How/why did Virtua Fighter become unpopular?

So apparently, VF5 bombed hard on consoles. Didn't the series use to be immensely popular, or has Street Fighter's return been a deathblow to the 3d fighter?

Short story? Blame Tekken and DOA. VF was too deep for the casual gamer. Not to mention it did not have the flashing effects those two had.

Long story? It all goes back to Sega Saturn's failure as a console. The rise of PS and Tekken exclusivity. The rise and fall of Dreamcast alongside VF3 with it. Yu Suzuki's super ambitions with Shenmue and how it drew the resources of AM2 away from VF for a while. The return of VF to stardom with VF4 but still not being as strong as the established Tekken and DOA, the refusal to port VF5 FS and VF5R to consoles, etc. I'll elaborate when I'm not on mobile.

Because tekken in better, yeah I said it.

Virtua Fighter 5 is the best fighting game to ever hit a console.

I think Virtual Fighter is to deep in game play and bland in it's look for me at least. My first go round with the PS3 I had it and I played it for a while but just never took to it. I imagine it is for hardcore fighter fans and that's it.

Everyone knows that Tekken is the king of 3d fighting games

Was it ever popular?

I don't think it was ever That Popular in comparison to Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter or Tekken...

This.

this so much.

The hard to understand gameplay, it was too hard to master and it was pretty hard to new guys.

Its the same reason why SF 3, never got more popular.

Tell that to SF3 3rd Strike.

@king_saturn: mk is only popular in the us, and even that is more infamous then anything

Maybe now, but in the 90s the damn thing was every place, at least during the 2d gameplay years.

Why is Rainbow Six not as popular as Counter Strike? Why is ARMA not as popular as Call of Duty or Battlefield? Why is PES not as popular as FIFA? Because most of the casual gamers prefer the fun part over the challenge part. A great deal of appeal comes from the fun factor. Only hardcore gamers dig the depth and challenge and all that.

Sega Saturn Days. It was king then. VF1 > Tekken 1 and VF 2 > Tekken 2. There was a time when most gamers knew Akira but not Kazuya. The only reason Tekken outlived VF was because Tekken lived alongside the more successful PS while VF had been stuck as a Sega exclusive back on its day. Tekken 3 was the turning point. But VF is the father of 3D fighting. Without it, Tekken would not have existed. Namco even admits this. Not to mention the first DOA was using a VF engine. Unfortunately, it has refused to evolve. Yeah it has deepened the gameplay with every release but that's it. Minimal number of characters + no story mode + no supernatural factor = boring outside the core game.

It's really a matter of taste. I believe VF5 Final Showdown was the deepest and most challenging fighter I've ever played but 3rd Strike was the most exciting fighter with ample depth I've played.

@jointron33: It sells millions still

Because Street Fighter is superior on every level.

@crom_cruach: it's a different kind of fighting game. A better comparison would be Tekken, which is more enjoyable.

True. I feel like I cared more about Tekken's story and I saw the VF anime which seemed to explain a lot.

@nelomaxwell: there's a story in vf? Next you're gonna tell me that there are characters and not just stock models with certain fighting styles

I think it all comes down to the characters, Virtua Fighter is a pretty good fighter but the characters are pretty bland and lame imo, Tekken, SF, and Mortal Kombat shine in that category as well as other fighters like DOA, Soulcalibur, KOF, and Persona 4.

Oh and Tekken 3 is my favorite fighter to hit a console.