Graphics: The character models and environments are top notch in Virtua Fighter 5; they’re not too shiny, and the size differences between some of the models is downright staggering. Put El Blaze in the ring with just about anyone and bear witness to the “Andre the Giant effect” as I’ve come to call it. Animation is silken, and it would have to be, as frame counting comes into play later on when performing some of the more elaborate combos. This is a pretty, pretty game, no doubt about it. The only drawback is that environmental interaction is minimal, although it’s never been a focus of the series to begin with.

Interface: Sega makes you feel at home with an arcade-styled interface. There’s no “insert coin” logo blinking in the corner, but the rest of the visuals get the job done just fine. The background changes with each selection, giving secondary cues as to what’s being selected, and I never got confused or lost throughout my entire time playing. I could ask for more, but there’s nothing wrong with being functional.

Gameplay: VF5 controls like a dream with an arcade stick; in fact, you’d almost be cheating yourself if you relied on the analog stick or joypad to get the job done. Quest mode will keep you busy grinding ranks, and the prospect of learning each characters combos, stances and overall style is staggering. Plenty to do here for the casual player, but the diehards will truly appreciate the work that’s been put into the game in terms of fight flow and frame adjustments.

Multiplayer: I expected a lot more bulk in a game with “Online” in its title, and although there’s not a whole lot you can do with the fighting genre when it comes to online battles, it baffles me as to why Quest mode didn’t coincide with the online portion. You’re limited to ranked and unranked matches, and although leaderboards are a part of the game, there’s no competition to see who the best is. What’s there works flawlessly and without lag, I just wish there were more options.

Sound FX: The sounds of battle are pretty standard in terms of fists hitting faces and whatnot, but the real tragedy is the subpar English overdub. The Asian speaking characters sound fine (barring that I can’t speak or understand the language), but the voices of Lion and El Blaze induce cringing. Worse, the anti-depressant delivery of the announcers sounds like it was ripped straight from a children’s cartoon. Turn it down — way down.

Music: In terms of music, VF5 does little wrong, but nothing outstanding in terms of breaking new ground. The tunes are mainly ring specific, exhibiting the ethnic flavor of each locale, and range from pumping electronica to serene Japanese inspired folk. There’s a bit of jazzy piano work in there as well, but nothing mind blowing.

Interface: Virtual opponents are scaled just like an arcade: really easy for the first few fights and increasingly more frustrating as you climb the ladder. Later A.I. opponents block frequently, throw often and get the odd cheap shot in where they can, yet an experienced player should have no problem learning the routine and knocking out character completion achievements with ease.

Difficulty: There’s so much to do here that stamping VF5 with a difficulty score is, well, difficult! Of course it’s hard to master each character, not to mention the host of unlockable items and combos you can learn. It’s only when you square off online against a 13-year-old Japanese kid and get beaten six ways to Sunday that you realize that no matter how good you get, how many frames you count or how many combos you master, there will always be someone better than you.

Overall: Still tough after all these years, the Virtua Fighter series remains afloat as one of the more well put together fighters of this generation. The online portion is skimpy, the voiceover is grating, yet I can’t help but be fascinated by its ability to compact so much strategy into a genre that used to feed on hadoukens and on-the-spot spinal extractions. Pick this up if you’re the fightin’ kind — and be sure to grab an arcade stick and some quarters for the full arcade experience.