Difference between revisions of "Virtua Fighter 3"

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===Characters===
 
===Characters===
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*Returning Characters
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**[[Akira Yuki]]
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**[[Pai Chan]]
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| name=Akira Yuki
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**[[Lau Chan]]
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**[[Wolf Hawkfield]]
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**[[Jeffry McWild]]
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**[[Kage-Maru]]
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**[[Sarah Bryant]]
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| name=Pai Chan
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**[[Jacky Bryant]]
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**[[Shun Di]]
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**[[Lion Rafale]]
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**[[Dural]]
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*New Characters
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| name=Lau Chan
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**[[Aoi Umenokoji]]
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**[[Taka Arashi]]
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| name=Wolf Hawkfield
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| name=Kagemaru
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| name=Lion Rafale
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{{SectionsNew
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| name=Aoi Umenokoji
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| name=Taka Arashi
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==History==
 
==History==

Revision as of 14:30, 4 February 2017

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Virtuafighter3 title.png

Virtua Fighter 3
System(s): Sega Model 3 Step 1.0
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Distributor: Deith Leisure (UK)[1]
Genre: Fighting

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code

Virtua Fighter 3 (バーチャファイター3) is the third entry in the Virtua Fighter series, and a direct sequel to Virtua Fighter 2. It was released in 1996 for Sega Model 3 Step 1.0 arcade hardware, as the first game to hit the system, followed by Scud Race.

Gameplay

Virtua Fighter 3 builds on the work seen in Virtua Fighter 2, however unlike its two immediate predecessors, the game doubled up as a technical showcase for cutting-edge Sega hardware (in this case, the Model 3 board).

This iteration adds undulation for some of its arenas, such as a staircase in Lau's stage, a sloping roof for Pai and a raft constructed of individually moving elements bobbing on a water surface. Some stages are "multi-level" (similar to the techniques used in Mortal Kombat III), and while all the arenas in Virtua Fighter and Virtua Fighter 2 were square, stages in Virtua Fighter 3 are a wide variety of shapes. The "ring out" system has also been downgraded - while it has not been removed entirely, some stages have walls, and characters can use said walls to their advantage.

A fourth button, "Dodge", was added to the Kick, Punch and Guard commands of previous titles (although its inclusion was not originally intended[3]). Pressing the button with the joystick in neutral or held up makes the character move into the screen (i.e. away from the viewer), while pressing the button with the joystick held down makes the character move out of the screen (i.e. towards the viewer). This 'evasion' technique enables players to dodge incoming attacks, creating opportunities to counter-attack almost immediately.

Two new playable characters were added; Aoi Umenokoji and Taka Arashi, the latter of whom represented a huge technical challenge due to his size and subsequently failed to appear in Virtua Fighter 4.

With the exception of Dural who has none, characters' eyes in Virtua Fighter 3 are able to move independently from the head, and so can track the opposing player during a fight. Characters also exhibit heavy breathing and more emotion after performing moves, and clothing is less rigidly attached to their bodies, creating a simplified "silk" effect in places. Faces in the game are reportedly comprised of about 1,000 polygons[4].

Characters

Akira Yuki
Pai Chan
Lau Chan
Wolf Hawkfield
Jeffry Mcwild
Kagemaru
Sarah Bryant
Jacky Bryant
Dural
Shun Di
Lion Rafale
Aoi Umenokoji
Taka Arashi

History

Development

As with its predecessor, work on Virtua Fighter 3 is believed to have begun shortly after the end of Virtua Fighter 2.

Concepts for Virtua Fighter 3 were drawn up and to some degree implemented in advance of the Model 3 board being finalised. In fact, for a while, it appears that Virtua Fighter 3 was literally just an enhanced version of Virtua Fighter 2, with select Japanese journalists being allowed access to what was presumably a version still running on Sega Model 2 code. 100,000 Sega Saturn owners we later given a promotional Virtua Fighter disc with pre-rendered artwork reportedly set to be used in Virtua Fighter 3 - this subsequently evolved into an eleven-part "CG Portrait series" starting with Virtua Fighter CG Portrait Series Vol.1 Sarah Bryant[5].

Many of the character models in Virtua Fighter 3 are said to have stemmed from the Virtua Fighter CG Portrait Series, with models being converted to Model 3 hardware. Exceptions include Dural who was likely re-built from the ground up, and predictably the two fighters who did not appear in Virtua Fighter 2.

Virtua Fighter 3 was first shown to the public at AOU Show 1996[6]. The game was not readily playable, showing instead a rolling demo of six characters; newcomer Aoi, Lau, Jacky, Pai, Jeffry and Dural[7]. While rendered by Model 3 hardware, the sequences were scripted to demonstrate the advance in technology; with the fighting frequently stopping for a close up of each character's face.

However, to further demonstrate that the game was indeed running on real hardware, four visitors were chosen by Sega to play a prototype version of the game[6] as either Jacky or Dural[7]. The demo was later unveiled in North America at the 1996 ACME show, held during the 7th to 9th of March 1996.

Once again character animations were created used motion capture technology. Aoi's traditional Japanese dance animations were motion-captured from a traditional Japanese dance instructor. Aoi and Jeffry were the most difficult characters to depict, with Aoi's kimono proving a programming challenge and Jeffrey's muscle movement being controlled by "muscular control" software[8].

The game was the last in the series until Virtua Fighter 5 R to include Taka Arashi. Hiroshi Kataoka, explained that the removal of Taka in subsequent installments was due to the technical implications of having a substantially larger character. Indeed, the character was nearly cut from Virtua Fighter 3 due to difficulties with his jumping moves.

On July 26th 1996, a private showing of Virtua Fighter 3 was held in Kamata, Tokyo, Japan.[9]

Around July 1996, it underwent location testing at Tokyo Joypolis, before getting a wider release in Japan in September 1996[10]. Reportedly the game was so popular during its initial location test that the average waiting time was eight hours, with people being forced to book slots ahead of time[11].

Release

The first cabinets in the United Kingdom appeared at SegaWorld London[12].

Legacy

Virtua Fighter 3 was followed by an update in Virtua Fighter 3tb, and a direct sequel in 2001's Virtua Fighter 4.

Versions

Saturn prototype

Virtua Fighter 3 was due to be released on the Sega Saturn, albeit with vastly reduced graphics. A trailer was released during 1996 which made it onto numerous promotional videos and was featured in many magazines, although no gameplay footage of a Saturn version has ever emerged. The decision was later made to bring the game to the Sega Dreamcast instead, however significant delays meant that it was substituted for the improved Virtua Fighter 3tb.

Reportedly, Sega AM2 were working on a 3D accelerator cartridge for the Sega Saturn to boost the performance of a Saturn Virtua Fighter 3. This would have plugged into the Saturn's cartridge port to give the game extra resources at run-time, although the idea had been scrapped by mid-1997.[13]

Production credits

Programmers
Designers
Motion Designers
Character Designers
Stage Designers
Planner
Sound Designers
Assistant Programmers
Assistant Designers
Source:
In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Virtua Fighter 3/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

  • EU flyer

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
100 №180, p80-82[1]
83 №99, p52
Arcade
 92
Based on
2 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Arcade
 N/A
Based on
0 reviews

Virtua Fighter 3

Template:Scanflyer

Model 3, US (Deluxe)
VirtuaFighter3 Model3 US Manual Deluxe.pdf
Manual

Technical information

In the Dreamcast port, the character model of Aoi Umenokoji consists of about 7500 polygons, with her head alone consisting of about 4300 polygons. In the water stage, the polygon count reaches up to 1.9 million polygons per second, about 32,000 polygons per scene at 60 FPS.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 File:CVG UK 180.pdf, page 80
  2. ↑ http://mamedb.com/game/vf3
  3. ↑ File:NextGeneration US 11.pdf, page 10
  4. ↑ File:NextGeneration US 18.pdf, page 71
  5. ↑ File:MAXIMUM UK 01.pdf, page 114
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 File:NextGeneration US 17.pdf, page 14
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 File:NextGeneration US 17.pdf, page 15
  8. ↑ File:GameOn US 06.pdf, page 7
  9. ↑ File:CVG UK 178.pdf, page 10
  10. ↑ http://www.shenmue-online.com/pdf/YuSuzuki_Profile_Japanese.pdf (Wayback Machine: 2012-06-10 00:43)
  11. ↑ File:UltraGamePlayers US 089.pdf, page 18
  12. ↑ File:MeanMachinesSega49UK.pdf, page 11
  13. ↑ File:CVG UK Freeplay 10.pdf, page 1



Virtua Fighter series
Virtua Fighter (Remix | PC) (1993-1995) | Virtua Fighter 2 (Mega Drive | Sega Ages 2500 Series) (1994-1996) | Virtua Fighter 3 (3tb | 3tb Online) (1996-1997) | Virtua Fighter 4 (Evolution | Final Tuned) (2001-2004) | Virtua Fighter 5 (R | Final Showdown | Ultimate Showdown) (2006-2021)
Spin-offs
Virtua Fighter Kids (1996) | Virtua Fighter Animation (1997) | Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary (2003) | Virtua Quest (2004)
Cross-overs
Fighters Megamix (Game.com) | Dead or Alive 5 (5+ | Ultimate | Last Round) (2012-2015)
Portrait series
Virtua Fighter CG Portrait Series: (1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | The Final) (1995-1996) | GG Portrait: Yuuki Akira (1996) | GG Portrait: Pai Chan (1996)
Others
Virtua Fighter (LCD) (1995) | Electronic Virtua Fighter (199x) | Virtua Fighter (R-Zone) (199x) | Virtua Fighter 3 Win-PC-Collection (1996) | Virtua Fighter (2007) | CR Virtua Fighter (2008) | Virtua Fighter Mobile (2008) | Pachinko CR Virtua Fighter Revolution (2012) | Virtua Fighter Cool Champ (2012) | Virtua Fighter Fever Combo (2014) | Virtua Fighter Pachislot (2014) | Virtua Fighter Battle Genesis (2019)
Unlicensed
Virtua Fighter 2 vs. Tekken 2 (199x)
Demo discs
Java Tea Original Virtua Fighter Kids (1996)
Albums
Music
 Virtua Fighter: Akira/Kage (1994) | Virtua Fighter: Saikyou no Senshi (1994) | Sega Saturn Virtua Fighter Maximum Mania (1994) | Virtua Fighter "Sega Saturn" Image by B-univ Neo Rising (1994) | Virtua Fighter 2 Sound Track (1995) | Virtua Fighter 2 Dancing Shadows (1995) | Virtua Fighter Soundtrack Vol. 1: Shinshou Hassei (1995) | Virtua Fighter Soundtrack Vol. 2: Ryuuko Kaikou (1996) | Ai ga Tarinaize (1996) | Virtua Fighter Soundtrack Vol. 3: Koubou Banjou (1996) | Virtua Fighter Complete Vocal Collection (1996) | Virtua Fighter Kids Sound Tracks (1996) | Virtua Fighter 3 Sound Tracks (1996) | Virtua Fighter 3 On The Vocal (1997) | Fighters Megamix Sound Tracks (1997) | Kimi ga Inai Yoru (1997) | Virtua Fighter 4 Official Soundtrack (2002) | Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution Original Sound Tracks (2002) | Yuuki (2004) | Virtua Fighter 5 Original Sound Track (2011) | Virtua Fighter 5 R Official Sound (2012) | Virtua Fighter 5 Official Sound (2012) | Virtua Fighter Best Tracks + One (2015) | Virtua Fighter esports Premium Music Collection (2021) | Virtua Fighter (2023) | Virtua Fighter 3tb Online Premium Music Collection (2023)
Books
Book
 Virtua Fighter Maniax (1994) | V Jump Books Game Series: Sega Saturn Virtua Fighter (1994) | Virtua Fighter Maniax Replays (1994) | Virtua Fighter Sega Saturn Fighting Manual Vol. 1 for Novice (1994) | Virtua Fighter Ougi no Sho (1995) | Virtua Fighter Maniax for Windows (1995) | Virtua Fighter 2 Act.1 (1995) | Virtua Fighter Sega Saturn Fighting Manual Vol. 2 for Expert (1995) | Virtua Fighter 2 Maniax Replays (1995) | Virtua Fighter 2 Act.2 (1995) | Virtua Fighter Remix Sega Saturn Fighting Manual Complete (1995) | Virtua Fighter 2 Maniax (1995) | Virtua Fighter 2 Sega Saturn Fighting Manual Vol. 1 for Novice (1995) | Virtua Fighter 2 Act.3 (1995) | Arcade Game Hisshou Hou Special: Virtua Fighter Kids (1996) | Virtua Fighter 3 Command Game Guide (1996) | Virtua Fighter Legend of Sarah (1996) | Virtua Fighter 2 Perfect Guide (1996) | Virtua Fighter 2 Fighter's Bible (1996) | Virtua Fighter 2 Game Guide Book (1996) | Virtua Fighter Graphics "Model 2" (1996) | Tokyo Virtua Monogatari (1996) | Virtua Fighter 2 Sega Saturn Fighting Manual Vol. 2 for Expert (1996) | Virtua Fighter Kids Fan Book (1996) | Virtua Fighter Honoo no Maki: Pai Chan Bukyou Gaiden (1996) | Virtua Fighter Ryuu no Maki: Touken Kairou (1996) | Virtua Fighter Kids Sega Saturn Fighting Manual (1996) | Virtua Fighter Kids Kyuukyoku Hon (1996) | Virtua Fighter Relax (1996) | Virtua Fighter: Arashi no Maki (1996) | Virtua Fighter 3 Act. 0.5 (1996) | Virtua Fighter 3 Act.1 (1996) | Virtua Fighter 3 Act.2 (1996) | Fighters Megamix Fighting Master's Guide (1997) | Fighters Megamix Official Guide (1997) | Virtua Fighter 2: Ten Stories (1997) | Fighters Mega Books (1997) | Fighters Megamix Comic Anthology (1997) | Virtua Fighter 3 Official Playing Guide (1998) | Virtua Fighter 3tb Kanzen Kouryaku Dokuhon (1998) | Virtua Fighter 3tb Perfect Guide (1998) | Virtua Fighter 4 Perfect Guide (2001) | Virtua Fighter 4 Yoku Wakaru Haoh Yousei Dojo (2002) | Virtua Fighter 4 Kanzen Kouryaku Guide PS2 Ban (2002) | PS2 Ban Virtua Fighter 4 Perfect Guide (2002) | Virtua Fighter 4 The Complete (2002) | Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution Perfect Guide (2002) | Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution: Yokuwakaru Hisshou Senjutsu Shinan (2003) | PS2 Ban Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution Complete Guide (2003) | Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary: Memory of Decade (2003) | Virtua Fighter 2 Technical Archive (2004) | Virtua Fighter 4 Final Tuned Master Guide (2004) | Virtua Fighter Cyber Generation: Judgement Six no Yabou Kouryaku Navigation (2004) | Virtua Fighter 4 Final Tuned Orange Book: Junkies' Last Stand (2004) | Virtua Fighter 5 Technical Book (2006) | Virtua Fighter 5 White Book: Keep It Real (2006) | Virtua Fighter 5 Black Book: Keep It Moral (2007) | Virtua Fighter 5 for PlayStation 3 Complete Guide (2007) | Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Masters Guide (2010) | Virtua Fighter no Neppa (2018)
TV and Film
Virtua Fighter CGMV (1994) | CGMV Virtua Fighter 2 (1995) | Virtua Fighter 2 (1995) | Virtua Fighter 2 Eternal Battle (1995) | Virtua Fighter (1995) | Virtua Fighter Special Training Pack (1995) | Virtua Fighter 2 Wheel of Fortune (1995) | Virtua Fighter 2 Wheel of Fortune The Best Bout (1996) | Sega Official Video Library Vol. 2: Virtua Fighter Kids (199x) | Virtua Fighter 3 (Columbia video series) (1996) | CGMV Special Virtua Fighter 3: Shippuu no Shou "System" (1996) | CGMV Special Virtua Fighter 3: Geki no Shou "Battle" (1996)
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