Virtua Fighter in HD

Virtua Fighter needs no introductions and would be a prime candidate for a full-on remastered collection for modern systems, but until SEGA delivers we can always improvise and try to make it ourselves. For the second entry in the "REMASTERED" click-bait titled series I picked every numbered entry in the VF series and tried to make it look as good as possible, meeting the modern standards of Full HD resolution (1920x1080) and widescreen 16:9 picture format.

You can watch the results above and read more about the particular setup and challenges for each game below:

VIRTUA FIGHTER 1

There wasn't much choice in regards of version or emulator for VF1. The original arcade version ran on the Model 1 board, which can only be emulated at native resolutions in MAME, so that was a no go. The only other option was the Saturn version and the only recommended emulator for HD resolutions was YabaSanshiro (or one of its many forks).

For the widescreen hack I relied on the community effort from the folks over at the Assembler Games forum, something I've covered before in this article.

Killing Pixels Parte Três: Aspect Raidou

Aspect ratio is a contentious subject among retro gamers. With widescreen televisions being the norm nowadays, many gamers simply plug and play their old consoles and don’t pay any attention to whether the picture is in the original format or stretched to fill the screen. Some even go as far as stretching it on purpose because to them, having a black bar on either side of the picture is more annoying than round objects becoming oval. Our own Father K would be an example of someone who just wants to play and doesn’t care about such pesky things.

On the other side of the barricade you have people who don’t tolerate a stretched picture, it’s 4:3 with black bars or nothing. To them, preserving the proper aspect ratio is absolutely integral to the experience and changing that is nothing short of heresy. I would be an example of this type. Heck, one of the best moments of my gaming life was when I found a way to force my monitor to show old PC games in proper 4:3.

SKU You, Pal!

http://bestsku.com/platform.asp?catid=Sega%20Saturn

I'm referring, of course, to Best SKU, which currently has a sale on Sega Saturn accessories. These include an RF adapter, the Virtua Stick, and Sega's sublime Saturn Control Pad, all for low-to-the-floor prices. One oddity is an Australian version of the Control Pad with the D-pad and buttons recessed inside large oval windows. It's like the alien cousin of the standard Saturn controller!

Annnnyway, most of the items on the site are just $4.99, with the Virtua Stick priced at a slightly higher $9.99. I've got no clue how much shipping costs or if these guys are even trustworthy, but if you need more Saturn controllers (and really, what Saturn fan couldn't use more of them?) and are willing to take a chance on an unknown mail order company, this is a golden opportunity for you.

One final note... at long last, I've got a computer that can handle Saturn emulation at a reasonable speed. You folks have any recommendations as to what emulator I should be using, and what games I can play with it?

Sega Model 2 emulator

Like most gamers, until recently I thought the arcade games emulation scene was just about MAME and nothing more, since that is the one emulator everybody talks about. Well, now I've expanded my horizons, and so I want to expand yours too, by telling you about a great Model 2 emulator.


By now I can almost hear Gagaman(n) screaming "Why the hell are you posting this in The Saturn Junkyard? This place is for Saturn posts and nothing more! Go post this stuff in your own blog!". Well, the fact is, like always there is a link between this and the Saturn. See, the Model 2 is for the Saturn what the NAOMI board is for the Dreamcast. Can't see the picture yet? The M2 board is basically a Saturn with more power locked inside an arcade cabinet, which explains the many games they have in common.

Know Sega Rally? Daytona USA? Sega Touring Car? Dead or Alive? Virtual-On? The list could go on, and on, but I think you all get the idea by now. All this games and many more were originally released for the Model 2 and later ported to the Saturn, with some having better conversions than others.


So, if we already have most games on our beloved Saturn, why would we want such an emulator? Well, many games have been ported, but only half or so, so there's plenty more games exclusive to the system waiting for you to have a blast with them, like Desert Tank, Gunblade, Indy 500, Motor Raid, Over Rev or Zero Gunner, just to name a few.

On the other hand, since the Saturn is less powerful than the M2, no ports are "arcade perfect", with all sporting worse graphics and many having tweaked gameplay, removed features and such, so if you want to experience the real Daytona USA, for example, this is the way to go.


Unfortunately, all 3D emulators need a lot of work into them, and since this one is still in development, not everything runs perfectly yet. All the racing games I've tried so far have graphical and control issues (so no "arcade perfect" Daytona for you, yet...), and many games run somewhat slow. The latter issue is mostly due to my PC, since I've heard that people with recent machines run every game at full speed. My PC is not that bad, though, so if you want to have good speeds on most games make sure your PC is really good.

Anyway, despite this, I already had a blast playing Zero Gunner (full speed, graphically perfect) and Gunblade (half speed, graphical issues), a game that was a real blast from the past, since it was the last game I've played in a real arcade, 4 years ago on a trip to Lisbon. Many more games await me, so there's plenty more stuff to try the emulator with.

Huh? Want links? Well, of course! Here they are:

Emulator

Roms

As always, if you have any problems with the emulator, just tell me about it and I'll try to help.

And, as always, good bye and good (arcade) games ;)

There's a Sonic X-Treme for everyone!

Since apparently I'm the only one here that has played Sonic X-Treme, I decided to spread the love. For all of you out there that don't want to modchip or swap-trick your saturn, and for the people that don't even have a Saturn (*points at gnome*), here's the Sonic X-Treme Pack for the Saturn Junkyard!

This is a pack made by your's truly containing a release of Sonic X-Treme, along with a lot of cover art, and two versions of my favourite Saturn emulator for the PC: SSF. I haven't used it for quite some time, so I decided to include the version I had, 007, and the latest, 008. The older version runs quite fast but with a lot of graphical issues. The newer version on the other hand is quite the opposite, graphically perfect but with a terrible framerate. This, I believe, is just a matter of tweaking the emulator, something I wasn't able to do but that shouldn't be that hard.

If you have any questions on how to work with the emulator feel free to ask, and you can always try girigiri too, another Saturn emulator that supposedly also works with Sonic X-Treme.

Sonic says: "If you don't try it right now, you'll definitely get some!"

Better do what the hedgehog says...

WTF? Saturn Emu/Homebrew Stuff...

I must admit that when I started this hallowed blog, I wanted it to be not only a Saturn retrospective but also a site that reflected the ongoing life of the Saturn in all its glory...

Well I've found a site that I think encompasses that ideal... But I'll be damned if I've got a bloody clue what its on about! The Dreamcast has new independent games coming out that you can actually buy here... There are Saturn Homebrew games about... but I've no idea how you get 'em! Look here.. Its far too bloody complicated for me to understand...

Is it just my crap game knowledge or is it far too technical?

YOU DECIDE!