VF3 and T4 were necessary additions to those franchises to help build a better VF4 and T5
I replay VF3tb from to time just for Taka
Taka needs to shine again. =/
That is somewhat true.
I know for sure some combos that work on Model 3 version do not work on DC. Also there are combos that only work on the DC version. Most of them were documented, I don’t know where to look for them at the moment.
First off, I have to disagree about Tekken dropping off. I much prefer DR over Tag since it’s not nearly as much of a Mishima fest. And VF5 looked worse than 4 to me in vids, because of Kage/Jacky whoring - has the game progressed since then?
Also, very interesting info in this thread! I recall Gamest ranking Wolf #1 in regular VF3 because of that low kick thing, but also heard Kage was high up there.
i cant remember the tiers of vf3 but
the sumo was broke…:wasted:
Check out the VF3 vids I linked to, good stuff.
I definately want MC Low Kick -> Throw back in VF5 Evolution (or the next VF that’s gonna be released) 
- They took Taka out in VF 4 and replaced him with that Goh Hinogami guy because he was **too hard **to integrate, according to Wiki.
The bold part is what I have to contest since there was another loss in VF before public release. **Siba **was eliminated since the beginning.
I just think they took him out because he and Kristie Alley can go at it without incident. A majority of the characters there are fit or a little overweight in aesthetics. As for VF 3TB, I felt as if presentation was off for a VF release, but since when was that an issue?(don’t bring up Virtua Fighter for the Genesis). Genki also did this instead of AM2 and you could tell. It was also overshadowed by other fighters on the system(Dead or Alive 2:LE, Soul Calibur, Project Justice). This was the system of fighters we’re talking about.
More time was put into Shenmue, though. LOL.
…that went well.
they took him out cause they dont like fat people then made some dumb excuse
Apparently one of the reasons they took him out was because they said that they didn’t have the technology to do what they really wanted to do with a big character like that. It’s VF5 and the fat man still hasn’t come back yet.
The DC port was flawed even in the environments. The beach stage in the model 3 version was a sight to behold and it still amazes me till today. If you look at the DC port of the beach stage, the clouds are pixelated and they look horrid compared to the arcade version’s beauty. The res was also lower and the graphics are kinda blurry when compared to the sharp, yet smooth and higher res model 3 version.
Yeah, something really did seem to be off about the background scenery in the beach stage, especially when I played the game on VGA. It looked like a low-res, pixelated bitmap, kind of like the lifeless 2D bitmap backgrounds most PS1/Saturn 3D fighters had back then.
Rushed port indeed. Was it a big-seller when it was first released in Japan??? Because I seriously doubt VF3TB even sold it’s entire print run here in the US (which is how I was able to score a new copy for $20 still in 2003).
And how good was the Japanese PS2 (Sega Ages) port of VF2??? As already mentioned, most of Sega’s arcade hardware was quite proprietary and thus their games to this day are difficult to port to home consoles.
PS2 version of VF 2 wasn’t perfect either. They retained the 3d BGs but alot of things were toned down. Here is a thread showing the differences. Amusing to see the differences. The temple BG in particular was toned down a lot!
Very interesting read. Yet another victim of Sega’s complicated-as-hell arcade architecture. But as far as this port goes, I feel people were being a bit too picky as far as the graphics go, unless the gameplay and frame-rate weren’t retained that is. If you want some crappy Sega arcade ports, than you should start out with those crummy Master System and Genesis ports! Outrun and Shadow Dancer for Master System, Thunder Blade, Super Monaco GP, GALAXY FORCE II for Genesis…it always pissed me off how Sega’s console hardware (up until Dreamcast) was never up to snuff to handle decent ports of their arcade titles.
Holy shit I’m gonna buy it anyway! :wow:
VF3tb played really well overall, but I have a lot of fond memories of that game since I was travelling all over the country for gatherings.
However, it played like a different revision of the arcade, because while a lot of the combos did work the same, a few did not.
Genki did the port and it wasn’t a perfect port but it was still a very competitive platform. Graphics wise, yeah, they couldn’t get it to really look that much like the arcade. Lower poly count for sure, background details, etc…
As for how VF3/3tb played altogether. It’s still my favorite VF, but nostalgia gets partly in the way of it. A lot of people know how much I love VF5 and the VF4 games. But VF3tb strongly represents what I’d call “old-school VF” which had less option selects than 4 and 5 (but option selects were a big part of VF3 too) but had a lot more “pure mindgames.”
In VF4/5, option selects sort of shift and re-regulate the mindgames. The mindgames and initiative flow are all still there, but 4/5 introduced lots of options to “redirect” options. Sabakis and broader option selects changed the mindset for “outwitting opponents” but they really rewarded the dedicated players more. In VF3, you were dealing with layered options, but not nearly as much as the later games.
The VF3 games were kind of designed a bit too much with the hardcore VFers in mind. The game was incredibly inaccessible to beginners and the flow of combat was very very slow if you weren’t that good at the game. However, the better the players (both players) playing the game, the faster it would flow. And VF3tb was actually very fast or well paced at high-level play.
On top of that, timing was crazy strict. Throw escape timing had to be much more precise and so were countering options. Because of the strict timing requirements on counter-measures, the game was frustrating for a lot of people first learning the game. At high level play, the game was silky smooth. But at beginner level play… well… It feels like someone trying to learn Mortal Kombat 5 or 6 (or even 7) where anything you throw that doesn’t hit does not feel good at all, because you’re a sitting duck.
OTB (on the bounce) combos were a bigger factor because of both terrain and the lack of techrolls and quickrise options (but you could get up super fast if you mashed a lot of inputs during the fall and wakeup period).
I think Taka was removed from VF4 and VF5 because of tech-roll and quickrise. I loved having him in the VF3 games and miss him, especially with a lot of his own set of mechanics in the game. But most combos against him were OTB. Every member of the design team probably had a different reason for not bringing him back though.
The stages allowed a lot of variety for how matches would play out and how much some characters had to adjust their combos on the spot to match the situation. Furthermore, it emphasized ring positioning. The sacrifice was level balance. I felt most stages were balanced enough, but Pai’s rooftop stage, as beautiful as I felt it was, was very unbalanced. Player one worried about ringout, player two worried about a wall.
The evade button was a nice implementation of dodge. I like VF3’s manual dodges, especially combined with the elevation in stage and non-symetrical design. It’s something that worked out really well in VF3 and allowed easier buffering of advanced movement. Mind you, I also love the decision they made in VF4 and VF5 to make dodging something you mainly used in disadvantage, as it makes dodging something that assists the fast pace close exchanges–guiding how players use the now-called Defensive Move. But for VF3 and VF3tb, I think the evade button was perfect.
VF3/3tb also had a strong traditional okizeme game. The ability to manually move 3d helped in adding more options. VF has always had some uramawari setups where you could get the opponent to get up backwards if they used certain rising options in certain situations you could set up. Though for me, I was using Lion and I was able to manually get behind opponents in many situations (okizeme and mid battle).
I think ring positioning considerations were huge in VF3/3tb and those are my favorite games concerning ring placement (but I never played enough Dead or Alive to compare properly).
In any case, I personally think the game was underrated in the US. But obviously not underrated in certain countries.
The game had a few great scenes in the US, but it was hard to find a machine (and Sega was dumb enough to not allow a non-cabinet kit option). In Japan, the game dominated arcades for years (I think it only lost out to VOOT during its run–another game I absolutely loved for its intense and fast-paced play). Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore had well represented scenes too.
Korea dominated the early days of VF3 I think. Either that, or Akira Kid was like the lone wolf who dominated the world. In VF2 and VF3, that guy was freaking amazing. Still amazing as ShinZ and had a great “tour” during the early days of VF4. I took time away from fighting games during VF4Evo and FT so I don’t know about the recent exploits of ShinZ. During VF3 (prior to VF3tb), Akira Kid won the Maximum Battle tournament which was like the world championships for the game. Fought Ige-Lau from Taiwan.
I don’t know how it really was, but I was under the impression that as Tekken’s scene grew more and more in Korea, VF3 was waning when VF3tb was out. I don’t know for sure, there was still awesome stuff coming out of Korea, but I just wasn’t seeing as much of it.
However, during VF3tb, Japan’s scene seemed to keep getting more and more mature. I think there’s a clear difference in how VF3tb was being played and how advanced it was, compared to the hey-day of VF3. I just have a lot more interest and entertainment and appreciation for the matches I see in things like the Beat Tribe Tournaments for VF3tb than I saw for a lot of the VF3 tournaments.
Obviously I am very biased. But if you want my personal opinion, VF3tb (arcade and dreamcast, despite differences) is my favorite fighting game of all time. But I have a lot of nostalgia invested in it, but I could still play that game for days straight with a smile on my face (actually, I have a serious look when playing seriously but you know what I mean).
-Chanchai
For movesets, tons of moves were added the returning character’s arsenal.
Shun’s moveslist in VF3 is considerably a big improvement from VF2.
Taka-Arashi was an awesome addition, I miss Taka.
the odd shaped rings, obstacles and uneven terrain was the biggest negative of the game. Messing up with allot of things.
the dodge button had good intentions, but the evade system of VF4 and VF5 are greatly superior. But VF3 needed to exist to make a better VF4 and VF5.
The music was as not good as VF2 or VF1, it’s the same guy who did VF4 Evolution, so eeecsh.
The art didn’t steer into in evolution, the character faces were super bizarre and the stages didnt look hot (thanks to the uneven surfaces). VF2 had a greater impact on it’s release.
I really liked vf3, I thought the direction the game took was cool.
I still wish they’d bring the sumo back
Sega should release an arcade-perfect port of TB for download on the PS3.
Just remembered that one of the things different between DC and Arcade VF3tb was a slight speed difference.
Was a bit hard to notice, but I sort of felt it when I played the old VF3tb machine that was at Sunnyvale Golfland. I think the arcade was slightly faster, but it could have been the other way around. Can’t remember exactly, aside from a speed difference existing.