Cyber Troopers Virtual-On

n/a

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On
System(s): Sega Model 2B CRX, Sega Saturn, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows PC, PlayStation Now
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega AM3 CRI Sega PC
Sound driver: SCSP/CD-DA (26 tracks)
Peripherals supported: Saturn Twin-Stick
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2
Template:ReleasesPSNow Release Date RRP Code JP 1996-01 ¥? ? US 1995 $? ? JP 1996-11-29 ¥5,8005,800 GS-9099 JP (SegaNet) 1996-12-31 ¥2,8002,800 GS-7106 JP (SegaNet Pack) 1996-12-31 ¥15,80015,800 GS-7107 US 1996-11-08 $49.9949.99 81042 US (NetLink) 1997-08-05 81072 EU 1997-01 MK81042-50 AU 199x FVIR23SSC BR 199x 191x65 KR 1996 GS-9612J MK-81042-08 JP 1997-06-13 ¥8,800 (9,240)8,800 (9,240) HCJ-0123 US 1997-02 85072 US (Expert Software) 199x KR 199x TW 199x JP ▼ 2013-02-13 ¥762 (800)762 (800) NPJB-00321 JP ▼ 2013-02-13 800MSP800 JP ▼ (Otameshiban) 2013-02-13 FREEfree
ESRB Sega ELSPA USK OFLC CERO Missing Parameter! Tectoy

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On, known as Dennou Senki Virtual-On (電脳戦機バーチャロン) in Japan, is an arcade game initially created created for the Sega Model 2B CRX arcade platform by Sega AM3 in 1995.

The release of sequels (specifically the Xbox 360 version of Dennou Senki Virtual-On: Force) has seen this entry in the series retroactively subtitled Operation Moongate (shortened to OMG) - this is a name occasionally referred to in Japanese merchandising but not within the game itself (and not overseas).

Plot

“	The Virtual Century has Begun The world is under new management. It is the age of economic feudalism; governments have been privatized, multinational conglomerates have carved the world into enterprise zones and sprawling business entities stretch their tentacles into every sector of public and private life. V.C. 0084 The delicate balace of power maintained by the rival trade consortiums was thrown awry when a lunar-core mining survey commissioned by the DN Group uncovered an extensive ruined outpost of incredible complexity and indeterminate age beneath the desolate surface of earth's moon. The DN Group appropriated esoteric machinery from the lunar ruins and implemented a revolutionary R&D program under the tighest security blanked - OT (OverTechnology) Systems. Years of secret research culminated in the development and release of a new line of neurally-directed combat droides with battleground precision and attack capabilities far beyond any mechanized warriors produced by the competition. OT Systems gave DN Group a total monopoly, cementing its dominance of the world economy. But, more disturbingly, the internal security programs of the lunar base were accidentally re-armed by DN Group technicians, unleashing virtual pandemonium on the surface of the moon. "Operation Moongate" was initiated to shut down the base before the chaos could extend to earth. V.C. 00 a. 0 (Present Day) The battle for control of the moon is underway, with OT Systems combat machines arrayed against the formidable remnants of the lunar complex defense forces. The DN Group forces have numerical superiority but are being tactically outclassed by the experienced droids defending the base. In a desperate effort to recruit talented virtual pilots, the DN Military Support Division has opened a Test and Training program designed to cultivated maxium combat skills in the shortest possible time. As one of thousands of test candidates, you must prove yourself in a simulation warfare against increasingly powerful DN test droids before qualifying for the Mindshift into real-time combat in teh lunar theater.	„
— US Sega Saturn Manual

Gameplay

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On is a versus fighting game featuring robots known as "Virtuaroids" who are armed with a variety of weapons. The game is played from a third-person perspective with players traversing across a three-dimensional field, attacking each other primarily with projectile weapons. Like other fighting games, the object of the game is to destroy all of your opponents in succession.

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On was designed to accommodate a digital "twin-stick" control scheme, similar in part to older arcade games such as Robotron 2084 and Smash TV, but with two buttons on each stick. Moving the sticks cause the player's Virtuaroid to move, while the buttons fire. Virtual-On supports up to 32 projectiles from each player on-screen at once, meaning a maxiumum of 64.

Virtuaroids

	VR.TEMJIN (MBV-04-G)
	The Temjin was the first prototype to be developed by the DN Group. This machine was made for stability and performance. An all-around fighting machine, what the Temjin might lack in advanced technologies, it makes up for with its reliability.
	VR.DORKAS (HBV-10-B)
	The product of early experimentation with a stronger armored structure, the Dorkas is built slower than other droids, but packs a heavier punch. The long-range and obstacle-clearing power of its hammer attack make it a particularly tough customer in broken-field arenas.
	VR.Fei-Yen (SRV-1-A)
	The Fei-Yen is the fastest of the DN Group droids, sleek and streamlined for high-speed maneuverability. The R&D team had to cut back on armor and heavy weapons, but the Fei-Yen is rumored to have a devastating secret attack system for last-ditch defense.
	VR.BELGDOR (SAV-07-D)
	Based on the popular Raiden battle-droid, the Belgdor is a slightly more mobile variant with a formidable homing missile system. The Belgdor doesn't have the one-punch KO capability of a Dorkas or Raiden, but it beats them both in speed and jumping range.
	VR.VIPER II (TRV-06K-H)
	Developed for fast tactical deployment, Viper II extends the Temjin prototype to a new level of quickness and agility. Sacrifices were made in the Viper II armor and close-range arsenal, but most machines have trouble getting close enough to hit one.
	VR.BAL-BAS-BOW (XBV-13-T11)
	The Bal-Bas-Bow was released well after the other DN Group battle droids, and it represents a new direction in virtual warfare tech-droids. With longer sustained jumping power and next-generation smart guidance weapons systems, the Bal-Bas-Bow may be the newest stage in battle-droid evolution.
	VR.APHARMD (MBV-09-C)
	The Apharmd models are designed for use as guerilla shock-troops, with a paid of beam tonfas especially suited for hand-to-hand combat. Turbo speed and sturdy armor make the Apharmd droid a force to be reckoned with on any battleground.
	VR.RAIDEN (HBV-05-E)
	Raiden droids are feared equally for their dual laser cannons and their strontium-alloy armor. If these machines have a weak point, it's a lack of speed and jumping ability, but they don't need to spend much time trying to get out of anything's way.

All Virtuaroids are powered by Sega Saturns.

Achievements

Main article: Cyber Troopers Virtual-On/Achievements.

History

Legacy

The success of the arcade game led to Cyber Troopers Virtual-On becoming a well established franchise in Japan, with plastic models, original soundtracks, trading figurines, light novels and audio drama CDs being among the merchandise released in this region.

Virtual-On was also released as Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 31: Cyber Troopers Virtual-On in Japan with improved graphics, a better quality soundtrack and various other extra features. Two player online versions of the game were also released for the Sega Saturn version in America and Japan for the Sega NetLink and XB∀ND services.

The game was followed up by a sequel in Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram.

Versions

Virtual-On was an extremely popular arcade game at the time of release, which led to the game being ported to the Sega Saturn with significant cutbacks the following year. The Saturn version makes cutbacks to accommodate the weaker graphical hardware over the Model 2 arcade board, but also adds a variety of modes not found in the arcade version.

For the authentic arcade feel, Sega manufactured the Saturn Twin-Stick, of which the game was bundled with in Japan. While the control scheme can be replicated on a standard control pad, all six face buttons are utilised in addition to and . Conversely, the shape of the Twin-Stick means it is easier for players to understand which actions move their Virtuaroid, and which buttons fire. The Twin-Stick was never released outside of Japan, however plans seem to have been in place at one stage to release the perihperal in North America as a separate product, as it is both advertised and its control scheme listed in the US manual.

The Saturn version of the game aims for a 30FPS refresh rate (half that of the arcade) and uses an in-house engine not reliant on the Sega Graphics Library. Most, though not all, of the underlying code (and to a lesser extent assets) were brought directly from the arcade version. Like Sega's Model 2-to-Saturn fighting game conversions, 3D polygonal backgrounds were replaced with 2D variants. The Saturn version also includes two split screen options, both "horizontal" and "vertical".

In 1997 another verion of the game was released that was compatible with Netlink, like all other Netlink games can now be played over a high speed internet connection with Voip

1997 also saw a Windows PC release derived from the Saturn game, however unlike previous Sega PC games, Virtual-On required a 166MHz Pentium MMX processor to run, which at the time was only available as part of high-end machines. Despite this, the game was unable to hit a stable frame rate with the recommended hardware, and 3D accelerator cards were not supported. In Japan compatibility for said cards was added, though no configuration matches the Model 2 version's visuals and performance (although the PC versions can output higher resolution graphics).

Furthermore, no Twin-Stick-esque peripherals were available for PC owners at launch, meaning players usually had to resort to the keyboard.

Localised names

Also known as

Language	Localised Name	English Translation
English	Cyber Troopers Virtual-On	Cyber Troopers Virtual-On
English (US)	Cyber Troopers Virtual-On	Cyber Troopers Virtual-On
Japanese	電脳戦機バーチャロン	Dennou Senki Virtual-On

Production credits

Arcade version

• Programming: Yoshihiro Sonoda, Masahiko Kobayashi, Takeshi Yamazaki, Kenji Yamamoto, Yoshifumi Ishihata
• Character Design: Hajime Katoki
• Graphics: Takeshi Sano, Hiroshi Yoshida, Koji Ono, Koichi Ozaki, Yasuhito Tanaka, Nobukazu Naruke, Kunio Watanabe, Michinari Terada, Atsushi Saitoh, Hiromi Itoh, Satoshi Kitahara
• Music & Sound Effects: Kentaro Koyama
• Mechanics: Yasuo Ishikawa, Masayoshi Yamada, Hidemi Takabayashi
• Electric Works: Mitsuru Kawamura, Hiroki Koyama, Hideki Inoue
• Cabinet Design: Yutaka Okumura, Minoru Matsuba
• Product Promotion: Kazuko Hayasaka, Nobutaka Arii
• Product Design: Koichi Ozaki
• Game Design: Juro Watari
• Directors: Juro Watari, Manabu Washio
• Producer: Hisao Oguchi
• Special Thanks to: Hisaki Nimiya, Kazunari Shimamura, Shinichi Nakagawa, Takashi Hasegawa, Junichiro Tanabe, Publicity Section AM#2, Staff of "Ikebukuro Gigo", "Kamata Cinemagic", "Shinjuku Sportsland #3", "Hi-Tech Sega Shibuya", All Members of AM R&D Dept. #3, and All The Players of "Virtual-On"
• Presented by: Sega

Saturn version

Staff

• Chief Programmer: Toru Kujirai
• Programmers: Hironobu Tsujikawa, Masayoshi Iwai, Kazunori Masuda, Yukinori Kaneko, Hajime Take, Takuo Kaneko
• Chief Designer: Norihito Omoda
• Designers: Masakazu Yanagida, Satoshi Fujinuma, Hiroko Katoh, Kazuya Suzuki
• Planner: Yasuhiro Nishimoto
• Music & Effects: Naoshi Kunisawa
• Special Thanks: Hiroshi Aso, Hisao Oguchi, Masayuki Hasegawa, Nobutaka Arii, Jun Kasahara, Yoshimi Fujii, Hiroyuki Kashima, Yuuri Ohtake
• Producer: Makoto Oshitani, Keisuke Chiwata
• Director: Katsuhiro Hasegawa
• Character Design: Hajime Katoki
• Program Technical Advisor: Yoshihiro Sonoda
• Design Technical Advisor: Hiroshi Yoshida, Kohichi Ozaki, Nobukazu Naruke
• Music Advisor: Kentaro Koyama
• Supervisor: Juro Watari

SEGA U.S. Credits

• Producer: Steve Hutchins
• SOJ Liaison: Ryoichi Hasegawa
• Product Manager: Andrew Stein
• Asst. Producer: Michael S. Jablonn
• Lead Tester: Tony Lynch
• Assistant Leads: Lance Nelson, Fred Selker, Alan Tan
• Thanks To: Granillo, Stolar, Taka, Lindstrom & SEEDY
• Reprogrammed by: CSK Research Institute Corp. (CRI)
• Presented by: Sega

Source:

In-game credits

• Testers: Rey Alferez, Nicolas J. Azizian, Anthony Borba, Jesse Caceres, Anthony Chau, Marc Dawson, John Diamonon, David Dodge, Jeff Hedges, Jeff B. Junio, Lloyd Kinoshita, Michael Kwan, Dennis Lee, Christopher Lucich, Grant Luke, Dan Madar, Marcus Montgomery, Mark Paniagua, Dave Portera, Sean Potter, Todd Slepian, Carl Street, Fernando Valderrama, Ferdinand Villar, Polly Villatuya, Peter Young, Michael Weavil
• Packaging Design: Robert Schonfisch, Eric Smith, Sarah Wittmer
• Manual: Doulas Sipp
• Thanks to: Matt Dunbar, Manny Granillo, Mark Lindstrom, Anne Moellering, SEEDY, Undyne Stafford, Bernard Stolar, Tak

Source:

Other credits

NetLink Edition

Sega of America

• Producer: Michael S. Jablonn
• Net Link Producer: Paul Stathacopoulos
• Director of Net Link Engineering: Yutaka Yamamoto
• Lead Tester: Tony Lynch
• Assistant Lead Testers: Lloyd Kinoshita, Mike Dobbins
• Designers/Programmers: Victor Zavala, Bruce Jones, Patrick Joiner
• Product Manager: Andrew Stein
• Product Specialist: Mark Subotnick
• Packaging: Eric Smith
• Manual Layout: Verdoni Multi Media
• SOA Test Department: Chris Lucich, Steve Bourdet, Howard Gipson, Peter Young, Ferdinand Villar, John Jansen
• Special Thanks: Steve Hutchins, Greg Winslow, Ryoichi Hasegawa, Yoshi Nakano, Jason Kuo, Mike Needham, Eileen Sacman, Geraldine Dessimoz, Dan Stevens, Marcelyn Ditter, Anne Moellering, Mike Market and the Seedy Crew

MPATH, Inc.

• XBAND Software: Josh Howich, Janice Hsia, Dave Jacobs, Richard Kiss, Dan Lindsey, Andrew Stadler, Hoan Tran
• XBAND Art: Joanna Escolar, Joey Stocklein
• Mplayer Art: William Haas
• Web Design: John Schroeder

PlanetWeb, Inc.

• VP Engineering: Ken Soohoo
• Computer Engineering: Jeff Chin, Steven Cole, Warren Gee, Edgar Allen Tu
• Art Direction: Cuyler Gee
• QA Manager: Randall Hughes
• QA: John Takizawa
• Director of Server Technologies: James Straus

Source:

US manual

Error creating thumbnail: /bin/bash: line 1: 2204797 Done '/usr/bin/gs' '-sDEVICE=jpeg' '-sOutputFile=-' '-dFirstPage=1' '-dLastPage=1' '-dSAFER' '-r150' '-dBATCH' '-dNOPAUSE' '-q' '/home/sonicret/domains/segaretro.org/public_html/images/d/da/Virtualonnetlink_sat_us_manual.pdf' 2204798 Segmentation fault | '/usr/bin/convert' '-depth' '8' '-quality' '95' '-resize' '2187' '-' '/home/sonicret/domains/segaretro.org/public_html/images/temp/transform_cb06c68077f6.jpg'

PC version

• Chief Programmer: Toshinori Suzuki
• Programmers: Takahiro Nagata, Hitoshi Ohta, Noritaka Yakita, Yoshihiko Toyoshima, Kei Takashima
• Graphic Designers: Katsufumi Yoshimori, Tomoharu Tanaka, Hisayoshi Yoshida, Tomonori Saguchi
• Director and Planner: Jun-etsu Kakuta
• Sound Data Convert Engineer: Masaru Setsumaru
• Producer: Shun Arai, Toshinori Asai
• Publicity: Hiroyuki Otaka
• Marketing: Yasuo Koike, Yasuhide Nagasawa, Ryosuke Kaji
• Character Design: Hajime Katoki
• Program Technical Adviser: Yoshihiro Sonoda
• Design Technical Adviser: Hiroshi Yoshida, Koh-ichi Ozaki, Nobukazu Naruke
• Music Adviser: Kentaro Koyama
• Supervisor: Juro Watari
• Testers: Youichiro Inoue, Tomohisa Nakayasu, Kazuyuki Hagiwara, Noriko Hori
• Special Thanks: Original "Virtual-On" Staff, Sega AM#3 Dept., "Virtual-On" Saturn version Staff, Sega Digital Media Planning & Development Dept., Human Interface Communications (HIC), Yasushi Nagumo, Jun Kasahara, and ALL The Players of "Virtual-On"
• Presented by: Sega

Downloadable content

Title and description	Links	Releases
Icon Pack 1 (アイコンパック1)	Xbox 360: JP	JP 2013-02-13 160MSP160
Icon Pack 2 (アイコンパック2)	Xbox 360: JP	JP 2013-02-13 160MSP160

Magazine articles

Main article: Cyber Troopers Virtual-On/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Cyber Troopers Virtual-On/Promotional material.

Artwork

• 

Photo gallery

• 

  Twin Cabinet

Physical scans

Model 2 version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source Computer & Video Games (UK) 80 Game Informer (US) 85

	83
Based on 2 reviews

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score

	N/A
Based on 0 reviews

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On

Model 2, US

Model 2, JP

Saturn version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source CD Consoles (FR) 79 Consoles + (FR) 82 Computer & Video Games (UK) 100 Edge (UK) 80 №41, p87 Famitsu (JP) 80 №416, p33 GamesMaster (UK) 83 №52, p34/35 GMR (US) 70 Intelligent Gamer (US) 100 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 92 Player One (FR) 82 Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) 93 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) 83 Sega Saturn Magazine (readers) (JP) 88 Ultra Game Players (US) 86

	86
Based on 14 reviews

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score CD Consoles (FR) PAL 80 Consoles + (FR) PAL 82 Computer & Video Games (UK) 100 Digitiser (UK) 72 Edge (UK) PAL 80 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 79 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 80 Freak (IL) 89 Fun Generation (DE) PAL 60 GameFan (US) NTSC-U 95 Game Power (IT) 90 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 70 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 67 GMR (US) 70 Hacker Plus (HR) 70 Intelligent Gamer (US) 100 MAN!AC (DE) PAL 60 Mega Force (FR) PAL 76 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 75 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 92 Next Generation (US) NTSC-U 75 Player One (FR) 82 Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J 82 Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J 76 Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J 82 Saturn+ (UK) PAL 83 Secret Service (PL) 80 Sega Power (UK) PAL 89 Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) PAL 93 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 83 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 88 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 93 Super Power (FI) 80 Total Saturn (UK) PAL 86 Video Games (DE) PAL 65

	81
Based on 35 reviews

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On

Saturn, US
Cover
Disc Manual

Saturn, US (NetLink Edition)
Cover
Manual

Saturn, EU
Cover
Disc

Saturn, AU
Cover
Disc

Saturn, JP
Cover
Spinecard Disc Manual Inlay

Saturn, JP (SegaNet)
Cover
Spinecard Disc Manual

Saturn, BR
Cover

Saturn, KR (Samsung)
Cover
Spinecard

Saturn, KR (Kama)
Cover

PC version

PC, US
Cover
Jewel Case

PC, US (Expert Software)
Jewel Case

PC, JP
Cover

PC, JP (Ultra 2000)
Cover

PC, KR
Cover

PC, TW
Cover

Technical information

ROM dump status

System	Hash	Size	Build Date	Source	Comments
✔	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	381,823,680		CD-ROM(EU)	MK81042-50 V1.002
✔	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	359,268,000	1996-11-26	CD-ROM(JP)	GS-7106, GS-7107 V1.002
✔	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	385,311,696	1996-10-18	CD-ROM(JP)	GS-9099 V1.000
✔	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	385,335,216		CD-ROM(US)	81042 V1.000
?	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	428,419,152		CD-ROM(US)	81072 V1.004

Track list

Saturn version

1. [data track]

2. In The Blue Sky (02:02)
From: Temjin Stage

3. She's Lost Control (S.L.C.) (02:02)
From: Viper II Stage

4. Everything Merges With The Night (02:02)
From: Dorkas Stage

5. Higher Ground (02:02)
From: Belgdor Stage

6. Ruins (02:02)
From: Bal-Bas-Bow Stage

7. Earth Light (02:02)
From: Apharmd Stage

8. The Wind Is Blowing (02:02)
From: Fei-Yen Stage

9. Fade To Black (02:02)
From: Raiden Stage

10. Crystal Doom (02:02)
From: Z-Gradt Stage

11. Alice In The Wonderland (02:02)
From: Jaguarandi Stage

12. Winner Ver.1 (00:06)

13. Winner Ver.2 (00:06)

14. Loser (00:06)

15. Transition (00:57)
From: Opening demo

16. Absent Lovers (01:29)
From: Ending

17. Waiting Girl (01:35)
From: Ending

18. Burned By The Fire (01:34)

19. Atrophy (00:25)

20. M.S.B. System Ver.3.3 (00:47)
From: Player Select

21. Patience (00:23)

22. Interlude (00:27)

23. Withdrawal (00:10)
From: Game Over

24. Encounter (00:31)

25. Operation Moon Gate (00:52)

26. (Track26) (00:07)

27. SDB/loser 02 (00:05)

► Running time: 30:00

External links

• Sega of Japan catalogue pages (Japanese): Saturn, PC
• Cyber Troopers Virtual-On on Xbox Marketplace: JP
• Cyber Troopers Virtual-On on PlayStation.com: JP
• Cyber Troopers Virtual-On on PlayStation Store: JP