Virtual On: Cyber Troopers

Ok, this is going to have to be handled delicately; I know the huge underground following the Virtual On series has. Clans, web rings, fan fiction, and so on. I am not one of these people, and as such will no doubt be privy to their wrath should I err in this review of the powerhouse Saturn game.

I actually played the Saturn version blissfully unaware that it was a port of a popular Sega arcade game, one I later went to play to find any differences, and all I could find were shadows. The Saturn version is identical, except for the lack of shadows beneath the Virturoids (not to be confused with mechs). So, if you played an enjoyed the arcade game, you owe it to yourself to find a Saturn as well as this game. It is absolutely worth it.

For those of you unfamiliar with Virtual On, the game play is simple: choose your giant robot, and wreck the other giant robot. Already sold? Thought so, but wait! There’s more!

If you’re a really big fan, the game actually has a special controller built just for it - the Twin Stick controller. You see, in the arcade, your control is 2 joysticks, each with 2 buttons. By twisting them in different ways, you force your Virturoid to turn, run, and jump. The individual buttons fire individual weapons, or your combined, special attack that each robot has.

This control scheme continues onto the Saturn, even without the rare Twin Stick controller. The L shoulder button being your left weapon, and your R being the other, but this is merely the default control, and may only be for purists. I myself changed the controls to something I could better comprehend.

After you pick your character, it’s off to fight the difficult battles that lay ahead of you, and I do mean difficult. I don’t think I’ve ever taken my options of easy mode, and I’m pretty sure I’ve only beaten the final end boss once.

Also of note is the multiplayer, its so damn fun, even when you keep getting hammered to the ground by your fanatic, fan-fiction-writing nerd friends!

So, It’s got a basic premise, awesome graphics, and tons of fun. Worth owing the most hated system ever made, hands down.