
<MAP NAME="boxmap-p8"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="14, 200, 103, 207" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/thearmchairem-20" ></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" width="120" height="240" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p8" alt="Shop at Amazon.com">	Platform Dreamcast Genre Fighting Publisher Activision Developer Hitmaker ESRB T (Teen) Released Q2 2000

- Great graphics - Nice robot design - Good attack animation

- Very hard game - Awkward controls (it's in desperate need of the Twinstick controller) - Weak music

Review: Tech Romancer (Dreamcast) Review: Dead or Alive 2 (Dreamcast)
Newsletter
Be notified of site updates. Sign-up for the Newsletter sent out twice weekly. Enter E-Mail Address Below: Subscribe \| Unsubscribe

Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram

Score: 8/10

Now we know that the Dreamcast can pump out some very pretty imagery, but what Sega has done with Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram is just plain nuts. With all of the flashing and gorgeous lighting effects, terrific mech designs, and well laid out battlefields there’s plenty of eye candy to go around. However if ever there was a game to fall prey to the funky Dreamcast controller it’s VOOT. While gamers in Japan go themselves a shiny new Twinstick controller the rest of the world is left dealing with a discombobulated chunk of plastic. It takes a little getting used to but the control scheme can be mastered. Despite this controls issue the title is still a fabulous big bad robot brew-ha-ha.

Looking at all the energy waves, explosions, and glowing lovey-dovey hearts of destruction that go whizzing around the screen during battle it brings back memories of the seizure inducing robots on the TV when the Simpsons go on their trip to Japan. It’s insane the sheer amount of visual splendor that is being continuously throw at the player. Not only are the effects well done, but also the different robots that can be used and fought are breathtaking. Seeing as Gundam creator Katohi Haijime designed them this really comes as no surprise. There’s the well-rounded Teijin for those who like to keep their tactical options as open as possible or Raiden whose heavy armaments make him a hulking war machine on the field. To round things out the battlefields are also nicely laid out with well placed barriers to use to your advantage.

Advertisement

- Dreamcast Game Reviews

- Fighting Game Reviews

- Games Developed by Hitmaker

- Games Published by Activision

However, getting around these war zones is a real pain with the standard Dreamcast controller. The layout is very clunky, and the only convenient way to get a lock on a wily opponent is to jump into the air and automatically acquire a lock. If the Twinstick controller had made its way here from North America there would be a lot of VOOT fans in mech fighting bliss right now. But now we’ll just have to make do.

One unusual element of VOOT is its sound track. For a fast-paced action

Advertisement

title involving enormous, menacing robots the music is awfully happy-go-lucky. There are some tracks that would work great in a platformer, but here they’re just out of place. On the other hand there are some absolutely splendid tracks that pop up from time to time that fit in perfectly. It’s really hit or miss in the music department, but more miss than hit. Happily the sound effects are perfect arcade fair, so they admirably make up for the peculiar mix of tunes in the game.

While most other 3D fighters concentrate on the world of martial arts it’s a refreshing breath of fresh air to have a title like Virtual On: Oratorio Tanrgram come along. Fast-paced action with flashy visuals makes this game a winner, despite its control issues.

Reviewed by Mr. Nash

(September 1, 2000)