For nearly a decade, the "Virtua Fighter" series has struggled for recognition in the United States. Repeatedly overshadowed by 3D fighters that were easier to master and simpler to play, Yu Suzuki's complex fighting game has been relegated to cult status. If you're not a Sega fanboy, chances are you've never played a "Virtua Fighter" game. Now, with Sega's multiplatform strategy in full swing, "Extended Play" reviews the PS2 version of "Virtua Fighter 4." It may be the entry that finally breaks the barriers previous "Virtua Fighters" could not. Let it be said right up front: This is the best fighting experience available on home consoles.

The premise is standard fare. A yearly tournament is held to determine the best fighter in the world, a major prize goes to the winner, and, naturally, the same people keep coming back to participate year after year. While the back stories of the characters are fleshed out more in each installment, don't look for cutscenes or fancy CG endings here. "Virtua Fighter 4," like its predecessors, is all about the fight. What you lose in flashy extras you gain back several times over in deep, complex gameplay.

Extensive training mode
If you've never played a "Virtua Fighter" game, you may feel a bit out of your depth when you first hit the extensive training mode. In addition to the usual move-list training, "Virtua Fighter 4" has a trial mode that will teach you the rules of the game step by step. From standard striking techniques to triple throw escape buffering, trial mode is guaranteed to make you a better player after an hour or so of practice. When you've mastered the basics you can dive into sparring mode, which allows you to battle CPU opponents in situations customized to the weaknesses in your play style you wish to work on. The training mode can easily take up hours of your time and is a brilliant addition to the game. This mode makes "Virtua Fighter 4" accessible to vastly more people than any of the previous games in the series.

Graphics: Greatly improved
Time spent in training will also give you the opportunity to appreciate the greatly improved character models and animation. While not quite up to the level of Tecmo's "Dead or Alive 3" when it comes to graphics, "Virtua Fighter 4" is certainly in the top echelon of fighting games when it comes to visuals. The characters look eerily real at times and interact with each other extremely well. The animation work on Lei Fei, the new Shaolin monk fighter, is fluid and seamless to a degree unprecedented in the "Virtua Fighter" games. Thanks to the excellent hit detection and facial expressions, you feel it when Jacky tags you with a well-timed spin kick. Equally impressive are the environments you'll be fighting in. Sarah's ancient ruins stage slowly collapses as a lightning storm rages, while Wolf's pit-fighting arena features a fully polygonal crowd ringing the area to cheer and jeer you on.

Sound: Richer music, not so great voice acting
The soundtrack on "Virtua Fighter 4" is a substantial improvement on the previous installment. It features much richer and more distinctive tunes. Each stage's music is tailored to both the stage's theme and the personality of the fighter associated with the stage. Sound effects feature bone-crunching cracks, smacks, and thuds, along with the trademark "passing jet plane" whoosh that accompanies a spin kick. Perhaps the only real weakness in the sound is the voice work. It's not horrible, but after the 20th time hearing Lion shout, "Why am I so great," you'll be ready to punch him in the mouth yourself.

Gameplay: Easily accessible, but offers depth and challenge
Of course, the star of the show, as with any quality title, is the gameplay. What makes "Virtua Fighter 4" so impressive is not just the complexity of the gameplay but the varying levels of complexity available. You can play "Virtua Fighter 4" on a basic level, simply punching, kicking, and using the occasional advanced technique. Two players who have never played a "Virtua Fighter" title before can quite easily pick up and play this game and have a good time with it. But for gamers who wish to dig further into the fighting engine, many levels of depth lie beneath the shiny surface. Contained within is an entirely new evasion system that changes the balance of the game substantially. Intelligent use of the evasion system can effectively eliminate wall traps and forced ringouts. Most fighters now have new stances that can be used, changing their moveset and allowing for new methods of attack and defense. Some characters, such as Lei Fei and Vanessa, use stance-switching as a major part of their repertoire.

More advanced methods of play can involve knowing which specific moves counter other moves, knowing what frames of a particular move's animation will allow a counterattack, and using float attacks to tack on a crippling amount of extra damage. It's up to the player to decide whether to stay on the surface or to delve into the depths of this game's combat system.

Players wishing to progress through Kumite mode will probably opt for the latter. While the standard arcade mode provides a worthy challenge at higher levels, Kumite mode is the meat of the single-player game. Here you use player-specific character data files to compete in an endless series of matches against dozens of AI opponents. The object is to fight your way up in rank, from lowly 10th Kyu to the upper echelons of fighting godhood. Along the way, you'll not only have your every statistic tracked by the game, but you'll also earn items to equip your character, allowing you to create a unique look for your fighter. This fighter can also be used in both versus and arcade mode, allowing your performance to be tracked, graded, and commented on by the game in the character's status screen. The entire Kumite/player creation feature is a fantastic addition and expands the single player experience greatly.

All of this combines to produce one of the slickest fighting games ever. There is a massive amount of technique here to learn and keep you and your friends busy learning for quite some time, and when you're playing solo, there's no shortage of things to do, thanks to Kumite. If you feel competition is lacking all around, you can even train an AI character to fight, creating an opponent who potentially knows your every move and combo choice. If you're in the market for a fighting game that will test you as well as entertain you, and you don't fear a learning curve, don't hesitate to pick up "Virtua Fighter 4."