Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown releases today, June 1, 2021, and with it will come a Legendary Pack DLC that will add plenty of additional features and content to enjoy. Chief among these additions will be recreated UI and character models from the original Virtua Fighter released in 1993. Other additions include over two thousand alternate costumes for characters, new and old background music, and stamps usable in spectator mode.
Ultimate Showdown is a remaster of the original Virtua Fighter 5 released to arcades back in 2006. The remastered version of the game is set to release exclusively for PlayStation 4, with PS Plus users able to play the game for free until June 5, 2021. Interestingly, the game uses the Dragon Engine developed by Yakuza series’ Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios.
Chief Producer of Ultimate Showdown Seiji Aoki stated that, though the previous Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown was the “top of its class from a gameplay perspective”, they felt that the game needed updated graphics, UI, audio, and — most importantly — online play. To this, Sega set up a team with extensive console expertise to revamp the game, in order to introduce the franchise to a new generation of younger fans that “had never experienced the fluid 60 fps martial arts combat”.
One of the key features of the new Ultimate Showdown game is an overhaul to competitive online play. Sega has added new tournaments, as well as League Matches, 16-player private rooms, and an entirely new room UI to facilitate better communication between players. A new spectator mode also lets participants enjoy the match through the use of stamps and other messaging tools, with a built-in automatic replay system showcasing recent matches. Those who purchase the Legendary Pack DLC will also receive special stamps that can be used in said spectator mode.
Additionally, the team also worked on creating new background music for every stage of the game. The Legendary Pack DLC also provides never-before-released background music, in addition to a selection of classic tracks. The new DLC extends this passion towards classic Virtua games even further, introducing 19 rebuilt old character models, the original stages, BGM, and classic UI from the original Virtua Fighter.
If you’d like to see more, Sega has also released a trailer showcasing some of the content included in the Legendary Pack DLC, shown below:
The Virtua Fighter 5 Legendary Pack DLC is available on the PS Store for $9.99, starting June 1, 2021. Virtua Fighter 5 is available on PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now starting June 1, 2021, as a PlayStation 4 exclusive title.
