It's cool and all, but if the purpose of this project was to revive VF franchise, then the devs clearly forgot about their priorities. First we should be getting all customization items from Final Showdown as soon as possible, additionally they could add stages variations from vanilla VF5 and VF5R ...and then let them add whatever they want until VF6 comes out. But even in terms of non-VF content I think it would be better for the identity of VF brand if they'd stick to Yakuza or Shenmue costumes or even some stages from those games and keep it all within SEGA-related IP's.

I agree but at least it will generate some hype and money for Vf6 production War effort, which is good actually. Expect a lot of future 10th kyu new Jean players using the Jin kasama skin.

Also, for next collaborations between Sega and Banco it's the begining of something big. Pretty sure we might see some dlc VF characters in Tekken 8...

I hope they didn't pay Namco too much for this. Seems a waste at this stage with the game being so dead unless it's doing amazingly in Japan. I'd much rather they put their effort and resources towards VF6.

Hype for who? The Tekken players already have the real Tekken

So being destroyed disguised as Jin Kasama feels better to new players than being destroyed playing as Jean


The incredibly sad thing about all this is that its happening and we don't get no vaseline, no roses, no candy, no nothing Even the dudes in lock up get a count of 3.

I just can't wait for vf6 at this point, and they better already working their asses off to implement a solid rollback for VF6, cause no matter how much the game can be good there is just no way it will survive more than 2 weeks among the other 20 fighting games that will have a real netcode.

Im still lost as to why this is a thing..are they hinting at a future crossover? Meh..

I really hope I'm overthinking it and VF is not blatantly trying to lose its Identity in trying to be like Tekken but its too hard not to see it..

Seriously even the UI? Not sure how or why this would do anything else but fuel Tekken players on how they are "copying" thier game yet again...

One thing is for sure. I will not spend a penny on this DLC. I won't support it in any way. If it were a free download I would not touch it. If it were a forced part of an automatic VF5US patch , I would delete VF5US off my system.

The Tekken style hit sparks were already the last straw for me, but now Tekken skins and and a Tekken UI this is RGG/Sega just pissin in my face

We're being rolled back alright

It appears that in addition to rollback netcode we're getting rollover and bend over netcode too

I hate Tekken, and I think this is one of those thing that would have never happened with Yu Suzuki direction, but now we have Seiji Aoki, we must prepare for the worst for VF6 or a useless VF X Tekken crossover (give us Fighters Megamix, FV3 and Last Bronx 2 instead!!)

The sad thing is Aoki use to be on Team AM2. Although he probably was one of the designers that always wanted VF to copy off of Tekken and was probably stopped by the more wise and senior members of the AM2 team. Now that Seiji is in control he can make his childhood dream of VF being a cheap Tekken clone come true.

Aoki's very first major change to Virtua Fighter was to add Tekken style Hit Sparks. Now we get Heihachi skins and a Tekken UI. And even worse there are going to be VF Jedi Frame Masters that are totally fine with VFekken and Akiraihachi

VF 6 will have micro transactions, NFT's, blockchain, meters, rage art, projectiles, fireballs, super moves, VFekken Force, hair dye, tele-transportation , one or more fighting animals, characters that can disappear and then re-appear on some other part of the stage, 50 characters built in to the game with an additional 50 characters divided
over 5 seasons sold as DLC at $9.99 per character. And we have some players that will fall for every bit it

You know so much about SEGA, AM2, game development, Seiji Aoki as a designer, so since you are an insider, a want to ask you one thing: when is the release date of that particular VF6, with all the bells and whistles you mention.

Instead of this i would have loved relevant news like a confirmation of VF6 or any relevant updates, it fells like a lazy way to milk VF5 even more longer while taking absolute 0 risks : The VF x Yakusa and the VF x Tekken packs path seems to indicate that Sega really REALLY don't want to touch anymore the game in his gameplay and will just go full cosmetic again (sure we'll get something similar with Shenmue later... ).

Maybe it's also because Sega don't have anymore the staff to do such a complex thing and maybe it takes some time to hire talents... Still, this is sad for core players cause there is a new season incoming for 2022-2023, and will we see just the same exact things as 12 years ago...

I don't see a cross over coming soon but maybe a character like Akira joining the cast of TK8 but this is speculation. It's something not usefull to help the release of VF6 but it might help to promote VF6 after its actual release like Akuma did on TK7 just before Sf5's release (and it would be even more impactfull for VF in my opinion).

I guess some Tekken players would have some fun with a fake Jun (Aoi) or a Bruce (Brad) skin or watever nice other ideas (Orgre/Jeffry).

It's not necessary, and it's evil, you buy and forget about it after some weeks but I can tell you that the kind of things people love just how we see many experiment with custom cloths to get a touch of a specific character they find cool.

For those who interrested here my full expectation :
Taka/Ganryu * Pai/Lin * Wolf/King or AK * Jeffry/Marduk or Orgre * Jean/Jin * Eileen/Lucky Chloe * Kage/ Raven or Yoshi * Sarah/Nina * Jacky/Law or Lee * Shun/Lei Wulong or Wang * Lion/Leo or Dragunov * El blaze/King or... Jaycee xD * Aoi/Asuka * Leifei/Feng * Vanessa/Dragunov * Brad/Steve or Bruce Fahkumram seems too huge to fit the char) * Goh/Dragunov or Miguel

Edit: Second look at the trailer. Seems the dlc will include only Tekken 7 cast so forget about characters like Bruce or Jun but we never know...



Dispite my deception, I like that collaboration for helping the franchise to get more popular.

I don't know but it's might not be that serious for them. And they are not destroyed, they learn

Huh weird I'm old enough remember when people complained about Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution becoming "too much like Tekken" back in the early 2000s when Yu Suzuki took a backseat role (after nearly bankrupting Sega). New verse, same as the first!

Now please continue writing your fanfiction about how game dev at Sega/RGG/AM2 works.

@Shinobi I know these facts about Aoki being on AM2 because his name is listed in the credits on my VF games I never said I was an AM2 insider. But I do pay attention to the credits after the game over screen. Try it some times. Maybe you've never beat arcade mode on any of the VF games, but if you do and watch the credits on some of the older games you will see Seiji Aoki's name

I have no idea when VF6 will be released. I am suggesting that whenever its released it will have:

Of course nothing would make me happier than to be absolutely wrong about all of this.

But based on the recent trends in video game development, Wall Street greed, Venture Capitalists etc, shareholder demands, my predictions are probably spot on

Sorry Master, but you insist that the next VF is going to be crap, just because US has colorful sparks - a feature that doesn't affect the core gameplay. Your opinions/assumptions are not facts. I understand that you don't like US (of course I respect that), and you don't understand how game developemnt works. But just because you don't like purple sparks, doesn't mean that SEGA, Aoki, AM2, and the whole world hates VF and want to turn it into a Tekken clone.

I love this reply as it reminds us all of a simple truth, flashy sparks and crossover costumes don't effect the core gameplay.

Also I'm guessing the Tekken UI will be a choice? I doubt very much Sega would just have it that way.

You're assuming here, you have no idea what Aoki wanted or what his ideas were with previous VF games.

This just comes across as a childish temper tantrum, you're normally quite reserved with your posts so this comes as a bit of a surprise.

@Dragonps you're dead right it is in fact a childish temper tantrum. I'm especially childish when it comes to my video games

Here are some facts (at least as I see them)

• Seiji Aoki was on the AM2 development team for previous versions of VF
• Being a member of the old AM2 he would have known what the VF look and feel and VF philosophy is all about
• Seiji Aoki is now with RGG team
• Seiji Aoki is the current producer of Virtua Fighter Ultimate Showdown

As producer, if Aoki didn't want Tekken Style hit sparks in VF5US there would be no hit sparks in the game. If Aoki didn't want Tekken skins, or Tekken Ui in VF5US it would never be offered as DLC (assuming this whole Tekken Skins thing is not an April fools joke)

@Dragonps Fighting Panda Bears and Kangaroos don't affect Tekken's core game play either. But clearly you would see the departure if VF5US were to add a fighting monkey or fighting shark right?

@Dragonps maybe I should remind you of something that I'm pretty sure you already know but perhaps may not be thinking about at the moment.

The Virtua Fighter series is far more than just core game play. Virtua Fighter's clean look and feel has always been part of what distinguishes Virtua Fighter from all the other 3D arcade fighters out there. There are several key aspects that make VF unique and imo superior to all the other 3D arcade games:

• The VF Roster of distinct and unique fighting styles and characters
• The balance in VF between the characters (any character can win , no character is over powered)
• The game play mechanics in VF. Its offensive, defensive options and nuances.
• The amazing and clean stage designs and graphical presentation
• The clean look and feel of the game play no explosions, whirlwinds, on screen projectiles, wormholes, teleportation clouds, characters based pyrotechnics , character levitation, or hit sparks

These aspects together distinguish Virtua Fighter and make it unique in the 3D arcade market space. @Dragonps although you may only consider the core game play mechanics as Virtua Fighter's single defining feature, others see the game as a whole, in its elegant entirety.

With the addition of Tekken style hits sparks, now potentially adding Tekken skins, and Tekken UI, Seiji Aoki is mutilating and defacing VF's elegance and its presentation. Of course Tekken style hit sparks, Tekken skins, and a Tekken UI (optional or not) don't change the VF core game play, but they do serve to remove VF from its distinguished position in the 3D arcade fighting game pantheon. They do cheapen VF's presentation tradition. The hits sparks have scarred what once was 3D fighting game excellence.

You're damn right its a tantrum

Virtua Fighter x Tekken 7 is Persona Non Grata

You do know how business works right? Yes he worked with AM2 but the team itself would have had a leader and even then that leader would answer to a Sega producer. Any decisions regarding VF would have to go through Sega themselves first and foremost.

You have absolutely no evidence that Aoki had wanted this direction for VF from his days working with AM2. I get it you don't like the guy, but this narrative you're putting forward is simply to satisfy yourself.

I'm fully aware of the history of VF, I was playing it and others when most members of the FGC were running around in nappies and crying to momma (see what i did there)

I've played every single console version of VF, played loads of FT on a friends arcade board too.

Look I love VF almost as much as my own son, but I can see why Sega have made some of these decisions that you've not taken well. Let me ask you a few questions.

When was the last time a VF game got this much love and attention?

When was the last time VF sold numbers similar to Tekken or SF?

Sega is running a business not a fan service whore house, they have people that crunch the numbers to validate what features will go in or not.

If I was a baker and I sold different types of bread but one of them didn't sell very well, what would I do?

Keep making the bread even though it doesn't sell well?

Or maybe change the recipe a little to attract new customers?

Maybe mix it with a recipe for another bread that sells really well?

You catching on yet?

@Dragonps we both go back a long way with the Virtua Fighter series so no disrespect is meant here. We both love the series.

Also, I understand your point that there are business interests here that can't be ignored.

As for my evidence of Seiji Aoki's intentions. I'm using basic abductive and deductive reasoning here. Considering that Seiji had a shoestring budget there wasn't much he could do to modernize VF5FS his hands were somewhat tied. But there are many things he could have of done to give the game a little new perspective. E.g. He could have changed the time of day for some of the stages, he could have changed character's prefight, or post-fight comments, He could have added the character hit effects that were present in VF4. None of these would have been expensive and they all would give the game a little fresher look. He did change the lighting in the game and he did bring the game to the dragon engine. Those would have been enough. But Seiji went further he added for the very first time Tekken style Hit sparks. Out of all the possible changes both inexpensive and expensive that Seiji could have made he chose to add Tekken style hit sparks.

It is the first time that he was in primary creative control of the Virtua Fighter concept. And in his very first date with keys to the car he adds Tekken style hit sparks. Out of all the things he could have done, limited or not, his first reflex was to add hit sparks. The fact that this was one of his first official acts as commander & chief of Virtua Fighter suggests to me that this has always been one of his pet peeves and he was unable to act on it in the past because he was only a junior member of the team.

And then there is this link:

https://virtuafighter.com/threads/seiji-aoki-interview-with-katsuhiro-harada-on-4gamer.21669/

And there is also this exchange in an interview

Mr. Harada:
　Did you have any opposition?

Mr. Aoki:
　There wasn't. However, at first, the effects were in full swing, so there was an opinion from an old player that it was "in the way", and I adjusted it many times to get the current shape.

Mr. Harada:
　I didn't feel any discomfort when I played. After playing up to about 3 stages, I finally realized that "Oh, by the way, a hit effect was added."

Mr. Aoki:
　I made careful adjustments so that I wouldn't overdo it and be told that it wasn't this. Katagiri (Mr. Ochi), who was involved in the previous work, also supervises it from the player's perspective

@Dragonps This interview demonstrates that originally Seiji Aoki wanted to go even further than he did with the hit sparks and they were in "full swing" and he had to adjust them many times to get the current shape. So, Aoki on his first date with keys to the (virtua fighter car) wanted to go much further than he did with the hit effects. Out of all the things that could have been done with the VF5FS for Sega's 60th anniversary , adding Red, Blue and Yellow hit sparks were obviously a priority. I form this conclusion out of necessity because of the very few changes that were actually made to VF5FS the addition of Tekken style hit sparks were among those changes.

If Seiji Aoki had a preference and high regards for VF's and AM2's previous clean presentation and design philosophy he would have maintained that position once he was in charge of producing the game. The fact that he wanted to add even more hit effects than he ultimately added suggests that from the beginning he wanted pyrotechnics in Virtua Fighter but was not allowed to add them because he was not the primary producer.

@Dragonps To your point the baker has to sell his bread, but a fine restaurant doesn't add Big Macs and McDonald Fries because one its meals is not selling well. There are many inexpensive and impressive things that Seiji Aoki could have done to put a fresh coat of paint on VF5FS and still maintain Virtua Fighter's identity and dignity.
Since VF5US was ultimately part of Sega's 60th anniversary Seiji could have went back to previous versions of VF and added back some of the stages, stage effects, and hit effects that have been taken out of the game, but were enjoyed by the fans. But that's not what he did, his reflex was to add Tekken style hit effects. Out of all the possible changes, out of all the possible minor enhancements he could have made, he chose to add Tekken style Hit Sparks.

That sad thing is that in Seiji's mind, he must have thought that adding Hit Sparks would some how make VF5FS appear more modern and up to date. But Hit Sparks have been in other fighting games for over 25 years and its an old concept. So adding Tekken style Hit sparks to VF5US did not serve to modernize the game, it had the opposite effect @Dragonps its not that I don't like the guy, its I'm disappointed in him. He should have known better

Sparks don't bother me much, and tbh i can see why they wanted to add those, it's actually really hard to understand what's going on in a VF game if you're not a player of that game.

But i agree that VF has this identity of being the 3D FG without sparks, i wonder what people would suggest to make VF more understandable for the random viewer if you remove sparks? personally i think a bit of dusk would do it, a counter hit would make big dust, and also add to it a bit of blood? Not sure about blood but dust would be great i think, sweat would be great too, here's this Scene of Bruce Lee VS Bob Wall in way of the dragon show a bit of that dust idea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br5fBjMBrh4


This is just one example, many old school movies and even modern movies use this dust thing to show the level of impact of a punch or kick, i think VF should try this route instead of the cheap copy pasta sparks from Tekken. For sweat also many movies had like Blood Sport to name just this.

I like Tekken and VF and hope both will keep their identity, they can take inspiration but not at the level where they lose identity and uniqueness, for example what VF should take from Tekken is for example some martial arts inspiration that are in Tekken but not in VF (yet?), like Boxing, Win Chun, Capoeira for example, but for sparks while it doesn't bother me much but i don't think it should become something in VF, they need to be more creative and add things that make the gameplay more understandable for the players while keep the core aspects of VF.