10 Video Games That MUST Return On PS5 & Xbox SX

It’s impossible not to revere 1993’s Virtua Fighter for being the first 3D fighting game. Likewise, its dozen or so sequels and spin-offs (culminating in 2010’s Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown) evolved and adapted enough to make them equal competitors to proteges/peers like Tekken, Soul Calibur, and Dead or Alive.

Why, then, have those franchises – among countless others, like the 2.5D transformations of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat – been able to continue into the 8th generation while Virtua Fighter was ostensibly defeated roughly a decade ago?

An easy answer would be declining sales and/or critical praise, but neither issue afflicted any version of Virtua Fighter 5; similarly, the collapse of bustling arcades around the world would theoretically affect all fighting game franchises equally, so that doesn’t help, either.

Regardless, the series’ knack for comparatively grounded action and characters makes its absence as baffling as it is noticeable. Luckily, Sega’s recently teased “Virtua Fighter x eSports” project serves as cryptic proof that the company is keen to keep the brand alive, describing it as a “restart” meant for tournament play.

Whether that leads to a mere rerelease or Virtua Fighter 6 waits to be seen, but either way, it’s encouraging.