Wednesday 29 November 2017

TitanCast Episode Two

In this episode of TitanCast, me and Brian discuss getting started with the SEGA Saturn. From some basic background info on the system's hardware, to video inputs, and even peripherals.


You can also download this episode of TitanCast from our Google Drive at the link below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lzUZkEFzqZ_qD7M1F6LRwZduF-gLBXw7/view?usp=sharing

If you want to look at both full articles mentioned in the cast, you can find them in the links below.

https://thesaturnjunkyard.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/sega-saturn-informal-beginners-guide.html

https://thesaturnjunkyard.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/sega-saturn-informal-beginners-guide_13.html

Contributors:

The Southern Sega Gentleman: Samuel
The Vitua Schlub: Brian

Monday 27 November 2017

Saturn controllers for your Personal Computing needs

So, you want to play on your PC using a Saturn controller. Maybe you’re trying out a Saturn emulator (a topic which I’ll cover in depth in a future article) and want to keep the experience as true to the original as possible, or you just want to play native PC games with one of the best gamepads ever made (FACT), perfect for titles like Street Fighter which were made with six face buttons in mind.

You basically have two options: you can either buy an adapter for your original gamepad, or buy a whole new controller with a native USB connection, of which there are many.

I myself faced this dilemma sometime ago and tried to do as much research as I could, because for me spending hours reading stuff on the internet is half of the fun of buying a new product (I'm only half joking). Unfortunately I couldn't just try every solution out for myself and in the end had to buy only one product, so my hands-on experience is limited. Fortunately our friends from the Facebook SJY group are a resourceful bunch and, armed with their feedback, I feel confident in my assessment.

So, without further ado:

The Saturn/USB adapter


It basically does what it says on the package. It's a little box with a port for your controller on one end (with most featuring other inputs besides the Saturn, like Playstation) and a USB cable on the other end that you connect to your PC. There are various brands and models, one of the most popular being made by Mayflash, a company with a good reputation for gaming accessories.

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Thursday 23 November 2017

SWWS 98: The Greatest Football Game Of All Time?




First of all, we'll acknowledge the elephant in the room... the very mention of the word "football" is going to be contentious from the start. The official title is "Sega World Wide Soccer", although the commentator, the venerable Gary Bloom, welcomes us to what he hopes... "will be an exciting game of football." So that's the word I'm going to use predominantly in this article... "football". The word used to describe the game in Europe, Africa, The Middle East, Asia and South America...
Apologies to our US cousins, for whom 'football' is an excuse to dress up in crash helmet, a fancy spandex suit and enough padding to protect a kindergarten full of kids, from an oncoming freight train... in order to play a jolly good game of rugby! 😉


''Sega World Wide Soccer '98" is the follow up to the most excellent "Sega World Wide Soccer '97"... A re-skin of the "J-League" inspired football game "International Victory Goal".  The game is widely celebrated for it's instant playability and free-flowing game play. There is little to distinguish between the '98 and '97 editions in terms of game mechanics, physics or engine. The major difference between the original and it's updated counterpart, being in the ability to play as the English Premiere League teams of the time*, as well as a good variety of international squads, more of which later. The only other major difference is the addition to the 'commentary team' of ex-Ireland manager and England player, Jack Charlton, more of that later too!
* The game also allows you to play as teams from the French and Spanish top tier too.

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Wednesday 15 November 2017

TitanCast Episode One

For the first time in the history of the Junkyard, mountains have been moved! By that, we mean that three of us got together and recorded a podcast.

In this first, we discuss what brought us to our beloved Saturn, how it fell from favor, and eventually how the beast has returned. What impact has the Saturn had on the three of us, and what scale of an impact will this renewed interest in her bring to the Saturn retro community?

If you'd like to hear more from the TitanCast, drop us a comment and keep coming back for more.

You can also download the cast from our google drive at the link below:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CHlSmW21LDcjezXG7PMoGaNLNeb1NfIe

Contributors:

Fatherkrishna: Simon
The Southern Sega Gentleman: Samuel
The Vitua Schlub: Brian

Wednesday 8 November 2017

Sega Saturn Saucepot Of The Month: November 2017!


A new month, so we couldn't let the opportunity for more Sega Saturn related sauciness pass us by. Our Halloween look at some of the Saturn 'cos-play' offerings  plastered unashamedly across the internet, got us fired up and in the mood for some more gaming-themed eye candy.

If we had to nominate one computer generated video-game character who has been sexualised more than any other, who has occupied the hormonally raging minds of many an adolescent boy (and even some grown men...) in short someone who has who has made desire synonymous with gaming, then that person would have to be Segata Sanshiro  Lara Croft.

Tuesday 7 November 2017

Father Krishna's Saturn Collection (part 2) N-Z

So here it is... part 2 of my Sega Saturn collection. It's taken me a lot longer than I thought it would to complete, which I suppose is a good thing... it means that my collection is bigger than I first gave it credit for. It's also immediately out of date, as two of the titles are now on their way to someone else in our community, and there has been an addition into the library in the shape of "Biohazard", the easier Japanese version of Resident Evil... As already previously stated, the copies are listed separately. Although they are providing the vast majority of my Saturn gaming experiences at the moment, I don't consider them part of my official Saturn collection. I've decided to amend and update this article as when I feel like, putting little captions or paragraphs under some of the games I've particularly enjoyed or hated! Until then, don't forget there is link on each of the titles which will take you to another site related to the game... there's a lot of video or other information about each game, so take your time going through the article and click away at those links! 

Wednesday 1 November 2017

Opening Up Your Saturn Library

Hey Saturn Fans! No sooner do we get the wise words and slightly dodgy anime of the Virtua Schlub over here at the Saturn Junkyard, but now we are blessed with the most wonderful epistle from another one of our Trans-Atlantic correspondents, this time in the shape of The Southern Sega Gentleman. Very soon, he'll be here at the 'Yard and able to pen his articles right here from Blog Central, but until then, I'm going to post it for him. So although my name appears at the bottom, this is not my work. To ensure no one thinks I'm trying to pass it off as my own, I'll use the 'guest font and colour'... So without any further ado, I'll leave you in the care of the southern Sega Gentleman...








So now that you’ve gotten your first Saturn, or maybe you’ve busted it out of the jail that is your closet, what’s next? Well, you could throw down a few bucks for a cheap title or two, maybe even splurge and drop $50 on a disc only copy of Resident Evil. More than likely though, you’ll come to find out, quite soon in fact, that the Saturn is not the friendliest console when it comes to the wife or the wallet. Don’t go giving up hope or trying to sell that baby yet though! In this article we aim to show you that there are many avenues to consider when you don the hat of SEGA Saturn owner.

Father Krishna's Saturn Game Collection (Part 1 A-M)

Whilst the Saturn Junkyard is a growing concern, and by no means a solo effort,  I thought I would make a very personal post in this new month of November, listing the Saturn software collection I have here in my house as catalogued at the tail end of 2017.  As well as the games that I own, I'm going to share the 'gaming experiences' that I have access to, thanks to the Pseudo-Saturn Mod, facilitated for me very recently by a high profile member of the Saturn Junkyard Facebook Group 😉 . I'm going to list my unofficial copies separately, at the end of part 2 of the article however, as I don't want anyone thinking I have the unlimited financial resources necessary to obtain the official copies of these games, which change hands at outrageous and ridiculously inflated prices!

In order to make this more than a simple list, I'm going to put a reference picture of the box cover for the version I own, whether PAL European, NSTC Japanese or NSTC US. I'm also going to attach a link to each of the game titles, which will take you to a random piece of information about the game. It could be a Wikipedia page, a game related video, a review of the game, concept art or a different website, which will hopefully expand your awareness of any games that take your interest!

I'm very happy to say that my Saturn collection is much larger than I had previously realised, but as a consequence, it's taken me ages to write this post! So for now I'm just going to share my A-M titles... The rest will be along very soon!

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