Virtua Fighter 2

Virtua Fighter 2 ran on Sega's Model 2 arcade board, which allowed for texture-mapped 3D characters running at 60 frames per second. This was a significant leap over the original Virtua Fighter, which ran on the Model 1 board with flat-shaded polygons. The game was developed by Sega AM2 under the direction of Yu Suzuki.

Virtua Fighter 2 added Shun Di, a master of drunken kung fu, and Lion Rafale, who practices Praying Mantis style, to the returning roster of characters from the original game. The full roster also includes series staples like Akira (Hakkyoku-ken/Bajiquan), Sarah, Jacky, Wolf, Jeffry, Kage, Pai, and Lau. The hidden boss character Dural also returns.

Virtua Fighter 2 was ported to the Sega Saturn in 1996 and is available on modern platforms through digital retro collections. It can be found on Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade and on PlayStation 3 through the Sega Ages line. The arcade original is also playable through the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, which includes Virtua Fighter games as playable arcade cabinets.

Virtua Fighter 2 uses a three-button control layout (punch, kick, guard) with an emphasis on precise frame timing, ring-outs, and terrain elevation affecting certain moves. Tekken 2, released around the same period by Namco, uses a four-button limb-based system and focuses on string combos and juggling. Both games were instrumental in defining the 3D fighting genre in the mid-1990s.