Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Operation Moongate

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On (電脳戦機バーチャロン) was released in arcades and for Sega Saturn and PC, all in both America and Japan. There were actually two PC versions released, a normal version for North America and a 3D accelerated version for Japan. There were also two-player online versions of the game released in America and Japan for the Sega Saturn using the NetLink and XBAND services. A PlayStation 2 version was released on October 30, 2007, as part of the Sega Ages 2500 line, featuring improved framerates, music and additional features not found in the original versions.

Game Mechanics
Virtual-On is set up similar to a Versus fighting game. Two Virtuaroids (Mecha) face each other on a stage. The player(s) use a variety of firearms, explosives, hand-to-hand combat, and other techniques to destroy the enemy for a set number of rounds, usually a single battle, or best two out of three rounds, like fighting games.

The game is made to be played with a two-joystick setup, known as the twin-sticks. Each stick is equipped with a trigger and a button on top of the stick.

The twin sticks control the virtuaroid on screen much like a bulldozer. Pushing or pulling both sticks in one direction will make it move in that direction, while pushing one stick forward and pulling the other back will make it turn in the forward direction. Pulling the sticks apart causes the virtuaroid to jump into the air, and will cause it to automatically turn to face the opponent. Pulling them towards each other while pulling a trigger causes the virtuaroid to crouch while firing.

The top buttons are Turbo buttons. Pressing a Turbo button while moving will cause the virtuaroid to dash for a few seconds. Dashing is used to avoid enemy fire, or to maneuver quickly around the stage. Virtuaroids can fire while dashing. While Dash-firing, like during a jump, the virtuaroid will turn to face the enemy before shooting.

Each virtuaroid is armed with three "weapons". Two of those weapons are associated with either the left or the right trigger, and are referred to as the Left Weapon (LW) and Right Weapon (RW) respectively. The Right Weapon is generally a Virtuaroid's main weapon, usually a rifle or gun. The Left Weapon is commonly a support weapon, often an explosive. Left weapons usually have a blast radius and can inflict splash damage even if they miss the target directly. The third weapon is called the Center Weapon (CW), and is activated by pulling both triggers at the same time. Depending on the selected virtuaroid, a Center Weapon attack can be extremely powerful, but can only be used a few times in a row before they run out of energy. Each weapon's size, power, and rate of fire is varied by the virtuaroid's actions when the player pulls the trigger. For example, a standing Temjin's RW is a single shot from its rifle, but while dashing, the RW unleashes a rapid burst of shots at once. While dashing, the virtuaroid's direction may also have an effect on the attack.

Trivia

 * The Virtuaroids used a Sega Saturn (in its Japanese colors) as their backpacks. This theming would continue, with the VRs in Oratorio Tangram using the Dreamcast in its place.
 * The twin-sticks were released for the game in Japan on the Saturn. The twin-sticks are featured in the manual for the Sega Saturn PAL UK/European version and a control option is included to select them despite the fact the twin sticks were not released in the PAL regions. The twin-sticks will work with the PAL UK/European versions of the game.

Version Differences

 * The Saturn version of the game was significantly compromised, as expected from Saturn releases of games based on Sega Model 2 arcade hardware. The Saturn version of the game runs at half the framerate, a lower resolution, and lacks any lighting effects. The arcade version’s polygonal backgrounds were replaced with 2D images for the Saturn release. Certain arenas have elements removed when played in split-screen mode, such as the elevated outer ring in Ruins and the hills in Green Hills. Finally, many weapons behave differently in the Saturn version when compared to the arcade original.
 * By default, the PC version runs at half the framerate of the arcade version. An option in the graphics menu allows the player to choose between 30 and 60 FPS modes. It uses the same resources as the arcade release, retaining detail in the arenas and polygonal backgrounds. It also runs in a higher resolution than the arcade original. In Japan, twin-sticks were made available for the PC. The game allows the player to mimic a twin-stick setup by using two identical two-button gameport joysticks.
 * The PlayStation 2 version is the most feature-rich interpretation of the original arcade version so far, featuring a smooth framerate, enhanced resolution, updated music and improved effects. A multitude of extras were added to the game, including "Z-gradt Mode" where the player takes control of Z-gradt for the first time in Virtual-On history (without the use of a hacking device), "Chibi-chara Mode" which turns the Virtuaroid models into superdeformed versions, and "Assault Mode" where both Virtuaroids are restricted to close-combat weapons. To commemorate Virtual-On's 10th anniversary, several gallery modes were added, including posters, CD case art and a VR-collection viewer. There is no twin-stick controller for the PlayStation 2, however, though the DualShock's analog sticks can be used in a similar manner.

fr:Virtual On: Cyber Troopers