haha, guys at IGN were saying yesterday that news would come out about a cross platform game that would piss off sony owners. Here is an invetview they did with Yoshihiro Tsuzuku, Director at AM2. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/801/801903p1.html big news though. VF5 is the best fighter I've played in ages.
i'm still thinking streetfighter remix hd will be THE GAME, but hell i'll get this game anyways... cause fighting games > final fantasy games
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/801/801903p1.html Virtua Fighter 5 Goes Online Xbox Live to become SEGA's new battleground. by Hilary Goldstein July 6, 2007 - By the time Virtua Fighter 5 is released on Xbox 360, more than six months will have passed since its PlayStation 3 debut. That time is being well spent as SEGA and developer AM2 are bringing an online component to the renowned series. That's right, VF5 will be Xbox Live compatible with a two-player online versus mode. You may begin rejoicing. Players can build a custom character in the expanded Quest Mode before taking their fighter online to do battle. Not only will you fight for glory (and a place on the Leaderboards), but for prizes and in-game cash that can be used to buy new accessories for your character. Quest Mode allows gamers to create unique names and mottos for any of the 17 playable characters in Virtua Fighter 5. They can then purchase clothing and other accessories to personalize their fighter. This can go to great extremes in some cases, with two versions of the same character looking almost nothing alike. So expect to come across some unique variations on some of your VF favorites when playing online. "Virtua Fighter 5 is the most intense fighting experience available on next-generation consoles," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America. "The addition of online multiplayer support opens up the competition to a global scale enabling players to compete and challenge anyone, anywhere, anytime, using Xbox Live." Virtua Fighter 5 on 360 will use the most recent arcade update and feature all the improvements of Version C. The PS3 release used Version B. Gamers can also enjoy an improved Dojo Mode that includes online leaderboards, improved throw escape training, and the ability to change your opponent's stance and recovery type. But really, the big news is the addition of Xbox Live. We managed to grab a few minutes of time with Yoshihiro Tsuzuku, Director at AM2, for a brief Q&A about Virtua Fighter 5's online compontent. IGN: Lag can kill a fighter. What steps are being taken to ensure a smooth play session online? Yoshihiro Tsuzuku: It's impossible to get rid of the lags completely. It's hard to answer to your question in a single word, but we are assuming various conditions and making necessary adjustments to find the best way. IGN: Is the Quest mode going to allow for online players or is online its own specific mode? Tsuzuku: The Quest Mode is single player and you can fight a battle immediately by simply visiting the virtual shop and selecting a rival CPU. The CPUs in Xbox 360 version are better tuned than the PS3 version, so they will be more human-like and stronger. Moreover, the online battle will be based on the VS Mode. Please look forward to it. IGN: Is it going to be just standard arcade fighting, or are there any other unique modes being added for online? Tsuzuku: The following 5 performances are featured as the online elements. 1. Human vs human online battle using the VS Mode and Xbox Live. 2. Ranking of the above online battle. 3. "Score Attack" Ranking in Arcade Mode. 4. "Clear Time" Ranking in Arcade Mode. 5. "Clear Time" Ranking in Dojo Mode. Also, we are considering uploading the replay data for some of the Rankings. We are planning on making the online battle simple and fun. IGN: Are there any Achievements linked directly to online play? Tsuzuku: The settings in Achievement are currently under consideration. IGN: Will there be any special unlockables linked to online play or any other rewards specific to playing on Xbox Live? Tsuzuku: Some gamers do not have an online environment, so we are wondering if we should take it or not. It's under review now. IGN: Any plans to release a demo before the game ships? Tsuzuku: Our team is looking into it, stay tuned for more details. Virtua Fighter 5 ships for Xbox 360 this fall.
One of the "insiders" at NeoGAF mentioned this news about a week or two ago IIRC. I thought about dropping hints about it here, but I didn't want to get tinman too excited in case it turned out to be false.
