Virtua Fighter and Project Century are Two Sides of the Same Coin

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As a film enthusiast who has grown up with the cinematic masterpieces of Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, I must say that the latest announcements have left me utterly thrilled. The return of Virtua Fighter and the debut of Project Century are like reuniting with old friends and meeting a promising newcomer at the same time.

2024 has been a successful year for Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, and it seems things are only getting better. Excluding critically acclaimed titles from other Sega studios such as Atlus’ Metaphor: ReFantazio, RGG Studio has released a series of popular games like Like a Dragon 8: Infinite Wealth, an update for Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, and the 2.0 console update for Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown. The studio is starting off 2025 strong with the Steam launch of Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. To top it all off, the 2024 Game Awards introduced a new IP called Project Century and a reboot of Virtua Fighter, which feels like a winning streak.

As a die-hard cinema enthusiast, I can’t help but express my intrigue about the fresh additions to RGG Studio’s cinematic lineup. While details are scarce on these two new productions, it’s all good! With an abundance of captivating titles from this renowned studio already waiting in my queue, I find myself in no rush for more information.

How RGG Studio’s History Informs Its Modern Games

Through the years, RGG Studio and its earlier entities such as AM11, R&D4, Amusement Vision, and New Entertainment R&D Dept., have dabbled in various game types and genres. However, RGG Studio is primarily recognized for its namesake series, Ryu Ga Gotoku, which translates to Yakuza in English. This series is renowned for creating action-RPGs that blend intense combat with immersive storytelling and numerous mini-games. Since the establishment of RGG Studio and New Entertainment R&D, at least one title similar to Yakuza has been released annually. Over this period, they’ve managed to maintain a remarkable level of consistency in their work.

The Turning Point For RGG Studio and Like a Dragon

The main character of the Yakuza series, Kazuma Kiryu, passed on his role in 2020 with the release of “Yakuza: Like a Dragon”. This marked not only a change in the protagonist to Ichiban Kasuga but also a significant shift in the game’s title and gameplay. The previous games featured real-time hack-and-slash fights, whereas “Like a Dragon 7” now offers turn-based RPG battles instead. Side games like “Like a Dragon Garden: The Man Who Erased His Name”, “Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii”, and the “Judgement” series still stick to the old brawler gameplay, but the core franchise of RGG has undergone a complete transformation since then.

Virtua Fighter and Project Century Embody An RGG Studio Tradition

One perspective is that the two latest RGG Studio projects show the developer pushing boundaries further, yet another viewpoint exists. In truth, both “Virtua Fighter” and “Project Century” preserve some essence of the traditional brawler combat style that RGG Studio was recognized for prior to 2020’s “Yakuza: Like a Dragon.” Unlike “Like a Dragon,” neither game features real-time combat in the same manner, with “Virtua Fighter” being a PvP-focused 3D fighting game. However, they are significantly more aligned with the conventional norm than games 7 and 8 of “Like a Dragon” were.

The style of play for Project Century seems remarkably like that of Like a Dragon’s past games, albeit with more intense violence and gore than the original crime series. There’s a possibility that Virtua Fighter might adopt a narrative and exploration style similar to Like a Dragon, thanks to RGG Studio’s involvement. This could result in a story mode for Virtua Fighter that resembles a 3D version of the Street Fighter 6 World Tour. It’s exciting to observe RGG Studio’s action game prowess as Like a Dragon carves its own path, with both Virtua Fighter and Project Century fitting comfortably within the studio’s collection of action-packed games.

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2024-12-20 23:26