Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram (電脳戦機バーチャロン オラトリオ・タングラム M.S.B.S. Ver.5.45) is a 1998 Japanese Sega Model 3 arcade action game that was 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 control of a giant humanoid robot, and is a sequel to the 1996 video game Virtual On: Cyber Troopers. A re-release of the game, entitled Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram Ver.5.66 (電脳戦機バーチャロン オラトリオ・タングラム Ver.5.66), was released worldwide for Xbox 360 on April 29, 2009.

Plot
The game starts 20 years after the events of Operation Moongate. After the defeat of Z-Gradt, the mightiest VR and the final boss of the first game, humans continued to battle in their VR's, searching for supremacy. However an unknown AI known as Tangram has awakened and became self-conscious. With the directive to destroy humanity, Tangram infected Earth's mother computer with a virus called "Tangram Virus" and hacked into all VR systems, except for the player's VR. It plans to use the infected VRs to destroy the last human colonies that survived the previous war. The player begins the mission to defeat all VRs and destroy Tangram to stop its evil ambitions once and for all.

After defeating all VRs, the player is teleported to the Earth's mother computer system to fight Tangram. Depending on the final battle outcome, there are two endings available.

In the good ending, Tangram is erased from the computer and the player's VR is teleported back to Earth's stratosphere, where its armour is critically damaged during the fall but is saved by VRs that came on the Floating Carrier. Fei-Yen is saved by Angelan or the opposite and the others (Temjin, Raiden, Dodray, Bal-Bados, Specineff, Cypher, and Apharmd) are saved by the same model VRs. Alternatively, If the player's time counter reaches 0, Tangram hacks into the player's VR system and shuts it down, resulting in a Game Over screen.

Development
The game was exhibited at the February 1998 AOU Show, where it drew large crowds.

Reception
The Dreamcast version received favorable reviews, while Ver.5.66 received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation websites GameRankings and Metacritic. Stephen Frost of NextGen called the Japanese import of the Dreamcast version "an impressive game, and practically a perfect conversion, marred by difficult controls and a lack of 'compatibility' with the standard Dreamcast controller. However, if you're willing to invest the necessary time, you'll eventually discover that the game provides one of the most addictive and deep gaming experiences currently available on Dreamcast." Jake The Snake of GamePro said in one review, "For dedicated gamers longing for a fast-paced clast of metal, Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram will deliver many hours of mech-smashing mayhem." In another review, Cheat Monkey called it "a must buy-if you have the Twin Sticks. If not, the game will still be fun, but it will not feel quite right to arcade veterans." GameZone gave the same Dreamcast version seven out of ten, saying, "If there were Twinsticks or cerebral implants available in the US for use with the Dreamcast, then it would have scored higher. As it stands, it’s another in a long series of arcade games that have been shoehorned onto a console to make a buck." Later, Retro Gamer gave the Xbox 360 version 72%, calling it "a great port of the DC conversion [that] looks incredible with its hi-def sheen, but the 360's analogue stick just doesn't do the game justice."

In Japan, Famitsu gave the same Dreamcast version a score of three tens and one nine for a total of 39 out of 40. Game Machine listed the arcade version in their May 15, 1998 issue as the second most-successful dedicated arcade game of the month.

The Dreamcast version was a runner-up for the "Game No One Played" award at IGN's Best of 2000 Awards.