Take any of my ratings of non-Smash fighting games with a grain of salt, as they're usually based off a single run or two through the arcade ladder and general surface impressions.
Having said that, if there was any one traditional fighting game I'd want to master, it'd be either Darkstalkers 3 or this. There's a lot to Virtua Fighter's purity of form that I respect; flashy personalities are cool and all, but I like the commitment to characters existing solely to represent those real-world fighting styles. VF2 is the purest expression of that game design, since VF1 is still figuring it out and comparatively floaty while VF3's smaller and more dynamic battlefields distract from that purity of form. This isn't to say that the game is devoid of personality, either; the characters, while light, convey a lot by their simple broad strokes. Lau Chan is politely teasing out your ability. Pai Chan is trying to prove herself. Lion Rafale is an insufferable little brat who's so obnoxious you HAVE to get good enough to beat him. Jeffry McWild is an immovable wall. Akira Yuki is your final test. Dural is your REAL final test.
Also important to what makes the game work is how quickly play turns over. Matches - not just rounds - can easily be resolved in under 30 seconds. From a singleplayer perspective, that makes it really easy to try, try again if you want to get good at the video game (hopefully you have access to free play or a TON of credits). I haven't had the opportunity to play this multiplayer, but I imagine the quick turnover did a lot to keep the arcade scene dynamic as well. Lots of opportunity to determine whether a character is right for you, then move on over to the next one when you're ready. I dunno, there's a lot of simple design philosophy at play here that makes me endlessly respect what VF2 has to offer.
But, like, SEGA, for goodness' sakes, port the Arcade or Saturn version more. You're not doing yourself any favors constantly porting the Genesis version. I guess it's impressive that a last-gen console was able to run it, but doing so required converting it into 2D, when the entire soul and essence of what Virtua Fighter is lies in that dearly departed Z-axis.
Having said that, if there was any one traditional fighting game I'd want to master, it'd be either Darkstalkers 3 or this. There's a lot to Virtua Fighter's purity of form that I respect; flashy personalities are cool and all, but I like the commitment to characters existing solely to represent those real-world fighting styles. VF2 is the purest expression of that game design, since VF1 is still figuring it out and comparatively floaty while VF3's smaller and more dynamic battlefields distract from that purity of form. This isn't to say that the game is devoid of personality, either; the characters, while light, convey a lot by their simple broad strokes. Lau Chan is politely teasing out your ability. Pai Chan is trying to prove herself. Lion Rafale is an insufferable little brat who's so obnoxious you HAVE to get good enough to beat him. Jeffry McWild is an immovable wall. Akira Yuki is your final test. Dural is your REAL final test.
Also important to what makes the game work is how quickly play turns over. Matches - not just rounds - can easily be resolved in under 30 seconds. From a singleplayer perspective, that makes it really easy to try, try again if you want to get good at the video game (hopefully you have access to free play or a TON of credits). I haven't had the opportunity to play this multiplayer, but I imagine the quick turnover did a lot to keep the arcade scene dynamic as well. Lots of opportunity to determine whether a character is right for you, then move on over to the next one when you're ready. I dunno, there's a lot of simple design philosophy at play here that makes me endlessly respect what VF2 has to offer.
But, like, SEGA, for goodness' sakes, port the Arcade or Saturn version more. You're not doing yourself any favors constantly porting the Genesis version. I guess it's impressive that a last-gen console was able to run it, but doing so required converting it into 2D, when the entire soul and essence of what Virtua Fighter is lies in that dearly departed Z-axis.