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[CurseoftheGods]

Respect bitches. Takarashi and uneven levels/backgrounds > *.

I still remember the first time I played this at the arcades. It was one of the best gaming experiences I ever had. The graphics, the sound, the fluid animation... everything in the game was just years ahead of its time. It might've not aged well. But based on nostalgia alone, this might very well be my favourite fighting game ever.

Oh and VF3 for the Saturn... ;_;

 

[neptunes]

I thought I was the only one ;_;

 

[DCX]

I loved VF3: TB on DC even though people have hailed it "Genkigate" It played very well, and visually, looks good.

DCX

 

[sprsk]

oh dear

what could have been ;_;

 

[Sp3eD]

I enjoyed #2 and the #4's, but #3 was just trash to me. The dodge button was the dumbest thing I have ever seen. Tekken 3's tap dodges were 100% more useful.

 

[Sho Nuff]

Respect bitches. Takarashi and uneven levels/backgrounds > *.
Oh and VF3 for the Saturn... ;_;

wtf

 

[CurseoftheGods]

oh dear

what could have been ;_;

Tell me about it. AM2 are gods with any given hardware.

 

[CurseoftheGods]

EDIT: Nevermind.

 

[Tain]

I thought I was the only one ;_;

Jesus, me too. I *love* VF3, even with VF4 around.

wtf

It's just a MAME shot of VF3.

 

[CurseoftheGods]

Jesus, me too. I *love* VF3, even with VF4 around.



It's just a MAME shot of VF3.

Ah that sucks. I got 'em off of a site that claimed that they were from the Saturn beta.

 

[Vormund]

VF3 is my favourite in the series. Mucho respect.

 

[Ryoni]

Arcade version of VF3 looks aged better than the Dreamcast version.

 

[midnightguy]

is that really a picture of Virtua Fighter 3 for Saturn? O_O


or is it something else ?

 

[CurseoftheGods]

Read Tain's post guys. My explanation is the post right under his.

 

[Tain]

Huh. How did you get that screenshot of VF3 for the saturn? I've never seen a single screenshot of the canned Sega Saturn Version that was in development.

is that really a picture of Virtua Fighter 3 for Saturn? O_O


or is it something else ?

It's just a MAME shot of VF3.

It has all of the same visual errors as VF3 in Mame. All of 'em. And it definitely isn't the same pixel dimensions as Saturn's high-res mode.

 

[midnightguy]

ahh I see. I kinda thought it was emulation.


anyway, Virtua Fighter 3 was the first VF I really got into

 

[MetalAlien]

Model 3 respect, the damn thing came out almost the same time the Ps1 did and it's still looks good to this day... Sega was the shit.

http://www.angelfire.com/al/metalalien/pictures/vf3_scan.JPG

 

[DCX]

I had that issue I must agree. Sega has always been on the cutting edge in terms of the arcade market. Super GT and VF3 still hold there own til this day.

DCX

 

[Sathsquatch]

I am still awaiting Takarashi's triumphant return to VF series. His attacks were so wonderfully brutal that the series has never been the same without him.

 

[Vormund]

Yeah seems a bit odd that he was the first char to not return for a game.

I mean they could have made an attempt to improve him rather than drop him altogether.

 

[CurseoftheGods]

Yeah seems a bit odd that he was the first char to not return for a game.

I mean they could have made an attempt to improve him rather than drop him altogether.

They removed him for technical reasons. In other words, his ass was way too big. Programming his model would require different collision detection than the other characters. AM2 decided that it wasn't worth the time since he didn't have a lot of fans.

 

[WHOAguitarninja]

In many ways it's still the most complex in the series.
I do think VF4 topped it tho in terms of overall quality.

 

[Vormund]

I see

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

I remember my first time seeing VF3. My jaw was dropped. I could not believe graphics would ever advance that far.


Look where we are now

 

[demon]

Wow, I cannot believe those graphics floored me at one point. It's funny how when I picture the game in my head (at least when I saw it in the arcade), it's still graphically stunning...far more than how it really looks, heh.

 

[callous]

Yes! I embrace this thread. My favourite VF, maybe side by side with the original.

 

[CurseoftheGods]

I remember my first time seeing VF3. My jaw was dropped. I could not believe graphics would ever advance that far.


Look where we are now

Yeah. I remember comparing VF3 to Toy Story.

 

[Fatghost]

Can't wait until the arcade game is finally emulated. Arcade VF3 is still one of my favorite games and in some ways, it's still the most complex and rewarding of the VF series.

 

[ManaByte]

I don't think any shots of VF3 Saturn actually exist. It was in the works (with a RAM cart), but I don't think it was ever shown to anyone.

 

[CurseoftheGods]

I don't think any shots of VF3 Saturn actually exist. It was in the works (with a RAM cart), but I don't think it was ever shown to anyone.

I don't anymore. I do however remember some magazines recieving playable copies of the beta. I am not sure if those claims were true or not. I hope that maybe one of the guys at EGM can clarify.

AM2 just scrapped the idea when they realized that it was just physically impossible to make a decent version of the game with the Saturn hardware. So they made Fighters Megamix which was the next best thing considering that it had the movelist from VF3.

 

[MetalAlien]

I don't anymore. I do however remember some magazines recieving playable copies of the beta. I am not sure if those claims were true or not. I hope that maybe one of the guys at EGM can clarify.

AM2 just scrapped the idea when they realized that it was just physically impossible to make a decent version of the game with the Saturn hardware. So they made Fighters Megamix which was the next best thing considering that it had the movelist from VF3.

Yea I just quickly dug through some of my old mags and couldn't find anyhting on Saturn VF3... but I remember seeing stuff about it.

Didn't they change their minds halfway through and upgrade it for the Dreamcast launch?

 

[CurseoftheGods]

Yea I just quickly dug through some of my old mags and couldn't find anyhting on Saturn VF3... but I remember seeing stuff about it.

Didn't they change their minds halfway through and upgrade it for the Dreamcast launch?

Not exactly. AM2 was way too busy with Shenmue, so they handed over the project to Genki (which was comprised of ex-AM2 staff). Genki did an okay job with the port. It was a bit rushed for the Japanese DC launch. There wasn't even a versus mode in the Japanese version!

After releasing the Japanese version of Shenmue, AM2 started refining the port Genki did for the US release of VF3:TB. The end product definitely felt more "complete", in terms of graphics and features. I would know since I won both.

 

[SickBoy]

I don't anymore. I do however remember some magazines recieving playable copies of the beta. I am not sure if those claims were true or not. I hope that maybe one of the guys at EGM can clarify.

AM2 just scrapped the idea when they realized that it was just physically impossible to make a decent version of the game with the Saturn hardware. So they made Fighters Megamix which was the next best thing considering that it had the movelist from VF3.

It's the sort of thing that would make a very interesting historical piece EDIT: That is, the idea of the Saturn upgrade, the rumors of VF3 development for Saturn, etc. I hope the new NextGen online offers some solid glimpses of the past as they did back when they were in print (which was Steven Kent stuff ultimately destined for his book).

 

[Lindsay]

Oh crap!

That looks years worse then VF4:Evo!

Yet......

About as good a DOA3.

A wtf moment for me o.o!



And I love VF3 it was very very fun. Loved the stages and all that and was disappointed the height variations and crap were taken away from #4 ;_;

 

[Kid Chameleon]

Still my favorite instalment in the series. The undulating floors and overall superb design of the arenas made it so much more tactical than most fighting games (not that VF wasn't tactical in the first place). Just thinking about how characters' feet always conected with various ground levels was amazing, especially in Shun's stage where the levels were constantly changing.

 

[jett]

Heh...I remembe reading a VF3 preview on Gamepro around the time the game came out. All the pictures they used for the article were CG artworks and they passed them off as real-time shit. I was a little disappointed when I first got a look at the game a few years later.

 

[Sho Nuff]

I remember when I saw it for the first time. I was like "HOLY CRAP, IT'S LIKE IT'S REAL, THERE IS NO WAY GRAPHICS CAN EVER GET BETTER THAN THIS."

This game has awesome IK. The foot placement system rocks, especially when you have the guys running over the rafts that are all tied together. I still prefer it to VF4, what with the fighting for position.

 

[Shogmaster]

Howja?!? Wadda? Whoda?!? WHERETHEFUCKJUGETTHAT!?!?!?!?

Edit: Oh damn.... Just MAME.....

 

[ourumov]

I arrived a bit late to the party...Actually circa 2003, when I first played it on the DC. Of course, after having played VF4 I wasn't impressed at all and the geometry of some models in the DC version seemed straight from VF2 Saturn.

Anyways the game's levels are pretty cool and the music had some great tunes.

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

My beef with VF3 was the addition of the fourth escape button, because it broke the tradition of control and makes 3 button VF sticks unusable.

Now, I see that the flyer also mentions this buttons, but I only see three buttons on the cab pictures. What hell?

 

[Shinobi]

:lol My eyes bugged out at the "Saturn" shot before finding out the truth. I would love to see what that version looked like, and what it was running with (RAM cart, 3D upgrade or standalone).

The Dural portion of that initial VF3 demonstration was fucking ridiculous...for gaming hardware developed in early '96 to do in real time what blew people's minds six years earlier in Abyss and Terminator 2 the year later was simply sick. From what I remember the demonstration visuals looked a bit better then the final game, but it was still a fearsome technological demo.

 

[Gantz]

I'll take VF2 over VF1, 3, and 4 any day.

 

[Trojan X]

I enjoyed #2 and the #4's, but #3 was just trash to me. The dodge button was the dumbest thing I have ever seen. Tekken 3's tap dodges were 100% more useful.

Totally disagree with you and for you to say Tekken 3 tap dodge were 100% more useful totally discredits you.

I've been playing the VF series since VF1 was released in the arcades and today I am still playing VF3 and VF4 Final Tuned. The dodge button has many advantages and disadvantages and the side dodge on VF4 also have many advantages and disadvantages - you will not be able to see these dis/advantages unless an expert player shows you but when you see them then you'll just say, 'F&*K ME!!! DANGGG!'

Personally, I hope VF5 have both the tap-dodge and the dodge button unless they, AM2, can improve the tap-dodge system. We'll see...

 

[SaitoH]

Being able to slip-dodge with the evade button made it awesome. Although, I must admit, I prefer the 3 button setup.

I imported my Dreamcast, at launch, to play VF3.

^w^

 

[AndreasNystrom]

Uh I remember when i saw Virtua Fighter 1 in the arcades.
It was jawdropping to see that animation. The human brain thinks its realistic aslong
as it moves like something real. (thats why crappy animation ruins good graphics)

I actually beat it the second time i played, and i still dont know what i did
Just button-smashing, and rotating the joystick like mad, and my friends was WTF?
when i beat it.
Too bad i never done it anymore.. i guess that was my 15minutes of fame

 

[Instigator]

The last great VF game.

Those infidels who only swear by VF4 and its upgrades sicken me.

 

[Vormund]

:lol My eyes bugged out at the "Saturn" shot before finding out the truth. I would love to see what that version looked like, and what it was running with (RAM cart, 3D upgrade or standalone).

In terms of graphical quality, the Shenmue Saturn demo is probably in line with what VF3 Satrun looked like.

I might whip out the DC and give VF3tb a go...it's been a while.

What is the status of VF3/Model3 emulation? Mainly talking in terms of speed.

 

[Trojan X]

Being able to slip-dodge with the evade button made it awesome. Although, I must admit, I prefer the 3 button setup.

But its not even that, with that dodge button you can perform some sick movements that would confuse your opponent on both facing and rear facing your opponents. Also, you can quickly shift/side-step round your opponents which is something you cannot do in vf4. there more you can do but i don't have enough time to go in depth right now.

In fact, Sega used the wrong word, they didn't create a dodge button in VF3, they created a 'shift' button.

 

[Fatghost]

In terms of graphical quality, the Shenmue Saturn demo is probably in line with what VF3 Satrun looked like.

I might whip out the DC and give VF3tb a go...it's been a while.

What is the status of VF3/Model3 emulation? Mainly talking in terms of speed.

It's not playable yet...but supposedly the people behind SuperModel have joined the MAME team, so hopefully soon...

 

[Apharmd Battler]

Awesome thread!!