Although we enjoyed Virtua Fighter 5 on the PlayStation 3, its lack of online play made us ditch the game sooner than we wanted to. The superb Xbox 360 version, on the other hand, gives us the full package; a phenomenal game made better with Xbox Live head-to-head.

Fighters from previous games return for more, along with two new faces -- the versatile Eileen and the suave Lucha Libre wrestler El Blaze. Each of these characters sport powerful, unique fighting styles. Shun Di, for instance, wavers around unpredictably with his drunken fighting technique, becoming more impulsive every time he swigs from the bottle. Jeffrey McWild prefers WWE-style wrestling moves, slamming opponents to the ground and howling like a mad man. None of the fighters have that much of an advantage over the others, which in turn keeps things balanced.
To get a rundown of moves, simply access a Command List for each character by pausing the game. Here, you'll discover combos and power moves, along with grapples, described here as "offensive maneuvers". You also get lessons in how to break out of a throw with a quick defensive maneuver, done more realistically here than in the counter-mad Dead or Alive 4. In addition, fighters shift movement upwards and downwards with a double-tap on the directional pad or analog stick. This sets up your foe for a good counter-attack, while dodging their incoming strike.

As for controlling options, Virtua Fighter 5 works best with the analog stick, although the directional pad is manageable. However, true fighting fanatics should use Hori's fighting stick (sold separately) -- if you haven't worn it out on DOA 4 already.

Computer opponents put up a splendid fight -- maybe too much of one. The artificial intelligence will pummel you, especially if you suck. To sharpen your skills, you should acquaint yourself with Dojo mode. Merely select a fighter, set up a particular scenario and go to work. This teaches you most (if not all) of the fighters' moves and counters, along with plenty of the deeper bone-breaking combos.

Sega AM2 deserves kudos for the work it's done with the visuals. Just like the PS3 version, all of the fighters look phenomenal, right down to the wrinkles in Shun Di's face and the seams on Sarah Bryant's sexy body suit. Even with the smallest of motions (like getting up off the ground), the characters move with fluidity. The backgrounds also stand out. The street level, for instance, features passing traffic with honking cars as they pass by, buildings with separately lit windows and rain -- all at 60 frames per second. Other stages, such as a snow-capped mountain and a heavily crowded wrestling arena, show fine craftwork as well. Even the menu system explodes with detail, as you select from floating icons to reach the desired mode.