Games such as Wipeout and Destruction Derby were initially released and found success on the PlayStation before they were later ported to the Sega Saturn and PC. What challenges did Pysgnosis face in porting the games to the other two platforms?MC: The PlayStation and Saturn platform hardware was very different, and the way code needed to be written for each made porting challenging. For example, when making PC ports we needed to have a decent minimum spec and graphics card support for the games to be enjoyed.Games such as Destruction Derby and Wipeout 2097 were ported to the Sega Saturn, but games such as Formula 1 and Destruction Derby 2 were notably absent. How and why were certain titles selected for porting to the Saturn and some weren't?MC: From memory, I believe most would make it over eventually, but the porting challenges remained and finding teams capable of doing the work in a timely manner contributed in largish delays between releases on the formats.
Welcome to my first game review. This fantastic game desperately needs a review, so here I am to give it a shot. Super Tempo is a 2D platforming game, with musical themes. Featuring excellent graphics and a nice variety of game-play, Super Tempo is definitely worth checking out. Let's break it down.
Presentation
When the game begins, the player is treated to an intro sequence in which a (quite humorous) song is played, in full English. Waiting at the Start Screen will lead to a second sequence playing out, which provides the premise for the game. Although all text is in Japanese, this game is quite playable by a non-Japanese speaker. Upon starting the game, you will notice that the colors in the game are very bright and vibrant. Some may not care for the "cartoonish" look of the game, but there's no denying that the 2D graphics are gorgeous. The sound effects for the game are very well done. Tapping the d-pad slightly to move the character results in a funny sliding sound. You can tell the developers had fun making this game. The background music is also very catchy and goes perfectly with the action on screen.
Game-play
There are two characters that you alternately control on screen, a male character and a female character. Both characters can jump, and both characters have an attack move. The male character's attack consists of playing a violin which releases (shoots) bubbles at enemies. Once an enemy has been trapped by a bubble, you merely need to jump into the enemy to destroy it. The female character's attack consists of shooting fire. When enemies are destroyed, they leave behind musical notes, which your character collects. When the male character performs a jump, you can slow his descent by holding down the attack button. When the female character performs a jump, holding the attack button will actually allow you to GAIN in altitude. So there may be places which are unreachable by the male character, and you will have to wait until you switch. Switching character's may be done by finding a "phone booth looking" object within any given level. Although the game-play is 2D in nature, there are instances where you travel into the screen. Very similar to the system in Princess Crown, you may enter doors in the background by pressing UP on the d-pad. This is a nice addition to the basic 2D game-play. There is also a nice variety of levels, some of which have you swimming underwater or flying across the screen like a horizontal shooter. Of course there are also end-of-level boss fights, which are very entertaining. Skilled game players may find the game too easy. Since I can't read Japanese, I'm not sure if there is an option to change the difficulty level. It's also a fairly short game. I completed the game in just under 3 hours, but that was taking my time and exploring every area well.
Overall
Well, this can be a pretty difficult game to find. This game has the honor of being my final Sega Saturn game purchase. If you enjoy 2D platformers, and find this game for $50 or less, I would recommend that you pick it up. It is certainly one of the best 2D platformers on the Saturn. Even though there is no save feature (that I know of), no difficulty select (that I know of), and is fairly short in length, I am still giving this game a 10/10 because the good parts more than make up for it.
Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/30/04
SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced the upcoming re-release of Guardian Heroes™, a classic Action-RPG Brawler by celebrated developers Treasure. Originally released for the SEGA Saturn™ in 1996, Guardian Heroes has been re-mastered with enhanced graphics, online co-op and battle modes, all-new modes of play, and more. The game will be available via Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this fall.Sounds fantastic! And it certainly will be less expensive than what the Saturn version goes for on ebay.
“Ever since we began to make SEGA’s classic Dreamcast and the Mega Drive titles available for modern systems, the fan response has been overwhelming – and the demand for their favorite games has been pouring in,” said Haruki Satomi, VP of Digital Business at SEGA. “Players have been clamoring for this treasured favorite from the Saturn days, and we cannot wait to show them what we have got for them.”
Guardian Heroes brings the Saturn favorite to life with new HD graphics, presenting Treasure’s iconic fast-paced gameplay on a new generation of hardware, with all of the convenience of purchase via instant download. The game also features:
- Action-RPG Brawling: Choose one of five heroes to level up and guide along a branching storyline with five different endings
- Friends, Foes, and Fighters: Play the game’s Story Mode alone or with a second player, or challenge Versus Mode with up to 12 players at once
- Extended Gameplay: Time Attack Mode, Arcade Mode, Arrange Mode and more allow players to explore every nuance of 45 different fighters
- Fully Re-Mastered: All-new graphics and visual effects bring the classic to life in a completely high-definition, widescreen presentation
