Virtual On: Cyber Troopers

Virtual On: Cyber Troopers (Operation Moonstar)
Japanese arcade flyer
Developer(s)Sega AM3[6]
Publisher(s)Sega
SeriesVirtual On
Platform(s)Arcade, Saturn, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 (Sega Ages 2500), PlayStation 4[7]
ReleaseArcade
Saturn
  • NA: November 8, 1996
  • JP: November 29, 1996
  • EU: January 1997
PC
  • JP: June 13, 1997
  • NA: September 11, 1997[4]
PlayStation 4
Genre(s)Action
Shooter[8]
Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade systemSega Model 2[9]

Virtual On: Cyber Troopers (電脳戦機バーチャロン, Dennō Senki Bācharon) is a 3D action video game developed and published by Sega. A robot-themed shooter[8] and fighter, it was developed on the Sega Model 2 hardware and released on arcades in January 1996 (or December 1995[10]) before ports to the Sega Saturn that year and to Windows the next year. Initially the game was to be released under the title "Virtual On" in Japan and "Cyber Troopers" in North America,[11] but ultimately these two names were combined into a single title for both regions.

There were also two-player online versions of the game released in America and Japan for the Sega Saturn using the NetLink and XBAND services respectively. A twin stick controller was developed and released for the Saturn specifically to be used with Virtual On.[12] The game was popular especially in Japan[13] and it led to the Cyber Troopers Virtual-On franchise and a 1998 sequel subtitled Oratorio Tangram, with the original game since retroactively subtitled Operation Moongate. In 2007, Virtual On: Cyber Troopers was remade on the PlayStation 2 released in Japan, while later in 2013 it was released globally on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

  1. ^ Diamond, Dominik (7 December 1995). "Episode #106". GamesMaster. Series 5. Episode 12. United Kingdom. 3 minutes in. Channel 4. Retrieved 24 April 2021. Virtual On is out next month.
  2. ^ Sega Arcade History. Famitsu DC (in Japanese). Enterbrain. 2002. p. 135.
  3. ^ Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). Sega of America (in Japanese) (1st ed.). Amusement News Agency. p. 132. ISBN 978-4990251215. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  4. ^ Staff (September 11, 1997). "Releases and Mastering". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on October 12, 1997. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
    "...Sega's Virtual On is in stores..."
  5. ^ Romano, Sal (13 September 2019). "Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Masterpiece 1995~2001 for PS4 launches November 27 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Protos: Cyber Troopers". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 76. Sendai Publishing. November 1995. p. 220.
  7. ^ "Virtual-On, Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram, and Virtual-On Force coming to PS4 [Update]". 18 October 2018.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference GSSAT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Coin-op Giants Reveal Latest at JAMMA". Next Generation. No. 12. Imagine Media. December 1995. pp. 16–17.
  10. ^ "Xbox 360：電脳戦機バーチャロン オラトリオ・タングラム公式ウェブサイト". vo-ot360.sega.jp. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  11. ^ "Cyber Troopers". Next Generation. No. 15. Imagine Media. March 1996. p. 64.
  12. ^ "Virtual On Blasts Onto Saturn". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 12. Emap International Limited. October 1996. p. 8.
  13. ^ "Virtual On – Hardcore Gaming 101". Retrieved 2024-10-08.