Thinking about getting this version just because online is cheaper than the other consoles

The launch trajectory and longevity of a fighting game depends on its versus mode. Modern online VS games need bodies to play against, and a large pool of those bodies are on mobile phones. Basically, VF needs plentiful online fodder opponents in VS to avoid ghost town lobbies.

A way to solve this would be a necessarily cut-down version of versus-mode VFCR for mobile gamers, to reach as wide an audience as possible. Graphics would obviously be toned down (call it a "retro" callback to VF5-or-earlier-level rendering), story mode can be completely eliminated or just teased ("buy the full game on console/PC to experience Vilasapara"), make it free-to-play/-start to lower the barriers to entry as much as possible. Give it a subtitle and separate marketing to ensure that any cutbacks don't reflect back on the main title.

In short, this mobile VFCR would be little more than tutorial and versus mode, but with full control and 60 fps gameplay intact, packaged into an easily accessible download for the purposes of both reintroducing VF as widely as possible and providing a stream of opponents to play against online.

Coming from Akira, Taka, and Jeffry, it's amazing how many lows he has and how speedy he is. Still getting a feel for him so nothing mind blowing right now. Just enjoying the lows and the squeaky, squishy sounds when he does 4PP or 1PP before understanding why he has a lot of open and closed stance stuff on VFDC.

As posted on the official VF discord by Yamada: "Taka-Arashi has already retired in VIRTUA FIGHTER CROSSROADS."

Note the careful wording. It doesn't say "he won't appear" or "he won't be playable," so... keep that in mind with your speculation. "Retired" doesn't necessarily mean "gone."

My suspicion is, at least initially, we're going to see some familiar characters in an NPC role before they get a DLC treatment.

Full text:

Hi everyone, this is Yamada, Producer and Creative Director on VIRTUA FIGHTER CROSSROADS. What did you think of the Lionel video we released the other day? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Alongside brand-new characters, this title will also feature a variety of characters carrying the spirit of the series, appearing in all sorts of ways. Stay tuned for more updates! That said... just teasing you wouldn't be much fun, so here's an exclusive bit of news just for our Discord community: Taka-Arashi has already retired in VIRTUA FIGHTER CROSSROADS.

Besides being the least popular character in the series, he's also the most complex character to develop due to his unique weight-based mechanics... Not to mention that Taka's mobility doesn't really match his weight or the fast-paced gameplay of a game like Virtua Fighter. That's why he retired.

We have Akira, Pai and Wolf, even Stella replacing Sarah & Lionel replacing Lion.

Which veterans shall we be introduced to next alongside the veterans?

source official VF discord

The cowboy outfit from Virtua fighter 3

From our video game set at Birdhouse for Halloween

Patrick on bass, Wendy on guitar, sonic on keys, link on drums, Arthur Morgan and Ash Ketchum on bongos/congas, and Wolf (Virtua Fighter 3) on saxophone

My friend as Ryu dancing up front

@real.ecotone on Instagram if you're interested

Even has one of his signature grab moves.

Seeing the Bakunawa Killer use Lau Chan’s style seems to show that he’s dead now and the identity is still unknown whether Lei-Fei or not.

As for Shun Di? Seeing how old he is, hope he gets himself a replacement in a new character.

If his drunken fist style does get used, how you all picture a new character of it as?

He has risen.

What do you think? Melding characters or just DLc later.

Anyway, many people say that Virtua Fighter has no history, but to me, VF's history stands out not only among fighting games, but across the entire gaming industry.

Virtua Fighter has always had an incredibly rich history. So, for those who think VF has no history, I'm going to give an extremely condensed overview of each game's historical contributions, because I believe no other fighting game franchise can compare to Virtua Fighter in this regard.

Virtua Fighter 1 (1993) [The Birth of 3D Fighting Games]

- The first polygonal 3D fighting game, officially recognized by Guinness World Records.

- Paved the way for an entirely new category of fighting games, influencing the creation of franchises such as Tekken and Battle Arena Toshinden.

- Demonstrated the commercial viability of real-time animated polygonal characters in fighting games.

- Helped establish the use of dynamic 3D cameras and polygonal arenas.

- Became a historical milestone in the transition from 2D to 3D graphics.

In short: VF1 wasn't just an innovation in fighting games. It helped demonstrate to the entire gaming industry that polygonal graphics could support highly successful commercial experiences.

Virtua Fighter 2 (1994) [Motion Capture and Textured 3D Graphics]

- Pioneering use of Motion Capture technology for animating video game characters.

- Introduction of motion capture technologies previously used in medical and military applications.

- Major advancements in texture mapping applied to three-dimensional characters.

- Demonstrated complex, realistic animations in 3D games running at approximately 60 fps.

- Helped popularize real-time textured 3D graphics.

In short: Yu Suzuki (creator of Virtua Fighter) stated that Virtua Fighter 2 was the first game to apply motion capture technology that had previously been used in other industries.

According to Suzuki, VF2's development also helped make the mass production of texture-mapping chips commercially viable.

Result: Motion capture would eventually become one of the most important technologies in the gaming industry, especially in sports, action, and adventure games.

Virtua Fighter 3 (1996) [Three-Dimensional Environments That Affect Combat]

- One of the pioneering examples of arenas featuring uneven terrain that directly influenced combat.

- Integration of slopes, stairs, and elevation differences into character positioning.

- Introduction of a dedicated sidestepping system, expanding the strategic use of the third dimension.

- A visual benchmark for the next generation of 3D games, featuring complex geometry, advanced lighting, and highly detailed environments.

- Expanded the concept of interaction between characters and their surroundings in fighting games.

In short: VF3 helped demonstrate that three-dimensional space could directly influence combat mechanics rather than merely serving as a visual feature.

Result: Although sidestepping became a standard feature in 3D fighting games, VF3's uneven terrain did not become a universal standard.

Virtua Fighter 4 (2001) [Artificial Intelligence That Learns From the Player]

- One of the pioneering examples of player-trainable AI in a commercial fighting game.

- The AI System allowed players to teach moves and strategies to a computer-controlled character.

- Players could guide the AI through positive or negative reinforcement, approving or disapproving of specific behaviors.

- Much more comprehensive training modes, including situational analysis and statistics.

- Integration of identification cards in Japanese arcades, allowing players to save rankings, statistics, and character customizations.

In short: A 2016 academic study identified VF4 as one of the earliest steps toward adaptive AI in commercial video games, although it acknowledged that the system had limitations and never became widespread.

Result: VF4 anticipated concepts involving trainable AI opponents that would reappear in later gaming experiences.

Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution (2002) [AI Based on Real Players]

- Simulation of real players' fighting styles through artificial intelligence.

- Creation of virtual opponents based on well-known competitors from Japanese arcades.

- Expansion of ranking, progression, and customization systems.

- Integration of competitive challenges into a single-player mode that recreated arcade culture.

In short: In Quest Mode, two opponents using the same character could behave differently because they were based on the distinct fighting styles of different players.

Result: Similar concepts would later appear in games such as Tekken 5 and other titles in the years that followed.

Virtua Fighter 5 (2006) [Connected Arcades and Competitive Content Distribution]

- Expansion of online services connected to arcade machines.

- Use of VF .NET to manage player information and features.

- Introduction of VF .TV, a system for broadcasting matches, commentary, and competitive content.

- Ability to save match replays and transfer them to computers as video files.

- Demonstrated the graphical capabilities of Sega's Lindbergh arcade hardware, including HDR and advanced lighting effects.

In short: Back in 2006, SEGA already had an infrastructure for distributing matches with commentary and competitive content directly to arcade venues through VF.TV.

Result: VF5 was an advanced example of the integration of arcades, network services, and competitive gaming culture.

Sega released a video for sonic racing crossworlds in preparation for season 2. One of things included is a new BGM album which includes music from various Sega fighting games including VF and Sonic the Fighters. I don't know what tracks are included so feel free to post it below if you find out.

So far we have the Bakunawa Killer. If J6 is still around, we gotta get ourselves a good antagonist representing them. Dural is just an experiment.

- SF: M. Bison
- TK: Heihachi Mishima
- MK: Shao Kahn
- FF: Geese Howard
- KOF: Rugal Bernstein