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is a series of video games created by
Sega AM3 , known as from 2000 to 2004, is a defunct division of Sega, a Japanese video game company. Established by 1993, AM3 was managed by Hisao Oguchi and developed a number of arcade games for Sega. Series introduced by AM3 include ''Virtual On'', ...
(Amusement Research and Development Department 3, later renamed Hitmaker). The series was created by Juro Watari. The original series was first published for arcades in January 1996. The game features fast, action-oriented gameplay requiring quick reflexes. It has seen four iterations to date and has been
ported In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally desi ...
to several
video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally placed i ...
s. The
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
designs for all installments of the series were created by robot designer
Hajime Katoki is a Japanese mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English l ...
. Related merchandise released for sale include plastic models, original soundtracks, trading figurines,
light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
s and audio drama CDs.


Games

The games in the series are as follows. ;'' Virtual On: Cyber Troopers'' (''Virtual-On: Operation Moongate'') :Released between 1995 and 1996 for arcades,
Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...
, and PC. The Saturn version of the game is one of few games that supports the ''SEGA Net'' on the console. It also features the Sega Twin Stick Peripheral. The game 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 is a 1998 Japanese Sega Model 3 arcade action game that was later ported to the Sega NAOMI arcades and the Dreamcast home console in Japan in 1999 and North America in 2000. ''Oratorio Tangram'' is a 3D fighting game where the player assumes c ...
'' :Released between 1998 and 2000 for arcades and
Sega Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nint ...
, with special peripheral device, the Twin Sticks, and in 2009 for
Microsoft Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation o ...
's
Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is a digital video game download service available through the Xbox Games Store, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360. It focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent ...
service. Very few VOOT arcade units made it outside
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. The US release of VOOT on Dreamcast had many features locked for unknown reasons, such as Cable Versus and Custom Virtuaroid, and 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. The game 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 and Xbox 360 XBLA). ;''
Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Force is a 3D mecha fighting game developed by Sega AM3 (formerly Hitmaker) and published by Sega. It was released in Japanese arcades only on the Sega Hikaru arcade system board in 2001. Following its initial release, there was initially no home c ...
'' :Released exclusively in Japanese arcades in 2001. It was the first game in the series to be released after AM3 was renamed to Hitmaker, and features a new system of gameplay where players are teamed up in pairs to oppose another pair, with a leader/subordinate ruleset. The machines use a card system found in other arcade machines to keep player data. The game features M.S.B.S. v7.5, v7.6 and v7.7. The game is later released on the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
on December 22, 2010. ;'' Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Marz'' :First released in Japan and the United States in 2003 for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
, and was rereleased on
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
in Japan in 2013. It uses the VO: Force rules for gameplay and graphics, and is the first ''Virtual On'' game to have a single player story mode, which follows on with the Virtual-On universe. As the PlayStation 2 has no official Twin Sticks, the game's controls rely on the
DualShock The DualShock (originally Dual Shock; trademarked as DUALSHOCK or DUAL SHOCK; with the PlayStation 5 version named DualSense) is a line of gamepads with vibration-feedback and analog controls developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the Pla ...
controllers (this was corrected in PS3 rerelease with twin-stick peripheral configuration). As inclusion of story mode, this game is regarded more as an
action-adventure game The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a story ...
than simply an
action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...
. The game features M.S.B.S. v8.5. ;'' A Certain Magical Virtual-On'' :First released in Japan for the
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
and
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...
in 2018. The game is a collaboration between Sega and
Dengeki Bunko is a publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks). It was established in June 1993 with the publication of '' Hyōryū Densetsu Crystania'' volume one, and is a light novel imprint a ...
, featuring characters from
Kazuma Kamachi is the pen name of a Japanese author who has published over 100 light novel volumes. He is best known for the creation of the ''A Certain Magical Index'' franchise which, as of 2019, has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and has been license ...
's
light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
series ''
A Certain Magical Index is a Japanese light novel series written by Kazuma Kamachi and illustrated by Kiyotaka Haimura, which has been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint since April 2004 in a total of three sepa ...
''. The game features M.S.B.S. v55.55. It was released on February 15, 2018.


Overview

Virtual-On features
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
called Virtuaroids, or VRs, that are large robots the player controls in battles against enemy VRs, and its twin-stick control, in which two joysticks, complemented by an array of controls, are used by players. Additionally, in the plot of the first game, ''Virtual On: Cyber Troopers'', the Virtual-On's arcade machine is actually a remote operation device sent from the future in search of "Virtual-On Positive" (VO+) pilots.


Plastic models

The first plastic model series based on Virtuaroid was released shortly before Japanese release of ''Oratorio Tangram'', and were made by Wave Corporation. These Virtuaroid models are borrowed from ''Operation Moongate'' as well as ''Oratorio Tangram'', ''One Man Rescue'' and ''Fragmentary Passage''. These models were also made by Kotobukiya, which is well known for making plastic models of ''
Medabots ''Medabots'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese role-playing video game franchise created by Rin Horuma (Horumarin) and currently owned by Imagineer. The main series of RPGs focus on collecting and battling with the titular robots. The bulk of ...
'' anime and manga series. Hasegawa Corporation also manufactures the plastic model kits of Virtuaroids from
Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Force is a 3D mecha fighting game developed by Sega AM3 (formerly Hitmaker) and published by Sega. It was released in Japanese arcades only on the Sega Hikaru arcade system board in 2001. Following its initial release, there was initially no home c ...
and Marz video games. Some Virtuaroids, which were originally available only in a few version, were expanded to including spinoffs, such as Virtuaroid Guarayakha with special equipment, and more alternate-colored versions of some Virtuaroids. As of 2014, plastic models of ''Virtual On'' franchise are still in production.


Appearances in other media

The Virtuaroids Temjin 747J, Ahparmd the HA-T and Fei-Yen the Knight from the ''Virtual-On'' series appeared in the Japanese, turn-based strategy game '' Super Robot Wars Alpha 3''. This was the first occasion of characters from a video game series, owned neither by
Banpresto (formerly Coreland Technology Inc.) was a Japanese video game developer and publisher headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It had a branch in Hong Kong named Banpresto H.K., which was headquartered in the New Territories. Banpresto was a partly-own ...
nor their parent company
Namco Bandai is a Japanese multinational video game publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and ...
, appearing in a Super Robot Wars game. Of note about the game is that if the other pilots in the game remove their suits, approach the Virtuaroids and try to speak to their pilots, the Virtuaroids would say that they were being remote-piloted by pilots in another plane or dimension. In the PSP rhythm-action game '' Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Extend'', the third game in the '' Project DIVA'' series, one of the available outfits for Miku to wear was based on Fei-Yen. The special outfit was later made into plastic model figure. A reference to ''Virtual On'' can be found in 21st episode of ''Hyōka'' anime, where Hōtarō and Satoshi play the ''Operation Moongate'' with the Virtuaroids Raiden and Viper II respectively. Temjin and Fei-Yen appeared in ''Senko No Ronde 2'' as selectable characters via downloadable content. An emulated version of the original ''Virtual On'' arcade game can be played at the in-game arcade in ''
Yakuza Kiwami 2 ''Yakuza Kiwami 2'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is a remake of the 2006 video game '' Yakuza 2'' for the PlayStation 2, and is the ''Yakuza'' series' second remake title following ...
''. The visual novels ''
Kimi ga Nozomu Eien , or ''Kiminozo'' for short, is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Âge and released on August 3, 2001, for Windows. It was later ported to the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2. The gameplay in ''Kimi ga Nozomu Eien'' follows a branching ...
'' and ''
Muv-Luv is a Japanese visual novel developed by âge and originally released as an adult game for Windows on February 28, 2003. Consisting of two parts, and the gameplay in ''Muv-Luv'' follows a linear plot line, which offers pre-determine ...
'' features a nearly identical version instead called ''Cyber Legion Valgern On''.


References


External links

;Official * ;General resources
Virtual-Century
A fan-created database of Virtuaroids and general storyline information, taken from Sega's official guidebooks. {{Franchises owned by Sega Sammy Holdings Video game franchises Sega Games franchises Video games about mecha Fictional duos Post-apocalyptic video games Video games about robots Science fantasy video games Video games developed in Japan Video game franchises introduced in 1995