When Virtua Fighter had its first major console release for PS2 with Virtua Fighter 4, it seemed like the series would become a staple for console releases. Unfortunately, SEGA doesn't seem to feel like Virtua Fighter 5 R would garner much in the way of sales, and they seem to be ignoring the prospect of a console release. Now I'm no market analyst, but it's a little easy to understand Sega's decision; they just seem to be overlooking some glaring details, however. Virtua Fighter 5 released exclusively for the PS3 back around the launch period, when the console's supply was scarce. It later went multiplatform and gained features like: online support, some tweaks to the gameplay, and I (think) extra costumes.

The two new additions (one from Virtua Fighter 3) in Virtua Fighter 5 R.

What confuses me is, how did SEGA overlook the fact that Virtua Fighter released on PS3, at a time when PS3s couldn't be found? Moreover, the game has sold somewhere around 520,000 copies on the PS3 alone; with about 220,000 on Xbox. Granted, those figures may have taken awhile to be pertinent, but the point remains that it released at a pretty bad time. Also, this is 2010, and the PS3's installed base has more than tripled since then, and it's consistently growing. Do I even need to mention that there aren't any 3D fighters (with the exception of the DOA5 rumor) scheduled for a 2010 release? If SEGA got cracking now, they might be able to make it by the end of 2010, no?

Maybe you didn't like VF's character selection; you might like this badass fellow, Jean.

Most of you who are reading this, might have come from my Tekken videos, and probably don't like or care for Virtua Fighter. Fair enough, but understand a few things here: Virtua Fighter 4 was the reason I was inspired to make tutorials, because of its comprehensive training mode. Also, you can't deny that Virtua Fighter has had a positive effect on Tekken and its customization options. If you were like me, you probably didn't find any character on Virtua Fighter's roster that interested you. For those of you who feel that way, you should check out the new addition to 5 R, Jean. Myself, I took interest in Goh and Eileen. It seems to me like the guys behind Virtua Fighter have made a conscious effort to make the characters more appealing. This is something I believe the team has noted from the Tekken team and their creations. In the end, Virtua Fighter and Tekken are a great example of good competition that results in better games. With this in mind, you should conclude that (regardless of personal convictions) Virtua Fighter is necessary for the growth of 3D fighting games.

Sega, don't make another mistake like you did with Valkyria Chronicles 2.

Sega has already made the poor decision of bringing a Valkyria Chronicles sequel to PSP instead of PS3, and so far it isn't faring as well as it could have, sales-wise. 2010 or early 2011 would be an excellent time for Virtua Fighter 5 R to come back and give Tekken some quality, healthy competition on the market. In conclusion, it would only seem logical for SEGA to bring Virtua Fighter 5 R to consoles as soon as possible. Please visit VFDC and support their cause by signing their petition to bring Virtua Fighter 5 R to consoles. Even if you are a Tekken fan and don't like Virtua Fighter, I urge you to check the site and read more about the petition.

Well, it would have been nice to have gotten myself both Star Ocean and White Knight Chronicles, but my budget would only allow me to choose one game. That game is going to be Star Ocean The Last Hope International. Recently, I took a gander at White Knight Chronicles trophy list and was a little underwhelmed. What? Am I basing this decision on trophies? No, not entirely, but trophies do give you a hint at what kind of content you can expect out of a game. Besides, I'm not a trophy whore; I just prefer to collect platinums for my favorite games. So what else prompted me to choose Star Ocean over White Knight Chronicles?

Vibrant color palette, fluid animations and a good assortment of characters to play as.

You could really feel the impact of special attacks in Star Ocean 3.

Although I couldn't find Star Ocean 4's trophy list anywhere, I did stumble across the achievement list for the 360 version. After a quick look at it, it certainly seems daunting, which is a big reason I'm picking this game right now over WKC. Speaking of WKC, I will be picking it up eventually, and by no means am I going to claim Star Ocean better - especially since I've played neither game yet. Back on topic, Star Ocean 3 was the first game to ever introduce some type of achievement system but unlike 360 achievements, they gave the game more replay value by adding unlockable difficulties as well as costumes. I believe I was somewhere near 95% completion of Star Ocean 3's battle trophies. When this game hits my hands on Feb 9th or 10th, I'll be tackling each character's battle trophies, and I'll put up videos of how to obtain the toughest ones, among other things.