Virtual Kasparov is a chess video game developed by Titus Interactive Studio, published by Titus Interactive and distributed in Europe by Virgin Interactive for the PlayStation and Game Boy Advance. Game can be played against beginners, novices, champions, or personality players. Games that Garry Kasparov played during his career, as well as interviews about his chess career, can be viewed in the game.
| Virtual Kasparov | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Titus Interactive Studio |
| Publisher(s) | Titus Interactive |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, Game Boy Advance |
| Release | PlayStation Game Boy Advance |
| Genre(s) | Chess |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Game Boy Advance version edit
The main mode of the Game Boy Advance is the story mode. The player starts with two continents to play on, Africa and the Americas. After four players on one continent are beaten, a fifth opponent is unlocked. When four players from both Africa and the Americas are defeated, two new continents are unlocked Asia (sans Russia) and Europe (sans Russia). Once four players from both Asia and Europe are defeated the player is granted access to the subcontinent of Russia. There are a total of 31 opponents in Virtual Kasparov. Opponents are of various ages, backgrounds, experience levels, and geographic locations. Every opponent has a short backstory in story mode.
Critical reaction edit
| Aggregator | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| GBA | PS | |
| GameRankings | 69%[11] | 65%[12] |
| Metacritic | 70/100[13] | N/A |
| Publication | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| GBA | PS | |
| 4Players | N/A | 59%[2] |
| AllGame |   [3] | [4] |
| Game Informer | N/A | 7.75/10[5] |
| GamesMaster | 90%[6] | N/A |
| IGN | 6.5/10[7] | N/A |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 15/20[8] | N/A |
| Nintendo Power | 3.7/5[9] | N/A |
| Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | N/A | [10] |
The Game Boy Advance version received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[13] Steve Butts of IGN said the same handheld version "suffer[s] from some considerable shortcomings, most notably in the area of presentation. The AI is still good enough to make the game enjoyable and challenging, but the lack of some key features leaves you feeling somewhat unsatisfied."[7]
Will Grigoratos of PlayStation Illustrated was pleased with the PlayStation version's 2D graphics, but felt the "3D mode leaves a lot to be desired." Grigoratos called the tutorial for chess beginners "excellent", but concluded the game to ultimately be "a run-of-the-mill chess game, with a few neat frills".[14]
References edit
- ^ Harris, Craig (April 5, 2002). "Virtual Kasparov Ships". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ Bischoff, Jens (June 26, 2001). "Test: Virtual Kasparov (PS)". 4Players (in German). Computec. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ Miller, Skyler. "Virtual Kasparov (GBA) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ House, Michael L. "Virtual Kasparov (PS) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ "Virtual Kasparov (PS)". Game Informer. No. 105. FuncoLand. January 2002.
- ^ "Review: Virtual Kasparov (GBA)". GamesMaster. Future Publishing. 2002.
- ^ a b Butts, Steve (April 19, 2002). "Virtual Kasparov (GBA)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ la redaction (March 22, 2002). "Test: Virtual Kasparov (GBA)". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ "Virtual Kasparov". Nintendo Power. Vol. 157. Nintendo of America. June 2002. p. 154.
- ^ "Virtual Kasparov". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Ziff Davis. 2001.
- ^ "Virtual Kasparov for Game Boy Advance". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ "Virtual Kasparov for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Virtual Kasparov for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ Grigoratos, Will (2001). "Virtual Kasparov (PS)". PlayStation Illustrated.