| Attack of the Fanboy |
Tess Smith |
4.5 / 5 stars |
06-01-2021 |
Ultimate Showdown is the best way to play Virtua Fighter 5, and not just because it is the only version available natively on modern hardware. Ultimate Showdown delivers the best version of the game in every aspect imaginable; the game looks better, sounds better, plays more smoothly, and provides the best ways to play the game online. Virtua Fighter 5 has aged like fine wine, and while some modern games feel more fluid or look prettier, Sega’s classic cannot be replaced. |
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| COGconnected |
Jaz Sagoo |
85 / 100 |
06-01-2021 |
Simply put, Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is one of the greatest 3D fighters ever made. Although the game lacks the variety of modes that modern titles possess, the core combat is flawless. Those who played the original will fall in love again whilst newcomers will be enamored by this masterpiece. Firmly re-establishing itself as the king of fighters, the future is looking good for the franchise. |
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| Destructoid |
Chris Moyse |
8 / 10 |
06-01-2021 |
15 years on, Ultimate Showdown finds Virtua Fighter 5 just as engaging as it ever was, maintaining its long-held reputation as one of the genre’s classiest and most enduring fighters. Woeful single-player content and receding features prevent the package from achieving its full potential but, despite its flaws, Ultimate Showdown costs little, looks good, and plays great. A welcome return to one of gaming’s most distinguished rings. |
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| Digital Chumps |
Steven McGehee |
8.5 / 10 |
11-10-2018 |
All that to say that this surprise re-release of Virtua Fighter 5 is a welcome one, especially for PS+ members who get it for free. The series still has a special place amongst all of the other fighting franchises out there, so hopefully enough interest is generated with this re-release to warrant a full blown sequel in the future. In the meantime, AM2 and Ryu ga Gotoku Studios have done a fine job with Ultimate Showdown, such that any fan of the series or fighting games in general should check it out. |
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| Eurogamer |
Martin Robinson |
Recommended |
06-01-2021 |
Ultimate Showdown reinforces all that, and even if it's not quite the ultimate release of Virtua Fighter 5 it's a delight to get lost in the rhythms of what remains an all-time great, and a timeless one at that. For old diehards like myself Virtua Fighter 5 sits alongside OutRun 2 as the very best of Sega, and for all the missed opportunities here |
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| Everyeye.it |
Antonello Gaeta |
6 / 10 |
06-04-2021 |
A lazy and biting remastered, designed for online but with a netcode absolutely not up to scratch. A carefully created online component would surely have made a combat system shine that remains solid and fun decades later, finally bringing the saga back to the giants of beat 'em up. Let's hope Sega has learned his lesson and wants to "get serious" next time. |
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| Gamers Heroes |
Casey Scheld |
7.5 / 10 |
06-02-2021 |
The three button setup of Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown has stood the test of time, providing an incredible amount of depth with a strong emphasis on the fundamentals. It's just a shame that the spotty netcode drags down the overall experience; those looking to seek out new challengers best come with a bit of patience. |
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| GameSkinny |
Jason D'Aprile |
7 / 10 |
06-11-2021 |
A remastered edition of the 2006 sequel, Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is still a quintessential example of true 3D fighting. |
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| GameSpew |
Richard Seagrave |
7 / 10 |
06-02-2021 |
So, it turns out that Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown isn’t quite as ultimate as the title suggests. It is, however, a solid fighting game that should keep players entertained for tens of hours – providing the online community remains buoyant and matches play out without any hitches. It’s just a shame that more offline, single-player offerings haven’t been provided to round out the package. |
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| GameSpot |
Heidi Kemps |
7 / 10 |
06-04-2021 |
Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown delivers a deep, satisfying fighting game experience--provided you're okay with barebones single-player and inconsistent online play. |
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| GamingBolt |
John Cantees |
8 / 10 |
06-01-2021 |
As a game, Ultimate Showdown does little to convince you to choose it over the newest Tekken, Dead or Alive, or Mortal Kombat game. But given how well its core gameplay holds up with its various enhancements, it’s certainly worth a look for fighting game fans looking for something a little different. |
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| GamingTrend |
Abdul Saad |
80 / 100 |
06-01-2021 |
While there isn't much of an incentive to play the game outside its online modes, Virtua Fighter 5 still does what it does quite well, and with a much-needed updated version now available to a newer generation, more players can now appreciate this stellar classic. |
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| God is a Geek |
Chris White |
8.5 / 10 |
06-01-2021 |
Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown offers a robust fighting system that runs silky smooth, with plenty of variety in fighters and move-sets. |
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| GotGame |
Daniel Ladiano |
7 / 10 |
06-09-2021 |
Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is a welcome return of the grand-daddy of 3D fighters. The much needed graphical touch ups help rejuvenate an aging game thanks to better facial animations and cleaner visuals. The gameplay is as solid as ever, handling especially well with the online integration. Unfortunately those who aren’t into the competitive aspect of fighting games might not find a lot to enjoy here. If you are big into the genre and want a more technical fighter, it is highly recommended. |
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| Hardcore Gamer |
Chris Shive |
3.5 / 5 stars |
06-01-2021 |
Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown seems lacking for a game having the word "ultimate" in its title. On one hand the fighting system is every bit as great as fans of the series remember and with regular online matches and the Room Matches players who love taking the fight online can have countless hours of fun. |
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| Heavy |
Elton Jones |
8.5 / 10 |
06-01-2021 |
The bare-bones mode structure and the lack of any new fighters is a letdown, for sure. But everything else this update has to offer makes it worth returning to or diving into for the very first time. VIRTUA FIGHTER IS OFFICIALLY BACK, BABY! |
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| Hey Poor Player |
Andrew Thornton |
4 / 5 stars |
06-01-2021 |
While it is a shame that so much content from past games isn’t here, this is still one of the best playing fighting games ever made. That’s no small accomplishment. For those who don’t love facing live opponents over and over, though, this may be more of a curiosity than a new passion. Still, I’m just glad to see Virtua Fighter back in the fight. Hopefully, the next time the series makes a return, it will be with a new title. |
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| JVL |
Kikitoès |
6.5 / 10 |
06-21-2021 |
In reality, Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is a good title, an excellent even since the recipe has absolutely not changed since 2006 (go, 2012 if we take into account Final Showdown). With a focus on online and competitive, Sega sees in the long term and the potential is huge. Except that here, technically, although it has received a polish stroke, the app does not hold the road in front of the competition. |
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| Metro GameCentral |
GameCentral |
8 / 10 |
06-02-2021 |
The package itself may be no frills but Virtua Fighter 5 is still one of the best fighting games ever made and deserves to be appreciated by a wider audience. |
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| Noisy Pixel |
Jahanzeb Khan |
8 / 10 |
06-01-2021 |
Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown appears to be a test to see if a revival would be feasible for this series to modern consoles. There seems to be a push to get this game in as many hands as possible to gauge interest and show that Virtua Fighter can still put up a fight. Thankfully, the updated systems, balances, and visuals make this a worthy fighter, but a lot rides on the competitive modes. |
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| PlayStation Universe |
John-Paul Jones |
9.5 / 10 |
06-01-2021 |
A stellar remastering of one of the best fighting games ever, Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Edition is at the very apex of Sega's long running series and in doing so, its elevated profile will hopefully propel the franchise forward as a whole to heights that it has long deserved. Virtua Fighter is back and it's better than ever. |
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| Rapid Reviews UK |
Joseph Barrood |
4 / 5 stars |
07-20-2021 |
Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is a fighting game in the Virtua Fighter franchise. It features mainly two-dimensional combat with the occasional movement into the Z-axis. With a wide variety of characters and customizable options, does Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown stand out from the crowd? Find out in this Rapid Review. |
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| Screen Rant |
Lawrence Maldonado |
4 / 5 stars |
06-01-2021 |
A faithful remake with modern day upgrades. |
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| Sirus Gaming |
Adrian Morales |
8.5 / 10 |
06-01-2021 |
Virtua Fighter 5 is still a great fighting game in 2021 and this remaster, almost remake, makes that profoundly obvious. The switch to the Dragon Engine has given VF5 a wonderful visual update and great care has been taken to preserve everything that is great about the original version’s stellar animations and tight balance. The biggest drawbacks here are the lack of rollback net code, which is a must-have for any fighting game with online functionality in this era, and stripped-back character customization which has already been surpassed by VF5’s contemporaries. Overall, veteran Virtua Fighter fans should be pleased and find themselves at home with this rerelease while new fans will find a very mechanically challenging but expansive fighting game to sink their teeth into. |
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| SpazioGames |
Unknown |
7.7 / 10 |
06-03-2021 |
Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown is solid and deep, but the outdated netcode needed way more improvement. |
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| The Games Machine |
Claudio Magistrelli |
7 / 10 |
06-11-2021 |
Virtua Fighter is still a great game, no doubt about it. And Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown fully re-proposes the old-but-gold original combat system, enhanced by a Training mode that explains in depth everything there is to know about it. What's inexplicable in this operation is the poor care paid to the multiplayer, penalized by an old and poorly performing netcode, which heavily limits a game designed to be SEGA's first step towards esports. |
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| The Outerhaven Productions |
Keith Mitchell |
4 / 5 stars |
06-03-2021 |
Despite having a few flaws, such as missing modes and the lack of being able to invite friends for some online bouts, Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is a solid title. If and when Sega addresses the online issues, this will be a title that everyone will be playing, there's no doubt about that. Now if it was only available for the other platforms, it would be even better. |
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| TheSixthAxis |
Miguel Moran |
7 / 10 |
06-18-2021 |
Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown's one goal was to update this old-school and finely aged fighter for a modern platform. In that, it excels. This is a classic fighting game that holds up to this day. Despite that, though, it's a shame that so many single player offerings had to be cut in order to achieve this vision. Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is a perfect competitive fighter for the modern world, but for someone looking to mess around with it offline, your options are disappointingly limited compared to previous versions of the game. |
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| VGChartz |
Daniel Parker |
Recommended |
07-02-2021 |
A fun, well-rounded 3D fighter that's given an extra coat of polish and shine as it finally makes its way to the eighth generation. |
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| Worth Playing |
Cody Medellin |
8 / 10 |
06-18-2021 |
Your enjoyment of Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown is going to depend on a few factors. If you're more of a competitive online fighter, then you'll appreciate the focus on that scene. With the game's inclusion on PS Plus and PS Now, there's an even better chance for the online community to last for some time, since so many people will have access to the game. Those who enjoy local versus play won't find any mechanical differences, but at least they don't have to worry about wearing out their PS3 system or controllers every time they want to sneak in a few rounds. Single-player fighting game enthusiasts will feel the sting the most, since Ultimate Showdown takes away a few modes. Overall, the game is just as solid as it was back in the PS3/Xbox 360 era, and the hope is that this title will go multiplatform and spark enough interest that the publisher will start looking at doing a proper sixth game in the series. |
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