Evolution was an updated version of Virtua Fighter 4. The game introduced two new characters and adjusted every other character as well. The two new characters were the Judoka-assassin Goh Hinogami and the Muay Thai boxer Brad Burns. With the addition of Brad Burns, Vanessa Lewis's alternate Muay Thai style from Virtua Fighter 4 was removed and replaced with a Vale Tudo "Offensive" style; making her a solely Vale Tudo brawler. In the US, the PlayStation 2 version was only released as part of the Greatest Hits budget range.
All of the stages were adjusted. For example, Lei-Fei's stage in Virtua Fighter 4 previously took place during sunset, in Evolution it takes place during the morning.
Features:
Improved graphics: better anti-aliasing.
New item store in Quest Mode.
Currency system in Quest Mode.
Opponent tracking log in Quest Mode: kept track of which opponents were fought in Quest Mode.
Increased number of character items.
Improved ranking system.
Special gameplay modes (i.e. Hyper Fighter, See-Saw, Wrestler's, etc.).
Emblem collecting: placed special incentive to defeat certain opponents or to avoid being defeated by certain opponents.
New ring type; Semi-open/semi-walled.
In Quest Mode, one of the tournaments is called the Sonic Cup. Its logo shows Sonic surrounded by rings.
In the US, Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution for PlayStation 2 also included Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary as a bonus.