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Sega Saturn Appreciation and Emulation Thread

I think I got mine in 2008 or so, alongside a copy of Croc. Croc cost me like $5, CIB. Burning Rangers was $50, also CIB. I wound up getting grilled by my folks for spending so much on an old video game, they wanted to know what made such an old title worth that much money over ten years after it came out. If only they knew how much it costs now!
 

IrishNinja

Member
i literally just learned about Taromaru on GameSack the other night, burning that one soon to try it out! but yeah both those games are like down payment on a house type money
 
D

Deleted member 74300

Unconfirmed Member
The only expensive one I'd really need is Shining Force 3. Even so it would be pointless to just own that one and not the other 2 Japan only ones also. You gotta experience the full story.

Shining The Holy Ark fills my Camelot void at least. As for Burning Rangers the 3D controller is what people need to fully enjoy it.

Anyways I made a test for the jewel cd case thing I got going on. Not worth showing a picture of it. Despite being low on color ink I think it turned out okay. I got it to the right size after all. Now to mix and match art from boxes to see which art I like most.

For example.

Boooring. http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/6/2/6/198626_13499_front.jpg
Badass. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ingtheholyark.jpg/250px-Shiningtheholyark.jpg

Awesome and original art. http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/9/6/0/573960_14799_front.jpg
Wtf is this. http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/0/2579/1680542-guardian_heroes_box_front2.jpg
 

IrishNinja

Member
my copy of GH is complete but beat-up, i felt like a genius when i drunkenly realized i could just switch out the pristine case for Clockwork Knight, heh. only manual i'm currently missing is Shinobi Legions...my Sega Ages one is waterlogged & torn but looks decent at a glance, at least.

hoping to get in on 645's MMX4 when that pans out, i got 1-3 on SNES and i recall some of you on here saying X4 is a fine place to pretend the series stops, haha.

ps god i can't stop buying japanese saturn games, ive caught numerous ones i have 0% chance of understanding but when they're less than a dollar i can't say no man
 

alf717

Member
Highest I ever paid for a game was ~$120 for Rockman Mega World. I never want to spend that kind of cash for a game again. I've owned a Saturn for some time now. Got it mostly for the Mega Man / Rockman titles. The Gamesack episode got me into it again but some of the more interesting games are just way too expensive. Its too bad that there seems to be no interest in companies doing digital catalogs of their older titles. I know a lot effort would have to go into it but man would that be great.
 

IrishNinja

Member
yeah, a thread on another forum talked about reprinting efforts...literally no idea how that'd work but fuck if it looked close enough i'd support it at this point, nostalgia be damned
 

alf717

Member
yeah, a thread on another forum talked about reprinting efforts...literally no idea how that'd work but fuck if it looked close enough i'd support it at this point, nostalgia be damned

If a small company would be interested I could see that happening heck even if they had to charge the original MSRP it sure would be better than eBay prices. Getting the 3rd party companies on board is most likely the biggest hurdle. Arguments over who get what is most likely what would bring such a project to a halt. I had more in mind of digital releases like on Wii U VC or PC or something like that but reprints would be amazing.
 

alf717

Member
Been on the hunt for a Mega Man 8 manual myself. It is for an extra I have was thinking of printing out something generic for it.
 

Celine

Member
yeah, a thread on another forum talked about reprinting efforts...literally no idea how that'd work but fuck if it looked close enough i'd support it at this point, nostalgia be damned
But then Sapphire situation would happen (ie: the bootleg copies would go for higher than the original print price because clueless guys)
 
D

Deleted member 74300

Unconfirmed Member
hoping to get in on 645's MMX4 when that pans out, i got 1-3 on SNES and i recall some of you on here saying X4 is a fine place to pretend the series stops, haha.

The only truly bad one is X7. Burn it to the ground if you own it.
 

IrishNinja

Member
bought Golden Axe whatever for $18 minus the manual cause im a sucker for Sega franchises even when they go south, nahmean

But then Sapphire situation would happen (ie: the bootleg copies would go for higher than the original print price because clueless guys)

this is a weird side effect but if it drives down prices of OG ones at all that's a good too! seriously anything's better than the existential question of "how many hours of work does it take to buy a copy of Three Dirty Dwarves right now oh god what am i doing with my life"

The only truly bad one is X7. Burn it to the ground if you own it.

I have X collection, that's as close as i get...i do like how another here pointed out how MM8 kinda get shat on in the day (i was curious but put it on the backburner cause of series fatigue/middling reviews at the time) but now it's a goddamn pricey gem, watch Shaq-Fu be a pricey anomaly in 2050 hahaha

Its surprising how Virtua Racing on the Saturn turned out to be a better port than the bad port of Daytona..

didn't Daytona CE deliver where the rushed one didn't? if nothing else, i'd be surprised if VR held the love Sega Rally did; granted, indy racer vs off roadish but still
 
D

Deleted member 74300

Unconfirmed Member
I have X collection, that's as close as i get...i do like how another here pointed out how MM8 kinda get shat on in the day (i was curious but put it on the backburner cause of series fatigue/middling reviews at the time) but now it's a goddamn pricey gem, watch Shaq-Fu be a pricey anomaly in 2050 hahaha

People should just get the PS1 or Megaman Anniversary Collection (1-8 + Power Fighters 1+2) instead if the Saturn one is out of the question. 2 Bosses and a few other extra stuff doesn't seem that game changing to me. Now if those bosses had their own stages again then I'd change my opinion.

I guarantee most people who hated MM8 played this stage and gave up. Well maybe other reasons also...
 

Celine

Member
didn't Daytona CE deliver where the rushed one didn't? if nothing else, i'd be surprised if VR held the love Sega Rally did; granted, indy racer vs off roadish but still
From what I read the original Saturn port has more faithful car handling compared to CCE, CE and Daytona for DC (however CE is closer than CCE in that respect)
However for virtually everything else CE is a much richer game (framerate went from 20 to 30, less pop-in, higher res texture, local and online multiplayer, more cars and tracks, original and remixed music to choose from).


EDIT:
Oh and VR for Saturn isn't exactly know for to be a good port (it was handled by Time Warner):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBmOa2fYkS4
 

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Original Saturn Daytona is the most accurate to the arcade and has the best music. It just looks dire.

The Dreamcast one is decent; you just have to mess with the sensitivity options to get them to an acceptable level.

CCE is garbage.

There's no reason to play any of the above if you have the HD version or the Model 2 emulator.
 
hoping to get in on 645's MMX4 when that pans out, i got 1-3 on SNES and i recall some of you on here saying X4 is a fine place to pretend the series stops, haha.
X4 is my favorite MMX game. Objectively it's probably only worse than X1, but I goddamn love playing as Zero.

watch Shaq-Fu be a pricey anomaly in 2050 hahaha
dat gold mine


tumblr_mmwm0nXW4k1qhbwtbo1_1280.png
 

Celine

Member
I couldn't find any option for the original tracks in my CE copy...
CCE don't have them.
CE (JP)/Net Link (US) have them (look in the option menu, you can set the song to play in each track).

CE also has slightly better graphics compared to CCE (and more faithful handling although not as good as the original port).

EDIT:
CE added the possibility to play at dusk or night too.
 

reson8or

Member
i literally just learned about Taromaru on GameSack the other night, burning that one soon to try it out! but yeah both those games are like down payment on a house type money

Yea I've seen conflicting reactions to Taromaru. The Game Sack guys seemed to not think too much of it, but a "review" video on youtube the guys was raving about it, but that may just have been the novelty of owning a rare thing, and not the actual game.

I have Hyper Duel and love it, but I am partial to Technosoft.

On a side note, I really enjoy the Game Sack guys videos.
 
As far as Daytona goes, yeah, CE is the most complete version. One interesting thing is that CE actually DID get a US release -- but it's one of, or the, rarest Saturn games. It's Daytona USA CCE: Netlink Edition. I'm not 100% certain if it retains the original music and CE's other changes or not, but I think it does... but with how crazy-rare it is, it's not like I'm likely to ever have it. Ah well, I have the Japanese version.

Daytona USA, the first Saturn version, is my favorite version of the game though. Yeah the graphics are bad, but it's got the best handling of any home port of Daytona, even including the Xbox 360 port! It controls perfectly and is a really great game as a result, even if it has no multiplayer and mediocre graphics and only 3 tracks. The first version of Daytona works with the Mission Stick in analog, too, which is great. The Mission Stick doesn't work with Daytona CE, unfortunately, and I actually like playing the game with that controller more than I do the wheel...

Saturn Virtua Racing... I know some people dislike it, but I think it's actually quite good. The biggest problem with Saturn V.R., and also Hang-On GP for Saturn, is that both games REQUIRE a wheel (like the Arcade Racer) in order to get analog controls, and both games have MUCH better controls with analog. Most Saturn racing games also work in analog with the 3D Controller and sometimes also the Mission Stick, but not those two, and it's a real problem -- without analog the controls aren't that great. I have a wheel, though, and with it both games control very well. Virtua Racing for Saturn has a LOT of additional content, too! The game has four types of cars and eight or nine new, Saturn-exclusive tracks. The controls and handling are great and feel very close to Sega's 32X version. It is disappointing that the two 32X-exclusive tracks aren't included in this version, and some people say that the handling isn't quite arcade-perfect, but think of it as more of a sequel than a port, really. This is a new game with lots of great new content. I really love that it has a full championship mode with seasons and lots of tracks, something Sega virtually never did that generation. Sega's own Saturn racing games either have single races only with 1.5 to 5 tracks, or "championships" in games that still have only 3-6 tracks. Only Virtua Racing, which was outsourced, has more tracks and a more complete circuit mode. That doesn't mean it's better than most of Sega's games, their best ones are better, but it is a pretty good racing game well worth playing for anyone willing to get the wheel.
 
Daytona USA, the first Saturn version, is my favorite version of the game though. Yeah the graphics are bad, but it's got the best handling of any home port of Daytona, even including the Xbox 360 port! It controls perfectly and is a really great game as a result, even if it has no multiplayer and mediocre graphics and only 3 tracks. The first version of Daytona works with the Mission Stick in analog, too, which is great. The Mission Stick doesn't work with Daytona CE, unfortunately, and I actually like playing the game with that controller more than I do the wheel...

Sorry, I just can't agree. The rock steady 60fps framerate together with a wheel, just makes the Daytona HD on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 a bliss to play. It reminds me of how the arcade version was, and not the stuttering Saturn version.

My Daytona USA session the other day on Xbox 360:
20131125_212714amrw9.jpg
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20131125_212755q9oqz.jpg
20131210_195409lvpeo.jpg


20131210_195828s9pjh.jpg
20131210_1958585mrdv.jpg
 
Yeah, with a X360 wheel I'd probably think more positively of the port, I admit... though it is pretty disappointing that it's only got the three arcade tracks, and doesn't include the other five tracks (the two added in CCE and the three more added in Dreamcast Daytona). DC Daytona's controls aren't that great (somewhat salvageable with a wheel I've heard, but it's way too touchy...), so it's unfortunate that all of that games' new content, including championships, more cars, more tracks, and all is DC-exclusive. Also, where's the splitscreen mode? The first Saturn version doesn't have it either, sure, but the other two Saturn versions and the DC version all do.
 

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
The world needed an arcade perfect port of the original Daytona. Can't you just be grateful for this one thing?!
 
Yeah, with a X360 wheel I'd probably think more positively of the port, I admit... though it is pretty disappointing that it's only got the three arcade tracks, and doesn't include the other five tracks (the two added in CCE and the three more added in Dreamcast Daytona). DC Daytona's controls aren't that great (somewhat salvageable with a wheel I've heard, but it's way too touchy...), so it's unfortunate that all of that games' new content, including championships, more cars, more tracks, and all is DC-exclusive. Also, where's the splitscreen mode? The first Saturn version doesn't have it either, sure, but the other two Saturn versions and the DC version all do.

It could have had more tracks I agree, but I guess they just wanted to make a faithful arcade port. I'd love to see the same being done for other Sega racers:

Sega Rally, Sega Rally 2 (not the graphically toned down PC and DC version), Daytona USA 2, Virtua Racing, SCUD Race etc.
 
The world needed an arcade perfect port of the original Daytona. Can't you just be grateful for this one thing?!

A complete port of Daytona, with all of the content from the later console releases, would have been better. I think it's reasonable to complain when games cut large amounts of content out versus earlier versions. Yeah, what is there is good, but it should have been more. They just needed to include all the stuff that already existed...

It could have had more tracks I agree, but I guess they just wanted to make a faithful arcade port. I'd love to see the same being done for other Sega racers:

Sega Rally, Sega Rally 2 (not the graphically toned down PC and DC version), Daytona USA 2, Virtua Racing, SCUD Race etc.
That would be fantastic, yes.
 
A complete port of Daytona, with all of the content from the later console releases, would have been better. I think it's reasonable to complain when games cut large amounts of content out versus earlier versions. Yeah, what is there is good, but it should have been more. They just needed to include all the stuff that already existed...


That would be fantastic, yes.

I forgot Rad Mobile and Power Drift too! I'd love to see some of these late and more advanced sprite racers relaunched in perfect conversions.
 
Today, I learned that Clockwork Knight 2 in Japan has a whole bunch of additional stuff that the US release doesn't - namely, you have to refight the final boss of the first game at the very beginning, while the US cuts that out, and it looks like there's dialog in-between stages that's completely absent in the US release. On the flipside, the US version has a menu for a Boss Rush mode and a Movie Test, both of which are apparently entirely missing in the original Japanese release.

Meanwhile, Europe's kinda weird; allegedly they have the boss fight at the beginning and also initially lack that additional menu, but if you get all 32 cards in the course of the game, you unlock the menu (still no dice in the Japanese release).

And then there's the 2-in-1 rerelease in Japan, which apparently adds the menus back into the game. No idea about the additional boss fight, though!

Christ, how deep does this rabbit hole go? I'm honestly tempted to rebuy alternate region's copies of the game just to figure it all out.

(Oh, and I also learned of an intangible wall in the first stage, hiding a LeBon race. And here I thought I knew all of that stage's secret paths...)
 

Mikhal

Member
Today, I learned that Clockwork Knight 2 in Japan has a whole bunch of additional stuff that the US release doesn't - namely, you have to refight the final boss of the first game at the very beginning, while the US cuts that out, and it looks like there's dialog in-between stages that's completely absent in the US release. On the flipside, the US version has a menu for a Boss Rush mode and a Movie Test, both of which are apparently entirely missing in the original Japanese release.

Meanwhile, Europe's kinda weird; allegedly they have the boss fight at the beginning and also initially lack that additional menu, but if you get all 32 cards in the course of the game, you unlock the menu (still no dice in the Japanese release).

And then there's the 2-in-1 rerelease in Japan, which apparently adds the menus back into the game. No idea about the additional boss fight, though!

Christ, how deep does this rabbit hole go? I'm honestly tempted to rebuy alternate region's copies of the game just to figure it all out.

(Oh, and I also learned of an intangible wall in the first stage, hiding a LeBon race. And here I thought I knew all of that stage's secret paths...)

I read that the US Clockwork Knight 2 is based on Pepperouchau no Fukubukuro (the collection) with the Clockwork Knight 1 parts removed. The EU one is based on the separate JP Clockwork Knight 2 release.

Retrocore has a video of some of the extras in the Fukubukuro release, including the minigames and the ability to play as Ginger which you can see here: http://youtu.be/TaP0ZKh-618?t=12m23s
 
the ability to play as Ginger
Is actually in the US release! IIRC you have to use a certain code that's so ubiquitous, you probably already know what it is. (And if you don't know what it is, then I'm afraid you'll need GAF Gold in order to learn it.)

That said, you press "L R L R" instead of "B A" (that's L and R as in the triggers, although the corresponding left/right DPad part of the code is intact immediately before this).

And if you still aren't getting the hint by this point, then
Up, Up, Down, Down
...

EDIT: Or Yakumo could spell it out plain as day in the linked video, sure that works too
 

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
Ironic that I come in this thread to a Clockwork Knight 2 discussion... was at Play N Trade yesterday and picked up a copy! My first time playing the CK series... it's got this really weird campy but charming aesthetic to it, the lead character is a bit lame but the rest of the game reminds me a lot of a euro platformer (was this a euro game?) - floaty jumping, slightly off hit detection, enemies that are damage sponges, and fairly simple level design. The actual graphics remind me a LOT of Little Big Planet. I didn't think it was that bad (only played the first 2 worlds) but my friend who I was showing it to didn't think terribly highly of it.

BTW the aforementioned friend, I just bought him a Saturn for his bday. He loves strange obscure fighters (and the mainstream ones), what are some lesser known 2D fighters for the system? I know of Rabbit and Waku Waku 7 (Saturn port), and Groove on Fight... any others I should tell him to look out for?
 

Mikhal

Member
Is actually in the US release! IIRC you have to use a certain code that's so ubiquitous, you probably already know what it is. (And if you don't know what it is, then I'm afraid you'll need GAF Gold in order to learn it.)

EDIT: Or Yakumo could spell it out plain as day in the linked video, sure that works too[/spoiler]

That further supports what I read about Clockwork Knight 2 US being based on the 2-in-1 release then!

BTW the aforementioned friend, I just bought him a Saturn for his bday. He loves strange obscure fighters (and the mainstream ones), what are some lesser known 2D fighters for the system? I know of Rabbit and Waku Waku 7 (Saturn port), and Groove on Fight... any others I should tell him to look out for?

Astra Superstars, but that one costs a lot. Asuka 120% Burning Fest Limited and Golden Axe: The Duel may be worth looking into. Never played any of them myself though.

Look into Cyberbots for something slightly less obscure. :)

If you want to check out all the fighting games on the Saturn, I linked to a Retrocore 5-part special that went through 65 of the Saturn's fighting games earlier..
 

IrishNinja

Member
okay, i'm done: just finished up a big JP saturn order with the following haul:

Lunar 1 + 2
Deep Fear
Soukyugurentai Otokuyo
Puyo Puyo 2
X-Men: COTA
Snatcher
Biohazard
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Marvel Super Heroes
Vampire Hunter
Sega Ages; Fantasy Zone

lotta moonspeak, but all for just under $100, feels like a good deal. only one that got away was the same seller had the Segaga LE (DC) minus the shirt, ended about $60 which is a good price but i didn't have it right now. looking at the US price for Marvel Super Heroes alone makes some of this feel like a steal.
 

Mikhal

Member
okay, i'm done: just finished up a big JP saturn order with the following haul:

Lunar 1 + 2
Deep Fear
Soukyugurentai Otokuyo
Puyo Puyo 2
X-Men: COTA
Snatcher
Biohazard
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Marvel Super Heroes
Vampire Hunter
Sega Ages; Fantasy Zone

lotta moonspeak, but all for just under $100, feels like a good deal. only one that got away was the same seller had the Segaga LE (DC) minus the shirt, ended about $60 which is a good price but i didn't have it right now. looking at the US price for Marvel Super Heroes alone makes some of this feel like a steal.

Did you use a proxy to get those games? Nice haul!

Holy crap I had no idea Retro Core has been running for this long.
Looks like I have a ton of videos to catch up on.

Yeah. It's crazy that he's been doing videos for almost 10 years now. Granted, there's breaks in between but his videos and Segagaga Domain has been an invaluable source of info over the years!
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
Holy crap I had no idea Retro Core has been running for this long.
Looks like I have a ton of videos to catch up on.

I'm honestly shocked to find people who even know about it. Best kept secret in retro gaming. I think he started the show way back in 2003, if memory serves.


The original series was the best, mostly because those episodes were ridiculously long, but yeah. Same old shtick, and i still like it.
 

IrishNinja

Member
Did you use a proxy to get those games? Nice haul!

nah, just sniped on ebay - somedays i just catch a good run where next to nobody else bids on stuff, or they have a frenzy on something larger & the ones im after seem safe. price is before shipping but the seller seems fair, prolly gonna take the cheapest option & see this stuff by march or so, haha
 

Link1110

Member
Hows Saturn emulation on Android? I'm interested in maybe getting an Android device to compliment my iPhone, and if Saturn emulation is good, that'll easily push me over the edge.
 

Wereroku

Member
Hows Saturn emulation on Android? I'm interested in maybe getting an Android device to compliment my iPhone, and if Saturn emulation is good, that'll easily push me over the edge.
Probably bad there is not even really a PC emulator that it better than ok. The Saturn is really complicated.
 

Celine

Member
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