Virtual Hydlide - Saturn, 22/9/95

Virtual Hydlide - Saturn

Broadcast review

Just as well we know the love that lurks around the corner for the Saturn, or we'd have been tempted to write it off after witnessing this obscenity.

Virtual Hydlide purports to be some manner of RPG, though the virtual tag is a little misleading.

You control a massive sprite who sits directly in the centre of your field of vision as you usher him through a sluggish 3D environment.

Though Virtual Hydlide controls about as well as a sick horse in a tar pit, and the graphics jerk about like a Russian camera crew, it has one potential ace up its nose.

A new game is randomly generated each time you play. Sounds good? It isn't.

Though VH contains all the usual RPG fantasy elements such as sword fights (real time Doom-style) and magic rings and such, the random landscape generator eliminates any plot.

Virtual Hydlide's lack of plot, coupled with graphics and controls that render the game all but unplayable, means there's little to tempt you to return.

You move from one monster encounter to another, occasionally being urged to enter a building or graveyard, but it all seems so pointless.

The Saturn is capable of so much more than this. With Bug, Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter 2 imminent, releasing this is likely to do more harm to Sega's reputation than good. Silly.

Virtual Hydlide - Saturn - by Sega

Players: 1
Graphix: 35%
Sonix: 79%
Gameplay: 40%
Lifespan: 60%
Originality: 43%
Uppers: A new game every time!
Downers: Everything else
Overall: 49% - Virtual Hide-Wipe

Original review

Just as well we know that love lurks around the corner for the Saturn, or we'd have been tempted to write it off after witnessing this obscenity.

Virtual Hydlide purports to be some manner of RPG, though the virtual tag is a little misleading.

You control a massive sprite who sits directly in the centre of your field of vision as you usher him through a sluggish 3D environment.

Though Virtual Hydlide controls about as well as a sick horse in a tar pit, and the graphics jerk about like some seizure-wracked policeman, it has one potential ace up its nose.

A new game is randomly generated each time you play. Sounds good? It isn't.

Though VH contains all the usual RPG fantasy elements such as sword fights (real time Doom-style) and magic rings and such, the random landscape generator eliminates any plot.

Virtual Hydlide's lack of plot, coupled with graphics and controls that render the game all but unplayable, means there's little to tempt you to return.

You move from one monster encounter to another, occasionally being urged to enter a building or graveyard, but it all seems so pointless.

The Saturn is capable of so much more than this. With Bug, Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter 2 imminent, releasing this is likely to do more harm to Sega's reputation than good. Silly.

Virtual Hydlide - Saturn - by Sega

Players: 1
Graphix: 35%
Sonix: 79%
Gameplay: 40%
Lifespan: 60%
Originality: 43%
Uppers: A new game every time!
Downers: Everything else
Overall: 49% - Virtual Hide-Wipe