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Dennou Senki Virtual On
Model 2 Arcade Board (2B CRX)– Saturn - PC
SEGA AM3
1995
Also known as “Operation Moongate,” and the consequently amusing acronym “OMG”, there are five versions of the original Virtual On. The arcade game, two Saturn iterations and another two PC versions. The Saturn also held host to a dedicated twinstick control peripheral and an online capable game. The most noteworthy aspect of the Saturn releases was their button mapping to the pad (the d-pad represented the left stick, and the buttons represented the right) and the increased responsiveness of the VRs in-game. This is something that the Saturn twinstick controllers tried to artificially correct on the programming side, by having their responsiveness brought into line with the arcade’s slower and more tactical pacing (giving them a distinct disadvantage over anyone who was using the pad).
 
VO Saturn Stick and arcade cab.
Despite the different versions, not much game balancing occurred between releases. Essentially, they were just run-of-the mill ports of the arcade original.
This meant that a lot of the game exploits remained intact across each version. An example is rowing, in which you hold the direction you want to move, then (while holding that direction) press up and down. In other words, you keep moving in a diagonal-like manner while actually moving in the desired direction. The bonus here was that you moved faster than most other VRs could dash. Thankfully, only a few VRs could use this exploit, namely Belgdor and Bal Bas Bow, but this was only one of many gameplay bugs the game shipped with.
 It’s also worth noting at this juncture that the mecha design for this game and the remainder of the series was undertaken by the somewhat cheeky Katoki Hajime. However, he has been quick to admit that he really isn’t very good at the games at all, despite liking them a lot.
Next: Dennou Senki Virtual On Oratorio Tangram
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