The Game Awards 2024 has revealed two new initiatives from the Yakuza devs, together with a correct revival of Sega’s premier combating sport sequence.
During final 12 months’s The Game Awards, Sega introduced not one, not two, however 5 revivals of lengthy dormant IPs, together with Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi. Since then, although, the writer’s been awfully quiet about them.
You would possibly’ve thought an replace at The Game Awards 2024 would’ve been so as however, sadly, that was not the case. But Sega nonetheless had multiple announcement up its sleeve.
The bulletins included the return of yet one more basic franchise, with Sega set to problem Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 with a model new Virtua Fighter sport.
What is Virtua Fighter?
Much like Tekken, Virtua Fighter is a sequence of 3D combating video games that used to populate arcades earlier than making the leap to house consoles. In truth, it was the primary of its type and, on the time, probably the most life like portrayal of a human ever in 3D (Virtua Fighter designer Seiichi Ishii later went on to direct the primary Tekken).
Although it continued into the 2000s, Virtua Fighter finally fell out of vogue, though it has popped up within the Yakuza/Like A Dragon sequence greater than as soon as. With combating video games rising in recognition in recent times, although, there was some hope Virtua Fighter would make a comeback.
Virtua Fighter 5 did see an up to date re-release in 2021, with a PC port dropping in Janaury 2025, and Sega recommended final 12 months it was contemplating a full revival. Now, hopeful followers have been rewarded with a completely new entry that, maybe appropriately, is being helmed by Yakuza/Like A Dragon developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, which already dealt with the up to date Virtua Fighter 5.
When is the brand new Virtua Fighter being launched?
Details are unsurprisingly slim, with no point out of a launch date in anyway. The temporary teaser does exhibit a radically redesigned Akira (the Virtua Fighter equal of Street Fighter’s Ryu) combating somebody who seems precisely like Sarah Bryant, one other sequence common.
A separate Virtua Fighter showcase, nonetheless, refers to her as Stella, suggesting she’s both a completely new character or the sport is serving as a full reboot of the sequence.
While there’s little else to go on, every thing thus far factors to it being exactly what followers need, with the gameplay promising a return to Virtua Fighter’s extra grounded martial arts, in comparison with Street Fighter and Tekken’s extra fantastical fight.
This isn’t the one sport Ryu Ga Gotoku is engaged on both. Aside from a brand new Yakuza pirate spin-off due in February 2025, the studio’s different Game Awards announcement was one thing at the moment titled Project Century.
What is Project Century?
At first look, we assumed this was one other Yakuza spin-off, albeit one set in 1915, however there’s no trace of any of the goofier components the sequence is legendary for.
Project Century is offered as a gritty drama, with the 3D brawler fight depicted in a extra grounded and bloody method and the protagonist most positively killing a number of the enemies.
For now, it appears to be one thing solely separate from the Yakuza sequence, although that will change as soon as Sega settles on a correct identify for it. Like Virtua Fighter, it too lacks any kind of launch window.
Naturally, Sega additionally had one thing Sonic associated to tease. Not the eventual Sonic Frontiers sequel, however one other kart racer titled Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. Something leaker Pyoro (who has precisely predicted Nintendo associated bulletins previously) appeared to tease beforehand.
Ironically, Sonic doesn’t even seem in the teaser, with edgy rival, and upcoming film star, Shadow hogging the highlight as he drives his race automobile right into a glowing portal.
Sega says the brand new racer may have ‘a definite racing mechanic that guarantees to move Sonic racing followers into a brand new dimension’ no matter meaning. Given the title although, we hope and suspect this can be a crossover sport like Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and have characters from different Sega properties.
While it wasn’t talked about throughout The Game Awards itself, Sega can be eager to let followers know that DLC for Sonic X Shadow Generations is now accessible, including a brand new Shibuya (and space in Tokyo) primarily based degree for Shadow, impressed by the upcoming film. It even offers Shadow the voice of Keanu Reeves.
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