<s>
Virtual	B-Application
Chess	I-Application
64	I-Application
is	O
a	O
chess	B-Application
simulation	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
a	O
piece	O
is	O
captured	O
,	O
a	O
short	O
animated	O
cutscene	O
plays	O
back	O
depicting	O
the	O
battle	O
,	O
as	O
in	O
1988	O
's	O
Battle	B-Application
Chess	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Application
Chess	I-Application
64	I-Application
comes	O
with	O
a	O
basic	O
text	O
and	O
visual	O
tutorial	O
written	O
for	O
beginners	O
and	O
novices	O
about	O
how	O
to	O
play	O
chess	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
third	O
section	O
the	O
tutorial	O
continues	O
explaining	O
how	O
to	O
play	O
using	O
simple	O
chess	B-Application
positions	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
must	O
find	O
the	O
best	O
move	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
fifth	O
and	O
sixth	O
sections	O
these	O
chess	B-Application
problems	O
become	O
increasingly	O
complicated	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
expected	O
to	O
find	O
the	O
solution	O
and	O
understand	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
three	O
sections	O
focus	O
on	O
improving	O
opening	O
,	O
middlegame	O
,	O
and	O
endgame	O
chess	B-Application
play	O
by	O
using	O
example	O
games	O
for	O
analysis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
four	O
2D	O
chess	B-Application
sets	O
to	O
select	O
from	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
supports	O
two	O
players	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
the	O
option	O
of	O
seeing	O
the	O
chess	B-Application
engine	O
play	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
has	O
a	O
"	O
Level	O
"	O
option	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
can	O
set	O
the	O
time	O
taken	O
for	O
the	O
chess	B-Application
engine	O
to	O
respond	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
complexity	O
of	O
the	O
position	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
a	O
"	O
Meditation	O
"	O
setting	O
by	O
which	O
,	O
if	O
enabled	O
,	O
the	O
chess	B-Application
engine	O
will	O
think	O
on	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
time	O
except	O
usually	O
during	O
the	O
opening	O
phase	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
predefined	O
moves	O
are	O
played	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
website	O
GameRankings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
gave	O
it	O
a	O
mixed	O
review	O
,	O
a	O
few	O
months	O
before	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
Stateside	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
stated	O
that	O
although	O
Virtual	B-Application
Chess	I-Application
64	I-Application
may	O
not	O
be	O
for	O
those	O
who	O
are	O
n't	O
into	O
chess	B-Application
,	O
it	O
was	O
so	O
thorough	O
in	O
features	O
and	O
gameplay	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
worthwhile	O
to	O
any	O
kind	O
of	O
chess	B-Application
player	O
,	O
including	O
newcomers	O
wanting	O
to	O
get	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
opponent	O
AI	O
was	O
praised	O
,	O
with	O
critics	O
claiming	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
hard	O
to	O
beat	O
even	O
on	O
lower	O
difficulty	O
levels	O
;	O
writers	O
such	O
as	O
Hyper	O
staff	O
Ross	O
Clarksmith	O
and	O
N64	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
journalist	O
Tim	O
Weaver	O
opined	O
that	O
it	O
made	O
Virtual	O
Chess	B-Application
a	O
worthy	O
alternative	O
to	O
playing	O
chess	B-Application
in	O
real	O
life	O
with	O
another	O
human	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mark	O
Skorupa	O
of	O
Gamezilla	O
,	O
a	O
gamer	O
who	O
never	O
played	O
chess	B-Application
before	O
,	O
admitted	O
he	O
understood	O
the	O
rules	O
successfully	O
thanks	O
to	O
the	O
tutorial	O
,	O
although	O
had	O
a	O
minor	O
complaint	O
of	O
the	O
content	O
being	O
over-detailed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
writer	O
Peer	O
Schneider	O
wrote	O
that	O
,	O
despite	O
flicker	O
in	O
the	O
alternate	O
2D	O
chess	B-Application
boards	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
looked	O
mostly	O
high-res	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
3D	O
chess	B-Application
board	O
garnered	O
numerous	O
complaints	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
reviewers	O
particularly	O
bashed	O
the	O
chess-piece-clearing	O
animations	O
,	O
unfavorably	O
comparing	O
them	O
to	O
those	O
in	O
Battle	B-Application
Chess	I-Application
;	O
they	O
were	O
labeled	O
as	O
gimmicks	O
that	O
were	O
"	O
repetitive	O
,	O
"	O
"	O
annoying	O
,	O
"	O
lost	O
their	O
appeal	O
quickly	O
,	O
looked	O
"	O
jerky	O
and	O
slow	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
shamefully	O
amateur	O
"	O
;	O
Smith	O
opined	O
the	O
only	O
way	O
for	O
them	O
to	O
stay	O
appealing	O
is	O
if	O
they	O
were	O
fully-rendered	O
in-game	O
animations	O
instead	O
of	O
separate	O
video	O
cutscenes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
segments	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
garnered	O
a	O
few	O
positive	O
commenters	O
;	O
Schneider	O
described	O
them	O
as	O
a	O
far	O
cry	O
from	O
Battle	B-Application
Chess	I-Application
,	O
but	O
they	O
manage	O
to	O
be	O
funny	O
for	O
a	O
while	O
and	O
kids	O
will	O
probably	O
dig	O
them	O
,	O
and	O
Skorupa	O
wrote	O
they	O
were	O
nicely	O
done	O
and	O
looked	O
great	O
,	O
but	O
after	O
a	O
few	O
games	O
the	O
players	O
will	O
turn	O
them	O
off	O
.	O
</s>
