US magazine that was $7. I'm pretty sure I only bought it for the game, it wasn't one of my usual magazines. I didn't have an EB in my town.
Have to admit, I'm definitely in the flat-shaded camp. Always loved the look of the original run of Virtua games.
Lol I like playing in the mode in the virtua fighter 5 for ps4!🤷🏻♂️🤣
Me too. It may be glitchy but it had style.
yea totally i agree.. for me, I don't see the point in playing VF Remix./. we have VF2 for that graphical style (and that one supersedes remix anyway), but for VF1 I prefer the flat shaded look as well.
Honestly this is why Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution is the greatest I've ever played. Being able to play the entire cast like the original and super smooth was a dream in my teens and early 20s
I don't think the original is anywhere near as bad as people say. Could it have been better? Yeah definitely. But not horrible.
I bought a Saturn on launch and was able to mail in a post card to get Virtua Fighter Remix for free. I remember it as an apology for how bad Virtua Fighter turned out.
@retro game fan ...the same sega that always ignores the US market? The one that released the GG micro Japan-only? Sure, for japanese fans Sega has been fantastic. Look up the Sonic 15th anniversary bundle.
@@greenkoopa
One thing I have to say about Sega ignoring US markets....
the inadvertent and positive result: homebrew
Bad?.... I LOVED virtua fighter! The original one... but the remix was okay. I still prefer the original ... it had a great fun feel and reminded me of the arcade more than enough.
@@greenkoopa actually the one that made the GG mini isnt the same SEGA... they got bought merged, acquired, and changed.. but they were always a great fun,edgy company... yeah internally they had some issues... but I still love Sega classic products..and Sega as a company.
Yeah I did the same, I remember getting Clockwork Knight and worldwide soccer game as well!
Oh this "champagne" color Saturn at 0:25 😍
I'm sure the machine would have done better in the west if they kept the same color as the protype..
But they said it was too expensive 😥
I LOVED the look of this game in the arcade! It just had that feeling of "finally we're getting something new". I felt exactly the same when Virtua Racing was released.
I like Virtua Racing still but the Genesis version makes my eyes hurt
👉👀👈
At the time, I hated those early 3D arcade games with the low polygon count and flat look. I thought they were ugly. I really appreciated good sprite art and was fond of hand-drawn comics and animation, so that was my preferred look. I wasn't fond of Star Fox either. But I've since developed an appreciation for it, especially with the last re-release of Virtua Racing as the high resolution makes the flat, shaded polygona look great. I never actually played Virtua Fighter until 1995 and the Saturn and the game hooked me pretty quickly. I think it was better that way as I probably wouldn't have liked the arcade version with how quick matches could be.
@Brian Babin It certainly stuck out on initial release! It made Mortal Kombat look cheap and lifeless by comparison. It's hard for graphics like this to still hit me as high tech now, but it's extremely endearing and charming in its own way. :3
My first experience with Virtua Fighter Remix was the Windows PC release for Direct X. I used to spend hours and hours playing that version and it was neat how I could take the CD, pop it into my living room stereo's CD player and jam out to the tracks without playing the game. 😇
idem
I also liked that you can switch the models to original VF1 character models. I still have two VF PC discs.
I played only Ripped version,with no music.
I didn't have a Saturn in the 90s so I was thrilled to buy Virtua fighter PC. It was my favorite game because it played well and it supported the gravis gamepad. My Packard bell could run it no problem.
@@marccaselle8108 Hell the real disc versions still run really well even in win 10.
Last time I was this early, working class people could dream of owning a home
Oh that's a deep cut.
I was one of the ones that got this free in NA. I thought that was pretty cool for Sega to hook up their US owners.
Sega Saturn was underrated. Change my mind.
I’d amend that statement to read “Sega Saturn was *very* underrated.” There, I should have just changed your mind, ha
Khajiit I think it was rated about right. I mean, Saturn didn't release in a vacuum, it released alongside n64 and psx. Sure it was a great system with great games....Definitely wasn't a 3do or jaguar....and I think everyone acknowledges that. Ok I'll see myself out
I don't want to change your mind :)
I Never owned this one back in the day, but fell in love with Megamix, which had all the virtua fighters, and fighting vipers all together. By far, my favorite Sega Fighting game!
Those were great. Loves Bahn's music.
I always preferred fighting vipers over virtua fighter I just felt it played better.
Fighting as the Daytona USA car is really what cemented it as the best Saturn fighter :)
@@mike-yn3mn In megamix the virtua fighter mode feels more like a prototype vf3 gameplay.
GREAT video. I am finishing off a Saturn video this week of my favorite games in my collection, and this game is one of my firsts.
The thing about the "moon jump" of the early 3D fighting games is that, on the 2D fighting games, was very common to jump over the other fighter to go to the other side of the screen, but for real, to jump over a full standing person is almost like to make a "moon jump", when you see it in 3D you see how ridiculous is to jump in a fighting games., and now most 3D fighting games got rid of the jumping thing
Great coverage of this one SLX.
You have been on a tare.
Passionate about what you do, and it shows.
Nice job and thank you very much!
:)
Sega really needs to do a Virtua Fighter collection. If they included Fighter's MegaMix and Virtua Fighter Kids as part of that compilation I would buy two copies.
I love your intro. It's so nostalgic. It reminds me of the intro that HBO used to introduce their movies when they were about to start back in the 80's. Not sure why, just gives me the same feeling.
i really like the flat shaded polygon arcade games sega made. they represented an interesting time in arcade development and i always thought sega should have made virtua fighter and a port of virtua racing as the pack in games for the us release to mitigate the $100 premium over the ps1.
My saturn came with the triple pack of Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Cop, and Daytona USA (plus I think a demo pack). But I think that was later on and not on launch.
my Saturn came with nothing and I bought Virtua Fighter and Daytona, I think that was 95-96. I loved the music so much, I think it is what I liked the most, but after seeing what PSX was having, I was so disappointed. For years I regretted buying it. The best game I have is a Panzer Dragoon Saga (PAL really bad port, not recommended), I payed like 30 euros in a second hand shop, i guess in 99. Good memories after all!!!
@This channel sure exists alright there is nothing wrong with it, i have it
I remember getting this in the mail on a boring afternoon and to this day its my favorite VF game
The Saturn: an endless symphony of tragedy and mistakes. I had no idea there were two VF1s on Saturn let alone that they looked this much differently.
That's like basic, saturn 101 trivia.
@@maxxdahl6062 you overestimate how much ppl know about the Saturn in general
@@AlexRN No I don't not about this. This is basic surface level knowledge.
@@maxxdahl6062 for Sega Saturn fans I’m sure it is.
Yet another great Saturn video. Makes me glad I still have mine that I bought in 1995, and your vids make me want to play it. Reminds me when I was a kid when we had to read the manuals to our Atari games to get pumped to play.
I really ,really, really hope that Virtua Fighter makes a comeback one day.
Sega is holding onto so many IPs that should be re-released.
Your reviews continue to improve. I appreciate the depth that you reach for.
I appreciate that sega actually took the time to give us a better port of the game instead of just moving forward with virtua fighter 2.
🤔 hhhmmmmmm capcom could do the same with street fighter! 🤯
Great review!!! Brings back memories
You continue to improve yourself Sega Lord, Love the content!
I still in love with the 32X version, enjoyed since it release, and used the music test like a dj❤️
my first Sega Saturn Game when i got my console for Christmas. Hours upon hours to learn the different characters, a true masterpiece only to be peaked by VF2
This entire soundtrack should have been used for future games
Grew up playing this, it's my Street Fighter 2. One of my favorite games of all time, love everything about it. Liked it much more then Tekken 1 and 2--even tough Tekken 3 was killer and finally got me into Tekken for a while. Wished the franchise received more love by Sega in the west...
I swear your so underrated, this is quality content right here
It annoys me how little this game has been celebrated over the years. Seeing this for the first time at the arcade is singularly the most mind blowing experience I've had as a gamer. It just felt like a huge leap forward at a time when improvements in 2D games seemed like they were becoming predictable and incremental.
To my knowledge, this game has never been re-released. I think the same is true of Virtua Fighter 3. It seems strange to me, because Sega traditionally love repackaging their old games. I'd buy a Virtua Fighter collection in a heartbeat!
I just checked Wikipedia to see if there was any mention about VF1 or VF3 being re-released and came across some interesting info. Here's a copy/paste of the relevant section:
Virtua Fighter played a crucial role in popularizing 3D polygonal graphics. Some of the Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) staff involved in the creation of the original PlayStation video game console credit Virtua Fighter as inspiration for the PlayStation's 3D graphics hardware. According to SCE's former producer Ryoji Akagawa and chairman Shigeo Maruyama, the PlayStation was originally being considered as a 2D focused hardware, and it was not until the success of Virtua Fighter in the arcades that they decided to design the PlayStation as a 3D focused hardware. Toby Gard also cited Virtua Fighter as an influence on the use of polygon characters-and the creation of Lara Croft-in Tomb Raider: "It became clear to me watching people play Virtua Fighter, which was kind of the first big 3D-character console game, that even though there were only two female characters in the lineup, in almost every game I saw being played, someone was picking one of the two females". John Romero also cited Virtua Fighter as a major influence on the creation of 3D first-person shooter Quake. Team Ico's Fumito Ueda also cited Virtua Fighter as an influence on his animation work.
Awesome video ! I never grew up with the saturn or any sega console, since they were not very popular here. So, I am always a bit sad that I never played these games when they were new. But still, your videos are always a pleasure to listen to and give me a feeling of nostalgia at same time. Thank you and keep up the good work !
The jumping mechanics were always weird in the virtua fighter games, last Bronx was a much better game- Virtua fighter 2 looked amazing though, easily better than anything the PlayStation could offer.
Virtua Fighter Remix will always have a special place in my heart. Not having a story, given how they forced something Tekken-like into it, was a plus for me. Whatever was said about the fighters in the manual was enough.
The best version of Virtua Fighter 1!
I know I'm in the minority but I love the flat-shaded graphics of the original release.
Same here. Holds up better imo.
Flat shaded polygons have a cleanliness to them.
It will forever kill me that Toshinden played such a big part in killing the Saturn. Whereas you can go back and play launch VF1 from either region and it remains a playable game, Toshinden is an absolute dog.
Toshinden? I think it was Tekken.
@@democrazy69 Toshinden showed the graphical prowess of the PSX. Few Saturn games could match it graphically. If weaker teams were able release great looking games on it then once better development teams released their games, like Tekken, that was it for the Saturn.
Imagine if Sega hadn’t rushed it’s Saturn release in the West and released it in September of 1995 as originally planned. Imagine if they had bundled the console with Virtua Fighter remix. I wonder if things would have gone better for Saturn in the west.
Plus, if they didn't rush release the 1st version of Daytona USA and took the time to improve the graphics and add multiplayer.
I also think instead of wasting resources on 32x Sega could of took that money and time to bring more launch exclusives to Saturn like knuckles chaotic
Wouldn't have mattered, the japanese version of the original virtua fighter is in the same state as the US version (I own it), and the Japanese launch was much earlier, I think the US launch effecting this game and the original is a complete myth.
I have fond memories of getting this version and being super thrilled with all the improvements. Loved it.
Brilliant upload as usual m8✌🏼🏴✊🏽
Virtua Fighter remix was a huge step up for the system, plain Virtua Fighter really gave the Saturn a bad image making others think the low poly original was the pinnacle of the systems hardware.
The anime is the only thing that really gives details about any type of story or details on the fighters
That's a fun anime I watched it! On tubi TV!
I was a very late adopter of the Saturn during it's run, & I remember by system was one of the ones that came with this game packed in. It was part of the reason I took the plunge. That & the fact that the system was being heavily discounted at the time as well.
I had always been curious about the Saturn but not all that interested, but when the price dropped way down I couldn't help myself anymore. I ended up buying all of the main heavy hitter titles for the system but unfortunately missed out on the RPG"s which is what I really would have been interested in.
The Re-visit with this game makes me pause to think what other games would look like if more games actually used both cpu's.
This is an early example of what we would call ‘patching’ a game nowadays!
I remember being impressed at a home release of Virtua Fighter way back when. Though, I had no idea Remix even existed! I have to say it was quite a stunning game during the mid-90's when 3D games were still in their infancy.
I played it in the arcades once as a kid and was just awestruck by the graphics and how fluid the game played. Of course, I only had a Genesis at the time, so I had not really played any full 3D games before. 😅
I wish we had a Daytona USA Remix on that time.
Including virtua racing.
Virtua Fighter: Damage Control
I like the look of this game and I see it as an apology from Sega for dropping the ball on the original's port. But from a purist stand point, I still like the original flat shaded look. It has it's charm. We never really got an authentic port of the arcade original till decades later when they released that Astro Cab plug n play.
Great review. I've played Remix first, I had the japanese one.
Any thoughs on VF3 on the DC versus the Arcade one? The arcade ports of VF1 and VF3 blew my mind. Vf1 was the 1st 3d game that I had seen in the arcades, and the third entry took 3d gfx to the next level, it was the most beautiful game that I had seen, and I still think it looks great.
They should've done with Virtua Fighter Remix on Saturn what they did with Virtua Fighter PC, which is allowing to switch between the new textured models and the original flat shaded ones.
Yeah I hear you about adding story line to the characters, they did however do that for the port of battle arena toshinden on saturn which isn't on the ps1 version
I have to wonder how close they could have gotten to the arcade version on saturn if they tried porting it one last time after their experience doing vf2 and megamix.
As always, a very informative video. Thanks a lot for this! Personally, I would like to see a video about the homebrew scene. For example, a Kickstarter campaign is currently running for a new 2D fighting game for the Genesis. This game is called "Insane Pain" and, according to the development team, is almost finished. The games "Phantom Gear" and "Irena" will also be released for the Genesis soon. There are also playable demo versions for all of these games.
I still wonder how an enhanced flat shaded port would've looked (though with VDP2's help with the arenas, of course).
Me, I like the flat shaded look. Sega made the flat shaded look, look cool.
8:45 I agree. Durals flat shaded look, made her look metallic and cool. In remix, she looks like a sandy, humanoid concrete block.
11:25 Saturn had online.👍😄
Will you do a review of the Virtua Fighter anime soon? great video as always :)
Had the Saturn on launch, I remember Sega sent Remix to me for free, came in a paper sleeve. Basically an apology for the poor Virtua Fighter botched release.
The thing I enjoyed most about this game was the fact that SEGA sent it to me in the mail for free. 👍🏻👍🏻
I played VF 1 and 2 a lot in the arcade, but I never got why they made the jumping so floaty. I think it stopped them from truly being near the top of the fighter class.
It was just something all 3d fighters at the time did, the first 2 or 3 tekkens were the same way, toshinden was the same, so was dead or alive 1, etc.
What I'd give to get some the original AM1/AM2 versions of Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racing, Wing War and Desert Tank. Love that original flat shaded polygon style
This game should've been bundled with the Saturn originally, at least in the US..
I got my sega saturn bundled with 3 games. Daytona usa , Virtua Fighter and Virtua cop. It was so cool to get 3 pack in titles. Wish i still had it
excelente , he visto muchos videos de tu canal y son muy buenos , esto si es dedicarle vida y pasion por lo que te gusta los video juegos , viva sega . saludos desde colombia
VFR is one of the best games ever made! Best fighting game ever, it's so good playing it against a equally skilled player, performing the more or less special moves. It's such a reward to get the windmill special move of Wolf performed or the awesome back braker of Jeffery, but my favourite special move is Akira's special move going behind the opponent and hitting him in the back with his elbow!
Loving this game, awesome music too! It's pure fighting pleasure, but you need skilled players for a good battle. Try a tournament. :)
You sure you not mistaken that "best fighting game ever" with Virtua Fighter 2? The original VF1 and Remix were very good games but I can't see it taking the 1st round of 3D fighters mantle as that rightly goes to Tekken 1. When VF2 came out, holy crap... that was when it was game on for VF2 still plays awesomely even to this day, and a much superior game than Tekken 2.
Man.. I miss Versus battlecast. :( They covered that battle damn well.
@@EAprima I prefer VFR over VF2 because it's gameplay is purer and I like the music more. Technically VF2 war a huge improvement over VFR, high resolution, twice the framerate, still impressive today.
I think VFI and VFI remix were hindered more by the barebones presentation than anything else. VF2 home port really as well but the jaw dropping visuals make up for it. Fighters Megamix was when they finally had that super deep and long home fighter game experience. I felt the same way about Saturn and PS1 racers until Gran Tourismo came out, that's the type of deep experience I wanted at home...fun as Ridge Racer/Daytona/Sega Rally are and were.
I don't disagree. Sega failed to add meaningful home features to many of its arcade ports at the time. Their games needed a content boost, particularly so since the competition was doing that very thing.
What's your thoughts need for speed 3do. Great driving game.
In from small town in Poland,We got this on arcde machine in our shop,in late 90s.
You are the sole reason that I got interested in the Sega Saturn a few years ago. This was the console that I, nor any of my friends had, so I never got to experience its library of games. The only thing I knew about the Saturn was that GamePro, GameFan, and EGM constantly shit on it in favor of the PlayStation.
I agree too that This and Daytona were the single two games Sega needed to get right to ensure the popularity of the Saturn, but they completely fumbled it and by that time the (admittedly not even that improved remix editions came out) most kids my age were already fist deep in some mediocre Playstation title.
I had this on my saturn.i loved it.i still love it.i wish sega would release a sega saturn mini console.
It's a shame they didn't add gameplay elements to enhance the game, like new moves, bonus levels, unlockable new characters and stages. Also it may sound crazy but a story showcased as a CG movie with individuals endings would have been AWESOME!!!! I guess that's why Tekken has surpassed this game in sales and popularity by lightyears.
I definitely agree that this should have been the version that was released in the west instead of the subpar original port.
I don't know how, but Sega sent me two copies separately, though they arrived at the same time. I must have been registered twice. Perhaps it was because, in addition to sending in the registration card, my Saturn had to go back to Sega for repairs twice in the first three or four months of owning it. It's a mystery. I always appreciate reviews like this that are critical even if the overall review is positive. Changes like loss of light sourcing are worth hearing about and might be important to some. I know there are some who prefer the original flat look as well. It's a shame they couldn't make it optional so that those who only got Remix could play the old way, though perhaps with the new VDP2 rings. I prefer Remix and it's a shame Sega got it out so late. It would have helped the image of the Saturn if it was ready early, but it also was just too close to Virtua Fighter 2.
I loved Virtua Fighter 1 and 2 back in the day. Without ever playing it in the arcades, I was kind of a natural at VF1 when I played it for the first time at a friend's house. I had a knack for anticipating high kicks and doing throws. I never was a fan of those floaty jumps. They seemed out of place with everything else, but still they were great games.
Awesome review man! I need to pickup the remix version, I only have the original.
They both look cool, but Remix looks so different.
You'd think the original was like a 32x game or something.
I wonder how many more units Sega would have sold had they really pushed this type of quality from day 1.
I was never a fan of Saturn originally, but, I would have likely purchased one had Sega just made a few better decisions back then.
I remember sending in a receipt, to get a free copy of VF Remix, because the original VF was packed in with my launch Saturn.
I still can't believe Toshinden was taken seriously and people thought it was good.
To be fair, it's been like 20 years since the last time I touched it, but I remember thinking it was boring, the gameplay was not interesting, the characters were meh, I don't remember a single good thing about it.
My guess is just being 3D made people go "wooooooow".
Tekken 2 is a million times superior to Toshinden.
I don't have that much experience with VF1, but I like 2, I played it a lot on PC.
If I remember correctly, Battle Arena Toshinden and Tekken came out around the same time. Toshinden received glowing reviews and all the press, but Tekken felt better and was more appealing to me personally. I chose Tekken as my purchase and have no regrets to this day.
@@TheRelen222 Toshinden was pretty much 3D eye candy, plus it had great music. That's what caught people's attention. The Saturn didn't have anything close to matching that visual wow factor. But for game play Tekken is what satisfied them.
I bought the Saturn first day, so we got the regular VF 1. then they had a rebate for people who bought it early, to get a free VF 1 Remix provided they had a receipt. Unfortunately I threw mines away. But they gave it to me anyway! Thanks Sega.
Such a classic game. I regret selling my Sega collection, which was absolutely massive.
Wish they had included an option to play without the texture mapping. I like the original look, but with less glitches in the graphics.
I always appreciated the VIRTUA FIGHTER series because of its arcade like appeal. Simple moves for the fighters and a simple concept over all. Just some raw “versus” fun and nothing more!
The 32x port of Virtua Fighter was actually better than the original Saturn port. Let that sink in.
Is there a windows pc version?
Huh, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Remix also the basis of Virtua Fighter PC? I remember having a lot of fun with that version back in the day.
Yup.
Wish I could give your videos two likes. As always, good video. Thank you
The seganet version of virtua fighter might be sn interesting game to look at in the near future if you will get one.
don't think I ever got to play this one, we had VF1 and kinda just skipped to VF2! agreed that the jumping always felt weird but it's just one of those things you learned to deal with.
Remix got a great PC port that lets you restore the original graphics and adjust the camera distance
That is a very cool remix!
The original arcade game had a special visual charm. Remix completly lost that. In my opinion remix was a step back and I never did appreciate the effort.
I don't think the characters are actually bigger in Remix, I think the camera is just zoomed in a bit more.
Well, the end result is the same. Side by side, VFR appears to have characters that are much larger.
VF2 is where it's at. THANKS SEGA LORD!
Remix in the PC at the time was the ultimate Virtua fighter Experience, where we could toggle between the original flat shaded graphics and the remix texture mapped ones. unfortunately in the Saturn i think it's not possible. I still find the original flat shaded graphics have more charm than the ones in Remix.
never knew there was a remix...I remember VF Kids and Fighters Megamix
The Virtua Fighter we should have gotten at launch. The original was a train wreck.
Back in the day I was hyped to no end for the launch of the Saturn and the main draw was Virtua Fighter. I had spent countless hours playing the arcade version with my friends and could not wait to have it at home.
One fine day I walked by a shop window and there it was, running on a large projection TV. And my first reaction was well... that looks like crap. I actually thought it had to be the 32x version I also had heard was in the works, ironic considering the 32x version actually ended up looking better. It dampened my enthusiasm so much that I ended up buying a playstation for Toshinden and Tekken.
I eventually got the Saturn and when the time came, I actually opted for the original version rather than remix. It may not have lived up to the Arcade, but there was a certain charm on the flat polygons that I had grown fond of. That's the version I still have today.
I get why they did the Remix texture update, but the original flat polygon look is much more iconic in my mind. Looking at Remix today feels like it's very generic. I'm glad flat polys didn't completely go away with Tobal No. 1 on Playstation also adopting that style later on.
The arcade version is my favorite, seeing how VF2 turned out on the Saturn shows how they rushed the release of most games.
It still shocks me Sega put together a small team to effectively remake the game and another team did the impressive 32x port and yet Sega never put together a small team to improve the original Saturn version in the 6 months between the Japanese and North American launch!
Yep. This should have been the original release. Would have been a really positive story - more powerful than the arcade, so we've upgraded the game.
Should've called it "Virtua Fighter Do Over" , or "Virtua Fighter My Bad, this is the one we meant to release"
I remember a friend of mine who once had a Sega Genesis, he got the Virtua Fighter 2 port for that console and was really disappointed cause that game sucks. He later then sell away that Sega Genesis to get a Sega Saturn and he then bought this game thinking it's the better game with a better roster. He was again disappointed cause it had the same 8 lame fighters from the Genesis version. He eventually sell away that Sega Saturn to get a PlayStation and eventually stick to Tekken and he had never look back since.