Virtua Fighter


 * For the series, see Virtua Fighter (series).

Virtua Fighter is a 1993 fighting game developed for the Sega Model 1 arcade platform by AM2, a development group within Sega, headed by Yu Suzuki. It was the first game in the Virtua Fighter series, and the first 3D-based fighting game. It has been ported to several home video game consoles including the Sega Saturn and Sega 32X. A port with enhanced graphics was also released for Microsoft Windows.

Overview
The Virtua label indicates that the on-screen action takes place in 3D. The Saturn technology and the NV1 architecture relied on quadratic surfaces rather than the polygons used in modern 3D graphics. The images were created using wireframes and flat-shaded quads. Beyond 3D, it retained the staple of multiple characters, each with their own distinctive moves.

Unlike other fighting games of the time (such as Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat), the game relied on a control stick and only three buttons, Punch, Kick, and Guard although different situations and button combinations led to a vast variety of moves for each character.

The game is highly regarded for its in-depth fighting engine and real world fighting techniques, and was considered revolutionary when it first came out.

Characters

 * Akira Yuki (born September 23, 1968) - The series mascot and a kung fu teacher from Japan, fights with Bājíquán (Hakkyokuken).
 * Pai Chan (born May 17, 1975) - Martial arts movie star from Hong Kong, fights with Mízōngquán (Yànqīngquán/Enseiken).
 * Lau Chan (born October 2, 1940) - Pai's father and a cook from China, fights with Tiger Swallow Fist (Koenken). The canonical winner of the first World Fighting Tournament.
 * Wolf Hawkfield (born February 8, 1966) - A professional wrestler from Canada, fights with Pro Wrestling.
 * Jeffry McWild (born February 20, 1957) - A fisherman from Australia, fights with Pancratium.
 * Kage-Maru (born June 6, 1971) - A ninja from Japan, fights with Hagakure-ryū Jū-Jutsu.
 * Sarah Bryant (born July 4, 1973) - A college student from San Francisco, fights with Jeet Kune Do (uses her own form of Jeet Kune Do compared to Jacky).
 * Jacky Bryant (born August 28, 1970) - Sarah's older brother and a race car driver also from San Francisco, fights with Jeet Kune Do.
 * Dural - A gynoid-like creature. The game's boss/secret character and somewhat inexplicably, Kage's mother. She fights with a combined form of other martial arts used by all the characters. (Her name was used as a codename for the Sega Dreamcast graphics chipset once known as "Blackbelt")

An Arabian fighter named Siba was planned, and his character model even appeared on some Virtua Fighter arcade cabinets (though, in some cases, Akira's name was placed under his portrait). He was ultimately dropped, but later appeared in Fighters Megamix on the Sega Saturn console.

Virtua Fighter Remix
Virtua Fighter Remix was an update of the original Virtua Fighter with higher-polygon models (when compared to the Sega Saturn port; the original Sega Model 1 game has higher-polygon models than Remix), texture mapping and some gameplay changes. It was given free to all registered Saturn owners in the US via mail. It also had an arcade release on the ST-V (an arcade platform based on the less powerful Sega Saturn) and later ported to Microsoft Windows as Virtua Fighter PC.