Let's talk about Virtual On

[Erik_Twice]

This series looks really, really fun. So tell me. How should one play it? I've wanted to try them out for a while but I haven't so far.

As far as I know there are two real games in this series:

Virtual On
Virtual On Ontario Tangram

The first game can be played through a Model 2 emulator, which should be better than buying a Saturn or playing the 30FPS PC port. However, I'm told they remade the game for their Sega Ages line and it has better graphics. Unfortunately, being a PS2 game, getting the controls right may be difficult.

Virtual On Ontario Tangram had a Dreamcast release and an improved Xbox 360 port, right? I don't have a 360 tough (Or a Dreamcast for that matter). Do you think I'll be able to emulate the game on my computer?

Anyways, let's talk about this game.

[dsheinem]

you don't own a Saturn, Dreamcast, or 360? Those seem like much bigger problems than not yet playing VO.

Also, you really want to play it with the specialized sticks if you want to do it right...not sure those can be emulated on pc....

[Erik_Twice]

you don't own a Saturn, Dreamcast, or 360? Those seem like much bigger problems than not yet playing VO.

I know right? I have some video games to sell and I could trade a Dreamcast for them, but I keep pushing it for later.

Also, you really want to play it with the specialized sticks if you want to do it right...not sure those can be emulated on pc....

Are they different from your average flight stick? That's what I planned to use.

[ZeroAX]

There's a PS2 game too. Virtua On Marz. Though it wasn't released in Europe, you can play it with either a modded PS2 or on an emulator.

[Erik_Twice]

There's a PS2 game too. Virtua On Marz. Though it wasn't released in Europe, you can play it with either a modded PS2 or on an emulator.

It's not actually a Virtual On game, but a mediocre third person shooter. Nice soundtrack, tough.

[ZeroAX]

There's a PS2 game too. Virtua On Marz. Though it wasn't released in Europe, you can play it with either a modded PS2 or on an emulator.

It's not actually a Virtual On game, but a mediocre third person shooter. Nice soundtrack, tough.

oh.....I still had fun with it, even thouogh it was black and white

[Gunstar Green]

I love Virtual On, here's a long post with a simple answer.

The twin stick controller is of course the real way to play the game and the main gimmick of the series. Though it's still decent without it, it's not the same like any other arcade title with a "gimmick" control method. It goes without saying the best experience with either Cyber Troopers or Oratorio Tangram is in the arcade. There's really nothing else like it, but I know that's kind of impossible for most people at this point.

While the controllers are out there for the Dreamcast and the Saturn (which can be used on the Dreamcast with a converter) they're pretty hard to find and very expensive these days. It's still cheaper and more compact than an arcade machine but probably not worth it for a game you haven't even tried yet.

All that being said, the 360 controller does a much better job of emulating the twin stick control scheme than the Dreamcast and Saturn controllers which fail miserably at. If you're going to give the series a shot, Oratorio Tangram on XBLA is the easiest and best way to go.

As for VOOT vs. VOOM, the second game really builds on the first with better graphics, more robots, better everything. It's more of the same only improved. The only story the games have is a jumble of Engrish nonsense so you can safely skip the first game.

Virtual On is also a game that's a lot funner when you square off against other people instead of the computer which I guess you could say for any fighting game.

tl;dr the 360 version of Oratorio Tangram is your best choice for a home version if you don't own the super-expensive peripherals. A twin stick controller probably costs as much or more than a 360 does now anyway.

[Pulsar_t]

nullDC has native support for XInput so you can use the 360 pad to play the Dreamcast version. However I find that clicking in the analog sticks for boosting to be uncomfortable.

[fastbilly1]

The competitive Virtual On world for the Saturn was dominated by pad players. But the Twin Sticks are the best way to play. I have yet to find a good way to replicate the controls for a cheap price, my last attempt was using NES Quickshots (since I had two of them on hand) hacked up to an arcade control interface. I might try that again since I really enjoyed VO on the Saturn and on the PC.

I have thought about buying a cab a couple times, since they pop up for a decent price locally.

[MrPopo]

I feel like the Saturn pad works really well (not as good as the twin sticks though) since it has enough buttons laid out in the right way that you can do every move easily. By comparison the DC controller is very frustrating to play with because you need to switch from the analog stick to the d-pad for some maneuvers.

Everyone is also forgetting Virtual On Force, which until a few years ago was an arcade-only release. The main change with Force is it's 2 on 2 battles. A 360 port was released a few years ago in Japan, but the game is region free.