Virtua Fighter 2

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Virtua Fighter 2
System(s): Arcade, Sega Saturn, Sega Mega Drive, PlayStation 2, PC
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega AM2
Genre: 3D Action

Virtua Fighter 2 is a fighting game developed by Sega. It is the sequel to Virtua Fighter and the second game in the Virtua Fighter series. It was created by the Sega's Yu Suzuki-headed AM2 and was released in the arcade in 1994. It was subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn in 1995 and Microsoft Windows in 1997. In 1996, a super deformed version of the game, Virtua Fighter Kids, arrived in Arcades, ported to the Sega Saturn in the same year. It was also ported to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1996, but because the hardware couldn't handle the complex visuals of the Arcade version, it was re-made as a 2D fighter. In addition, Virtua Fighter 2 was converted for the PlayStation 2 in 2004 as part of Sega's Ages 2500 series in Japan. The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis port was re-released on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable in 2006 as part of Sega Genesis Collection, and on the Virtual Console for the Nintendo Wii on March 20, 2007 (Japan) and April 16, 2007 (North America). VF2 was known for breakthrough graphics at the time. It used Sega's Model 2 Arcade hardware to run the game at 60 frames per second at a high resolution with no slowdown. The Saturn version was also extremely impressive for its time, especially given the system's 3D programming difficulties. It became a huge hit in Japan and sold relatively well in other markets notably the UK, where The Prince (Hatim Habashi) was crowned by Sega Europe as the Official UK Virtua Fighter 2 Champion. The arena size could be adjusted up to a very small platform or all the way to 82 meters, which in the genre is considered very large; this is the only game in the series - other than Virtua Fighter Remix - that could have such size adjustments. The physical energy meter could also be adjusted to infinity as well, giving you the advantage when beating opponents in the game or practicing moves against the computer player. Incidentally, players discovered that adjusting the arena to a smaller size and giving the characters infinite health could lead to mock sumo matches, wherein victory is achieved by knocking the other player out of the ring.

Virtua Fighter 2.1

A Japanese-only release. This version featured re-tweaked gameplay, slightly enhanced graphics and the ability to play as a newly-designed Dural. This version was also released in the Sega Ages 2500 series. It is possible to switch to the 2.1 gameplay mechanics in the Saturn port, however none of the other features are updated. Also, you can activate the 2.1 mode in the PC version.

Production Credits (Saturn Team)

Producer: Yu Suzuki
Director: Keiji Okayasu

Programmers

System Program: Tetsuya Sugimoto
Collision Program: Hideya Shibazaki
Motion Program: Hiroaki Shoji
Enemy Program: Takayuki Yamaguchi
Movie Program: Kazua Ohtani
Command Program: Shinji Ohshima
Texture Program: Takeshi Matsuda
Scroll Program: Hiroki Okajima

Graphic Designer

Movie Design: Yoshinao Asako
Background Design: Youji Kato
Character Design: Kaori Yamamoto, Kaoru Nagahama
Scroll Design: Ryoya Yui

Sound

Producer: Takayuki Nakamura
Music Arranger & Director: Takenobu Mitsuyoshi
Sound Design: Kazuhiko Kouchi
Music Programmer: Teruo Nakano (Silly Walk)
Recording Director: Tatsutoshi Narita (SEGA Digital Studio)
Recording Engineer: Naoyuki Machida (SEGA Digital Studio)
Recording Manager: Fumitaka Shibata (SEGA Digital Studio)

Publicity: Kouji Umeda, Nobutaka Arii
Special Thanks: Matsuhide Mizoguchi, Yutaka Nishino, Shigenobu Iga, Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Virtua Fighter 2 Arcade Team, SGL Team, 81 Produce Co.
Created By: Sega AM2
Presented By: Sega