Virtua Quest

"The tragedy of Virtua Quest is that it could have been a great game, and coming from Sega, should have been. But it's not, and it does nothing positive for the Virtua brand."

"Sega's Virtua Fighter series has long been one of the crown jewels in the respected Japanese developer's portfolio of games. But while garnering a sizable and devoted fan base, as well as a respectable amount of critical acclaim, the series has never quite broken through to the masses. As a result, Sega is now attempting to broaden the franchise's appeal by experimenting with it a bit. The upcoming Virtua Quest, an action role-playing game that employs the venerable Virtua Fighter license, has toyed with the franchise by presenting it in a decidedly different way. "

We went hands-on with the GameCube version of Virtua Quest today at Sega's E3 booth. In the game, you'll take control of a young boy named Sei who has the uncanny ability to access "Virtua Souls," which are data clusters spread around the world that will grant Sei new fighting powers. Sei will be pursued by an evil group that desires his powers throughout the game.

"Virtua Quest is hard to recommend anyone, given its poor controls, lackluster combat, and unenticing world."

"While the game has its few shining moments, Virtua Quest just doesn't leave us wanting to see it through to the end. Maybe it's the gawky controls or the tame combat but this one just doesn't play as good as it could have."