Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram

"Need... more... caffeine..."

I'll admit, this review will be biased. I played (and loved) the original Virtual On, and I'll say it right off the bat: This one delivers.

The graphics in this game are wonderful. The mech designs were done by Katohi Haijime (the Gundam guy), and it shows--for instance, the ''Temjin'' mech uses a beam saber, beam rifle, and has a huge vernier array mounted on its back. Sound familiar? Seriously, everything is very crisp, and the various shots, explosions, and blasts will probably cause a seizure by the end of the year.

The sound is also very good. The quirky robot announcer from the first Virtual On is back, and sounds as, er... robotic as ever. The music is rather upbeat for a game involving big mechs pounding each other to bits--the Undersea Base level, for instance, has a decidedly salsa-like beat to it. It may just be me, but I usually don't think salsa and big mech combat go hand-in-hand. And the various samples of gunfire, laser cannons, explosions, and vernier engines all sound like something out of a anime-style mech battle. My only complaint is the annoying sound when the Angelan fires, well, ANY of its weaponry--the same little chime that gets sickeningly repetitive. Other than that, the sound does quite well.

The gameplay is where things get a little hairy. I've played the game with and without the much-lamented Twin Sticks, and while the game is an utter blast with the sticks (I've caught myself making motor noises occasionally while using them), the DC controller isn't, uh, too well equipped to deal with this kind of interface. And it shows. If you were a master at this game in the arcades and you sit down with your friend, don't expect to pull off a string of perfect victories--a lot of the moves that were pure simplicity with the sticks now require double-jointed hands to reproduce them on the DC controller. However, once you get past the steep learning curve, the game plays very well. There's a lot of strategy involved in moving around, keeping your opponent in sight, and not getting shot in the process. And for added fun, there's enough depth in the close combat mode alone to make it a separate game--try dueling with your friends in Infighting mode and see if you can swing and parry as well as you shoot and dodge.

Oh, and there's a lot of replay value. There are 2 bosses, and one hidden character. Getting the hidden character is tough, though once you get it, its power level is nowhere near as high as when you fight against it. The game is hard. Mind-numbingly hard. Emotionally-traumatizing hard. On the easiest difficulty level, it took me half a dozen continues (and more than one mech switch) to make it to the last boss. After playing, losing, and continuing on that boss for over 2 hours, I finally gave up. Oh, and did I mention that you need to beat the game without continues to see the ''real'' ending? This game alone has got me seriously considering buying a Gameshark.

So buy it. I can guarantee you that a little 3-5 day rental won't be enough for you to beat the game. Oh, and if you're one of those types who fires once, then runs away for the rest of the match, you can't timeout the last boss. Sorry. Honestly, this game will keep you in front of your DC for hours on end.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/05/00, Updated 01/13/01