I remembered when I first saw VF3 screenshots in the magazine, my reaction is like😮, the graphics is just unreal at that time. The colors of VF3 is so vibrant and stills looks very good today.
I'd agree. Three really pushed things passed where two was. The image today looks soft, but for the time it was exceptionally well done. I'd argue very few people had seen anything like it.
I would imagine so, the Model 3 arcade hardware it was using was co-developed with Lockheed Martin who had made Simulator hardware, and was by far the most powerful (and expensive) arcade hardware when it was released in 1996 - it was YEARS ahead of the curve.
I remember vividly playing VF1 for the first time on Saturn. I used to play outside with our next door neighbours kid because he was the same age as me and one day he invited me over to play video games. His family was rich and had imported him a sega Saturn and Virtua fighter 1. They also had a giant projection style TV. Seeing Virtua fighter on that giant tv felt so futuristic to me. There were these giant 3d fighters fighting so smoothly on the tv and my 4 year old brain was in straight awe. I don’t think I ever experienced that sense of awe from a game again until marvel vs capcom and then subsequently, Super Mario 64.
I’d agree that playing the demo of Mario64 at the kiosk was amazing. You knew that it wasn’t just another video game, but rather the cusp of a whole new generation that was about to arrive. Really fun thinking back to the quantum leaps like that.
Virtua Fighter is one of my grail cabinets for sure! Growing up as a SEGA-fanatic with my Genesis and SEGA CD in the early 90s, I remember checking out with my parents at a store we went to every week and in the area after the registers in a corner with a claw machine and some toy vending machines was a brand new Virtua Fighter cabinet. Every time we would go to that store after that day, I would hang out and just watch the attract mode. The operator had it set to 50 cents I believe, so I only got to play it every so often because those quarters would be done for in about 5 minutes. Great game and even better memories! I hope to have one as clean as yours some day! Thanks for the video!
Thanks for taking the time to share your personal story. I think a lot of places had VF set at 0.50 or even higher. It may have even been 0.75 at the theater and then 0.50 to continue. About the same time, I recall Virtua Racing at the Mini Golf place being $1.25/play when it first arrived. Basically ensured that every race on that unit was $2.50.
Years ago me, my friend, and his girlfriend went to an arcade. Most of my time was spent on KOF11, a little on SvChaos, DOA2, and VF3. When I played VF3 a guy came up and challenge me. He wiped the floor with me, then he congratulated me, and was very happy to play me. Later that day he passed me at the mall and yelled VF at me. Later that day I went on amazon and bought a copy of VF3TB for the dream cast.
That wiring at the 10:00 looks like a nightmare. That alone shows your dedication. Virtua fighter was always cool, the first would always get a play or two at movie theaters and VF2 was the only game my friend had on his Saturn before he traded it for a PlayStation
VF2 on Saturn is a better port than it has any right to be. I played both the arcade board and the Saturn port back to back one night and it’s crazy how awesome it is for the 90s.
Amazing collection! Virtua Fighter is my favorite 3D fighting game series and it's my 3rd favorite fighting game series. VF4 evolution is my 3rd favorite fighting game of all time. The game play is so good!
VF2 will always be my fav in the series but VF3 is incredebly special. It was AM2 aiming for the moon. So much of it upgraded/changed from VF2 that it alienated many players. Also i could never find it at any of my arcades. When i finally got to play, it cost a dollar. My inly issue with the game was i didnt like the new models and textures for some characters. The gameplay and technology was amazing thought
I can see what you’re saying, the overall style had change. The characters have a more “round” and overly smooth look to them as opposed to some of the sharper stuff seen in VF2. I really don’t mind the gameplay though. It’s still great imo.
Amazing collection! I’m a huge vf fan but I feel very few people talk about the series in the US, so this video was awesome to see! Vf2 and 5 are def my favs.
Great vid! I grew up in England and as a kid I walked for almost 2 hours with just enough money for a couple of credits of Virtua Fighter. The cabinet was located in a bowling alley which I had discovered on a school trip. I can’t express the impact of seeing Virtua Fighter for the first time, I was absolutely mesmerised. I was already a Sega head because of the Mega Drive but seeing Virtua Fighter was like looking into the future.
I love these types of stories, particularly from other regions. Thanks for sharing it here. I like how overall reactions and feelings were similar in this case. There really wasn’t much like it at the time.
New Virtua Fighter is coming out. I always wanted them to make a Virtua Fighter X Tekken. I would even settle for guest characters. These two games would fit together like peanut and chocolate.
I really enjoyed this tour of your Virtua Fighter collection. Other than playing the VF 1 in the arcade, I owned the PC version and enjoyed playing it on my laptop with a controller. I remember playing VF on the Dreamcast. If I'm being honest, Soul Caliber blew me away Tje time. I remember Fighting Vipers 2 and really enjoying it, wondering about the first one.
I really only played FV2 on Dreamcast too. It exists for Model 3 but doesn’t seem to pop up that often. I too recall the PC version of Virtua Fighter. I may have downloaded the disks for it off of a BBS at the time.
I played Virtua fighter I and II on the arcade in college and elsewhere. Then I remember at Dave and Busters in Colorado there was a more modern virtua fitghter I think it was VF 3tb actually? this would have been between 2007-2009. It waa a larger arcade cabinet than the one for #1 and #2, do you happen to have any info on that arcade cabinet? i've never seen it anywhere else.
Man, I wish I had all these great looking arcade cabinets and hardware to have in the collection Scarlet. Everything looks so perfect like they were just off the assembly line. Sadly, I don't have a space to have them in. But in the meanwhile, I can just dream by wishing myself having a cool basement to play them in and having the same amount of fun you experience every time. 8^) Way to go Scarlet. Keep up the excellent work you provide for us in the community my good man. 8^) Anthony..
Had a short run with virtua fighter but it never took over as my fighting game. I played sf2 way past I time haha . But virtua fighter was definitely fun. Be awesome to have a multi virtua fighter cab you could easy switch
Oh man Joe, I remember walking into an arcade with VF and thinking how that was the future right there in front of me. I was hooked. I spent so much money on that damn game.
As a kid i played a lot street fighter 2 and mortal Kombat on the arcades,but virtua fighter was my favourite and i first played on my diamond edge 3d pc card and was amazing!
I remember that graphics card. I eventually got a Monster 3D II. I wish I had held onto both of them considering how expensive they’ve become even today.
That's awesome man, I knew you had the OG first game but I didn't know you had the arcade hardware for every game in the series. I've played a bit of virtua fighter and I never got good at it but I enjoy it and think it's a good 3d fighter. I'm really surprised Sega hasn't done 6 seeing as 5 came out quite a while ago and it's one of their signature franchises
I agree, it has been a while. I was thinking it was possible they wanted to let SF6 and Tekken 8 get out of the way. The window for VF6 would be very soon if soon. Otherwise they’ll get caught up competing again.
When I finally got a Saturn hooked up this Fall I played those to see how they compared to the originals. I'm really impressed with how close they got with 2. It's phenomenally well done.
That’s pretty much where I’m at with Fighting Vipers 2; I’ve only ever played the DC version. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen the arcade or pcb for sale recently.
I had that thought with the rom board as well. I believe decrypted roms exist for some of the games that would defeat the need for a security board as well.
Virtua Fighter is the bomb and no one is going to take that away from me. I really want Virtua Fighter become the face of the Virtua Fighter franchise and also Virtua Fighter 6 and Virtua Fighter live action movie for the 30th anniversary.
I'll echo what you said. Growing up being a SF2 fanatic you really just has to be there! Sf2 Mania was running wild!! Then outta nowhere VF 1 pops up with 3D graphics on a fighting game! Like wth!!!! Blew my mind and everyone in the arcades at the time. Good times. 👍 Thanks for shinning some light on such an under-appreciated series.
Its cool to hear you share the same sentiment. Sometimes I don't know if it was the same across other areas and regions. Definitely an under appreciated series that I'm surprised doesn't garner as much fandom as other games.
@@ScarletSpritesIt demands precise inputs, the entire series has a single boss (you get one shot at), and it goes out of its way to avoid in-game lore. Each sequel adding only two characters didn't help either. Unless you appreciate the gameplay's purity of focus... well, we know who we are. But it was never going to be mainstream in the west. Except for that time when Tekken 4 alienated PS2 owners. Plus, that first arcade version of 2 was some of the worst quarter munching, Skynet AI cheese... it's like MK2 and 3, where you can't win if you play it organically. Also, why hasn't Sega released any of these games on handheld? Animation's demake and two Chibi art collections aside... And the Genesis game. And the Vita crossover with DOA. Seriously, the tease is just cruel.
New to the channel so kinda stating the obvious I guess, but you really know what you're doing! The open heart surgery of wiring in your setup looked insanely complicated. How many cabs have you actually got? Fron the video it looks like a healthy amount! ☺️👍 Oh and for an off the cuff, unscripted video, that was smooth - so relaxed and chilled. Love it.
Thanks for checking things out and your kind words. I just picked up another arcade machine this past weekend which puts me at 22. It’s excessive and at some point I’ll have to trim it down. I like to buy cheap beaters and conversions and then restore them. The most recent cabinet is an MK2 that I probably won’t be able to start on until 2025 realistically.
@@ScarletSprites Haha, 22?! That's super cool! Some would say excessive..I'd say you were merely doing the right thing in keeping these machines loved and running ☺️ ps I Know what you mean about MK1 in that it just kinda feels like there's nothing to explore or exploit in the gameplay once you've got the limited moves down. Don't get me wrong - I loved the graphics and sounds and the overall atmosphere was awesome, but it's all style over substance I feel. I would of course love a MK cabinet in the corner of a room though, I'm not gonna lie..
my experience was pretty much the same; i'd spend most of my time at whatever iteration of SF2 was available (probably Hyper Fighting), but there was something about the first VF that kept drawing me over to it. i wasn't very good at it at the time, but i loved how the game felt and played. then when I got a Saturn and VF2 years later, everything about VF finally clicked for me. also, man, I love the raft physics in that VF3 stage as well as how much they were experimenting with each stage in general in that game!
I think that’s a good callout; the willingness to take risks with the games. VF3 I believe is the only one in the series that has the elevated stages too. I think they went back to things being flat afterwards.
Joey bag a donuts! 🍩 Virtual Fighter was at the Diner in my town and I used to go there just to play it and collect the ninjas and homies out of the .25$ bubbles. Amazing cab and an amazing game for the time. I tried buying this cab for $400 of Facebook 3 years ago but the guy sold to someone else. Awesome video
I like hearing that you have a memory with it. It’s really neat remembering where it was and the circumstances around it. You even noted the other machines that were there. Good times.
@@ScarletSprites Who makes the CPO? I have 1 good side but the entire bottom of the cab is rotted out. Szabo said he could most likely reproduce the sides bit he would need the scans or detailed pics. That was 2 years ago (that's how long it's been in the garage, got it for free 🤣)
I was just thinking about that actually. I’ve been consumed with the Midway Skins I’ve been working on. I may get to that overlay at the end of summer though.
You rarely see anyone with a Virtua Fighter collection like that! I once owned a dedicated Fighting Vipers cabinet for several years. Sadly had to pass it on to someone else after some life events. I miss that cab though. Thankfully, SEGA did release it on PS3/xbox. My SEGA P-Ras came with Virtua Fighter eSports art, so I guess I can say I have a VF5 cab.
That’s really awesome. I’ll have to look up the side art and marquee for Fighting Vipers. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it. I almost got a P-Ras but went Vewlix instead. I kind of regret that. Thinking about what is likely the last Sega arcade machine decked out in VF art makes me REALLY regret that decision.
Comparisons usually take so much time to do them justice. At the end someone always interjects what else should have been done or what was “forgotten.” In short, I probably won’t be doing that since time is already such a factor for me. I appreciate the suggestion though!
I never felt that VF1 was stiff. Rather, it had great momentum and a palette of both quick moves and strings of moves. Very different than anything else at the time.
Completely different than anything else on the floor. I think that with the visuals really helped sell it as a new experience. Locally I just remember it not pulling the crowds that MK or SF was though sadly.
My first time seeing VF1 was in a movie theater, the sensation i got is unforgetable, until now it's not fully emulated even SEGA AstroCity Mini is not 100% perfection ( Sara stage), so i got mine VF1 PCB and AstroCity cabinet back in 2018, with many efforts, VF1 is epic to me.
Hi Scarlet Sprites, great video you shared! Thanks! I have a question regarding NAMCO System 22: do you have an idea about the wiring to make a Ridge Racer 2 working properly with a modified steering wheel (ps1 or Dreamcast) and stuff?! Thanks
Oof, I unfortunately don’t. I know those racing games are always a pain with the steering, pedals, and shifters. I’ve really only messed with Daytona a bit. Dont know too much about how Namco has their setups wired or what additional boards are required. Best bet is to ask on a forum like Arcade-Projects or KLOV and explain exactly what it is you’re trying to do.
Have a virtual 1 cab and swap Fighting Vipers and Dead or Alive in it with ... pins and stuff but it works! Need to hook up Virtua Fighter 2 and yes I do have the third one but it plugs right in my blast city!
Nice! I was thinking about my Blast for VF3 as well. The audio and video connections are easy, it’s really just a matter of the controls. Even the 3.3v is present via the Sun PSU.
A bunch popped up recently in Fremont for like $1600. I wish I would have gone that route, but mine came out of Mexico and it was a PAIN to restore but she's looking brand new now 😅 got the Hursit repro side art (uv reactant) brand new automotive paint, alberto1225 panel, and Lemony Vengeance jamma harness remade from the hacked up original harness. Love this machine and its big fat model2 storage bootay!
@@alexmacias2988 yeah, I dragged my feet on a possible AC2 score a couple of weeks ago for about that price, annoyed, I could have completed the AC/AC2/NAC trilogy, lol
The fact that these aren’t Jamma really does suck. I don’t know what they were thinking. The things are just such power hogs I suppose they knew that they weren’t going to get all PSUs to properly power these beasts over the Jamma edge, or, they were going to burn up units doing so.
My first Virtua game was racing and it was mind blowing. I missed VF1 as I too was skeptical of 3d fighting games (no fireballs lol) but Virtua Fighter 2 became a nice respite from Street Fighting and really became an all time favorite. I’d never seen and almost as importantly, heard, anything like VF2 and me and a friend just sat and tried to understand how to play it. Really good memories of a great game. 3 on DC was ok but 4evo on Ps2 was a real treat. Sadly I’ve never played 5. I don’t think I’ve ever learned how to “properly” play these games but I always have fun
I’m certainly no expert myself but I’ve always enjoyed them. The visuals were really sensational at the time. I’m no stranger to Virtua Racing either. It’s one of my favorite machines that I’ve put a lot of work into. When it finally booted up and ran a game I was really warm and fuzzy.
I was a SF2 guy as well, and I wasn't a fan of MK simply because of the block button, which also kept me away from VF. It wasn't until I got a Saturn with VF2 that I went back to try VF. $283 for a working cab with free delivery is incredible!
The block button was such a turnoff right? I never loved that about MK. With VF I’ve probably grown to forgive it simply out of love for the game. And you’re right, I should probably start saying that cab cost $283!
I didn't like MK/MKII because they felt stiff to control vs Street Fighter II, not sure if it has more to do with the video frames of the actors or the fighting engine, but I always just vastly preferred how the Street Fighter II games felt to play, and the MK games felt like they almost required cheese to progress, particularly MKII (which has a mechanic where it increases the difficulty each time you win and decreases it when you lose)
I see Street Fighter 1, Mortal Kombat 1 and Virtua Fighter 1... all as exhibition games. They all offered a new experience, and were something to marvel. For me, none of these games really hit the right note for me. Mortal Kombat was all the realistic stop animation with hyper violence designed to shock PTA moms into a whirling dervish of fists and elbows. Street Fighter 1 was a 2 player fighting game with a bit of a story mode that hadn't been seen since Karate Champ. Virtua Fighter was capitalizing on the new "Virtual Reality" angle of 3D video games and was just fun to watch. I didn't enjoy playing any of these games initially... BUT, I appreciated their showcase, and they all got it right the second go around. The first time I played Street Fighter was on the TG16 CD as Fighting Street, and I think its a pretty close port. At the time I had already played Street Fighter 2 and thought it was almost unplayable. I only really gave it a shot when I got interested in the Street Fighter lore, and learned you could execute special moves that were almost cheating levels of over powered. The first time I played Mortal Kombat was more along the lines of your experience. It wasn't really fun. It had very choppy janky gameplay and no real sophisticated gameplay. BUT... I still played it because I wanted to do the Fatalities which were really fun to pull off and get the reactions of people around you. The first time I played Virtual Fighter I wanted to like it. I banged my head against it a lot, but my brain and hands were so "Street Fighter", I just couldn't get used to it and I kinda just ignored it till I got Virtual Fighter 2 on my Saturn. I had far too many options at this point like Samurai Shodown and MK2. Also, a year later Tekken had come out and I ended up liking that a ton more than the first Virtual Fighter and actually that was the first 3D fighting game I got into. It's really cool what you are building in that basement of yours. I'm super jealous.
Yeah man the first MK was just not selling me. SF2 played so fluidly and felt great. The digitized actors were awesome, it reminded me of a better Pit Fighter initially, but I just couldn’t get into it. I really didn’t like the button layout either. The first VF did it for me though. It just felt different than anything else at the time, in addition to obviously looking different. There was a machine at the local arcade, Hersheypark, AND the movie theater I went to. I had plenty of access to it even if it meant just watching some games. Good write up and thoughts on those early entries!
I really need the latest VF 5 US to be relased on PC and on physical format for consoles. I have all others in Physical format VF1 (Astro City Mini) ,VF2 (PC disc) ,VF3TB (DC disc) ,VF4 Evolution (PS2) and VF5 (PS3). I know i know.. at least i tried
I talked about little about VF being on the Astro City Mini but ended up editing that part out as the video was already so long. It’s not a bad way to go at all. It’s a cool little console to display too.
I have the ST-V multi that I can play that and Remix on. I kind of ran out of time and the video was already longer than I wanted it to be. Kids is way more fun than it has any right to be, lol. It’s pretty fun.
I’m doing well, thanks. I miss contributing to the arcade and general gaming scene as well. I’ve been very consumed with work, personal life, and a two year old child. Finding time for RUclips has been tough but I hope to have some posts before the end of the year.
It's amazing to think that ultra expensive, bleeding edge arcade hardware from the 90's costing thousands can now be easily replicated on a cheap mobile device.
Oof... the degauss button. I'd have just given the guy the $17 in coins at that point. Totally not a fan of the original button layout though. You won't find me playing on the P1 side!
Haha, fair enough. It’s interesting because it’s only three buttons and there’s plenty of real estate on that panel. I’m so used to it at this point I struggle when switching to the Neo Geo AES stick on the Supergun.
Nothing beats the original cabs n boards but man its a rats nest for sure. Collection wise its best and great talking piece. Im just use emulation to play em unless orig cabs fall from sky for me😂
There’s an older Model 2 emulator that works fairly well for that system. The original VF is kind of tough though on an emulator still. It doesn’t run right in MAME but the Astro Cuty Mini version seems ok save for some nuances. Definitely easier than all of the boards and wires, that’s for certain.
You need to complete your VF collection not with Virtua Fighrer eSports (Final Showdown and eSports are the worse of the VF5 series), but with the very best one, VIrtua Fighter 5 R. Get that game and you're golden minus VFTV.
I also have that loaded up on the drive as well. I’ve just have been defaulting to esports more recently. The face lifted graphics seem to appeal to friends who stop over too. But you’re right, R is pretty great.
I remembered when I first saw VF3 screenshots in the magazine, my reaction is like😮, the graphics is just unreal at that time. The colors of VF3 is so vibrant and stills looks very good today.
I'd agree. Three really pushed things passed where two was. The image today looks soft, but for the time it was exceptionally well done. I'd argue very few people had seen anything like it.
I would imagine so, the Model 3 arcade hardware it was using was co-developed with Lockheed Martin who had made Simulator hardware, and was by far the most powerful (and expensive) arcade hardware when it was released in 1996 - it was YEARS ahead of the curve.
Yeah, I think I first saw it in summer of 1997 and even then it was by far the most impressive graphics I'd ever seen in a game.
I remember vividly playing VF1 for the first time on Saturn. I used to play outside with our next door neighbours kid because he was the same age as me and one day he invited me over to play video games. His family was rich and had imported him a sega Saturn and Virtua fighter 1. They also had a giant projection style TV. Seeing Virtua fighter on that giant tv felt so futuristic to me. There were these giant 3d fighters fighting so smoothly on the tv and my 4 year old brain was in straight awe. I don’t think I ever experienced that sense of awe from a game again until marvel vs capcom and then subsequently, Super Mario 64.
I’d agree that playing the demo of Mario64 at the kiosk was amazing. You knew that it wasn’t just another video game, but rather the cusp of a whole new generation that was about to arrive. Really fun thinking back to the quantum leaps like that.
Virtua Fighter is one of my grail cabinets for sure! Growing up as a SEGA-fanatic with my Genesis and SEGA CD in the early 90s, I remember checking out with my parents at a store we went to every week and in the area after the registers in a corner with a claw machine and some toy vending machines was a brand new Virtua Fighter cabinet. Every time we would go to that store after that day, I would hang out and just watch the attract mode. The operator had it set to 50 cents I believe, so I only got to play it every so often because those quarters would be done for in about 5 minutes. Great game and even better memories! I hope to have one as clean as yours some day! Thanks for the video!
Thanks for taking the time to share your personal story. I think a lot of places had VF set at 0.50 or even higher. It may have even been 0.75 at the theater and then 0.50 to continue. About the same time, I recall Virtua Racing at the Mini Golf place being $1.25/play when it first arrived. Basically ensured that every race on that unit was $2.50.
Years ago me, my friend, and his girlfriend went to an arcade. Most of my time was spent on KOF11, a little on SvChaos, DOA2, and VF3. When I played VF3 a guy came up and challenge me. He wiped the floor with me, then he congratulated me, and was very happy to play me. Later that day he passed me at the mall and yelled VF at me.
Later that day I went on amazon and bought a copy of VF3TB for the dream cast.
VF3 is the one i played in the arcade the most
Love these stories 🔥
That wiring at the 10:00 looks like a nightmare. That alone shows your dedication. Virtua fighter was always cool, the first would always get a play or two at movie theaters and VF2 was the only game my friend had on his Saturn before he traded it for a PlayStation
VF2 on Saturn is a better port than it has any right to be. I played both the arcade board and the Saturn port back to back one night and it’s crazy how awesome it is for the 90s.
Love VF and KUDOS to your collection! I bought me a SEGA Lindbergh only so i can play VF5R at home!
Cool.
Nice! Thats a piece of hardware that I don’t own. What color do you have?
@@ScarletSpritesThe yellow Lindbergh.
Amazing collection! Virtua Fighter is my favorite 3D fighting game series and it's my 3rd favorite fighting game series. VF4 evolution is my 3rd favorite fighting game of all time. The game play is so good!
VF2 will always be my fav in the series but VF3 is incredebly special. It was AM2 aiming for the moon. So much of it upgraded/changed from VF2 that it alienated many players. Also i could never find it at any of my arcades. When i finally got to play, it cost a dollar. My inly issue with the game was i didnt like the new models and textures for some characters. The gameplay and technology was amazing thought
I can see what you’re saying, the overall style had change. The characters have a more “round” and overly smooth look to them as opposed to some of the sharper stuff seen in VF2. I really don’t mind the gameplay though. It’s still great imo.
I absolutely love my VF2 cab
I like the CPO on that. It’s a nice follow up to the VF1 metallic theme.
Amazing collection! I’m a huge vf fan but I feel very few people talk about the series in the US, so this video was awesome to see! Vf2 and 5 are def my favs.
Great vid! I grew up in England and as a kid I walked for almost 2 hours with just enough money for a couple of credits of Virtua Fighter. The cabinet was located in a bowling alley which I had discovered on a school trip. I can’t express the impact of seeing Virtua Fighter for the first time, I was absolutely mesmerised. I was already a Sega head because of the Mega Drive but seeing Virtua Fighter was like looking into the future.
I love these types of stories, particularly from other regions. Thanks for sharing it here. I like how overall reactions and feelings were similar in this case. There really wasn’t much like it at the time.
Man glad to see you with another video! Been a while. Hoping the family and games are well.
:)
It always takes time these days unfortunately. Thanks for the warm wishes. I hope for the same in your side.
New Virtua Fighter is coming out. I always wanted them to make a Virtua Fighter X Tekken. I would even settle for guest characters. These two games would fit together like peanut and chocolate.
I’d love to see that myself. Really hoping we get a new VF soon.
Thank you for making the videos. Every single one is a treat!
That’s really kind of you to say, thanks for taking the time to watch them.
I really enjoyed this tour of your Virtua Fighter collection. Other than playing the VF 1 in the arcade, I owned the PC version and enjoyed playing it on my laptop with a controller. I remember playing VF on the Dreamcast. If I'm being honest, Soul Caliber blew me away Tje time. I remember Fighting Vipers 2 and really enjoying it, wondering about the first one.
I really only played FV2 on Dreamcast too. It exists for Model 3 but doesn’t seem to pop up that often. I too recall the PC version of Virtua Fighter. I may have downloaded the disks for it off of a BBS at the time.
I played Virtua fighter I and II on the arcade in college and elsewhere. Then I remember at Dave and Busters in Colorado there was a more modern virtua fitghter I think it was VF 3tb actually? this would have been between 2007-2009. It waa a larger arcade cabinet than the one for #1 and #2, do you happen to have any info on that arcade cabinet? i've never seen it anywhere else.
Man, I wish I had all these great looking arcade cabinets and hardware to have in the collection Scarlet. Everything looks so perfect like they were just off the assembly line. Sadly, I don't have a space to have them in. But in the meanwhile, I can just dream by wishing myself having a cool basement to play them in and having the same amount of fun you experience every time. 8^)
Way to go Scarlet. Keep up the excellent work you provide for us in the community my good man. 8^)
Anthony..
Thanks for your support as always Anthony! I always appreciate that you stop by and are very kind with your words.
Personally I’ve felt that, original or repo, if it looks good and clean, you’ll forget all about it being original or repo real quick.
I have had machines where I didn’t have any choice and I think you’re right, it’s really not something I think too much about after the fact.
Had a short run with virtua fighter but it never took over as my fighting game. I played sf2 way past I time haha . But virtua fighter was definitely fun. Be awesome to have a multi virtua fighter cab you could easy switch
Oh man Joe, I remember walking into an arcade with VF and thinking how that was the future right there in front of me. I was hooked. I spent so much money on that damn game.
Whens the next video bud?
Hopefully after the July 4th holiday. Thanks for asking.
As a kid i played a lot street fighter 2 and mortal Kombat on the arcades,but virtua fighter was my favourite and i first played on my diamond edge 3d pc card and was amazing!
I remember that graphics card. I eventually got a Monster 3D II. I wish I had held onto both of them considering how expensive they’ve become even today.
That's awesome man, I knew you had the OG first game but I didn't know you had the arcade hardware for every game in the series. I've played a bit of virtua fighter and I never got good at it but I enjoy it and think it's a good 3d fighter. I'm really surprised Sega hasn't done 6 seeing as 5 came out quite a while ago and it's one of their signature franchises
I agree, it has been a while. I was thinking it was possible they wanted to let SF6 and Tekken 8 get out of the way. The window for VF6 would be very soon if soon. Otherwise they’ll get caught up competing again.
"No VF, no life" 💖💖💖
Same for me, i was already in love with sf2 but vf and vf2 were mind blowing at the time and ive been a Sega Kid ever since.
It really showed where games in general were heading in the next few years.
Awesome video! I’ve been playing Virtua Fighter 1 and 2 on the Saturn lately.
When I finally got a Saturn hooked up this Fall I played those to see how they compared to the originals. I'm really impressed with how close they got with 2. It's phenomenally well done.
@@ScarletSpritesI feel like that’s where Sega really shined on their consoles. They did really well making them arcade accurate in my opinion.
I really dig Fighting Vipers, most of my play was on the Saturn though.
That’s pretty much where I’m at with Fighting Vipers 2; I’ve only ever played the DC version. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen the arcade or pcb for sale recently.
Hey Scarlet, Sprite how awesome would it be if dark soft made a multi cart for the Sega model one, two, three
I had that thought with the rom board as well. I believe decrypted roms exist for some of the games that would defeat the need for a security board as well.
Always enjoy your videos. Keep them coming!
Thanks man, appreciate the kind words.
Beautiful video
Thanks man!
Virtua Fighter is the bomb and no one is going to take that away from me. I really want Virtua Fighter become the face of the Virtua Fighter franchise and also Virtua Fighter 6 and Virtua Fighter live action movie for the 30th anniversary.
I really hope we get that VF6 everyone keeps talking about. It feels overdue.
Very fun video, Scarlet!
Thanks man!
I'll echo what you said. Growing up being a SF2 fanatic you really just has to be there! Sf2 Mania was running wild!! Then outta nowhere VF 1 pops up with 3D graphics on a fighting game! Like wth!!!! Blew my mind and everyone in the arcades at the time. Good times. 👍
Thanks for shinning some light on such an under-appreciated series.
Its cool to hear you share the same sentiment. Sometimes I don't know if it was the same across other areas and regions. Definitely an under appreciated series that I'm surprised doesn't garner as much fandom as other games.
@@ScarletSpritesIt demands precise inputs, the entire series has a single boss (you get one shot at), and it goes out of its way to avoid in-game lore. Each sequel adding only two characters didn't help either.
Unless you appreciate the gameplay's purity of focus... well, we know who we are. But it was never going to be mainstream in the west. Except for that time when Tekken 4 alienated PS2 owners.
Plus, that first arcade version of 2 was some of the worst quarter munching, Skynet AI cheese... it's like MK2 and 3, where you can't win if you play it organically.
Also, why hasn't Sega released any of these games on handheld? Animation's demake and two Chibi art collections aside...
And the Genesis game.
And the Vita crossover with DOA.
Seriously, the tease is just cruel.
This goes nicely with a VF2 project I’m working on right now!
Nice, did you find a cabinet for it?
New to the channel so kinda stating the obvious I guess, but you really know what you're doing! The open heart surgery of wiring in your setup looked insanely complicated. How many cabs have you actually got? Fron the video it looks like a healthy amount! ☺️👍 Oh and for an off the cuff, unscripted video, that was smooth - so relaxed and chilled. Love it.
Thanks for checking things out and your kind words. I just picked up another arcade machine this past weekend which puts me at 22. It’s excessive and at some point I’ll have to trim it down. I like to buy cheap beaters and conversions and then restore them. The most recent cabinet is an MK2 that I probably won’t be able to start on until 2025 realistically.
@@ScarletSprites Haha, 22?! That's super cool! Some would say excessive..I'd say you were merely doing the right thing in keeping these machines loved and running ☺️ ps I Know what you mean about MK1 in that it just kinda feels like there's nothing to explore or exploit in the gameplay once you've got the limited moves down. Don't get me wrong - I loved the graphics and sounds and the overall atmosphere was awesome, but it's all style over substance I feel. I would of course love a MK cabinet in the corner of a room though, I'm not gonna lie..
my experience was pretty much the same; i'd spend most of my time at whatever iteration of SF2 was available (probably Hyper Fighting), but there was something about the first VF that kept drawing me over to it. i wasn't very good at it at the time, but i loved how the game felt and played. then when I got a Saturn and VF2 years later, everything about VF finally clicked for me.
also, man, I love the raft physics in that VF3 stage as well as how much they were experimenting with each stage in general in that game!
I think that’s a good callout; the willingness to take risks with the games. VF3 I believe is the only one in the series that has the elevated stages too. I think they went back to things being flat afterwards.
The yakuza/judgment series has been getting me into the virtua fighter series lately. I haven't played any of these since I was a kid.
Joey bag a donuts! 🍩 Virtual Fighter was at the Diner in my town and I used to go there just to play it and collect the ninjas and homies out of the .25$ bubbles. Amazing cab and an amazing game for the time. I tried buying this cab for $400 of Facebook 3 years ago but the guy sold to someone else. Awesome video
I like hearing that you have a memory with it. It’s really neat remembering where it was and the circumstances around it. You even noted the other machines that were there. Good times.
I still have a VF in the garage to restore 😲
Is anyone doing the side art? Marquees pop up from time to time and the CPO is available now. Wasn’t sure about the sides though.
@@ScarletSprites Who makes the CPO? I have 1 good side but the entire bottom of the cab is rotted out. Szabo said he could most likely reproduce the sides bit he would need the scans or detailed pics. That was 2 years ago (that's how long it's been in the garage, got it for free 🤣)
@@stringerfilms.Arcadeartshop does the CPO.
Real cool collection Joe!
Thanks man!
Any progress on the NOS overlay application?
I was just thinking about that actually. I’ve been consumed with the Midway Skins I’ve been working on. I may get to that overlay at the end of summer though.
Great video, enjoyed it
Thanks David!
You rarely see anyone with a Virtua Fighter collection like that! I once owned a dedicated Fighting Vipers cabinet for several years. Sadly had to pass it on to someone else after some life events. I miss that cab though. Thankfully, SEGA did release it on PS3/xbox. My SEGA P-Ras came with Virtua Fighter eSports art, so I guess I can say I have a VF5 cab.
That’s really awesome. I’ll have to look up the side art and marquee for Fighting Vipers. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it. I almost got a P-Ras but went Vewlix instead. I kind of regret that. Thinking about what is likely the last Sega arcade machine decked out in VF art makes me REALLY regret that decision.
Would you consider doing a quick latest build of Supermodel vs O.G Model 3 HW?
Loved the video thankyou.
Comparisons usually take so much time to do them justice. At the end someone always interjects what else should have been done or what was “forgotten.” In short, I probably won’t be doing that since time is already such a factor for me. I appreciate the suggestion though!
I have special relationship with the early Virtua Fighter.
So awesome. It was a real surprise when it hit. Beautiful to look at and the gameplay felt different than that of anything else on the floor.
First time seeing VF1 was so awesome! I became a 3D artist because of VF1 and VF2. Man those 60 fps! Smooth as butter!
That’s a really awesome comment to hear!
I never felt that VF1 was stiff. Rather, it had great momentum and a palette of both quick moves and strings of moves. Very different than anything else at the time.
Completely different than anything else on the floor. I think that with the visuals really helped sell it as a new experience. Locally I just remember it not pulling the crowds that MK or SF was though sadly.
My first time seeing VF1 was in a movie theater, the sensation i got is unforgetable, until now it's not fully emulated even SEGA AstroCity Mini is not 100% perfection ( Sara stage), so i got mine VF1 PCB and AstroCity cabinet back in 2018, with many efforts, VF1 is epic to me.
Hi Scarlet Sprites, great video you shared! Thanks! I have a question regarding NAMCO System 22: do you have an idea about the wiring to make a Ridge Racer 2 working properly with a modified steering wheel (ps1 or Dreamcast) and stuff?! Thanks
Oof, I unfortunately don’t. I know those racing games are always a pain with the steering, pedals, and shifters. I’ve really only messed with Daytona a bit. Dont know too much about how Namco has their setups wired or what additional boards are required. Best bet is to ask on a forum like Arcade-Projects or KLOV and explain exactly what it is you’re trying to do.
Have a virtual 1 cab and swap Fighting Vipers and Dead or Alive in it with ... pins and stuff but it works! Need to hook up Virtua Fighter 2 and yes I do have the third one but it plugs right in my blast city!
Nice! I was thinking about my Blast for VF3 as well. The audio and video connections are easy, it’s really just a matter of the controls. Even the 3.3v is present via the Sun PSU.
@@ScarletSprites the controls go right in as well… with a floppy cable! I made a post about it @ AP
you need to get that Astro City 2 cab next
Hah, I think my days of grabbing Candy Cabs are over. They’ve gotten so expensive in the last few years unfortunately.
A bunch popped up recently in Fremont for like $1600. I wish I would have gone that route, but mine came out of Mexico and it was a PAIN to restore but she's looking brand new now 😅 got the Hursit repro side art (uv reactant) brand new automotive paint, alberto1225 panel, and Lemony Vengeance jamma harness remade from the hacked up original harness. Love this machine and its big fat model2 storage bootay!
@@alexmacias2988 yeah, I dragged my feet on a possible AC2 score a couple of weeks ago for about that price, annoyed, I could have completed the AC/AC2/NAC trilogy, lol
@@ShelfWarmer aweeee man. That's what I have. I gotta pull forward the Astro and NAC in order for them to line up
I would love a VF2. If it were a Jamma board I would have bought it years ago.
VF1 in the arcade was a quanum leap at the time.
The fact that these aren’t Jamma really does suck. I don’t know what they were thinking. The things are just such power hogs I suppose they knew that they weren’t going to get all PSUs to properly power these beasts over the Jamma edge, or, they were going to burn up units doing so.
Scarlet, I love this game.
I know that your son does actually.
The degauss story was great, haha.
Dude NEVER had that door open. Ever.
My first Virtua game was racing and it was mind blowing. I missed VF1 as I too was skeptical of 3d fighting games (no fireballs lol) but Virtua Fighter 2 became a nice respite from Street Fighting and really became an all time favorite. I’d never seen and almost as importantly, heard, anything like VF2 and me and a friend just sat and tried to understand how to play it. Really good memories of a great game. 3 on DC was ok but 4evo on Ps2 was a real treat. Sadly I’ve never played 5. I don’t think I’ve ever learned how to “properly” play these games but I always have fun
I’m certainly no expert myself but I’ve always enjoyed them. The visuals were really sensational at the time. I’m no stranger to Virtua Racing either. It’s one of my favorite machines that I’ve put a lot of work into. When it finally booted up and ran a game I was really warm and fuzzy.
I was a SF2 guy as well, and I wasn't a fan of MK simply because of the block button, which also kept me away from VF. It wasn't until I got a Saturn with VF2 that I went back to try VF. $283 for a working cab with free delivery is incredible!
The block button was such a turnoff right? I never loved that about MK. With VF I’ve probably grown to forgive it simply out of love for the game. And you’re right, I should probably start saying that cab cost $283!
I didn't like MK/MKII because they felt stiff to control vs Street Fighter II, not sure if it has more to do with the video frames of the actors or the fighting engine, but I always just vastly preferred how the Street Fighter II games felt to play, and the MK games felt like they almost required cheese to progress, particularly MKII (which has a mechanic where it increases the difficulty each time you win and decreases it when you lose)
Where does one get that flash cart for the Naomi?
You can grab it from Axun’s website. Wait times vary pretty wildly from order to order, just so you know.
m.axunworks.com/product-p497547.html
Holy shit! You made a vid.
I see Street Fighter 1, Mortal Kombat 1 and Virtua Fighter 1... all as exhibition games. They all offered a new experience, and were something to marvel. For me, none of these games really hit the right note for me.
Mortal Kombat was all the realistic stop animation with hyper violence designed to shock PTA moms into a whirling dervish of fists and elbows.
Street Fighter 1 was a 2 player fighting game with a bit of a story mode that hadn't been seen since Karate Champ.
Virtua Fighter was capitalizing on the new "Virtual Reality" angle of 3D video games and was just fun to watch.
I didn't enjoy playing any of these games initially... BUT, I appreciated their showcase, and they all got it right the second go around.
The first time I played Street Fighter was on the TG16 CD as Fighting Street, and I think its a pretty close port. At the time I had already played Street Fighter 2 and thought it was almost unplayable. I only really gave it a shot when I got interested in the Street Fighter lore, and learned you could execute special moves that were almost cheating levels of over powered.
The first time I played Mortal Kombat was more along the lines of your experience. It wasn't really fun. It had very choppy janky gameplay and no real sophisticated gameplay. BUT... I still played it because I wanted to do the Fatalities which were really fun to pull off and get the reactions of people around you.
The first time I played Virtual Fighter I wanted to like it. I banged my head against it a lot, but my brain and hands were so "Street Fighter", I just couldn't get used to it and I kinda just ignored it till I got Virtual Fighter 2 on my Saturn. I had far too many options at this point like Samurai Shodown and MK2. Also, a year later Tekken had come out and I ended up liking that a ton more than the first Virtual Fighter and actually that was the first 3D fighting game I got into.
It's really cool what you are building in that basement of yours. I'm super jealous.
Yeah man the first MK was just not selling me. SF2 played so fluidly and felt great. The digitized actors were awesome, it reminded me of a better Pit Fighter initially, but I just couldn’t get into it. I really didn’t like the button layout either. The first VF did it for me though. It just felt different than anything else at the time, in addition to obviously looking different. There was a machine at the local arcade, Hersheypark, AND the movie theater I went to. I had plenty of access to it even if it meant just watching some games. Good write up and thoughts on those early entries!
I really need the latest VF 5 US to be relased on PC and on physical format for consoles. I have all others in Physical format VF1 (Astro City Mini) ,VF2 (PC disc) ,VF3TB (DC disc) ,VF4 Evolution (PS2) and VF5 (PS3). I know i know.. at least i tried
I talked about little about VF being on the Astro City Mini but ended up editing that part out as the video was already so long. It’s not a bad way to go at all. It’s a cool little console to display too.
Also the PS3 port of VF2 is a perfect one!
SEGA listened! VF5 on PC and physical on consoles!
🔥🔥🔥
Neat story. Luv vf series. 🥂
I'm surprised you don't have Virtua Kids in your collection.
I have the ST-V multi that I can play that and Remix on. I kind of ran out of time and the video was already longer than I wanted it to be. Kids is way more fun than it has any right to be, lol. It’s pretty fun.
Hopefully some new content is coming soon! You are missed
New camera for 2025. Three videos lined up. It’s just been slow go. Thanks for the kind words.
Ayyyyy there he is. How’s dad life treating you?
It’s stealing all my time but going well overall. Thanks for asking.
Everything going ok? You haven't posted for awhile so I thought I'd do a sort of welfare check. We miss you and your arcade content my guy.
I’m doing well, thanks. I miss contributing to the arcade and general gaming scene as well. I’ve been very consumed with work, personal life, and a two year old child. Finding time for RUclips has been tough but I hope to have some posts before the end of the year.
@@ScarletSprites Nothing wrong with any of that. Just glad you're still alive lol. Do what you have to do my guy. 👍
It's amazing to think that ultra expensive, bleeding edge arcade hardware from the 90's costing thousands can now be easily replicated on a cheap mobile device.
I do occasionally like the convenience of something simple as well.
Love the Arcade story. SF2 ate all our money 🤑
Oof... the degauss button. I'd have just given the guy the $17 in coins at that point.
Totally not a fan of the original button layout though. You won't find me playing on the P1 side!
Haha, fair enough. It’s interesting because it’s only three buttons and there’s plenty of real estate on that panel. I’m so used to it at this point I struggle when switching to the Neo Geo AES stick on the Supergun.
I really hope Sega really consider on making a new VF rather than just remaking VF5
Yeah getting a true six would be great in the near future.
Nothing beats the original cabs n boards but man its a rats nest for sure. Collection wise its best and great talking piece. Im just use emulation to play em unless orig cabs fall from sky for me😂
There’s an older Model 2 emulator that works fairly well for that system. The original VF is kind of tough though on an emulator still. It doesn’t run right in MAME but the Astro Cuty Mini version seems ok save for some nuances. Definitely easier than all of the boards and wires, that’s for certain.
now THAT's fucking cool man. VF is the GOAT! I have some VF content on my page if you're interested haha
Man, get yourself a favor the graphics (moves strips) of the 5th at least and apply them on your cabs. (y)
You need to complete your VF collection not with Virtua Fighrer eSports (Final Showdown and eSports are the worse of the VF5 series), but with the very best one, VIrtua Fighter 5 R. Get that game and you're golden minus VFTV.
I also have that loaded up on the drive as well. I’ve just have been defaulting to esports more recently. The face lifted graphics seem to appeal to friends who stop over too. But you’re right, R is pretty great.
u lucky for 300 hahahah here is 800 in my country
For whatever reason VF cabs have always been
I never liked VF I'm more dead or alive and Tekken guy