Love robots? Have a Saturn? Got an extra friend? Then consider picking this up for at least a rental.
The basic story in a nutshell is that an all-out Armageddon is happening in your home world by cyborg mercenaries and it's up to you to defeat them using your own cyborg robots called Virtualoids. But like Contra, the story doesn't matter. It's all about the action.
The concept is rather simple: Dash and shoot your way to victory. The gameplay is set as a one-on-one deathmatch in which you take advantage of a full 360 degree field in with you need to win a couple of rounds before your opponent. In the arcade mode you basically progress from one robot to another, with each robot progressively getting harder and requiring more skill to defeat, and this game certainly adds challenge. Your opponents are basically the same robots in your character selection but with a new coat of paint each time. There are a total of ten levels to fight through. But be forewarned that the final boss in nearly impossible to defeat. There are 8 virtualoids to choose from, each with their own strengths and abilities. Each robot has three weapons to choose from and the ability to dash and jump. While jumping doesn't seem to really help against later robots, dashing is your main essential to dodge attacks.
The control scheme is simple to remember, but trying to control your robot overall takes a little bit of getting used to. You have a choice of using either a normal D-pad or twin analog controllers to make it feel more like the arcade version. You do have the option to turn around using the shoulder buttons, but most of the time you'll be trying to dodge your opponent. You'll have to rely more on the lock-on system to help you. Once you get near your opponent, press the D-pad and fire your weapon to turn to the direction you're opponent is at. It does take some time to getting used to as sometimes the controls can feel a bit unresponsive. But once you get used to the controls, the game is fast paced and full of action. The two player mode adds some replay value and can be very enjoyable
This game very much pleased me graphically. This is an early game for the Saturn and it certainly has some of the finest graphics of the 32-bit era. The character models look sharp and the environments look very nice as well, though I wish the levels could of added more variety in terms of the terrain since it's usually a flat surface with some giant blocks and a fresh new background. But ultimately, the game looked to top off even a Playstation game at the time. The music is also incredibly catchy and upbeat, and it strangely, but certainly, fits the overall fast-paced action of the game.
To sum things up:
PROS:
-Superb graphics
-Fast paced action that provides a good challenge
-Controls are decent once you get used to them
-Music is fantastic
-2-player adds replayability
-50-foot fighting robots. 'nuff said
CONS:
-Controls take a little bit of getting used to and can sometimes feel a bit unresponsive
-Final boss is nearly impossible
-Environments lack variety in terms of terrain
Overall, if you love Sega arcade games and robot series like Gundam, then by all means get a hold of Virtual On. This is certainly one of Sega's very best arcade games and they certainly did a good job of porting it over to the Saturn. If you don't think you'll get used to the controls, then consider a rental because once you do get used to them it can be enjoyable.