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Sega Saturn Appreciation and Emulation Thread

Question: I was trying to rip some Dreamcast games in OS X and it just wasn't happening...It would rip the audio partition but not the data. Is this just not possible in a convenient method?
 

Seik

Banned
Question: I was trying to rip some Dreamcast games in OS X and it just wasn't happening...It would rip the audio partition but not the data. Is this just not possible in a convenient method?

Only the Dreamcast can rip Dreamcast games, if you want to rip a Dreamcast game, the only method I heard about needs a Dreamcast Broadband Adapter, put in a special CD and then connect the Dreamcast to a server where you'll be able to get the GD-ROM files from your computer.
 

jack.

Banned
Question: I was trying to rip some Dreamcast games in OS X and it just wasn't happening...It would rip the audio partition but not the data. Is this just not possible in a convenient method?

The Dreamcast used a proprietary disc format called GD-ROM, so you're not going to be able to rip it with a standard CD or DVD drive.
 

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Only the Dreamcast can rip Dreamcast games, if you want to rip a Dreamcast game, the only method I heard about needs a Dreamcast Broadband Adapter, put in a special CD and then connect the Dreamcast to a server where you'll be able to get the GD-ROM files from your computer.
You can also use a custom serial cable instead of a broadband adapter, but I don't know of any place that sells pre-made ones anymore. I got mine form Lik-sang before they were shut down. It should be noted that it takes about 25 hours to rip a full GD-ROM via the serial port as opposed to 1-2 hours via the broadband adapter.

IIRC, some specific CD/DVD drives can also read GD-ROM discs with a little hardware tweaking. I'm not familiar with the method but it might be worth Googling.
 

arit

Member
Aren't these emulator shaders postprocessing filters? If so there should be no technical reason not to have them in ssf (except author's lack time).
 

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
Are there any good FMV games or really embarrassing games on the Saturn? I have Street Fighter The Movie of The Game, but I'm always on the hunt for quirky random stuff for non-gamer friends. I only picked up my Saturn a month ago, I don't really even know where to start.



Damn. I'll get it if it's cheap enough. If worse comes to worse I'll catch a ride to the arcade, they have it there.

Virtual Hydlide has some pretty embarrassing digitized graphics, and the game is supposed to be horrible... never played it myself though.
 

Jarnet87

Member
Bought my Saturn around October last year, haven't really had the excess $ to splurge on the games I want to buy. Need to cap an old CRT tube as well since the thing looks absolutely awful on my Samsung LCD. I've always preferred the real thing to emulation but the prices of games has really deterred me from grabbing Shining Force 3, Dragon Force, Panzer Saga and others.

1up retronauts has a great Sega Saturn podcast from a couple years back, as well as a nice Dreamcast podcast worth listening in.
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
Bought my Saturn around October last year, haven't really had the excess $ to splurge on the games I want to buy. Need to cap an old CRT tube as well since the thing looks absolutely awful on my Samsung LCD. I've always preferred the real thing to emulation but the prices of games has really deterred me from grabbing Shining Force 3, Dragon Force, Panzer Saga and others.

1up retronauts has a great Sega Saturn podcast from a couple years back, as well as a nice Dreamcast podcast worth listening in.

Yes. I've listened to the Saturn episode like... honestly a million times. I remembered being conflicted after I listened to it, because I didn't have a Saturn at that point and I had convinced myself I didn't need to buy one.

A few months later, I bought one. And I haven't regretted it.

Point is, the Saturn episode of Retronauts is like... probably the best one.
 

hlhbk

Member
c244a578f5d94350df96bccfbacfcedb713bb684.jpg


Ah the memories. It's almost criminal nobody posted a screenshot from the best Saturn game ever until now! I know know how I will be playing PDS again! I wish you could up the resolution, but it appears that can't happen.
 

CrunchinJelly

formerly cjelly
c244a578f5d94350df96bccfbacfcedb713bb684.jpg


Ah the memories. It's almost criminal nobody posted a screenshot from the best Saturn game ever until now! I know know how I will be playing PDS again! I wish you could up the resolution, but it appears that can't happen.

Probably because the game is still super expensive.
 
No. Games run at native resolution. The most it does is offer an option to replace the grid/pattern transparencies by real transparencies.

The games are rendered using the native resolution, but it actually outputs in double the resolution, with no way to change the output.

And yes, PDS is the best saturn game ever.
 

CrunchinJelly

formerly cjelly
I agree. A few years ago it was going for $150 on ebay in every auction. I was lucky. I was able to pickup Panzer Dragoon I, II, and Saga for $200.

Some days I consider going to eBay, just hitting one of the Buy It Nows and hoarding the game away somewhere just for the hell of it.
 
I've done something similar, but over a year. How many games did you bag, and for what systems?

I'm not sure the full amount of games, well over 150, but I can tell you in the process, I got an MSX2 with about 20 games, including contra, Castlevania, Space Manbow, Aleste, Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, and SD snatcher, along with some translation carts and a FDD.

Holy shit!

6nDio.png


Some of those 115 purchases were of multiple games at once, though.

Made for an awesome 2 months, though. Every day was like christmas, getting a new package every day.
 

Seik

Banned
Hah, and me who thought I was excessive when I spent something around 800$ in 60 days back then when I started collecting. :p

BTW, Panzer Dragoon Saga is rare, but its fucking satisfying to have it in your hand after unpacking it, believe me. Awesome Saturn game!
 
It was weird because my mail lady actually started to know me at that point. Every day, "oh what package from around the world do you have this day?" I guess I have to get her a christmas present now.

I got to know my mailman too, although I think I probably bugged him because I was never home when I got all these crazy packages from Germany and Japan that needed signatures.

And PDS is only the best Saturn game if you're into RPGs. For me, the best Saturn game is Soukyugurentai or something.
 
And PDS is only the best Saturn game if you're into RPGs. For me, the best Saturn game is Soukyugurentai or something.

Thing is, though - I'm not into RPGs. Yet PDS really appeals to me. Mainly because it's not like any other RPG I've ever played. It feels a lot more action-packed, and it moves so much more briskley.

I actually really enjoy Shining Force 3, though.
 

Jarnet87

Member
One of the few games that came with my Saturn was this turd.

Iron_Man_and_X-O_Manowar_in_Heavy_Metal_Coverart.png


Brought back horrible memories of playing it on the PS1 lol.
 

M3d10n

Member
The games are rendered using the native resolution, but it actually outputs in double the resolution, with no way to change the output.

This is my biggest beef with SSF: it's unusable on my retro-gaming PC, which is connected to a CRT via RGB, since it outright refuses to run if the desktop resolution is smaller than 800x600.

I would actually pay money for a version that could run at the actual native resolution. Specially if it switched resolutions to match whatever the game is using like Kega Fusion can do.
 
This is my biggest beef with SSF: it's unusable on my retro-gaming PC, which is connected to a CRT via RGB, since it outright refuses to run if the desktop resolution is smaller than 800x600.

I would actually pay money for a version that could run at the actual native resolution. Specially if it switched resolutions to match whatever the game is using like Kega Fusion can do.

You could always just get a real saturn. Although, judging from your username, I suspect you already have one, plus SF3.
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
Probably my all time favorite shmup.

Soukyugurentai is something special. That and Battle Garegga are probably my favorite Saturn shmups, though thinking about it... I think Souky has the edge. Mostly for stage 3, which is my favorite stage in any shooter, ever. Here's a video of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rpVal14xRU&feature=related

Honestly, I think it's best described as "cinematic shooting." You're not just scrolling past a static background, you're on a goddamn shmupping adventure, and it's gonna be sweet. Plus, the music is so insanely awesome, and the music is actually coordinated with what's going on in the stage. On a proper sound setup? You will ejac.

All this Saturn shmup talk make me remember I need to buy Layer Section. I already have Galactic Attack (the US name for it), but I don't want a game called Galactic Attack, and more particularly, I don't want the Acclaim logo in the game.



But anyway. Ahhhh, Saturn. I didn't own one until 2008, and my only exposure to it was maybe an hour or two playing Virtua Cop at a friend's house back in 1998. And that was it. Honestly, it's the best system I've bought this gen by a fucking mile.
 
Are there any good FMV games or really embarrassing games on the Saturn? I have Street Fighter The Movie of The Game, but I'm always on the hunt for quirky random stuff for non-gamer friends. I only picked up my Saturn a month ago, I don't really even know where to start.



Damn. I'll get it if it's cheap enough. If worse comes to worse I'll catch a ride to the arcade, they have it there.

Virtual Hydlide has some pretty embarrassing digitized graphics, and the game is supposed to be horrible... never played it myself though.

yes, virtual hydlide is terrible. my friend and i get together to play old saturn games every so often and we usually torture ourselves with virtual hydlide for a while as a joke.

i dont know about good fmv games, but if you want something quirky there is the mansion of the hidden souls. wikipedia says that the same game was released for sega cd and saturn, but its wrong. the games have very similar names but are actually different games. i own both but have only played the sega cd game. its bad and the saturn one is supposed to be worse.

the horde is a cool concept that doesnt play that well. it has a kirk cameron fmv intro.

as far as the classics i dont have much to add other than that i love saturn and think pds, radiant silvergun, shining force 3, guardian heroes, burning rangers, etc are all great.
 
Quirky Saturn game with loads of FMV - Mr. Bones. One of the few high profile exclusives of the time for the system that wasn't by Sega.
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
Best FMV game is Corpse Killer. They all suck, but this one sucks the best. Which is to say, it's the worst.

What's sweet is that it's an (allegedly) upgraded version of the Corpse Killer that was out on other systems... which just means there's more random, unnecessarily shit all over the screen.

Fine with me. Game is hilarious.
 
How was MK2 on the Saturn?

Terrible. It is an overall poor port. Tons of sound clips are missing (it doesn't say the person's name, for example), lots of frames of animation are gone, the sprites are shorter, and it has terrible AI bugs. You can hold down and just tap low kick and the enemy will walk into your attack repeatedly until you beat the entire game.

It's an awful port, much like the Genesis version. And, like the genesis, the saturn is obviously capable of so much better, as evident by UMK3. It feels very cheap, and very phoned in.
 
How was MK2 on the Saturn?

Play Ultimate MK3 on Saturn instead. That one's a good port, and that game's not on Playstation, either... the PS1 got MK3 only, the Saturn UMK3 only. I think the Saturn won that one.

(MK Trilogy is on Saturn too, and it's probably fine, but UMK3 seems more popular now than that game...)

One of the few games that came with my Saturn was this turd.

Iron_Man_and_X-O_Manowar_in_Heavy_Metal_Coverart.png


Brought back horrible memories of playing it on the PS1 lol.
What's so bad about this game? I know it got mediocre reviews, but I got it recently, and it seems fun enough... very 16-bit in gameplay, but it seems like decent fun for a 2d (or is it 2.5d) platform-action game. I like the jetpack too. The one real negative I saw was that its save system is through 26 character passwords. WHAT? This is the PS1 and Saturn, not the NES or something...
 

Prozel

Member
I need to get one!

Too bad it's so easy to pick one from where I live. Ebay is a bit expensive consindering the extra, international shipping.
 
I need to get one!

Too bad it's so easy to pick one from where I live. Ebay is a bit expensive consindering the extra, international shipping.

I recently bought a modded saturn (to play the other SF3 games in english) from a guy on assembler for $75. Much better deal than ebay, considering it was modded and white. You could probably find a normal one on there for a good price.
 

Arksy

Member
Not exactly a saturn-game but I feel this is the most appropriate palce to ask.

I've been looking for an old arcade game that I loved when growing up called Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder. I've managed to get all the other old Golden Axe games as they're now available on Steam/GMG etc but not this particular title. If anyone knows where I'd be able to pick up a copy from, I'd love to know. :)
 

Yes Boss!

Member
I've been working on a 100% Saturn Shooter collection the last few years. I don't have a full list but there are about 55 titles. I've got about 25 so far (with most of the pricey titles bagged a few years ago). Good thing is that prices have not really risen in the last few years. Still need to track down Hyper Duel/Blast Wind, though. Awesome little system, catalog is so huge.
 

aniki

Member
I'm getting my wife to read the last few comments. Then I'm going to tell her I don't want to hear it anymore.
My wife actually bought me PDS a few years ago for Christmas. She's never said how much it cost, and I haven't asked. I've only played through it once so far (on the Saturn, which doesn't look great on a HDTV), but keep threatening to replay it on the emulator.

I'd like to get a decent pad for it - never found Saturn games all that comfortable with a keyboard, but not sure I play enough to make a controller worthwhile.
 
Not exactly a saturn-game but I feel this is the most appropriate palce to ask.

I've been looking for an old arcade game that I loved when growing up called Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder. I've managed to get all the other old Golden Axe games as they're now available on Steam/GMG etc but not this particular title. If anyone knows where I'd be able to pick up a copy from, I'd love to know. :)

Great game unavailable on any home system.

I brought the Arcade PCB for my cabinet in the end. Good times.
 
My wife actually bought me PDS a few years ago for Christmas. She's never said how much it cost, and I haven't asked. I've only played through it once so far (on the Saturn, which doesn't look great on a HDTV), but keep threatening to replay it on the emulator.

I'd like to get a decent pad for it - never found Saturn games all that comfortable with a keyboard, but not sure I play enough to make a controller worthwhile.

You know you can get a Saturn USB controller right?
 
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