"The Rise and Fall....and Rise of the Sega Saturn (With some other consoles mentioned too)"

Just to clarify, this is an article written by SJY commentor, "The Plushiest" (real name Sam Lieff). I may as well use this as an opportunity to welcome his royal Plushiness to the team, as his sterling journalistic efforts and devotion to the Saturn have resulted in a place in our ever expanding team of correspondents! Over to you Mr. P!

"I'm a long time gamer. I wouldn't call myself hardcore, but I've definitely grown up playing games. My First gaming experiences were with the Nintendo Game & Watch series of handhelds (circa 1982), then came the Amstrad CPC. My first real console was the Sega Genesis. I played the shit out of that thing, and owned just about every popular Genesis game at some point or other. All my other friends at the time seemed to have a Nintendo, but I stayed true to Sega. Christmas of 1996 was a life changing (at least with regards to gaming) event for me. That was the year my dad bought me a Sega Saturn. It was the boxed version that came with Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter 2, and Daytona USA. He also bought me Nights Into Dreams. I immediately bonded with my Saturn. Over the course of the next two years my game library grew extensively. At one point I owned the previously mentioned games, along with, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Street Fighter Alpha, Mortal Kombat II, Sega Rally Championship, Sega Touring Car Championship, Die Hard Arcade, Die Hard Trilogy, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos, Panzer Dragoon, and Road Rash.

I spent hours upon hours mastering the tracks on Sega Rally, memorizing every move combination in Virtua Fighter 2, perfecting continuous loops in Nights, and unlocking puzzles in Tomb Raider, but by 1998, even though I had a pretty awesome game library, I had my sights set on the Playstation. With titles like Resident Evil 2, Gran Tourismo, Soul Edge, and Tekken 3, I just couldn't help my self. Sony had games that Sega didn't. I couldn't afford both consoles, and in the heat of the moment, I sold my Saturn along with all of my games in order to by a Playstation. 1998-1999 was the year of the Playstation for me, and I also picked up an N64 for certain titles like Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, and 007. In early 1999 (through a very serendipitous event) I picked up an import Dreamcast, and my fond memories of the Playstation and N64 were all but gone (I traded in both those consoles to afford the then pricey $249.00 DC).

I remember the first time I ever played Sega Rally 2 at home ( I hadn't seen it in the arcades before), I was blown away. I had played Sega Super GT (on Sega Model 3 hardware) quite a bit from 1996 - 1998, but I could not believe the graphical power that I was seeing before me....on my own T.V. It would be another 4 months before the Dreamcast came to North America, and showing up to my second year of University that fall with Sega Rally 2, Soul Caliber, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Power Stone, Shotoku High Way Battle, and Virtua Fighter 3....let's just say I was pretty popular with my gaming friends.

1999 - 2002 was a pretty good stretch for me. My Dreamcast library grew extensively with the purchase of import games, and a fair share backups pulled down from IRC channels. Sony had released the PS2, and Nintendo had just rolled out the Game Cube. Microsoft had the X-box, but I was just never very interested in that particular console. The fall of 2001 was one of the biggest turning points in my gaming career. I began DJ'ing, and I started spending just about all of my money on DJ equipment and Vinyl.

By 2004 I rarely played any video games any more, and the decision was made to sell all of my consoles....with the exception of my Dreamcast. From 2004 to 2006, I didn't even really think about video games at all. I had purchased a Nintendo DS, but that was it. I had come a long way since my early days as an avid console gamer. I didn't even follow the video game scene much any more, so when Microsoft released the 360 in 2005, I didn't even really know about it.

It wasn't until the fall of 2006 that a my life would undergo a gaming renaissance. Something must have changed in my brain, maybe it was something chemical or emotional, but what ever it was, all of a sudden, I was set on procuring a PS3 and a Wii. I did, but that still wasn't enough. Over the next two years, by way of scouring garage sales and pawn shops, I was able to find a PS1, PS2, NES, SNES, N64, TurboGrafx 16, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, 3DO, Game Gear, PSP, Game Boy Micro, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy, XBOX, XBOX 360......and Yes.....another Saturn.....actually two of them (a Model 1 and a Model 2) and many games to go along with all of these consoles. I honestly wish that I had never let my original Saturn go in the first place, but there is no use crying over spilt milk. I'm currently building up my Saturn game library again....slowly but surely, and currently own Virtua Fighter 2, Sega Rally Championship, Virtua Cop, NBA Jam T.E., Street Fighter Collection, and NHL '97. I'm basically buying any decent Saturn Games that I can find at the local swap and pawn shops. Not quite as great as my original collection.....but some day I'll get back there. I've found a 3D pad, but sadly no Nights yet. It does work with Sega Rally, but it's a little bit touchy. I'm too lazy to do the Ebay thing, and to be truthful, it's more fun finding gems at pawn shops and garage sales anyways. The Saturn will always be part of my console collection from now on, and to this day, I wonder where my original Saturn is.....I hope it's in good hands.

Of all my classic consoles, there's just something about the Saturn that stands out. And to some degree, I'm glad that not too many people really ever played the system in the first place, and it's only a select group of gamers who are privy to all of the amazing titles that the Saturn has to offer. And I have to say that it's great to find a place like the Saturn Junkyard, where there are people that share my enthusiasm about the Sega Saturn. I'm currently tracking down an 4mb action replay cartridge and Marvel Superheroes vs. Street Fighter....I might just have to pick up an import console wile I'm at it. I leave you with a picture of my happy Sega Family....and a few of their extended relatives who happened to sneak into the picture.

UPDATE: X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Akumajo Dracula X: Gekka no Yasoukyoku just arrived this week. I've never played this particular Castlevania (I do own Castelvania I, III, and IV though), but I've read such good things about it that I had to pick it up. These are my first import titles for the SS, and I'm super excited. I've been wanting to pick up X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Marvel Superheroes vs. Street Fighter for about 10 years now....and I've got some good stories to go along with it....but that's another story....for another day."

More periphernalia (2)

Well take a look at this pair of whoppers! As Michael Jackson once said: "If you're thinking of being my NiGHTS controllers, it don't matter if you're black or white..." (or summat like that!)

I bought these on my recent Saturnalia splurge, and now I'm officially dismissed from hospital, it's high time I started testing and posting! BTW, the "broken 'Yard" mystery grows... it looks fine when viewed through Firefox 3 (the browser I use), but obviously not through others...

I have absolutely NO IDEA how one would go about fixing this situation, being something of an ICT retard. I'm hoping one of the other techno-wizards who run this site will jump in there and fix it on my behalf... If not, you better all start to download Firefox 3!

Anyway, we need to fix it, 'cos posts are getting overlooked, including the Saturn Memories post, which is a huge collaborative effort from many of our valued contributors and commentors!

I have a game review in the pipeline, something of a revelation, 'cos this game had sat under-played and under-valued on my shelves for years. It's the first hidden treasure of Saturnalia, and it's coming to you soon!

More periphernalia

The pads were one thing with the Saturn. Mark I controller actually came after the Mark II, because the Mark I was USA and European only. It's amazing Microsoft ignored this customer feedback when they released their original xbox, with an ENORMOUS pad. Then, since when did Micro$oft ever listen to anyone? :)

The arcade racer:

From The Saturn Junkyard

I loved mine. I still love it. It's great for SEGA Rally. It's a shame there's no feedback on the wheel (remember which year this was though), but a high tension string could have done a great job or pseudo-feedback. Hey-ho. It's a damn good wheel in my opinion. I'll let you fight it out in the comments.

Then we have the arcade stick. Not bad at all. Nothing on the Dreamcast arcade controller if you ask me, but it still does the job. I got this for $10 inc shipping from Japan.

From The Saturn Junkyard

Work it in my opinion. X-Men vs. Streetfighter is great on this. So is Radiant Silvergun.

More Sega Saturn... Stuff

So I was buying random Stuff on Yahoo Auctions again. This time, a very very cool... uhm... Sega Saturn... tablet(?). Honestly, I don't know what it is. But it has the famous Sega Saturn claim "This Is Cool" on it, so I better believe it. Maybe Sega executives sniffed their coke on this tablet, who knows. It's very heavy and apart from the Sega Logo and the "This Is Cool" slogan free of any hints what it might have been and where it could have come from.

This Virtua Cop poster was bought on Yahoo Auctions as well and it was actually ridiculous cheap. Only 1.200 Yen, which is about 14 USD these days. Well ok, you have to count the Shopping Mall Japan fees to it. Anyway, I never actually saw something like this in Germany, so I am quite happy to be able to buy it from Japan.

I have already won the next weird Saturn stuff and will post about it, once I received it. Stay tuned.

Remoulding the mould

Illusion of control is the tendancy for human beings to believe they can conrtol, or at least influence, outcomes that they demonstrably have no influence over. That won't be games then!

I thought it would be a good idea to give a nod to the controllers of the Saturn. Sure, Segata carries a massive white (mark II) controller (the holy grail of controllers in fact), but let us not forget the other models:

Name: Saturn 'Mark I' Controller

Regions: USA/Europe

Advantages: Big

Disadvantages: Feels cheap, unresponsive D-pad, not the Japanese controller

From The Saturn Junkyard

***********************************************************

Name: Saturn "Mark II" Controller

Regions: Japan (original), Europe and USA later

Advantages: Widely regarded as the best controller ever made; Great D-pad, 6 button controller is great for Capcom fighters, nice clicky triggers, lightweight.

Disadvantages: Wasn't available on Dreamcast

***********************************************************

Name: Saturn 3D Control Pad

Regions: Japan, USA, Europe

Advantages: Amazing analogue sensitivity. Great for; SEGA Rally Championship, NiGHTS. Excellent triggers.

Disadvantages: Wasn't used to full potential...

The only known project to utilise the pull-out connector was for "Air NiGHTS" but apparently, the Wii version should do the same thing as it's had 11 years to improve... hmm, don't know about that. 

**********************************************************

So, there we have it. Not really a comprehensive list, but I covered the main three. Stay tuned for more, this Saturnalia!

Has Christmas come early?

As you are no doubt aware (if you live in the UK), there is an "extreme weather event" at the moment. i.e. shitloads of snow. It's great. I was stuck in York all morning because the Pennines resembled Antarctica.

Even more extreme or should I say "x-treme" is the beta I currently have sat on my desk.

A little taste of what's going to come in Saturnalia. I've got some good stuff coming your way. A real trip through memory lane, with some new games that I bet you've not played (I have 420 Saturn Games). I might well even try to get a go on them all, and review them in turn. Ouch. Anyway, stay tuned. It's just started, but it's going to be great.

The Postman Always Rings Twice

...when he's dropping off tons of new Saturn stuff through my letter box! I'll report back on my findings on each one, but for now here's a pictorial glimpse of the haul in it's entirity... Once again, please note the top notch photography and yet another glimpse of the calibur of furniture in Krishna Towers!

Saturn Memories

A Celebration Of 15 Years Of Saturn Gaming:

First of all lets hear form Racketboy, possibly the most important hero of Retro gaming…

“There are a number of things that keep me loyal to the Saturn.
First of all, until NiGHTS into Dreams, Guardian Heroes, the Panzer Dragoon series, Shining Force III, and Radiant Silvergun get accurately ported (or better) to a modern console, I won't be forgetting about the Saturn.

I am also a big fan of fighting games, and to a lesser extent 2D shooters. If you enjoy these types of games, a Saturn and a Dreamcast are must-own consoles. Having a six-button controller like the Saturn's gamepad is a definite plus for these as well. I think Sega needs to re-issue a Saturn controller for every console (and the PC again), preferably wireless, to give all of us retro fans something to cheer about.

And finally, the Saturn is just a great piece of hardware. I still think it is one of my favorite console designs and it runs super quiet. That was one of my biggest disappointments about the Dreamcast. It lost a lot of the elegance that the Saturn established.

NiGHTS into Dreams - Even after all these years, the gameplay is fresh and the level designs are out of this world. If only we could get it re-issued with smoothed graphics and HD support.

Panzer Dragoon Saga - Take the engaging world that the original Panzer Dragoons set up and mix in some interesting RPG gameplay. It's unlike any other in the genre.

Guardian Heroes - I love beatemups and adding RPG elements make the genre so much better. It also has some cool 2D graphical effects and a branching storyline. Some of Treasure's finest.

Street Fighter Alpha 2 - My favorite fighting game of all time. Sure SFA3 had more characters, but I thought everything else was better about the second installment. The controls seemed tighter and the fighters were more balanced. I even liked the backgrounds better in 2. It seemed like with Alpha 3, Capcom just crammed as much stuff in there as they could and didn't take the same amount of time to polish it up as much as they could.

X-Men vs Street Fighter - The reason to own a 4MB RAM cart for the Saturn. The original "Vs." fighter is still my favorite. Like SFA2, it had fewer characters than its sequels, but it was more polished. Plus it had some characters in it that I enjoyed, but were later pulled in installments that followed.

For more on the topic, I would recommend checking out my post, The Best Sega Saturn Games for Today “

Now, Tomleecee, Founder Of The Dreamcast Junkyard and defender of the realm:

“I got my first Saturn for Christmas in 1996 and it came with six games (Worldwide Soccer 97, Thunderhawk 2, Virtua Fighter 2, Sega Rally, Loaded and Alien Trilogy), a steering wheel and one pad. It was meant to come with two, but due to an apparent cock-up and Dixons, the cretinous sales assistant forgot to provide the extra pad so for the first few days me of owning it, me and my brother had to play two-player games with the steering wheel (which was interesting whilst playing Loaded in particular!). I do have fond memories of my Saturn, especially the heated arguments we used to have at school about who got the best console for Christmas (damned PlayStation owners). I actually had it for quite some time and it gave me some of the finest gaming experiences I've ever had (Quake, Duke 3D, Sonic Jam, Fighter's Megamix et al) but in the end I swapped it for an N64 with one game - Pole Position 64. It took me only a few hours to realise that I'd made a colossal mistake. Until ISS 64 came out that is...but that's another story. God bless the Saturn, and all who sail on her!”

Regards,
Tom 10.01.09

Over to The Gagaman(n), Second In Command At The Dreamcast Junkyard, Multimedia Guru and Creator Of Sega Memories:

“I've been somewhat of a Sega Saturn high as of late due to getting my mitts on one of those sexy white Japanese Saturn's, and I have been trying out a whole load of wonders that I never could before likle Capcoms' 4MB fighters like X-Men vs Street Fighter and vampire Savoiur, as well as Cyberbots, the Japanese version of fig

hting vipers with the pepsiman cameo, the Sega Ages memorial collections, Power Drift and much more. I'd be more than willing to contribrute to this month of Saturn goodness. =)

I still remember everything that came with my Saturn bundle from the shop Currys: It was about £250 and came with Sonic Jam, Sega Ages, Bubble Bobble Collection, Sega Rally and Manx TT (and Virtua Fighter was picked up for a fiver the same day). Being a Sonic nut the Sonic Jam pack got the most play at first: all the extra game modes and bonus content kept me stuck to it for weeks. Sega Ages was also a huge treat for me as I had always wanted to play After Burner at home but never got the Mega Drive one, and now here it was arcade perfect. Smashing!”

Gagaman(n) 10.01.09

Here's Gary, Dreamcast Alchemist, Collector Extraordinaire and Provider Of Lost Treasures:

“Hello FK,

I'm afraid I don’t have must to offer on the Saturn ... only to say I do remember the day very clearly when my wife talked me into getting a PS1 for our son in 1996 instead of a Saturn. As I'm now a HUGE DC fan I often wonder if I would have been better going down the Saturn path?

Keep up the good work on the Junkyards!”

Regards Gary 10.01.09

dreamcasting@btinternet.com “Anything Dreamcast JUST ASK!”

Now, Dreamakuma from Master Of Soul Calibur and Arcade Cabinet-Making Wizard, The Planet Dreamcast Forum 11.01.09

“Hey FK it's me Tom, I'm glad you are getting back into the Saturn again. here is what I have to say about the system.

It's the third best arcade based console,only beaten by the neo geo, and it's successor,the Dreamcast. I should make a Saturncab for it. So many great gems and perfect arcade ports makes the system a great treasure to any arcade nut. Even today it's tech is full of great innovation.

i hope that helps with your blog.

take care

-Tom”

Introducing Twicesliced, Canada’s leading authority on gaming and all round guitar hero, elder member of the Planet Dreamcast Forums 14.01.09

“While I've been a video game enthusiast for over 20 years now, and a SEGA fan since Sonic The Hedgehog first hit the scene, I didn't own a SEGA Saturn in its heyday. I did rent Saturns quite often though, so I was familiar with much of the hardware and software. When a high-school friend of mine offered to sell his model 1 Saturn to me for $20 (with three games: Bug!, Clockwork Knight, and WipEout), I couldn't resist. He brought it to school and kept it in his locker until the end of the day. When he opened his locker to get the system for me, the Saturn fell from the top shelf (about six feet off the ground) and crashed to the floor... And still works perfectly today, some ten years later!

My Saturn collection has slowly grown over the years, and now ranges from sealed copies of common games to SEGA's official Japanese 4MB RAM expansion cartridge. One major trend I've noticed as my collection has grown is that the vast majority of the console's best software is published by SEGA. This realisation caught me a little off guard, considering that SEGA's supposed abandonment of the Saturn in North America late in the system's life is often cited as one of the company's major historical failings. I have 30 Saturn titles, only four of which are not published by SEGA; one of those four is a SEGA property. Looking at the console's exclusive titles, the games that really make it worth owning before another console, one can't ignore the facts that most of them are from SEGA and that they're true classics. Just glancing at my collection, I immediately notice games like Astal, Dark Savior, Fighters Megamix, and The Legend Of Oasis that simply cannot be found anywhere else. Taking into account all of SEGA's exclusive original titles along with their great arcade ports, I have a hard time agreeing with that common sentiment that the company abandoned their Saturn fans. It certainly is unfortunate that SEGA didn't fare better in the market over time and felt it necessary to withdraw when they did, but I can't help feeling as though they left us with plenty to keep us busy.”

Thoughts from Someguy, Sage-Like Gaming Guru and Superior Planet Dreamcast Forum Moderator 16.01.09

"The Saturn was, for me, quite special. It’s not anywhere close to being my most played console. Neither did it have the most games, or even the highest number of my personal favorite games. Compared to the Playstation, it received a fraction of the attention over the years, and I always had a much smaller library.
However, what makes the Saturn really special for me was that it basically ushered in the true 3d era, and opened my eyes to what the “next generation” (and beyond) of games would hold.
My first memory of the Saturn was as a child, maybe 11 or 12, living in Florida. My brother and I at that point already had most of the popular consoles of the day.

At that time, fighting games were all the rage, and Street Fighter was just about every kid’s favorite, as well as being the technical pinnacle.
I remember for some reason going with my mother and brother to a Toys R Us across town in spring or early summer 1994.
There they had set up a playable kiosk with a Saturn running Virtua Fighter in all its glory.

I was mesmerized!

Never had I seen actual 3d graphics before, all running so fluidly!
I still remember it quite distinctly. The game was running a CPU vs. CPU match between Kage and Lau in Kage’s stage. That particular stage has a very enjoyable soundtrack, with Japanese-style flutes and trademark Sega electronica. Combined with the amazing graphics, I was floored.
Instantly my brother and I began playing, Kage vs. Kage (he was a cool-looking Ninja and we were both little kids. No other characters had a chance;)). We played for easily over half an hour before our mother dragged us away.
The whole way home we could not stop talking about it. We explained to our indifferent mother just how incredible this system was, and how we MUST have it.
The only problem was, in the US, it was $400 at launch.
Somehow, we managed to convince our poor dad that we would do anything for this system. After nearly 8 months worth of chores and quite a few additional tasks around the house, came Christmas morning.

There it was! We finally had it. I can honestly say it was probably about the most excited I have ever been for a console.
It came bundled with the one game we had been drooling over (Virtua Fighter), and we purchased a second (Japanese) controller for 2 player, and that was all for about the next 3 months or more.
We played for probably 5 or 6 solid hours on Christmas, and many months afterward.
Our library grew slowly. The next game was Clockwork Knight. A quirky, fun little Toy Story-esque platformer that wasn’t terribly special but was perfect for kids.
The Saturn quickly became my platform of choice for fighting games. When Virtua Fighter 2 came out, we rediscovered the magic all over again. But it wasn’t until Street Fighter Alpha 2 that we found a game we couldn’t stop playing. I’ve probably beaten it at least a dozen times with every character by now, and it’s one of those rare games that I could still play nearly every day. And of course, it was the best on the Saturn.
At it’s ‘peak’, our library for the Saturn reached maybe a dozen games or so. We got the Playstation for my next birthday, and it slowly overtook most of the Saturn’s game time. And we (foolishly) began trading away Saturn games to snatch up the latest, greatest PSX games. Now, my original library sits at a meager and pathetic 5 games, and some real treasures like NiGHTS, Sega Rally, and Virtua Cop 2 were sold off.
The Saturn has not been totally neglected in that time, though. I still take it out maybe every other year for a few weeks, enjoying and reminiscing about the timeless old 2d and 3d fighters, and getting a good match of Virtua Fighter 2 or SFA2, or sometimes the original VF (if only to hear the music).
But for the most part, the Saturn sits in its original box, tucked safely away in my closet with the other classic consoles. A great reminder that not everything that is not a commercial success or wildly popular is without merit. Actually, often quite the contrary.
And it will forever hold some of my fondest early gaming memories, and is a great testament to the genius and ingenuity of Sega."

Post Script: Someguy had this to say a few days later…

“Well Father K, I've really got to thank you.

Since taking the Saturn out for those photos, I decided to go ahead and set it up and try out a few games.

I've got to say, I've really enjoyed it. Virtua Fighter was surprisingly enjoyable, and I can honestly say Virtua Fighter 2 is still a very impressive fighter all-around. Heck, it even looks pretty decent for a game that's over 12 years old, and it's incredibly fun still to play.
There's a used game store not far from me that still sells old Saturn games (though truthfully, they're not the best), but I might just go and see what I can find for it.

Thanks for helping me rediscover it, FK, and for getting all the VF music stuck in my head again.”

And that my friends is a very fitting way to end this piece!

Saturnalia Has Arrived!!!

Well hello my dear brothers and sisters, and welcome to a month of Saturn related goodness! You remember the premise of 'Saturnalia' - a month long festival celebrating all things Saturn, to be enjoyed from the comfort of your own homes - or in my case, paraded through the streets stark naked with only a Saturn controller to protect my modesty. (N.B. Its the Saturn controller featured in the photo below, it was the only one big enough... LOL!)


"But Father!" I hear you cry, "February is not till tomorrow you silly old twat!"... To which I reply, that very much depends in which time zone you live... OK, that's bollocks, the reason I'm kicking things off today is because I'm currently on day release from the Manchester Royal Infirmary, where they are investigating a mystery illness. One of the biggest mysteries is the fact that I don't actually feel that ill, but my ticker is beating at 118 BPM (instead of the usual 50-100) and I've got fluid on my lungs... But hey! Enough of that bullshit, I'm hoping to be set free this week to return full time to Krishna Towers and more importantly to my recent Saturn haul (about which more later...)

But for now, let the festivities commence, let the fanfares begin and let's hear from some of our illustrious commentors and contributors, about why they love the Saturn so much! Enjoy!!! :)

Say Hello To: Saturn-Chan!

Hey mates! I was browsing the internet for random Sega Saturn stuff again. I was lucky and found this cute little personification of our beloved Saturn. Pixiv.net User "YoYoSi" drew it in Photoshop. I guess he likes Saturn just as much, as we do. Go to Pixiv.net (But beware, account needed) and vote for this lovely artwork.


Saturnalia is coming this weekend and I hope you all have plenty of Sega Saturn related stuff to play / do / post! I surely do and can't wait to unleash the load onto this blog.

(Wait, that did sound dirty, didn't it?)

OMFG! Clip of the Week - Segata Sanshiro!

Guess what, this week at ScrewAttack the clip of the week is all about our dear idol Segata Sanshiro! Ok, he may only appear for a brief moment, and the rest of the clip only really makes sense if you're a regular SA fan, but nevertheless I think it deserves to be mentioned here. Enjoy! :)

Some of the games...

As time wears on, Saturnalia approaches, I am getting things ready. I hearby pledge that Saturnalia will comprise of at least 95% Saturn gaming in that month. I'll be keeping a log of my daily gaming, and will update the blog as necessary.

It's been many years since the Saturn was my main console. Roughly a decade in fact. The little blighter still works, too. I love the way it's almost completely silent (Dreamcast, XBOX 360; I'm looking at you!), and looks pretty hard. Hard as in "I'll kick your fucking teeth in" hard. I now have a lovely modded Saturn to lighten the load from my original '96 PAL unit.

What I didn't want to do, was to go back and replay all the games I used to play back in the nineties. Whilst I want to give some classics such as NiGHTS and SEGA Rally Championship some airtime, I won't be focussing on my PAL younger years... as I have a Japanese gaming collection that's been steadily growing, yet I have hardly played a single game from it...

One of the early contenders is Policenauts. 

This box contains the game (2 discs) and also a lovely booklet containing some amazing artwork.

Another game I need to play is Marvel Super Heroes vs StreetFighter. I have the 4MB RAM cartridge, so I am all good to go (it's included in this boxset).

This is a horse racing game/simulation. No idea how to play or what playing involves, but I will stick in in and give it a try. That technique has worked before!

Eve: The Lost One. Again, no real idea of what this game is going to be like, but that's the point really.

Ah, Burning Rangers. PAL version fetches quite a price... never played it. Couldn't afford it back then; can't be bothered with buying it now for £100. Would rather have this nicely presented Japanese edition with Music CD in the back! Result!

Well, that's it for now. The aim is simple. Play Saturn as much as possible in February. There's a chance I will be videoing some of my gameplay... no promises though. It is certain that I will be taking lots of sexy Saturn photographs though, and will review the odd game as it comes along. I have donpatchi and radiant silvergun head-to-head, and a few other ideas. Stay tuned.

Games of my life - Part 1

I was saving this for Saturnalia, but since this blog hasn't seen an update for quite some time I might as well do it now. This, my friends, is my story with that wonderful console we call the Saturn.

It all started back in...fuck, I forgot... Anyway, I was still a kid, so it was probably somewhere around 1997 or 1998. Anyway, back then I was console-less. Ok, not quite to be honest, but my first console was just a clone of the Atari 2600 with a lot of built-in games, and since it wasn't a "real", retail console, for which you had to buy games, I usually don't consider it my first console. That would be the Saturn. It was Christmas, my parents took me to the store (a store that, unfortunately, is long gone) and while they were still considering if it was worth spending so much money in a "toy" (actually, now that I think about it, I don't know how much they paid for it, but it probably wasn't cheap) I was completely hooked to the console in display, playing, guess what? NiGHTS!!! Hell yeah! Nice way to start, eh, folks?

Anyway, they eventually got it, along with a nice gift that came with it (a Sonic mug, my mom would later accidentally break it) and a couple of games. Those were, if I'm not mistaken, Christmas NiGHTS, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Fighter Kids (not sure, can't remember if it came with it or if someone bought it later for me) and a demo cd. Later I would get more games, but since no one in my family was rich and games were expensive as hell, I wouldn't get much more. Now that I look back, it's funny how back then I wouldn't get bored of playing the same games over and over again...

Anyway, these were the games that marked my childhood:

Virtua Fighter/Virtua Fighter Kids



My first beat'em ups, I loved these games to death, specially the first one (even as a kid I guess I liked more serious stuff). I sucked at it, and I probably never beat Dural more than a handfull of times, but it was so damn fun. I think it was actually the only beat'em up in my entire life that got me to memorize combos, after that I would only play these games using the venerable strategy of button-mashing. I still love it to this game (and play it from time to time), and I got around to play all of its sequels.



Sonic Jam



I never had a Mega Drive, so the first time I played and beat Sonic, Sonic 2 and Sonic & Knuckles was on my Saturn. Of course, if you already have those games on other platforms, this has little to offer, but still it has some damn sweet extras. It was like the precursor of collector's editions, or dvd-style extras in games. You had movie, music and picture galleries and a 3D Sonic mini-game, which is to this day the only way we have to play Sonic in true 32-bit glory 3D (other than the leaked beta of Sonic Xtreme).



Virtual-On: Cyber Troopers



It has fucking giant robots! How could a kid not like this game?! I know I loved it! Although, once again, I sucked at it, always struggling to defeat the 3rd robot, and only managing to get to Nirvana (the final boss) once (only to be trucidated in a matter of seconds), I still loved it. It was so unique, the gameplay was so addictive and the graphics so awesome for the time, another game that I can still play today and have fun with it. Oh, and I'm lucky enough to own the PS2 Sega Ages port/remake :D

Dragonheart: Fire & Steel



Nowadays I have to admit that it kind of sucks, but back then this was another of my favourites. Not so much for the quality of it, but for the simple fact that it features dragons. Lots of them, and pretty well drawn, by the way, and I fucking loved dragons (heck, I still do!). Haven't beat it to this day (damn forest level, with all those mages casting spells at me!), but I still dream of accomplishing that one day. Anyway, if you've never heard of this game, it's based on the movie of the same name and it's a side-scrolling platformer. The graphics are nice, the sound is very immersive and the gameplay is not that bad, so if you like the genre give it a try.

Christmas NiGHTS



Yeah, it wasn't really a full game, but I only discovered that a long time later, and back then I just didn't care. It was fun! And with tons of unlockables for just a simple "demo". The ambience was once again unique and that soundtrack... God, it brings tears of joy to my eyes every time I listen to it.

Demos


(I didn't have this exact demo disc back then, although I have it now)

Yes, demos. Don't forget that I was fucking poor ("was", lol, like I'm rich now...) so, whenever I was bored of my full games, I would spend some time messing with demos. By now I probably have all of those games in full versions, but back then it was its demos that kept me entertained. I'm talking about Alien Trilogy, Loaded, Panzer Dragoon Zwei, Baku Baku, Tomb Raider, Sega Rally and more, but I'm going to talk about those in detail later. Hope you liked this post, stay tuned for part 2 :)

Saturn comes back around to show you everything...

Lets you choose what you will not see then,

drags you down like a stone or lifts you up again,

spits you out like a child, light and innocent."

I have not become a poet. Far from it. These are lyrics to a Tool song called "The Grudge" but somehow when I was listening to it during a transpennine train journey with my Chao, it struck me that I had neglected the Saturn somewhat. (Also, I was thinking it's about time I wrote on here again!). See Tool perform the Grudge live below:

At 128-Bit, the Dreamcast is clearly the console that modern gamers on a budget would pick up - especially if they saw the games on offer. Great games, great graphics. There is however, an often overlooked console also from SEGA: Sega Saturn. And there's still a compelling reason, or two, to buy a Saturn in this century.

Most people will remember it, either fondly or with disdain, but most will remember it. Games such as Virtua Fighter, Panzer Dragoon and the excellent SEGA Rally Championship cannot be forgotten. 

NiGHTS is another excellent game that is often subject to over-hyped nostalgia, but is actually still an excellent game, though it looks somewhat dated when played on a TV with a screen larger than 14".

Most PAL gamers will have these games - and they damn well out to get them today if they haven't! There are some import gems that don't require you to master Japanese - or even learn any of it (why have I been wasting my time and money...). There are some fantastic PAL games that everyone raves about, some import games that people rave about. I thought it would be more value to list a few of my own favourite games, that I currently play, rather than just another "Saturn Top Ten". So, without further ado, I present to you a list of a few of my favourite games that I think should be in anyone's 2009 Saturn collection:

Twinkel Star Sprites:

 Forget Radiant silvergun. Unless you have serious money, don't even bother. It's a good game, but it's not worth the high prices. Find something else to play. There's better for cheaper. This is not dirt cheap though - that tells you something!

Elevator Action Returns! 

Absolutely great game. Picked this up without knowing what it was and have really enjoyed playing it with my brother. It's a great two player coin-op co-op, with tons of replay value and is great for a quick blast.

Saturn Bomberman

Amazing game. Haven't played it much recently, but there's nothing quite like bomberman!

Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter

X-Men vs. Street Fighter

RAM Cart (4MB) needed for both of those bad boys above.

King of Fighter's '97

Burning Rangers

Metal Slug

Chase HQ and SCI

Strikers 1945

So, there you have something to get your teeth into! Get these great games as they are still great fun today and could give your Saturn a new lease of life! Worth getting your system modded or picking up that sexy white Saturn...

The Gagaman's collection of Saturn Joy

Alright there? May as well make my first post here at the Saturn Junkyard a nice meaty one with lots of pretty pictures to look at, so here's my Saturn collection.

This here is my original Saturn, which I've had since I was about 10 years old, and it has been reliable ever since. It was bought from Currys where it was bundled with Sonic Jam, Sega Rally, Manx TT, Sega Ages and Bubble Bobble collection. Most other kids in my school had moved onto Playstations, but the Sonic nutter in me made it a requirement to own one of these instead. This Saturn has been in storage for a little while mainly because last month I acquired this...

A wonderful white Japanese Saturn. I got it off eBay for about £80, and it came with a few games: Cyberbots, Vampire Savior, X-Men: Children of the Atom, Tetris Plus, Mortal Kombat II, Tongue King the Spirits 2 (what an odd name) and Virtua Cop. Unfortunately so far though I haven't been able to get a scart cable that will run this system at the optimum picture quality like my PAL one, but finally having the privilege to run the games at full screen and full speed 60HZ is fantastic in itself. Daytona USA in particular looks so much better now it's not squashed down by huge huge black bars on the screen.

Next up: my controllers. I used to have a lot more than this (including the steering wheel and a 2nd NiGHTS controller) but had to have a clear out a while ago. Now I have one Model 1 Controller (just for the novelty of having one, I never use it), two Model 2 controllers (the ones that came with the above two systems, and the greatest controller in the world ever), a NiGHTS 3D pad, and one of those cute bright blue Light guns (which I can't use anymore, darn LCD TVs..)

I got rather lucky finding this arcade stick at a car boot sale. Not only was it ridiculously cheap at just £2, but it was also brand new in the box, and had never been used before. It's not quite on par with the Dreamcast arcade stick, but it's still very good and much better than the Sega branded Saturn stick which was a bit shit. The photo also contains my memory cards: a British one i got a few years ago in Gamestation for a tenner, a Japanese one I can't seem to get to work, and an ST-Key which I was using to play import games on my PAL console before I got the Japanese one (it only ran the games in 50HZ though, so some games went out of sync with the sound).

This here is the beautiful Virtual On Twin Stick. It cost me a small lump of cash (about £30) and I still stink at playing Virtual On even with it, but I also have a Total Control 3 adapter so I can also use it for the sequel on the Dreamcast. That and I can use my Saturn controllers on the DC too, because to be honest the DC controllers are not the greatest controller in the world ever like the Saturn one is.

Now onto the most important part...the games!

First off my PAL games. Quite a lot of these were bought back when the system out in the shops but a few were eBay purchases and many were found at boot sales. I think my most lucky breaks at boot sales had to be Guardian Heroes (with a rather dried out cover) for £5, Marvel Super Heroes in perfect condition for £1, Die hard Arcade and House of the Dead for £2 each, and Street Fighter Collection for £5 which I recently sold off for £50 (I own the games on that disc on too many other systems as it is).

Next up my Japanese games. I started to slowly collect these a couple of years ago but my recent purchase of a Japanese system has drove my collecting into top gear (possibly also helped by the fact that I'm running out of Dreamcast games I want to buy). All but two of them have come from eBay (Sexy Parodius and Magical Drop III were purchased from Genki video games.), and a lot of them were bought to replace the bulkier, scratched up PAL versions I had (which are 99% in English anyway), just to save shelf space. I also grabbed X-men vs Street Fighter and a 4MB RAM cart recently so I could finally play all those great Capcom fighters that require it. Smashing.

Magazines! I subscribed to Official Sega Saturn Magazine from issue 26 onwards and it was quite possibly the best video game magazine ever written, I only wish the same staff and publisher did the Dreamcast one too. I also have a pile of back issues including issue 1 but my collection isn't complete and because they were taken to school a lot (to giggle at the fake pictures of a Tomb Raider nude cheat with mates) they're rather tatty. Still worth a good read now and again so they're not stored away. If it wasn't for this mag I probably wouldn't be the Sega and Capcom nutter I am today.

Does anyone remember this mag? It was only going for 10 issues and I have most of them, and the first few issues also had demo discs. I feel sorry for America, they apparently didn't get any Sega Saturn magazines AT ALL. I also have some issues of a magazine called Total Saturn, but I seem to have misplaced those.

Finally here's all the demos that came from the magazines and such I have, including Christmas NiGHTS and that one which is the first disc of Panzer Dragoon Saga. The Sega Flash discs tend to repeat the same playable demos on them over and over again, and were only released once a blue moon. Well that's me lot! I do have some other games in the post (Deathlete, Winter Heat, Sky Target and Golden Axe: The Duel), though.

Aww, they're kissing!