Secondly, VF4’s Kumite mode is now gone and has been replaced by a much better Quest mode. The principles of Kumite still exist within the Quest mode, except in a much improved way. Instead of simply sparring against AI opponents, like players did in Kumite mode, players now have the choice of sparring against greatly enhanced AI opponents with almost human qualities, by visiting virtual arcades and tournaments. The Quest mode and the enhanced AI is an impressive achievement from AM2, as the AI convincingly mimics actual human players' playing styles extremely well. AM2's months of studying and attempting to replicate the combat styles and personality of expert players really shows. You really cant help being impressed at the huge range of styles their opponents show, ranging from 'Turtlers' (overly cautious players, and players who simply run away) to those who attack constantly, and to those who change their style in the middle of a match in an attempt to confuse the player. Whilst to enjoy the game to its full and to get amazingly good at the game it's important to find good human challenges, this is undoubtedly the first fighter ever made where you can become genuinely good at the game simply by practicing against the AI opponents. The AI even make human-like mistakes and have human-like bad habits (for example, the Wolf near the end of the 2nd arcade always tries to throw you as you are getting up, which is always easily countered with a swift kick) Of course, something like that isn't going to be noticed straight away, but with practice you will begin to know what player styles cause you trouble and what you did to overcome them.
Once you beat an Arcade you unlock the Tournament for that particular area. This is usually a 32-fighter knock out tournament. Win these and you win money. Money can be spent unlocking costumes, hair colours, glasses, etc to dress your fighter in. They start of with simple changes, but with time you can really alter the appearance of them. For example, my Wolf is now bald! There are also 'Stadium Fights' which involve you fighting under certain rules like in Soul Calibur: Cage matches where walls do extra damage, combo matches where you can string practically ANYTHING together and even see-saw energy bars where you gain health for attacking, and vice versa. These add a welcome bit of variety now and again.
Subtle changes have been made to each character - there new moves and new animations for everyone. Also, some moves are now performed differently to make things even more balanced. It's this balance that is arguably the most impressive thing about VF4:Evo. Put in some time to learn a certain fighter and you'll soon find you can be as equally good with everyone once you're used to their moves and fighting style. Unlike in alot of fighting games, no one is 'cheap' and no one seems worse than the other - they're all evenly balanced.
'Sting like a bee, bite like a Tiger!'
Everything is now ALOT cleaner than VF4. The jaggies are far less evident. In VF4, some the backgrounds looked nothing more than a jaggy mess, but it all looks alot sharper and smoother this time around. Infact, all of the backgrounds in Evo are different to how they were in VF4. Jeffry's Beach is now in the evening, Lau's level has rain, etc. The VF4 stages are in there too somewhere and can be seen during the Stadium Event matches. Character models though being the same models from VF4, are even more detailed and much improved in the jaggy department. The most impressive area of Evo's graphics is definitely in the lighting. It's superbly done and really adds atmosphere and depth to each arena. The whole game runs at a splendidly smooth framerate too. I still want to see how this would look on Xbox though, the PS2 cant do the Arcade version justice. Unfortunately the lack of a 16:9 mode is a shame especially since the latest DOA and Soul Calibur games have supported it brilliantly.
The sound effects are spot on, sounding as painful as you would hope for. The voices used are pretty much the same as in VF4, so expect cheesy american soundbytes for every non-japanese fighter, and ultra-cool sounding japanese dialogue for everyone else. In addition to retaining all of the voices from Virtua Fighter 4, as well as the music, Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution adds new stage music for each of the new stages. I certainly like the music more here than in VF4 as it seems to have a more of a raw, heavier sound to it which suits the game more than VF4's lighter tunes. Its still not brilliant though, nowhere near the quality of the Soul Calibur's soundtracks. But on the bright side nowhere near as bad as the Tekken soundtracks, they are truely awful.
The Quest Mode is huge. There's lots to do. Lots of money to earn and, in turn. lots of items to unlock. Each character is brimming with depth. I dont think that even if you played this solid for 6 months you could truley master everyone, so there's plenty of life in it. Find a mate to play with and this is up there with the best of them. Even 2 novices could have some decent matches with Jacky, Pai, Lau, Brad or Lei Fei.
'I done handcuffed lightning!'
The chances are, if you're even reading this, you like VF games and may even have VF4, so the question is, do you get this even if you have VF4? Well it's a tough one to call, but it really does depend on your love for that game. Yes, not a great deal has changed since the last game, so its hard to justify buying it again, but if you liked VF4 then i think its a must buy. The 2 new characters are just excellent and bring 2 new fresh styles to the table. The Quest Mode will provide enough challenge for anyone as the AI is amazing. Yes, there are a few small criticisms i have with the game - There's no Tag-Mode or Team Battle (It was in VF3, so why not now?) Then there's the extreme commitment you have to give to the game. To enjoy Evo you will have to learn Evo. Learning Evo takes alot of time, patience and practice. This of course puts off many novices that are used to Tekken/Soul Calibur where they can start winning from the moment they start. And most of all, to get the absolute MOST out of Evo, you need human opposition. While it's not that much of a problem as the AI is by far the best ever created, you could never truely master this game just by playing with AI. But basically the bottom line is, if you want a top notch fighter that's going to last forever, there's NOTHING better than Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution.
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