Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram

"The Virtuoids are On"

Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram is as much an action game as it is a fighting game. There are no combo strings to remember or complicated controller sequences to pull off. Success is based on dodging behind obstacles or using evasive maneuvers to elude homing attacks. This premise makes for a very interesting and refreshing fighting game.

The game's graphics are sharp. The virtuaroid models are very detailed and are programmed to move very fluidly. You won't see a hint of polygonal edginess in any of them except when there are supposed to be edges in the model designs. The effects for their shots and boosters are generally quite impressive. Some of the more interesting attacks involve huge explosions or dragons made of energy flying towards enemy virtuaroids. The heart of the game's graphics though is its stages. They don't have any flashy graphical effects, but they have an incredible amount of detail packed in. There are things like little windows, lights, or pipes everywhere you look. Some stages have large glass floors letting you see what's underneath you, while other stages have great polygonal models of buildings surrounding the fighting platform itself. You may even want to play around in training mode just so you can run around looking at everything on the stages. All the little details reinforce the notion that you're fighting somewhere that's real and has an everyday purpose, instead of a generic platform that serves no purpose other than for fighting. The camera does quite a good job tracking you despite your best evasive maneuvers; only rarely will you find yourself looking at your virtuaroid's crotch unable to do anything. Most of the time the game maintains a very smooth frame rate, and when there are explosions and special effects going off everywhere it only drops slightly.

Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram has a good selection of music to accompany the stages, but most of them are of the upbeat animé inspired variety. These are the types of songs you would expect to hear while watching Saturday morning animé in Japan, not while you're engaged in a fight to the death. But they're still quite good nonetheless. The game fields an impressive array of sound effects for boosters and attacks. Most of them are fairly good, though the effects for some of the larger explosions seem a little weak compared to their on-screen visual counterparts.

The original Arcade cabinet design for VO:OT called for a twin joystick control scheme. It takes some getting used to, but in the end the Twinsticks were very effective for controlling the virtuaroids. The Dreamcast controller doesn't have the benefit of Twinsticks, so you'll have to make do with one of the many controller configurations the game offers you. They're not quite as practical as the Twinsticks and do take a lot of practice to get accustomed to, but they are fast and responsive and in the end offer roughly equal functionality.

Despite the lengthy delay time between its Arcade release and the Dreamcast port, you can't help but feel that the game was a rush job. In the training mode there's no option to turn the stage timer off; every minute or so the timer will count down to zero and you'll have to wait several seconds for the game to cycle through its intro screen before being able to play again. If you want to practice fighting in a timed environment that's similar to the actual fights then it's not much of a problem. On the other hand if you just want to hone your skills for an hour or so it quickly becomes a major annoyance. There's no way to set the CPU difficulty, and the options are limited to CPU control or CPU control without shooting. That really limits the usefulness of the training mode.

Despite some flaws, Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram for the Dreamcast is a very playable and enjoyable game. Arcade purists will recoil in horror at having to use the Dreamcast controller, but more open minded gamers willing to give the game a chance will find a lot to like.

Graphics:

Exceptionally detailed graphics with just the slightest bit of slowdown.
9/10

Sound:

Great soundtrack, but some of the larger explosions sound a little muted.
8/10

Enjoyment:

The Dreamcast controller layouts take some getting used to, but the game is quite playable with them and very enjoyable.
9/10

Replay Value:

You can choose from 11 virtuaroids, each with very distinct handling properties.
8/10

Overall:
It's a great game that can be played many times.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/16/06