Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution

Taken together, with its hundreds of moves per fighter and addictive modes and polished graphics, Virtual Fighter 4: Evolution is a marvelous game.

Don't even think of renting if for this price. With such a simple-to-use, yet complex control system, you can be fighting in no time and continue refining your skills for months to come.

Apart from minor graphical tweaks and two fresh characters, VF4E remains much the same game. [May 2003, p.102]

Like its title suggests, Evo takes Sega's staggering chop-socky PS2 masterpiece and fine-tunes it to near perfection... But the real reason to plunk down 20 bucks is for Evo's superb Quest mode. [Sept 2003, p.115]

For the hardcore fighter, it's without doubt an essential purchase, in that it's a test of true skill and grit, has oceanic depth and subtlety, and rewards patience and persistence.

There's a massive amount of technique to learn. When you're playing solo, there's no shortage of things to do, thanks to quest mode and the dozens of training challenges.

Consider it a stand-alone update priced fairly at 20 clams. [Aug 2003, p.86]

The main problem with Virtua Fighter has always been its relative inaccessibility, and VF 4: Evolution clearly represents an effort to introduce new gamers to the franchise.

A player shouldn't have to slog through command list after command list before fighting a particularly challenging AI or human opponent. Patience may be a virtue, but it can also mean really stubborn.

A brilliant fighting game, perhaps second only to "Soul Calibur II." [Sept 2003, p.53]

Beats its predecessor with souped-up visuals, new characters and moves, improved tutorials, hundreds of unlockable items, and the amazingly deep Quest mode. And this is a Greatest Hits title? Insane bargain alert!

An amazingly intricate fighter, that will doubtless give VF fans sleepless nights to come. But in the shadow of the superb "Soul Calibur 2" (which offers not only depth, but accessibility and longevity in a beautifully presented package) it's hard to recommend to anyone other than those who already know they want it. [Import - GamesMaster]

Last year's "Virtua Fighter 4" bordered on perfection, and this new game is technically even better.

Not as flashy as the competition. But its technical prowess and sheer depth give it an edge over every other game on the market -- even the vaunted, upcoming "Soul Calibur II," if only slightly. The game's immensely addictive, fun, intricate, and super speedy.

Succeeds as a fighting game in so many ways it nearly redefines what makes this genre so much fun.

This game has got an extremely deep Quest mode that will keep anyone occupied for months on end.

Hands down this is the absolute best fighting game available on the market right now. Any fighting fan should rush to their store and purchase this game immediately, as this is a very in-depth fighter, one that has more longevity than most RPGs.

Not only the best 3D fighter of all time, it will make you a better fighting-game player. [Sept 2003, p.66]

An incredibly deep and long-lasting single player mode, and the versus mode never gets stale; there's the included 10th Anniversary mode that's almost a separate game in itself; the graphics have been improved upon and almost perfected, and so has the gameplay.

Probably the best 3D fighter on the market at the moment... Give it a try, watch your life disappear...

Its controls are near-as-damnit perfect, and the connection you feel between yourself and your fighter makes a game like "Tekken 4" look like it's just fooling around. [Sept 2003, p.95]

I beg for a complete shakeup for this series, but for now, a fine polish will have to do. [Aug 2003, p.77]

With so many improvements, Evolution easily surpasses the former "Virtua Fighter 4." Fighting game fans will be impressed. [Sept 2003, p.37]

The best fighting game ever made, for PS2 or any other system... "Soul Calibur II" comes close (and surpasses it in the minds of those that don't know any better), but VF4: Evolution is interactive one-on-one brawling at its purest and most visually alluring peak.

But if you can work with the game’s difficulty and take the time to learn the characters, you’ll find that Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution is a fighting game second to none.

The best fighting game we've played since "Street Fighter Alpha 2," this is arguably the best fighting game to date.

We've had a great deal of pleasure at the hands of evolution, even those of us who still swear quite vehemently that Tekken is The Daddy (Bonjour Chris) admitted that it’s a damn fine game. [Import]

The greatest fighting game ever: deep, almost infinitely replayable, lovely to look at—and only 20 bucks.