Virtual On

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Virtual-On
Developer(s)	Sega
Publisher(s)	Sega
Designer(s)	AM3/Hitmaker
Release date(s)	1995, 1998, 2001. 2003
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single player, Multi-player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (13+) ELSPA: +11
Platform(s)	Arcade, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 2,
Media	CD, DVD, GD
System requirements	Memory card
Input	Arcade input, controller, or Sega Twin-Sticks

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On (電脳戦機バーチャロン, Dennō Senki Bācharon^?, roughly "Computer Fighting Machine Virtual-ON") is a series of video games, created by Sega's AM3 (Amusement R&D Dept.#3) later renamed Hitmaker, and first published for the arcade in February 1995. The gameplay consists of a fast, action oriented gameplay, where quick reflexes are of the utmost importance. The game has seen 4 iterations, and has been ported to several consoles.

The mecha designs for all installments of the series were done by famous robot designer Hajime Katoki.

Other merchandise has also been released for the general public such as Plastic Models, Original Soundtracks, Trading Figures and even Audio Drama CDs.

Contents 1 Overview 1.1 Games 2 Virtuaroids 3 Audio drama 4 External links

[edit] Overview

The Virtual-On video games most prominent feature are large mechs called Virtuaroids (or VR for short), gigantic robots which the player controls in blazing fast battles against other enemy VRs. Another prominent feature in Virtual On was its twin-stick control, which comprised of two joysticks complemented with an array of controls that helped control the player's VR. An interesting fact for the plot of the first game, Cyber Troopers Virtual On (Virtual On: Operation Moongate), is that it is not actually an arcade machine but rather a remote operation device sent from the future in search of Virtual On Positive (VO+) pilots.

[edit] Games

• Cyber Troopers Virtual-On (Virtual On: Operation Moongate) released in 1995-6 for the arcades, Sega Saturn, and PC. The Saturn version being one of the few games to support SEGA Net on the console. Features M.S.B.S. v3.3 (Arcade), v3.3s (Sega Saturn) and v.3.3w (Windows PC) among others.
• Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram released in 1998-2000 for the arcades and Sega Dreamcast with special peripheral device, Twin Sticks. Only small quantities of VOOT arcade units made it outside of Japan. The US release of VOOT on Dreamcast had many features such as Cable Versus and Custom Virtuaroid locked away for unknown reasons. The game was not released in Europe. Later versions for the arcade incorporated a VMU slot for imported colours created on the Japanese version of VOOT on Sega Dreamcast. Features M.S.B.S. v5.2 (Early Arcade), v5.4 (Arcade), v.5.45 (Sega Dreamcast), v5.6 (Rare Bonus disc addon) and 5.66 (Late Arcade).
• Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Force released exclusively in Japanese arcades in 2001. First game to be released after AM3's name change to Hitmaker. Features a new system of gameplay where players are teamed up in pairs to oppose another pair with a leader/subordinate ruleset. The machines are also utilising a card system found in other arcade machines to keep player data. Players of the old community seemed to have an eclectic opinion on the way Virtual On has evolved with this release. Features M.S.B.S. v7.5, v7.6 and v7.7.
• Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Marz released in 2003 exclusively for the Playstation 2 in Japan and America. Uses the VO: Force rules for gameplay and graphics. It is also the first Virtual On game to have a single player story mode and follows on with the Virtual On universe. As the PS2 has no official Twin Sticks, controls are purely relied upon the PS2's Dual Shock controllers. Features M.S.B.S. v8.5.

Mechs from the Virtual On series have also featured in the Japanese-only, turn-based strategy game Super Robot Wars Alpha 3.

[edit] Virtuaroids

Main article: Virtuaroid

Upon the discovery of Virtuaroids and creation of matter through reverse conversion, Virtuaroids became relatively easy to produce. To start, a working skeletal frame is constructed. After the V-converter has been installed, armor is created through reverse conversion. (Later in the series, the V-converter would be responsible for the full creation of the Virtuaroid, including the skeletal frame.)

• MBV-04-G "Temjin"

One of the two first Virtuaroids, the Temjin is a well balanced VR and serves as the architecture basis of all Virtuaroids. It is well equipped for long, mid, and close range combat. A pair of fold-out boosters are installed underneath the V-converter to help for speed and aerial combat. When it was first designed, its concept included a railgun for combat. Unfortunately, the railgun proved to be both cumbersome and ill-suited for melee combat. Eventually, it was retooled to use a Multipurpose Beam Launcher, or M.P.B.L.; this weapon is capable of acting both as a rifle and an energy sword.

A simplified variant of the Temjin was eventually produced. The streamlined version, called the 10/80, is colored gray and equipped with a vulcan cannon, and sometimes a railgun. One of the first pilots to use it effectively was Issy Hatter of the S.H.B.V.D., who managed to take out a second-generation Apharmd while using one.

• HBV-05-E "Raiden"

One of the first two Virtuaroids, the Raiden was created alongside the Temjin as a heavy battle VR. Heavily armored and incredibly strong, it is highly feared on the battlefield. The Raiden's shoulder mounted lasers were salavaged from 26 Battlecruisers disassembled after the war. With these high powered lasers the orginial purpose of the Raiden unit was to intercept and destroy enemy spacecraft before it reached Earth's atomsphere. These lasers are capable of completely destroying a VR in a single shot, or to a less extent, heavily incapacitate one. To complement the lasers, the Raiden is equipped with a shell bazooka (it was originally designed with a flat-launcher laser, but it proved to be impossible to regulate the power flow with the weapon in-use.) and dispensable mines from the palms. Unfortunately, due to the high-cost construction of the Raiden, and lack of availabile postwar battlecruisers it was impossible to produce them in high numbers, resulting in production being halted at 26 units. As a result, the D.N. corporation created the Belgdor and Dorkas Virtuaroids to make up for the very expensive Raiden.

When Operation Moongate ended and the D.N. cooperation split into the DNA and RNA armies, DNA created the Special-Heavy-Battle-Virtuaroid-Division, or "S.H.B.V.D.", as a special forces army. The unit was mostly made up of heavily customized Raidens, such as the HBV-05-SR4 unit belonging to Lt. Salpen, which utilizes a heavy chaingun, and Dash Pronger's HBV-05-E/k2, which was capable of faster movement.

• MBV-09-C "Apharmd"

A guerilla-warfare VR based off of the Temjin's skeletal frame. The Apharmd is the choice of advanced virtuaroid pilots. It possesses special melee weapons known as "Tongfers", a fold-out beam-blade version of tonfa weapons connected by a swivel on the wrist. These tongfers utilize high-density beams of energy that can break through even the toughest defense. Aside from the Tongfers, the Apharmd is also armed with a shotgun and the same dispensable bombs used by the Temjin. With its high speed and agility, the Apharmd is a highly capable Virtuaroid, and in mass numbers, a force to be feared.

When Operation Moongate ended and the D.N. cooperation split into the DNA and RNA armies, the Apharmd became the choice VR of the RNA army. It was one of the first VRs to undergo transformation into the second generation series, resulting in a number of variants to cater to special missions.

• SAV-07-D "Belgdor"

A heavy-type Virtuaroid created out of necessity due to high cost of the Raiden unit, it uses the Raiden's skeletal frame as a chasis. However, rather than lasers, it utilizes missiles. It has twin missile launchers built into its shoulders, as well as a high-frequency radar dish built into its head. This VR is often used for bombing operations. It carries a grenade launcher in its right hand and is armed with a napalm weapon in its left. Its weapons can be considered quite powerful and used as foil to the Raiden series. Unfortunately, the dramatic change in the design has left it with a relatively weak armor, and the missile weaponry installed in its upper body has resulted in difficult balancing issues. Due to these issues, the Belgdor is not suitable for close range combat.

The S.H.B.V.D. was known for using Belgdor alongside Raiden when the group was first formed. When it was discovered RNA had already finished the new second-generation Apharmds, the Belgdors were discovered to be nearly useless against them. As a result, the "Belmate" was developed. The Belmate was slightly larger than the Belgdor, and painted in gray rather than the traditional green. It was also equipped with a much better radar system than its previous incarnation. The Belmate was use briefly in Operation Sand Sycthe until its successor, the GRYS-VOK, was developed.

• HBV-10-B "Dorkas"

Another Virtuaroid created as a substitute for the expensive Raiden Unit, it is a heavy-battle type Virtuaroid. It is far different from the Raiden and Belgdor in terms of design, but contains incredible raw strength. It was designed with energy efficiency in mind. Its left arm has a mounted mace-like hammer that can be launched at the enemy, and a claw mounted on its right hand. It has a fire-lanced bombing system implanted into its chest. The Dorkas is much shorter than the other virtuaroids, which makes it somewhat difficult to engage in melee combat. Unfortunately, despite its incredible strength, demand for the Dorkas was relatively low, which caused production to cease rather quickly before Operation Moongate ended.

A variant of the Dorkas, the RVR-64 "i-Dorkas" was eventually constructed. This VR was meant for construction purposes, its weapons removed and a shovel claw being installed on its left arm.

• TRV-06-E "Viper 2"

A rather eccentric scientist, Dr. Yzerman, retooled the Temjin's concept into a more mobility-based Virtuaroid. The result was the XMU-06A "Viper Version Alpha" and later the TRV-06-E "Viper". The Viper had incredible mobility and speed, which became its greatest asset in aerial combat. However, during one of the tests, the pilot of the Viper lost his control over the VR, and his last words before the unit crashed into ground were "She's lost control!"

The Viper was eventually retooled and modified to solve the loss of control over the aerial thrusters. Once the TRV-06-E "Viper 2" was finished, it was fitted for weaponry. A beam launcher is built into the Virtuaroid's chest, and it carries a fast-firing vulcan cannon in its right hand, which is also capable of launching streams of missiles. Special Wing Binders are mounted onto the back to complement the powerful thrusters. Unfortunately, as a side effect of its high mobility, the Viper 2 lacks sufficient armor for prolonged combat. As a result, it is often turned down for the less agile but better armored Temjin. In what is believed to be either a sick joke at the late test pilot's expense or a dedication, the Viper can empty all of its energy into its thrusters and ram into its opponent in a kamekazi-fashion; this moved has been dubbed "S.L.C.", short for "She's lost control."

Eventually, Yzerman continued his research on the Viper, trying to give it more functionality. The result was the YZR-540SH "Viper 540sh", which was capable of transforming into a jet-fighter. While the prototype ultimately proved unfit for combat, special retooled variations were given to a select few pilots, 2 of which belonged to the RNA's "Rose Sisters."

• XBV-13-t11 "Bal Bas Bow"

The original Virtuaroid found during the excavation of the moongate was incomplete upon being fully recovered. The head of this VR was used as a base for a new type of Virtuaroid, the Bal Bas Bow. A highly experimental and unstable Virtuaroid, the Bal Bas Bow is armed with E.R.L.s, Ejectable-remote-limbs, on its arms. These weapons can be mentally controlled from the cockpit and serve as remote turrets. The bottom half of the Bal Bas Bow is a hovercraft instead of legs, which provides poor mobility to unexperienced pilots.

• SRV-14-A "Fei Yen"

The SRV-14-A "Fei Yen" is the only Virtuariod from Operation Moongate not designed by the D.N. Coporation but rather a mysterious independent syndicate. The daughter of a renowned VR scientist, L'Ln Plajiner was a child prodigy at age 10. She managed to design and build the "Fei Yen", a femine Virtuaroid unit with an emotion-system built into the V-converter. However, through some unknown means, the original Fei Yen model "escaped", and has been missing ever since. A simplified version of Plajiner's original design has gone into production. It has high speed, but relatively weak weapons. It is equipped with a sword in its left hand, which can launch weak beams towards its enemy. However, during moments of extreme panic or weakness, the Fei Yen's emotion system goes into "hyper mode," during which the color changes into a bright gold, and the weapon systems not only increase in power, but its speed output is pushed to its limits.

• Z-gradt

A powerful enemy and the guardian of the Moongate, the Z-gradt is a powerful 4-legged tank protecting the moongate and its solar-cannon. It has high defense and built-in beam weaponry. A huge particle-canon is constructed into the center of its frame. While the cannon is in use, the Z-gradt's defense is badly compromised, but the cannon itself is stronger than even that of the Raiden's laser-irradiators. It is unknown as to what exactly is controlling the Z-gradt, but whatever the source is, appears hellbent on preventing humanity from utilizing the moongate.

• Jaguarandi

During one of the many tests DN performed to discover pilots who had a high VO+ rating, a small boy's concsiousness was absorbed into the Reverse-convert while controlling a Raiden. The result was a fatal bug and mutation in the M.S.B.S.'s gameplay. Should a player in the game play disengage against the computers made to test the pilot, the bug will manifest itself in the form of a mutated Raiden, known as Jaguarandi. Jaguarandi is heavily armed with 4 Laser irradiators and powerful seeking-bombs. While the armament has been confirmed by reports, the Jaguarandi's size and appearance has shown to have many variables. Some claim to have seen it as red, some as green, and many other colors. Some claim it was as huge as a battleship, some as tiny as a Dorkas. While Jaguarandi has proven to be an annoyance to players of the M.S.B.S. control games, DN found it to be nothing more than a bug, and have no plans to remove it from the program.

[edit] Audio drama

Little is known about these drama CDs, there has been no translation or transcript in the English speaking community as of yet.

• Cyber Troopers Virtual On Counterpoint 009A Episode #16 Follows the S.H.B.V.D. (Special Heavy Battle Virtuaroid Division) including Black Onyx and Mimmy Salpen in search of the original Fei-Yen. Track Listing:

• 01. fragment

• 02. prologue

• 03. intermission_1

• 04. black onyx

• 05. fade to black

• 06. formidable tolerance

• 07. belgdor corporate anthem

• 08. on X-band

• 09. procession

• 10. intermission_2

• 11. cyber imaginary space

• 12. magical wonderland

• 13. m.s.b.s. Ver.3.01

• 14. intermission_3

• 15. harmless harmony

• 16. my sweet chocolate

• 17. dislocation

• 18. am r&d dept. #3

• 19. burned by the fire

• 20. conversation piece

• 21. another future

• 22. delta junction

• 23. intermission _ 4

• 24. maximum momentum

• 25. party a go go

• 26. love will tear them apart ...

• 27. epilogue

• 28. absent lovers

• Cyber Troopers Virtual On Cyber Net Rhapsody Episode#14 Not much is known about this Drama CD including the plot, however it does contain original Fei-Yen singing various songs and orchestral remixes. Track Listing:

• 01. Next ～壊れかけたドアの向こう～

• 02. D_Sequence #1

• 03. main title

• 04. D_Sequence #2

• 05. 危機～逃亡

• 06. D_Sequence #3

• 07. Theme of Fei-Yen

• 08. D_Sequence #4

• 09. Love14

• 10. D_Sequence #5

• 11. 戦闘

• 12. D_Sequence #6

• 13. Believe

• 14. D_Sequence #7

• 15. 大団円

• 16. Appendix

[edit] External links

Official

• Virtual-ON series Official website (Japanese)

General resources

• Virtual-On.net International Virtual-On Fan Community
• Virtual-Century A fan-created database of Virtuaroids and general storyline information, taken from Sega's official guidebooks. (Japanese)

v • d • e Virtual On video games

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On • Oratorio Tangram • Force • Marz