Virtual On Ontario Tangram for Xbox Live Arcade is a port of the 1999 Dreamcast version of the game. At its core, the game is a straight up mech combat action game. You do battle with various opponents with varying weapons and attempt to destroy your opponent before he does the same to you. If your looking for a very deep game with a engrossing story – you won’t find it here. That being said, Virtual On Ontario Tangram does very good at what it sets out to do : giving fans of the game another opportunity to play it the way they remember it, if not a bit better.
The big draw when Virtual On started out in the arcades was its fancy graphics, fun gameplay, and unique duel stick control system.
The game used two thumbsticks to allow you to turn, move and strafe quickly further bringing you the feeling of behind the pilot in a giant mech. The Dreamcasts controller leaved a lot to be desired in allowing to mimic the arcade’s control setup, and the X-box controller fairs a bit better but still isn’t the best setup. The problem with Virtual On’s controls are that if you played the arcade, short of buying a new duel stick controller, the game will never perform like the arcade. Even if you discount those unreasonable expectations, the buttons to boost in either direction, a key element in the game, end up being a bit further away than they should be, making the game a bit difficult to control. It’s a relatively minor quibble, but still worthy of note.
Being a port of a Dreamcast title, the graphics look a bit dated, but received minor upgrades for it to look just like you remember it on the Dreamcast or in the arcade for that matter on your HDTV. It sounds and looks just like the game you played many years ago – so as long as you don’t go in expecting something new, you’ll be pretty pleased with what you find.
Virtual On’s gameplay is also untouched for the most part, which is a good and a bad thing all at once. On the plus side, you’re getting pretty much exactly what Dreamcast owners did. The game is relatively unchanged with the only major addition being that of 1 vs1 online multiplayer. The problem is that for 1200 ms points or $15 – the game is real short.
You’ll probably be able to beat the arcade mode in one sitting. Beyond that, you can play online, which is a pretty authentic lag free experience (although I personally had some minor problems with the matchmaking – I suspect that may just have been my internet connection). You can also edit the colors of your mech – which, while kind of neat, doesn’t really extend the gameplay. Even all 200 points of achievements should be attainable within only a couple hours of play. I am a bit disappointed there is no additional content or even split screen 1 v1 multiplayer – but I’m not surprised that its outside the scope of this port.
Virtual On caters mainly to those who have fond memories of the arcade and Dreamcast versions of the game. If nostalgia for the game is a key reason your interested in it – Virtual On will not disappoint you. It’s the game you loved from 1999 – only now with online multiplayer. If you’re just joining us now and missed out on the game the first time around – you’d better love multiplayer or this will probably end up disappointing you, even if you enjoy mech action games. If you’re craving a somewhat deeper mech combat experience and missed out on Armored Core 4 – you might want to check out a used copy of that as an alternative.
The Good
It’s Virtual On: Virtual On is still fun after all these years, albeit short.
Amazing Presentation: Virtual On Ontario Tangram is an example of why I love Xbox Live Arcade – previously the best you could hope for would be a direct port of an old game like this. Instead, the graphics are cleaned up a bit for wide screen and you get online play. This is more than a port – this is probably the best version of this arcade classic.
The Bad
Insert Quarter: Virtual On’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. Chances are if your interested in purchasing this game, you’ve already played it. If you beat it, you might beat it again and maybe you’ll play online – but there isn’t really much to do beyond that. At $10, this game is easier for the unfamiliar to take a chance on. At its presently priced $15, this is more of something you might recommend to a fan.
The Ugly
Wishlist: There isn’t anything wrong with Virtual On XBLA per say. It’s faults are basically that it is what it is. That being said – fans of the game will probably want more. More as in : 1v1 split screen, more mechs, more multiplayer gameplay modes… just … more. The problem is that being a port – it’s not really designed to accommodate these things. I’d love to be surprised – but if anything. Lots of people buying this game might get us a new ‘designed for XBLA’ Virtual On game rather than a port ala Street Fighter 2 HD.
Recommendation: If you’re a fan of Virtual On or looking for a pretty fun multiplayer mech action game – pick it up. Otherwise – play the demo with the knowledge there isn’t much more to the game beyond multiplayer.
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