osmurad's Full Review: Tech Romancer for Dreamcast
Okay, okay… I know some of you hardcore Virtual-On lovers will hate me for this... but it must be done... (Big drums bang).
I never even heard about this game till I saw it on ign.com the other day, and coincidently I saw it in the store just after getting my paycheck… what would you have done?
This game is, in my ever so humble opinion, everything Virtual-On Orotario Tangram (or whatever) should have been (in spirit) for the Dreamcast. Do not get me wrong, I was a true Virtual On lover, I even bought a Sega Saturn to play it; but this game to me represented everything that the older Virtual On did. That is, it breathed a fresh breath of air into the Dreamcast console. I was looking for something out of the ordinary, and this game delivers. Obviously, Virtual On and this game are two completely different types of games, even though they both involve mechs.
Do not get me wrong, this is not a perfect game. The game sort of goes like this: Every character in this game has a unique mech, and some mechs have multiple pilots, you can choose which one you want to use. The game has many different playing modes and two modes for single player and those are the normal competition, or the story mode, which is quite cool as this game is made up just like a anime movie. Also, there are multiple paths for each character. I would say that the story line of this game is one of its strengths coupled with features such as the option to unlock hidden power-ups, characters and … a hidden anime movie! This is definitely a game for anime fans. Also, there is this option called Dr. (forgot his name) ‘s laboratory. It has some very cool features and the ability to download many different types of games onto your VMU.
While the plot is great, the graphics are so-so, with a little bit of pixelation here and there. Do not expect a game of Soul Calibers, caliber (!), ok ok corny joke, in graphics or complexity, which the older Virtual On also had. The controls are quite good, and there are a plethora of moves that one can unleash upon their opponent. Weapons and power-ups can be had by crushing buildings and objects in the game playing field and by whacking your opponent. The graphics of the playing field are okay, but the detail on the mechs is quite good.
The sound is quite annoying at times, however, the game sort of has an anime feel with subtitles and no dubbing except for the announcers voice, from the Japanese version of this game. The controls feel quite alright, but do expect some button bashing, my completely inexperienced (in video games) housemate thwacked me 4 times yesterday… leaving only to bask in his glory as I am supposed to be the video game sensei! Revenge shall be mine soon….
This game is set very much like a normal 3D fighter, as opposed to the unique perspective of Virtual On. The battles take place on the sort of 3D playing fields usually known to most 3D fighters, with a little bit of the flexibility we saw in Power Stone. The games action is intense, and your mechs power meter records damage, as opposed to taking damage, a welcome change, and you can knock your opponents armor off.
All in all this game has, I feel, great replayability, and is quite innovative, if not original. If you were unsatisfied by Virtual On Orat… (blah!)’s controls and lack of excitement and innovation, check this game out, it will deliver (No, Capcom is not paying me for this plug!).
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