Just like in the decade of the 50’s everything was atomic in the 90’s everything was virtual, specially in the gaming industry and lots of “virtual” titles was released, one of them Virtual-On by SEGA.
Released in the japanese arcades in the year 1998 and later ported to the SEGA Dreamcast in 1999, this unique and addictive game made a comeback for Xbox Live Arcade in the year 2009, with new features and changes i love it as much as i did on my SEGA Dreamcast back in the day.
Gameplay
You control a mech named Virtuaroid (or VR’s) to fight with other VR’s in the different arenas. there are 15 different Virtuaroids for you to choose from, the selection goes from the classic Bulky and slow to fast and agile mechs, the wide variety of attacks and abilities will satisfy the players, i tried them all until i decided to settle for Raiden and as a second choice Ajim, but dont let the firepower mislead you as experienced players can take you down in seconds even if you pick the most powerful of the Virtuaroids.
Select up to 15 different Virtuaroids
Customization for your Virtuaroid is available, you can name it, and paint the different body parts of the same, a not too shabby options for the players, if not impressive is a nice touch and a cool feature.
rename and customize the color of your very own Virtuaroid
Game Modes
Single Player mode: Single player have 2 choices, Arcade and Score Attack which are self explanatory, Arcade is the original mode from the arcade machine and my personal favorite.
Multiplayer: You can choose to play Ranked Match and Player Match via Xbox Live plus System link. Ranked will affect your place in the ranking based in victories and defeats, Player Match will not afect your place in the ranking.
The community for this game is 90% (even more) japanese, and in most cases they are real pro’s from the old days and will mop the floor with you.
System link allow you to have a versus match between 2 players (DNA) and (ANA) but this mode is quite pointless, so good luck finding a match over a LAN.
Split screen was removed and you cannot invite friends to play in your own console, having the choice to play offline without System Link is not possible, having this choice along System Link would have been a great asset.
Extras
None. There are no avatar rewards or pictures to unlock by playing the game, something SEGA should take in mind in future arcade releases, these little details are appealing for fans a lot.
Gundam?
If newcomers to the Virtual-On stage think they looks like a Gundam they are not mistaken, Virtuaroids was created by robot designer Hajime Katoki, which is responsible for mecha designs in many of the Gundam series by Sunrise.
Overall
Virtual-On OT looks and feels great, if you liked the arcade or previous console versions this is a title you cannot miss, controls are sometimes complicated and can lead certain players to frustration. but once you master the controls you enjoy the game to the max.
details like no offline Co-op are a buy zyrtec online downside but not a reason to avoid the game, it is a good trip to memory lane and a great arcade classic by SEGA, you can get it for 1200 Microsoft Points.
we give it a 7.5 out of 10
~Mario
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