Press release: 1999-10-21: Renowned Game Designer Yu Suzuki Expands On an Arcade Hit With Virtua Fighter 3tb for Sega Dreamcast

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English Original source: The Free Library

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 21, 1999--

Game Offers Unprecedented Fighting Realism With

All New Team Battle Mode Providing Gamers With

Endless Fighting Possibilities

Sega(R) of America announced today that arcade smash hit "Virtua Fighter 3" is making its home console debut on the 128-bit Internet ready Sega Dreamcast(tm) videogame system as "Virtua Fighter 3tb." "Virtua Fighter 3tb" improves on this arcade classic with sophisticated fighting moves, immersive 3D arenas and all-new history mode allowing you to see the process of evolution of the Virtua Fighter series exclusive to the Sega Dreamcast version. At the request of numerous gamers worldwide, the game also features an all new "Versus Mode," offering more competitive fighting possibilities than ever before in the series. "Virtua Fighter 3tb" is now available at retailers nationwide for $49.95.

"Virtua Fighter 3tb" is a game for the fighting purist. Its attention to real martial arts style and technique is unmatched in the videogame industry. The game features endless punch and kick combo possibilities, heart-pounding dodges and blocks and immersive 3D playing fields that are a breathtaking backdrop to any battle. Exclusive to the Sega Dreamcast version is the highly anticipated "Team Battle Mode." In this mode, players can go head-to-head with custom three-person teams. As characters win fights, they progress. Howeve developers in the industry. This resource is ah as 'Virtua Fighter 3tb' with all new gameplay elements, 3D graphics and detail that actually outperforms many of today's best arcade machines."

"Virtua Fighter 3tb" is rich in story and character development. Each of the twelve characters found in "Virtua Fighter 3tb" have an extensive and detailed background which add an ongoing storyline to each tournament. Characters include Lau Chan, a world class Chinese Chef, a spoiled rich French youth named Lion and Sarah, a beautiful women suffering from amnesia searching for her identity.

Each character has their own unique fighting style from Jeet Kune Do to Hakkyoku-Ken. Using this knowledge, gamers must learn how to use the diverse styles of each character to defeat their opponent. To even the odds, players can practice and perfect their fighting skills in the "Training Mode" before going into battle, which lets gamers adjust the level of their opponent to learn the frequency and intensity of each fighting move. "Virtua Fighter 3tb" also includes an all new "Versus Mode," which allows gamers for the first time to select a new character for each battle in two player matches.

Lush 3D environments not only set a dazzling background for the tournament, but also affect gameplay. Featuring 13 fighting arenas including a tropical island, a subway station and the Great Wall of China, "Virtua Fighter 3tb" offers unprecedented fighting realism where characters actually react to the movements of their opponents and are influenced by their surroundings. While characters fight on wobbly boats, their weight and movement cause the boats to rise and sink with every kick and punch. One fighter might gain a height advantage while backing up stairs on top of the Great Wall of China, while another can avoid a kick by running backwards down a flight of stairs.

"Virtua Fighter 3tb" is currently available at retailers nationwide and at sega.com for $49.95.

About Sega Dreamcast

Sega Dreamcast is available in the US at a suggested retail price of $199, with a built in 56K modem, allowing for full Internet functionality. The system had 18 titles available at launch that will grow to 40 titles by the end of the year. Third-party titles currently in the works will bring the total Sega Dreamcast game library count to more than 100 in the year 2000.

Along with its low price point, Sega Dreamcast has achieved other industry firsts. Its advanced 128-bit architecture makes it the first console with evolutionary capabilities, allowing it to grow and change to match advances in technology and the needs and desires of the consumer. Sega Dreamcast is also the most powerful video game console ever created. It is 15 times more powerful than a Sony PlayStation(TM), ten times more powerful than a Nintendo(R) 64 and has four times the graphics processing power of the fastest Pentium II processor. In its initial four days, Sega sold a total of 372,000 Sega Dreamcast systems, easily surpassing the previous industry record holder, Nintendo 64, which took six days to hit 350,000 when it launched in 1996. In the first 24 hours of availability, Sega Dreamcast netted over $97 million at retail, more than tripling the past entertainment industry record set by Star Wars: The Phantom Menace at $28 million on its first day. In its first month, Sega Dreamcast has sold more than 514,000 units.

About Sega

Sega of America is the arm of Tokyo, Japan-based Sega Enterprises, Ltd. responsible for the development, marketing and distribution of Sega videogame systems and videogames in the Americas. Sega Enterprises, Ltd. is a nearly $2.5 billion company recognized as the industry leader in interactive digital entertainment media, and is the only company that offers interactive entertainment experiences both inside and outside the home. Sega of America's World Wide Web site is located at www.sega.com.
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