Virtua Fighter 2 [Saturn]

"Virtua Fighter 2 was an instant classic on Sega's forlorn Saturn. Released Christmas of '95 and only 6 months after we all got to see the first Virtua Fighter's admittedly weak graphics, Virtua Fighter 2 dazzled with its full 60 frames per second and high resolution all while adding textures to everything... easily one of the biggest jumps in graphics from one game to its sequel on the same system.

Gameplay is outstanding, as is to be expected in any Virtua Fighter game. Compared to modern Virtua Fighter games, the first two felt a little slow and floaty... jumping literally sent your character ten feet up in the air. What it lacked in pace it made up for with precision. Virtua Fighter has always been about timing, one of the reasons many fighting fans prefer it over the myriad of other similar fighters that all have you performing half-circles to throw fireballs at one another.

The sound was a mixed bag back in the day, and today it seems to have held up about the same. The sound effects have always been a little bizarre in the VF games, but even by the second installment, many of them became iconic. Gamers across the land can still recognize the familiar "whoosh" effect from spin kicks and the like, and who can forget that ridiculous clang Dural made when she hit the floor. The voices are really the weakest part of the audio, having been compressed to absolute hell. The voice acting itself is, as always in almost any Sega game from any era, pretty bad. Granted, nothing can be worse than Lion in Virtua Fighter 5, but I can't help but chuckle every time Jeffry gurgles, "Iiiiiiiii Wiiiiiin!" At least the music is still as catchy as ever, myself preferring the original tunes over the remixed ones.

In the end, Virtua Fighter 2 is the ultimate showing of what the Saturn could do in capable hands, especially when compared to its predecessor. For gamers interested in seeing the roots of the Virtua Fighter series, the second installment is truly the one not to miss. If you're looking for better fighting and less nostalgia, then perhaps Fighters Megamix might be a better choice, though considering how inexpensive and easy to find Virtua Fighter 2 is, there's really no good reason not to have both... in the end, it may even help your game on today's version, which from my experience on Xbox Live I can tell you, you'll need all the help you can get."