In classic Sega form, Virtua Fighter 5 made its playable debut today in Tokyo without much in the way of prior announcement. And true to Japan's favorite fighting series since the first 3D fighters appeared back in the early 90s, despite the suddenness of the VF5's appearance, the Sega Club in West Shinjuku was packed with interested gamers hoping to sample the latest update from AM2.

IGN visited the arcade on Saturday afternoon and found a consistent line of some 30 people waiting to play as well as dozens of additional onlookers. Play required a 500 yen investment on a player card that can only be used for the test version, in addition to 100 yen per match. Four playable arcade units and one VF.TV unit (more on that below) were set up on the basement "battle arena" floor, known as a gathering spot for Japan's biggest Virtua Fighters. Sega will be holding the location test until Sunday, so if you find yourself in Tokyo, head on over.