It was the year 1997, and the world of fighting games was about to be rocked to its core. Virtua Fighter was about to hit the scene, and it was clear that this game was going to be a game changer. Developed by SEGA AM2, Virtua Fighter was not just another fighting game; it was a revolutionary experience that would change the face of the genre forever.

The development of Virtua Fighter began in the early 1990s, and was the brainchild of Yu Suzuki, maybe you’ve heard of him? Created some fairly decent games called Outrun, Space Harrier and After Burner. To say he was a man that knew his way around a hit arcade game would be something of an understatement. That being said, Virtua Fighter marked a change in direction for Sega’s man with the Midas touch. Suzuki’s goal was to create a fighting game that would take advantage of the power of 3D graphics, something that had not been done before. He knew that this would be a major challenge, but he was determined to make it happen.

And happen it did. 

The first version of Virtua Fighter was released into arcades in 1993 and was an instant hit.

Suzuki had done it again. Players were blown away by the game's stunning 3D graphics and innovative gameplay. The game featured a roster of eight characters, each with their own unique fighting style and moves. That may not sound to impressive by todays standards but at the time, it was truly ground breaking. The future of gaming was appearing right before our eyes, and it was awesome to behold.

Virtua Fighter's release was a watershed moment for the fighting game genre. For the first time, players could experience fighting games in full 3D, which allowed for a level of immersion that had never been seen before. The game's success also spawned a number of imitators, as other developers rushed to create their own 3D fighting games. One of which, would eventually surpass the franchise in terms of commercial success…but more on that in a later post.

Regardless of its current state in the fight game community, sales of the series have waned in recent years, Virtua Fighter was a revolutionary game that changed the face of the fighting game genre forever. Its innovative 3D graphics and gameplay set the tone for the 3d fighting games that came after it, because of that Virtua Fighter's legacy is undeniable.

The game's success paved the way for other 3D fighting games like Tekken and Dead or Alive, and it helped to establish the fighting game genre as one of the most popular in the gaming world. It quite literally pushed the boundaries of what was possible in gaming, and because of that, it has to be mentioned when discussing the greatest fighter of all time.