- Joined
- Apr 12, 2003
- Posts
- 18,883
I bought my first Sega Saturn around the time it launched and then it sat around unused and boxed in my closet until I sold it on eBay a few years later, just as eBay was starting to become a thing (I think the buyer sent me a money order).
The 2nd one I purchased was in the early days of my membership here at ng.com. I think I got it from another forum where the guy was just basically giving them away for 25 shipped with controllers and a random shitty game. I paid him another 20 on top to mod it. I bought into the hype here and maybe my expectations were a bit too high but overall I walked away disappointed. I sold it with no remorse and became an infamous hater of the system.
So now, in 2021. I purchased my 3rd one. Partialy spurred by members here urging me to give it another try and also because the ODEs options became more readily available. So I ripped out the CD rom drive and installed a Fenir. I have 150 games loaded on that sonuvabitch.
Anyway, I will add to this list as I go along. Here are some impressions and quick reviews so far:
Batman Forever: The Arcade Game: Oh my god this game is horrible but in a so bad it's good sort of way. If you enjoy 90s digitized crapfests then you might like this. I actually had fun. Not a Saturn exclusive but I the game was made on the ST-V platform. Best way to play this horrible game.
Batsugun: If there was reason to give this system another chance, it was for this game. The Special version on this disc is a lot of fun, though I do feel I'm over reliant on bombs. Overall great (final?) effort by Toaplan. I believe this team went on to start Cave.
Battle Garegga: excellent port. If you weren't a fan of the game in the first place this port isn't going to change your mind. If you know what to expect, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the accuracy of the port. It has a good arranged soundtrack too but I prefer the original.
Capcom Fighting Games: You should know what to expect by now. They play and look great. Nothing new or crazy to say here. The tag games (xmen vs sf, marvel vs. sf) are better on the platform, but I feel like I've been playing these games for too long to be wowed by anything anymore. Not to leave on a bad note. SFA 1, 2, 2 gold, 3 are all lots of fun. In fact all these games are as good as you can expect. I probably won't update this.
Daytona USA (reg and CCE): I've heard from some people and youtube reviewers that they prefer this over the Dreamcast version ... yeah, ok. I like the extended version of the theme song. That's a lot of fun, but this version is just so lackluster in the graphics department especially with the superior Dreamcast version available. They say the Dreamcast version controls are touchy, I don't agree with that, but even if that were true you can adjust and learn to play it like a pro like me! PASS on this one.
Die Hard Arcade/Dynamite Deku: I prefer the sequel on the Dreamcast in every way (Dynamite Cop!/Dynamite Deku 2), but this is still fun. This is an ok game, pretty much only for fans. Skip to the Dreamcast version if you have a Dreamcast. Side Note: even though I have the US ISO, for some reason the quicktime events are still in Japanese. Anyone know why that is?
Elevator Action 2: same as above, also one of my favorite action games of all time.
G-Vector: It has that lock-on feature that seemed to be popular back then, but I couldn't get into this. Music is horrible. Gameplay is boring. pass.
Galactic Attack/Layer Section: Enjoyable shmup. It has that lock-on gimmick that's easy to learn and it's pretty straight forward and done well. I wouldn't say it'll be on my top 10 list or anything, but I'll come back to this for sure.
Groove on Fight: Pretty dang good. I don't think I burned a copy of this back in the day. I'm having a lot of fun with it. Good animation and great character design. I'm still learning the tag attack mechanic, but I think I prefer this over the Matrimelee and Power Instinct releases. I like the color palette on display here. Reminds me of that Fallen Angels game.
Guardian Heroes: Still not feeling it. It gets so crowded on the screen that I end up getting confused half the time and start mashing buttons. The plane shifting seems dumb so far. I don't think this game will ever click with me and while I like some Treasure games, I don't think they're immune from making shit games. Should I try again?
Hyper Duel: I seem to have more fun with this game when I pretend you can't turn into a giant hitbox mech. I'm not sure I like that mechanic. For the time being I'm going to say this game is less than stellar. I'll give it a shot again because if you play it straight forward, it's actually fun.
Kyuukyoku Tiger II Plus: Not feeling it so far. Kind of disappointing being that I love the Genesis/PC Engine ports of the original. I might have to give it more time. I will say the Arrange mode tries to keep things interesting with dialogue and cutscenes, but it's in Japanese and for a shmup, probably not necessary. I'm on the side of "meh" with this one.
Nekketsu Oyako: Fun beat'em up. There aren't a of beat'em ups on the platform but I've had fun so far. The characters have enough variety to warrant multiple playthroughs and the levels keep things interesting (for the genre that is). Good music too.
Ninkuu - Tsuyokina Yatsura no Daigekito: Name just rolls off the tongue. Another one of those 2D sprites over 3D background games. It has this cool anime look and the characters themselves are interesting but as good as they look the game is really choppy. I think if it were smoother with the animation I'd play it more, but as it stands, it's just one of those obscure games to show to your friends and maybe mess around with for 5 mins. Pass.
Shining Force III (Scenario 1): I really love 1 and 2 on the Genesis. I'm not even a strategy game type fan but those games are exceptions to the rule. I almost bought an Everdrive Pro just to play the CD version. Some enthusiasts translated the other scenarios and retranslated the original Shining Force III. That's pretty wicked ... however my impressions are sort of incomplete so far. I'm not a fan of having to rotate the camera constantly to get around town. I will have to come back to this game. Undecided.
Shinobi Legions: Like Batman Forever, a relic of that time in the 90s when digitized graphics were popular, however, this game is a lot more fun. It plays well and has some satisfying graphics when it comes to slashing enemies. The level design is so-so and while I have enjoyed my time with this one so far, it's not anywhere near a contender vs. the 16 bit/arcade iterations but I digress, give it a shot!
SNK ports: KOF 95, RBS, etc. These seem straight forward. The loading between the rounds can be annoying even with an ODE, but if you don't have original Neo hardware and you don't have access to the PS2 compilations, this is a good way to play these games. Not perfect, but very competent ports.
I'm still in the process of playing through these games, but so far, not so bad. Maybe I was a little rough on this system back then. The price of software is pretty much getting to a point that it makes more sense to go with an ODE solution. Even back when I bought my 2nd one prices were already shooting up. Any comments/tips/insults would be appreciated. Have a game you think I should try? Let me know.
Update 4/18: Played some more games and made an update to Shining Force. I downloaded some of the games recommended here. Thanks guys!
The 2nd one I purchased was in the early days of my membership here at ng.com. I think I got it from another forum where the guy was just basically giving them away for 25 shipped with controllers and a random shitty game. I paid him another 20 on top to mod it. I bought into the hype here and maybe my expectations were a bit too high but overall I walked away disappointed. I sold it with no remorse and became an infamous hater of the system.
So now, in 2021. I purchased my 3rd one. Partialy spurred by members here urging me to give it another try and also because the ODEs options became more readily available. So I ripped out the CD rom drive and installed a Fenir. I have 150 games loaded on that sonuvabitch.
Anyway, I will add to this list as I go along. Here are some impressions and quick reviews so far:
Batman Forever: The Arcade Game: Oh my god this game is horrible but in a so bad it's good sort of way. If you enjoy 90s digitized crapfests then you might like this. I actually had fun. Not a Saturn exclusive but I the game was made on the ST-V platform. Best way to play this horrible game.
Batsugun: If there was reason to give this system another chance, it was for this game. The Special version on this disc is a lot of fun, though I do feel I'm over reliant on bombs. Overall great (final?) effort by Toaplan. I believe this team went on to start Cave.
Battle Garegga: excellent port. If you weren't a fan of the game in the first place this port isn't going to change your mind. If you know what to expect, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the accuracy of the port. It has a good arranged soundtrack too but I prefer the original.
Capcom Fighting Games: You should know what to expect by now. They play and look great. Nothing new or crazy to say here. The tag games (xmen vs sf, marvel vs. sf) are better on the platform, but I feel like I've been playing these games for too long to be wowed by anything anymore. Not to leave on a bad note. SFA 1, 2, 2 gold, 3 are all lots of fun. In fact all these games are as good as you can expect. I probably won't update this.
Daytona USA (reg and CCE): I've heard from some people and youtube reviewers that they prefer this over the Dreamcast version ... yeah, ok. I like the extended version of the theme song. That's a lot of fun, but this version is just so lackluster in the graphics department especially with the superior Dreamcast version available. They say the Dreamcast version controls are touchy, I don't agree with that, but even if that were true you can adjust and learn to play it like a pro like me! PASS on this one.
Die Hard Arcade/Dynamite Deku: I prefer the sequel on the Dreamcast in every way (Dynamite Cop!/Dynamite Deku 2), but this is still fun. This is an ok game, pretty much only for fans. Skip to the Dreamcast version if you have a Dreamcast. Side Note: even though I have the US ISO, for some reason the quicktime events are still in Japanese. Anyone know why that is?
Elevator Action 2: same as above, also one of my favorite action games of all time.
G-Vector: It has that lock-on feature that seemed to be popular back then, but I couldn't get into this. Music is horrible. Gameplay is boring. pass.
Galactic Attack/Layer Section: Enjoyable shmup. It has that lock-on gimmick that's easy to learn and it's pretty straight forward and done well. I wouldn't say it'll be on my top 10 list or anything, but I'll come back to this for sure.
Groove on Fight: Pretty dang good. I don't think I burned a copy of this back in the day. I'm having a lot of fun with it. Good animation and great character design. I'm still learning the tag attack mechanic, but I think I prefer this over the Matrimelee and Power Instinct releases. I like the color palette on display here. Reminds me of that Fallen Angels game.
Guardian Heroes: Still not feeling it. It gets so crowded on the screen that I end up getting confused half the time and start mashing buttons. The plane shifting seems dumb so far. I don't think this game will ever click with me and while I like some Treasure games, I don't think they're immune from making shit games. Should I try again?
Hyper Duel: I seem to have more fun with this game when I pretend you can't turn into a giant hitbox mech. I'm not sure I like that mechanic. For the time being I'm going to say this game is less than stellar. I'll give it a shot again because if you play it straight forward, it's actually fun.
Kyuukyoku Tiger II Plus: Not feeling it so far. Kind of disappointing being that I love the Genesis/PC Engine ports of the original. I might have to give it more time. I will say the Arrange mode tries to keep things interesting with dialogue and cutscenes, but it's in Japanese and for a shmup, probably not necessary. I'm on the side of "meh" with this one.
Nekketsu Oyako: Fun beat'em up. There aren't a of beat'em ups on the platform but I've had fun so far. The characters have enough variety to warrant multiple playthroughs and the levels keep things interesting (for the genre that is). Good music too.
Ninkuu - Tsuyokina Yatsura no Daigekito: Name just rolls off the tongue. Another one of those 2D sprites over 3D background games. It has this cool anime look and the characters themselves are interesting but as good as they look the game is really choppy. I think if it were smoother with the animation I'd play it more, but as it stands, it's just one of those obscure games to show to your friends and maybe mess around with for 5 mins. Pass.
Shining Force III (Scenario 1): I really love 1 and 2 on the Genesis. I'm not even a strategy game type fan but those games are exceptions to the rule. I almost bought an Everdrive Pro just to play the CD version. Some enthusiasts translated the other scenarios and retranslated the original Shining Force III. That's pretty wicked ... however my impressions are sort of incomplete so far. I'm not a fan of having to rotate the camera constantly to get around town. I will have to come back to this game. Undecided.
Update: Spent another hour on this and I have to say it plays just like the old ones BUT I like how the "board" was laid in the other games. I think 2D is more suited (or a straight up overhead view) for strategy games. Again, this isn't my usual genre so I might not have the best frame of reference. Overall though, I'm coming back for more and I like the 2D sprites over the 3D environment and the battles themselves look nice in a clean 3D way. It is a lot more wordy than the other entries.
Shinobi Legions: Like Batman Forever, a relic of that time in the 90s when digitized graphics were popular, however, this game is a lot more fun. It plays well and has some satisfying graphics when it comes to slashing enemies. The level design is so-so and while I have enjoyed my time with this one so far, it's not anywhere near a contender vs. the 16 bit/arcade iterations but I digress, give it a shot!
SNK ports: KOF 95, RBS, etc. These seem straight forward. The loading between the rounds can be annoying even with an ODE, but if you don't have original Neo hardware and you don't have access to the PS2 compilations, this is a good way to play these games. Not perfect, but very competent ports.
Fighter's History Dynamite: I think this is a port of the Neo Geo game. I dunno, never played that either. Another one of those broken fighting games that's fun to mess with but I can't take serious.
World Heroes Perfect: I like how quick you can reset and start a new game. Not sure if it's the ODE or good programming. It's a good entry in the series but I prefer 2 and Jet over this.
I'm still in the process of playing through these games, but so far, not so bad. Maybe I was a little rough on this system back then. The price of software is pretty much getting to a point that it makes more sense to go with an ODE solution. Even back when I bought my 2nd one prices were already shooting up. Any comments/tips/insults would be appreciated. Have a game you think I should try? Let me know.
Update 4/18: Played some more games and made an update to Shining Force. I downloaded some of the games recommended here. Thanks guys!
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