Publisher: SCEE
Developer: Sega AM2
Release date: May 2002

Way back in 1984, a popular coin-op producing firm called Data East released Karate Champ, a simple two-dimensional fighting game with an unique two joystick control set-up. It was the first of its kind. Since then, the beat 'em up, like so many other genres, has seen a number of innovations, yet the basic concept has remained the same since two heavily pixellated combatants first battled for supremacy under the gaze of an immeasurably miserable-looking judge. However, while the likes of Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Soul Edge have always disguised their roots with a flurry of fireballs, gallons of gore and a wealth of weapons, one fighter has evolved in such a fashion that it could be regarded as the natural offspring of Karate Champ. That game is Sega's Virtua Fighter.

Virtua Fighter's biggest draw wasn't dazzling special effects or 'gruesome' fatalities, no - they were mere gimmicks in comparison to Sega's pioneering approach to the genre. For starters, the graphics were presented in extremely angular (but nevertheless impressive) 3D, which for the time (1993) was quite stunning for those used to cartoony sprites battling against brightly-coloured animated backdrops. However, it was the actual system of fighting that provided the real shock; gamers were now so used to fast-paced fantasy action that the slow, methodical and ultimately realistic system of VF was seen as daring and bold. In essence, the birth of the 3D fighter had begun in much the same way as it had in two dimensions, but the 'old' methods of fighting had been defunct for so long that when it finally returned it was seen as being ultra-contemporary, the next evolutionary step for fighting.

Needless to say, other companies soon sought to recreate VF's success in the 3D fighting market. Their methods of luring the buying public were extremely familiar; take the basic fighting concept and then bolster it with additional fantastical moves. The cycle had begun anew, and soon the decidedly unrealistic likes of Tekken, Dead or Alive and Soul Calibur were enjoying massive amounts of success. Unlike Karate Champ, however, this influx of competition didn't deter Yu Suzuki and his crew at Sega's AM2 research division from pursuing this realistic angle further and the Virtua Fighter series continued to evolve with the rest of its imitators, culminating (for the time being, at least) with Virtua Fighter 4.

Now, only months after it stormed the arcades, Virtua Fighter 4 has reached PlayStation 2 and it has brought a whole host of improvements along with it for the ride. The core concept remains: two highly skilled combatants must face off in an arena and attempt to sap the 'energy' of their opponent by pounding them in all number of creative ways until they are knocked out. In execution, however, VF4 expands on this concept as heavily as Metal Gear Solid 2 does with Space Invaders. In short, Virtua Fighter 4 is mind-bendingly complex, a triumph of fighting game design that takes controls back to the bare basics and then proves that there's still room for good ol' digital input in these analogue-driven days. One pad, three buttons, thousands of moves; it's best not to question the mathematical logistics and just take it for what it is: an astoundingly deep fighting game that should silence beat 'em up naysayers for good.

Ironically, VF4's greatest asset (its complexity) will be the thing that turns many casual gamers off, or at least it would be had AM2 not implemented one of the finest training modes ever seen. While most fighters seem happy to leave you to your own devices pounding away on a dummy CPU opponent (admittedly also offered here) Virtua Fighter 4 gives you the equivalent of a school textbook in Advanced Virtua Fighting 101. This is no lazy comparison, either; training is divided into over 30 'lessons', some of which are divided further still into sublessons, all of which deal with both the theoretical and practical side of fighting techniques. Sometimes it's a case of mimicking demonstrated movements, other times you just sit back and digest the advice being offered to you and just like school, you enter knowing practically nothing and exit as a seasoned pro in striking, defending, countering, reversing, recovering, comboing and home economics. Well, maybe not the last one.

Now, we could ramble on forever about even VF4's basic game modes and gibber endlessly about the near arcade-perfect graphics, but we won't; the typical and very straightforward arcade and versus battle formula hasn't been messed with since the original Virtua Fighter and thus doesn't warrant further analysis. It's great - enough said. Likewise, the graphics are beautiful, smooth and packed with fantastic incidental details, but we've never expected anything less from the VF series because every new instalment has always set the visual benchmark that little bit higher. The screenshots below should tell you everything you need to know: they're great - enough said. What does warrant extended attention, though, is the additional A.I. System and Kumite modes, largely because they are genuinely innovative and take the potential longevity of the game to a scary new high.

A.I. System puts you in the role of the master for a change; think of it as the final exam after you have perfected your own technique in Training. The aim of the game is simple. Choose a character (to be placed under CPU control), give them a Ring Name and then teach them how to fight. By beating the hell out of them. Repeatedly. The idea is that by constantly subjecting them to your moves, the computer will learn the finer aspects of your personal fighting style and then try to emulate it, which is pretty darn clever by all accounts. Your ultimate goal is create a battle-hardened warrior who will then face off against other computer opponents or, thanks to the magic of the memory card, a friend's AI System creation. Your only option in an actual fight is to sit back and watch, but the feeling of pride you get when your virtual prot?scores a victory is immense.

Kumite also requires the creation of a custom character, but this time they're very much under your control. An extended survival mode of sorts, Kumite is the ultimate test of your fighting prowess, placing you at a lowly 10th Kyu ranking and then forcing you to climb the martial arts ladder until you reach the highest level a master can reach, 10th Dan. While this would be entertaining enough as it is, you're also given the incentive of earning bonus items of clothing and special accessories for large numbers of consecutive victories. These items give you an opportunity to fully customise the look of your character, be it a simple change of trousers or a complete fashion makeover. Some of the bonuses are particularly bizarre, such as Aoi's pink rabbit shoulder accessory and Lau's frankly disturbing giant baby head mask, which is truly the stuff of nightmares.

Success in either of these modes boils down to the level of commitment that you are willing to put into the game; if you're not the sort who enjoys memorising the entire moveset of a character, then you won't find much success in the later stages of Kumite. As long as you don't mind playing against other players who think the same way, however, then you'll still derive a huge amount of enjoyment from Arcade and Versus as they are much more welcoming to the novice player. Those who persist will be dazzled by the diversity and versatility of the characters; the amount of thinking that must have gone into ensuring that every single move could be blocked, reversed or countered by at least one move from every other character is absolutely mind-boggling considering the potential number of permutations.

We love it. We know this is only a preview, but the preview code we've been hammering away on for the last few weeks has assured us of its greatness. There's a lot to be said of a game that can have so much written about it and leave you feeling like you still don't know enough, especially when it belongs to a genre that is considered (wrongly) by many to be extremely limited. Virtua Fighter 4 proves, like so many 'high concept' Hollywood movies that a simple idea can be taken a long, long way if it is delivered into capable hands and, thankfully, AM2 are guilty of having such fantastic mitts. Beat 'em up fans know that they should own this and everyone else should know that this could be the one to convert them - Virtua Fighter 4 is that damn good. And if you want to know more, fret not as you can expect to read a great deal more about the characters, levels, moves and secrets of VF4 closer to its release early this May.