Sega Ships Virtua Quest for GameCube, PlayStation 2

SAN FRANCISCO (January 18, 2005) - SEGA of America today announced the availability of Virtua Quest -- an action-RPG spin-off of the renowned Virtua Fighter franchise -- for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation2 computer entertainment system.

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.

"With Virtua Quest, we wanted to develop a title that would resonate with our younger audience," said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president of entertainment marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "The play mechanics offer significant depth while remaining user-friendly for inexperienced gamers."

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.

Virtua Quest is rated "T" for Teens and is available at retailers nationwide for an MSRP of $39.95.

About SEGA

SEGA of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

SEGA of America's Web site is located at www.SEGA.com.

SEGA, Virtua Quest, and Virtua Fighter are trademarks or registered trademarks of SEGA Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.