Editing Virtua Fighter (video game) (section)

===Arcade===
Sega began location testing an early prototype version in Japan prior to the game's demonstration at the [[Amusement Machine Show]] (AM Show) in August 1993. Sega reported it to be their highest-earning location test performance of all time, with each test machine earning a daily average of {{JPY|60,000}} or {{US$|600|long=no|1993}}. At the 1993 AM Show, it was rated the "hit of the show" by many visitors.<ref name="RePlay"/> In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Virtua Fighter'' on their January 1, 1994, issue as being the most-popular upright/cockpit arcade game for the previous two weeks.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 – アップライト, コックピット型TVゲーム機 (Upright/Cockpit Videos)|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=464|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=January 1, 1994|page=35|lang=ja}}</ref> It went on to become Japan's highest-grossing [[1994 in video games|arcade game of 1994]],<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Best Videos '94: "Puyo Puyo", "Ridge Racer" DX |magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]] |issue=487 |publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]] |date=January 1–15, 1995 |page=36 |lang=ja |url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19950101p.pdf#page=19}}</ref> and one of the highest-grossing arcade games of all time in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/Ultimate_Future_Games_Issue_02_1995-01_Future_Publishing_GB#page/n27/mode/2up |title=Ultimate Future Games – Issue 02 (1995-01)(Future Publishing)(GB) |website=Archive.org |date=January 1995 |access-date=March 11, 2016}}</ref> According to ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' magazine in 1995, ''Virtua Fighter'' was "the biggest game in Japan since ''[[Super Mario World]]''."<ref name="NG11">{{cite magazine |title=The Art of Virtua Fighter |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |date=October 24, 1995 |issue=11 (November 1995) |page=1 |url=https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-011/page/n1/mode/2up}}</ref> In North America, ''RePlay'' reported ''Virtua Fighter'' to be the sixth most-popular upright arcade game in February 1994,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Player's Choice – Top Games Now in Operation, Based on Earnings-Opinion Poll of Operators: Best Upright Videos|magazine=RePlay|volume=19|issue=5|publisher=RePlay Publishing, Inc.|date=February 1994|page=6}}</ref> and it went on to be one of America's top five highest-grossing arcade video games of 1994.<ref name="AMOA"/> In the United Kingdom, it was the second top-grossing arcade game in London during early 1994 (below ''[[Ridge Racer (video game)|Ridge Racer]]''),<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Arcade Action |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |publisher=[[Future Publishing]] |location=United Kingdom |issue=149 (April 1994) |date=March 15, 1994 |pages=82–6 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/7/7f/CVG_UK_149.pdf#page=82}}</ref> and went on to be one of the most popular coin-ops of the year.<ref name="CVG158"/>

''Virtua Fighter'' sold more than 40,000 arcade units worldwide by 1996,<ref>{{cite news |title=Virtua Fighter Kids: New Sega Saturn game is way "a-head" of its time |url=https://segaretro.org/Press_release:_1996-09-03:_Virtua_Fighter_Kids:_New_Sega_Saturn_game_is_way_%22a-head%22_of_its_time |access-date=October 11, 2021 |publisher=[[Sega of America]] |date=September 3, 1996}}</ref> with each unit costing between {{US$|15,000|long=no|1993|round=-3}}<ref name="CVG158"/> and £14,000 / {{US$|{{To USD|14|GBR|year=1993|round=yes}},000|long=no|1993|round=-3}}.<ref name="CVG147"/> ''Virtua Fighter'' and ''[[Virtua Fighter 2]]'' (1994) became Sega's best-selling arcade games of all time, surpassing their previous record holder ''[[Out Run]]'' (1986).<ref name="SAH">{{cite book |author=Famitsu DC |author-link=Famitsu DC |url=https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File:Sega_Arcade_History_JP_EnterBrain_Book.pdf&page=14 |title=セガ・アーケード・ヒストリー |trans-title=Sega Arcade History |chapter=Interview: Akira Nagai — SEGA Representative |series=Famitsu Books |publisher=[[Enterbrain]] |date=February 15, 2002 |pages=20–23 |language=ja |isbn=978-4-75770790-0 |access-date=April 11, 2024 |archive-date=August 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820193203/https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3ASega_Arcade_History_JP_EnterBrain_Book.pdf&page=14 |url-status=live}} ([http://shmuplations.com/akiranagai/ Translation] by Shmuplations. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807024817/http://shmuplations.com/akiranagai/ |date=August 7, 2020 }}).</ref>

Following its demonstration at the 1993 AM Show, ''Virtua Fighter'' received a positive industry reception. ''RePlay'' magazine called "the adaptation of 3-D polygon graphics to video fighting games" a "sensational development that could define and revitalize this already-hot category." California Games CEO Pat Schroeder said ''Virtua Fighter'' "was by far the dawn of a new era of games" with praise for the "computerized 3-D graphics with effects that are unreal" and how it "shows the fighting action" from different angles.<ref name="RePlay"/> ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'' magazine called ''Virtua Fighter'' "a tantalising glimpse into the future of fighting games employing the same ground-breaking CG computer graphics system as ''[[Virtua Racing]]''." While criticizing the appearance of the "excessively blocky polygonised people," ''Edge'' said "the 3D scrolling, animation and movement are all silky-smooth and very realistic" and that "the fluid animation and imaginative camera angles quickly won the audience over."<ref name="Edge2"/> ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' hailed ''Virtua Fighter'' as a demonstration of "just how far video games have come in the last eight years." ''EGM'' made particular note of the advanced graphics, how the camera moves along different axes depending on the fighters' location, the use of multiple viewpoints in the instant replay, the high quality of the gameplay, and the smoothness and realism of the animation.<ref name="EGM51">{{cite magazine|title=Virtua Fighters|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=51|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|date=October 1993|page=66}}</ref>

In January 1994, Rik Skews of ''[[Computer and Video Games]]'' magazine, after playing for 1 hour, initially praised the "brilliant 64-bit" 3D graphics, animation and camera work but compared the gameplay unfavorably to ''Street Fighter II''.<ref name="CVG147"/> ''Computer and Video Games'' was later more positive towards the gameplay, stating in December 1994 that the game "combined cutting edge arcade technology with motion capture techniques and some excellent gameplay design."<ref name="CVG158"/> ''Next Generation'' said in 1995 that it epitomized Yu Suzuki's "skill of finding the perfect blend of state-of-the-art technology with solid gameplay" in "the cut-throat world" of arcades.<ref name="NG11"/>