Virtua Fighter 2 (Mega Drive)

For the 3D fighter of which this game is based on, see Virtua Fighter 2.

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NTSC-J/PAL NTSC-U
Virtua Fighter 2
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Virtual Console, iOS, Steam, RealOne Arcade, Nintendo Switch Online
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Gai Brain, Data East, Success, Cube M2
Sound driver: SMPS Z80
Peripherals supported: Six Button Control Pad
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code US 1996-11-21 $59.9959.99 1845 EU 1997-01 1845-50 PT 1996 MDJSE0393 UK 1996-11-28 £44.9944.99 1845-50 GR 199x AU 199x FVIR07SMC BR 1996-12 052010 KR 1996 GM96002JG AS 1996 1845-40 JP ▼ 2007-03-20 600pts600 US ▼ 2007-04-16 800pts800 EU ▼ 2007-05-04 800pts800 AU ▼ 2007-05 800pts800 US ▼ 2003-02-20 US ▼ 2010-10-26 $2.992.99 71115 EU ▼ 2010-10-26 €2.492.49 71115 DE ▼ 2010-10-26 €2.492.49 71115 UK ▼ 2010-10-26 £1.991.99 71115 AU ▼ 2010-10-26 $3.493.49 71115 US ▼ 2019-02-01 $0.990.99 71115 EU ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 71115 DE ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 71115 UK ▼ 2019-02-01 £0.790.79 71115 AU ▼ 2019-02-01 $1.351.35 71115 US ▼ 2019-02-01 $0.990.99 71115 EU ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 71115 DE ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 71115 UK ▼ 2019-02-01 £0.790.79 71115 AU ▼ 2019-02-01 $1.351.35 71115 JP ▼ 2011-01-21 ¥219 (230)230i 9+ US ▼ 2011-01-20 $1.991.99 9+ EU ▼ 2011-01-20 €1.591.59 9+ UK ▼ 2011-01-20 £1.491.49 9+ AU ▼ 2011 $1.991.99 JP ▼ 2022-12-16 SUBsub US ▼ 2022-12-15 SUBsub EU ▼ 2022-12-16 SUBsub UK ▼ 2022-12-16 SUBsub AU ▼ 2022-12-16 SUBsub

Virtua Fighter 2 (バーチャファイター２) for the Sega Mega Drive is a fighting game developed by Sega released in North America and Europe in 1996.

Its true name is debatable. Though all box art simply calls it Virtua Fighter 2, the North American title screen calls it Virtua Fighter 2 Genesis and the European and Japanese title screens call it Virtua Fighter 2 Mega Drive.

Story

The greatest fighters in the world have been invited to the second World Fighting Tournament, hosted by the sinister Judgment 6 cartel, which seeks to perfect their fighting cyborg, "Dural."

Gameplay

Virtua Fighter 2 is a 2D remake of Virtua Fighter 2, a 3D fighting game originally developed for the Model 2 arcade hardware in 1995 (and subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn). Though the original arcade game was revolutionary for its use of motion-captured 3D models, this version of the game uses traditional hand-drawn sprites and backgrounds.

Fighters move with and . They retreat or advance with or . They crouch with and jump with . They punch with , kick with , and guard with . Attacks are either high (which must be blocked while standing or ducked under), mid (which can only be blocked while standing), or low (which can only be blocked while crouching). Each character has a selection of special moves that may be done through specific button combinations.

Fighters can be grabbed with by pressing punch and guard simultaneously, which cannot be blocked (but can be countered by the opponent likewise pressing punch and guard simultaneously when the fighter is grabbed). When a fighter is downed, the player can recover more quickly by pressing the buttons rapidly or roll away by holding the D-Pad away from the opponent. Characters have special moves that can be used against downed opponents, as well as recovery attacks that can be used when downed.

Modes

In the Arcade Mode, players select a character and try to overcome a series of opponents, ending with the final boss Dural. In the Vs Mode, two players choose any character and fight each other. Matches are fought to the best of three rounds. Rounds are won by knocking the opponent out (by dealing enough damage), by knocking the opponent out of the "ring" in which the fights take place, or by having more vitality remaining than the opponent when time runs out.

In the options, players can choose the difficulty of computer-controlled opponents (Easy, Normal, or Hard), the number of rounds necessary to win (1, 2, or 3), the time limit, and the length of each player's vitality gauge.

Characters

Note: Move lists assume that the character is facing right. When facing left, and should be reversed.

P	Punch
K	Kick
G	Guard

There is an alternate control scheme that maps G+P to , G+K to , and G+P+K to to make some special moves easier to perform.

Playable

Lion Rafale and Shun Di were not included in the game, limiting the cast to that of the original Virtua Fighter.

Country: Japan Birthday: 1968-09-23 Blood type: O Job: Kung fu teacher Hobby: Kung fu	Akira Yuki
	Akira is a young master of the Chinese art of Hakkyoku-ken ("Eight-Point Fist") who travels the world to hone his skills. Move list (Punch and kick attacks) Name Command Description Chuusui P Housui P Shoutai K Youzentai K Sokutai K Soukahou P over downed opponent Gekihousui P over downed opponent Toukyaku K at the start of a jump Fujintai K before landing from a jump Choushitai K on the way up Jouho Chouchuu P Rimon Chouchuu P Yakuho Chouchuu P Mouko Kouhazan P while crouching Byakko Koushouda P while crouching Utankyaku K Tetsuzankou P+K Doppo Choushitsu K+G, then release G Move list (Recovery attacks) Name Command Description Katsumen Sentai KKKKK Katsumen Soutai KKKKK Roll backward, middle kick KKKKK Roll backward, low kick KKKKK Move list (Reversals) Name Command Description Gaimon Chouchuu G P Counters high attack. Gaimon Chouchuu G P Counters mid attack. Souhakushu G P Counters low attack. Move list (Grabs) Name Command Description Toushin Soutai P+G (close) Youshi Senrin P+G (close) Daiden Housui P+K (close) Bouken P+K+G (close) Hougeki Unshin Soukoshou P+K+G P+G P or P (close) Kaiko P+G (close)
Country: Hong Kong Birthday: 1975-05-17 Blood type: O Job: Action star Hobby: Dancing	Pai Chan
	Pai is a film star who hopes to defeat her father Lau and win the tournament. Move list (Punch and kick attacks) Name Command Description Chuuken P Souchuuken P Koushuutai K Sensaitai K Senchuutai K Rai'in Shouda P over downed opponent Enshuu Kouraigeki P over downed opponent Hi'en Toukyaku K at the start of a jump Hishitai K before landing from a jump Hishitai K on the way up Hi'en Tankyaku K Senchuuken P Taitou Risenkyaku K when standing from crouch Haitenkyaku K Senpuuga K+G Ensenshuu K+G Move list (Recovery attacks) Name Command Description Zensentai KKKKK Zensou Sentai KKKKK Roll backward, middle kick KKKKK Roll backward, low kick KKKKK Move list (Reversals) Name Command Description Ensen Hairyuu P Counters high punch. Ensen Hairyuu P Counters mid punch. Rasen Anshou P Counters high kick. Move list (Grabs) Name Command Description Tenshin Soutou P+G (close)
Country: China Birthday: 1940-10-02 Blood type: B Job: Cook Hobby: Chinese poetry	Lau Chan
	Lau is a famous chef and the champion of the previous tournament. He is the estranged father of Pai. Move list (Punch and kick attacks) Name Command Description Chuuken P Souchuuken P Katsumentai K Sensaitai K Senchuutai K Kosou Renshuu P over downed opponent Toushuugeki K over downed opponent Hishuutai K at the start of a jump Toukuu Senjinkyaku K before landing from a jump Hishitai K on the way up Chuugeki P Shakashou P Shajoushou Hold , P Junpo Chuushou P Taitou Risenkyaku K when standing from crouch Kokyaku Haiten K Senpuuga K+G Ensenshuu K+G Chisoutai K Move list (Recovery attacks) Name Command Description Zensentai KKKKK Zensou Sentai KKKKK Roll backward, middle kick KKKKK Roll backward, low kick KKKKK Move list (Grabs) Name Command Description Kensha Touraku P+G (close)
Country: Canada Birthday: 1966-02-08 Blood type: O Job: Wrestler Hobby: Karaoke	Wolf Hawkfield
	Wolf was a lumberjack who was found by a scout and encouraged to become a pro wrestler. He is a rival to Akira. Move list (Punch and kick attacks) Name Command Description Straight Hammer P Low Hammer P High Kick K Low Smash K Face Lift Kick K Elbow Drop P over downed opponent High Elbow P over downed opponent Rising Toe K at the start of a jump Heel Crush K before landing from a jump Toe Crush K on the way up Sonic Upper P Vertical Upper Hold , P Body Blow P Shoulder Attack P Knee Blast K Low Drop Kick K Rolling Sobat K+G Move list (Recovery attacks) Name Command Description Rolling Clear KKKKK Low Clear KKKKK Roll backward, middle kick KKKKK Roll backward, low kick KKKKK Move list (Grabs) Name Command Description Brain Buster P+G (close) Giant Swing P (close) Tiger Driver P+K+G (close)
Country: Australia Birthday: 1957-02-20 Blood type: A Job: Fisherman Hobby: Reggae music	Jeffry McWild
	Jeffry is a master of the combat sport Pancratium who fights to earn prize money to support his fishing business. Move list (Punch and kick attacks) Name Command Description Straight Knuckle P Low Knuckle P Upper Kick K Vertical Kick K Side Kick K Stomping K over downed opponent Flying Body Press P over downed opponent Heel Stomp K at the start of a jump Step Kick K before landing from a jump Toe Crush K on the way up Smash Upper P Vertical Upper Hold , P Dash Elbow P Elbow Stomp P Toe Kick K Knee Attack K Kenka Kick K Hip Attack P+K+G Move list (Recovery attacks) Name Command Description Spinning Up Kick KKKKK Spinning Low Kick KKKKK Roll backward, middle kick KKKKK Roll backward, low kick KKKKK Move list (Grabs) Name Command Description Power Slam P (P+G) (close) Splash Mountain P+K (close) Toe Kick Splash K P+K+G (close) Power Bomb P+K+G (close)
Country: Japan Birthday: 1971-06-06 Blood type: B Job: Ninja Hobby: Mah-jongg	Kage-Maru
	Kage is a ninja who hopes to uncover the secrets of the Judgment 6 syndicate behind the tournament, which murdered his father and kidnapped his mother. Move list (Punch and kick attacks) Name Command Description Danken P Juzuridan P Tsukikaeshi Keri K Surigeri K Nakageri K Kakato Otoshi P over downed opponent Asuka P over downed opponent Hishou Geri K at the start of a jump Tobikakato Geri K before landing from a jump Tsukikakato Geri K on the way up Hiji Uchi P Senpuu Geri K Ryuuei Kyaku K Hagaryuu K+G Rairyuu Hishoukyaku P+K+G Tsumuji Geri K+G Suisha Geri K+G Move list (Zenten and Kouten moves) Name Command Description Zenten Kouten Kaiten Jizurikyaku K Kouten Jizurikyaku K Zenten, Zenten , P Kouten, Zenten, Jizurikyaku , P Zenten, Rairyuu Hishoukyaku , P+K+G Kouten, Rairyuu Hishoukyaku , P+K+G Move list (Recovery attacks) Name Command Description Tatsumaki Geri KKKKK Tatsumaki Surigeri KKKKK Roll backward, middle kick KKKKK Roll backward, low kick KKKKK Move list (Grabs) Name Command Description Taitou P+G (close) Koenraku P (close)
Country: United States Birthday: 1973-07-04 Blood type: AB Job: College student Hobby: Skydiving	Sarah Bryant
	Sarah is a Jeet Kune Do expert and the younger sister of Jacky, recovering from being brainwashed in the previous tournament. Move list (Punch and kick attacks) Name Command Description Straight Lead P Squat Straight P Vertical Hook Kick K Low Kick K Middle Kick K Soccerball Kick K over downed opponent Jumping Knee Stomp P over downed opponent Jump Kick K at the start of a jump Heel Kick K before landing from a jump Step Hook Kick K on the way up Rising Elbow P Somersault Kick K Jackknife Kick K Knee Kick K Dash Knee K Leg Slicer K+G Side Hook Kick K+G Move list (Recovery attacks) Name Command Description Vertical Spin Kick KKKKK Low Spin Kick KKKKK Roll backward, middle kick KKKKK Roll backward, low kick KKKKK Move list (Grabs) Name Command Description Front Suplex P+G (close) Neckbreaker Drop P (close)
Country: United States Birthday: 1970-08-28 Blood type: A Job: Indy car driver Hobby: Training	Jacky Bryant
	Jacky is a race car driver and a Jeet Kune Do master who is looking for his sister Sarah, who was abducted by the Judgment 6 syndicate in the last tournament. Move list (Punch and kick attacks) Name Command Description Straight Lead P Squat Straight P Vertical Hook Kick K Low Kick K Middle Kick K Soccerball Kick K over downed opponent Jumping Knee Stomp P over downed opponent Jump Kick K at the start of a jump Heel Kick K before landing from a jump Step Hook Kick K on the way up Spinning Back Knuckle P Rising Elbow P Slant Back Knuckle P Knee Kick K Side Hook Kick K Somersault Kick K Dash Hammer Kick K Beat Knuckle P+K Move list (Recovery attacks) Name Command Description Vertical Spin Kick KKKKK Low Spin Kick KKKKK Roll backward, middle kick KKKKK Roll backward, low kick KKKKK Move list (Grabs) Name Command Description Northern Light Bomb P+G (close) Neckbreaker Drop P (close)

Bosses

	Dural
	Dural is a fighting robot developed by the Judgment 6 syndicate. She can perform many of the special attacks used by the other characters. She is normally unplayable but can be unlocked to play using a cheat code.

Stages

Each fighter has his or her own stage where matches take place. Many of the stages are palette swaps of other stages.

Lau Chan

Sarah Bryant

Pai Chan

Jeffry McWild

Kage-Maru

Jacky Bryant

Wolf Hawkfield

Akira Yuki

Dural

Versions

While the core concepts of Virtua Fighter 2 are retained in this Mega Drive variant, the game is significantly slower than its 3D counterparts, and it is supported by simpler graphics and sound. Many voice samples are also missing.

While players only ever have control over two axes at any one point in the arcade Virtua Fighter 2, moves and collisions can cause the fighting angle of the arena to change, giving gameplay a pseudo-3D feel. Here, no such system is in place, and while rendering techniques help to give the floor an illusion of depth, players never move in or out of the screen under any circumstances. A side effect to this system means that only one "side" of an arena's background needed to be drawn, and so the perspective problems witnessed in the Saturn and PC versions are not an issue here.

Many of the arcade game's moves have been axed; however, roughly 700 remain (putting it on par with the original Virtua Fighter). Several stages were removed as well, with Lau, Pai, Wolf, and Jacky's stages being palette swaps of Kage, Akira, Sarah, and Jeffry stages, respectively. Of these four, only Lau has his own music track.

Version history

Main article: Virtua Fighter 2 (Mega Drive)/Changelog.

System	Version	Size	Date	Comment	Ref	Icon
	0000020000000000000000000000002.0.0	7.2MB	201212042012-12-04
	0000010000000000000000000000001.0.0	6.3MB	201101202011-01-20

History

Development

During development, the game was known under the working title of Virtua Fighter Animation, tying it into the Game Gear game of the same name.

Legacy

This version of the game has, through emulation, been re-released more frequently than the "real" Virtua Fighter 2. It was included as part of 2006's Sega Mega Drive Collection, released on the Wii Virtual Console service in 2007, released later on Steam and iOS devices, and included with the Mega Drive Mini in many regions. The iOS version was removed from sale on iTunes in 2015.

Production credits

• Executive Producers: Minoru Kanari, Toshihisa Ugata, Masato Noguchi
• Producer: Junichi Tsuchiya
• Director & Planner: Hideki Anbo
• Programmers: Tomohiro Ishigai, Hiroaki Koiso, Kouji Otsuka
• Graphic Director: Masanori Oe
• Character Graphic Designers: Shinichi Matsuoka, Tomomi Yano, Shungo Yamasaki, Takeshi Takahashi, Ken Shimizu, Hajime Okano, Hidehiko Tsukamoto, Naosuke Ishizuka, Tomoyuki Fumotogawa, Yusuke Komatsu, Rie Nakao, Satoshi Nakai, Kouichirou Kobayashi, Kouichi Kiga
• Scroll Graphic Designers: Takuya Saito, Atsushi Tsuyuki, Junko Kawaura, Motoi Nakamura
• Sound Director: Shogo Sakai
• Sound Designer: Hitoshi Ohori, Tomohiro Endo
• Special Thanks: AM R&D Dept. #2, Hiroshi Asou, Ryoichi Hasegawa, Noboru Machida, Yoshihiro Suzuki, Acura Otani, Akihisa Suwa, Takato Yoshinari, Takashi Egawano, Yasushi Sugiyama, Katsuji Aoyama, Yoshitaka Maki, Yoshiaki Kashima, Masaru Setsumaru, Masaharu Nakayama, Wataru Oguri, Hiroyuki Tsutsumi, Akira Oda

Source:

In-game credits

---

• Marketing Managers: Kristin McCloskey, Eric Dunstan
• Product Specialist: Mark Subotnick
• Manual Production: Eileen Sacman
• Cover Design: Sarah Wittmer, Bob Schonfisch
• Producer: Erik Wahlberg
• Assistant Producer: Greg Becksted
• Test Lead: Marcus Montgomery
• Assistant Test Leads: Mike Dobbins, Howard Gipson, Chris Garrett
• Testers: Nicolas J. Azizian, Malakai Rida, Peter Young, Robert Hernandez, Dennis Lee, Steve Perez, Chris Lucich, Lou DiSimone, Mark McCunney, Elton Brown, Jeff Violan, Anthony Gomez, Eugene Valenzuela, Polly Villatuya, Abe Navarro, Steve Thompson, Ferdinand Villar, Daniel Madar, Jeff Sanders, Jeff Junio, Rey Alferez
• Manual: Doug Sipp

Source:

US manual

Digital manuals

• 

  Steam manual

• 

  Mega Drive Mini US manual.pdf

• 

  Mega Drive Mini EU manual.pdf

Magazine articles

Main article: Virtua Fighter 2 (Mega Drive)/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in Hobby Consolas (ES) #63: "Diciembre 1996" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in Ultra Game Players (US) #93: "January 1997" (1996-12-31)

Print advert in Blue Jean (TR) #02/97: "Subat 1997" (1997-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Level (TR) #1: "xxxx xxxx" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in Game Champ (KR) #1997-02: "xxxx" (199x-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Game Champ (KR) #1997-03: "xxxx" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in Blue Jean (TR) #03/97: "Mart 1997" (1997-xx-xx)

Print advert in Gameshow (TR) #27: "Haziran 1997" (1997-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Gameshow (TR) #28: "Temmuz 1997" (1997-xx-xx)
• Level (TR) #6: "xxxx xxxx" (xxxx-xx-xx)
• Gameshow (TR) #29: "Ağustos 1997" (1997-xx-xx)

Print advert in Gameshow (TR) #30: "Eylül 1997" (1997-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Gameshow (TR) #31: "Ekim 1997" (1997-xx-xx)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 50 Computer & Video Games (UK) PAL 50 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 2 (RU) 70 GamesMaster (UK) PAL 73 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 56 Hobby Consolas (ES) 86 Joypad (FR) PAL 72 Mega Force (FR) PAL 80 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 77 Player One (FR) PAL 45 Sega Power (UK) PAL 79 Sega Power (GR) 90 Super Power (FI) NTSC 49 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 78

	68
Based on 14 reviews

Virtua Fighter 2 (Mega Drive)

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart PCB

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, PT
Manual

Mega Drive, GR
Cover

Mega Drive, CZ (Datart)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, AU
Cover

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, KR
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, KR (rerelease)
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, Asia
Cover
Cart

Technical information

Main article: Virtua Fighter 2 (Mega Drive)/Technical information.

External links

• Sega of America webpage: Mega Drive
• Sega of Japan Virtual Console pages: Mega Drive
• Nintendo catalogue pages: US, UK, AU
• Virtua Fighter 2 on iTunes: JP, US, UK (offline)
• Virtua Fighter 2 on Steam