SEGA sent in a press release announcing that Virtua Quest has shipped for both the Sony Playstation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. Virtua Quest is an RPG spin-off of the popular arcade game Virtua Fighter. The game carries a Teen ESRB rating and retails for $39.95USD.

Virtua Quest is designed to introduce the Virtua Fighter characters to younger players, an audience more familiar with story-driven action games than complex arcade fighting games. In Virtua Quest, the player assumes the identity of a young boy named Sei (pronounced “Say”). As the player explores each stage, he/she discovers data clusters called “Virtua Souls”. When these Virtua Souls unlock, players are trained how to perform a range of flashy fighting moves by the most popular Virtua Fighter brawlers.

Traditional role-playing game elements such as leveling up, skill branches, and extensive cinematic cut-scenes give this adventure a robust ‘quest’ feel. There are more than 45 special moves to master, and beyond using his fists and feet, Sei also wields a super-powered, whip-style energy wire. Virtua Fighter cameos include fan-favorites Akira, Lau, Pai and Wolf, among others.