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Sega Saturn Appreciation and Emulation Thread

TAstra 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..

I can vouch for Asuka 120% Limited. It's rather approachable and basic for a fighting game, but I think that works to its advantage.
 

Riky

$MSFT
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.

Agree about Daytona, it might be rough but the original Saturn version has some of the greatest arcade handling of all time, for me it is better than the original arcade machine in that regard.

As for Virtua Racing I think the 32X version is the best, Time Warner did the Saturn version and it isn't great whilst the 32X in-house version is right up there with the arcade machine.
 
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.
WRT bolded: nope, very much a Japanese game.
 
Agree about Daytona, it might be rough but the original Saturn version has some of the greatest arcade handling of all time, for me it is better than the original arcade machine in that regard.
Yeah, they really nailed the handling perfectly in the first version. I don't know why they've never managed to get it quite as right in any port after it...

As for Virtua Racing I think the 32X version is the best, Time Warner did the Saturn version and it isn't great whilst the 32X in-house version is right up there with the arcade machine.
The 32X version might be a better port of the arcade game, but the Saturn version is a whole lot more than just an arcade game! It's got like ten or twelve tracks, all of them well designed, four kinds of cars, a full championship mode... as I said, there's a lot more content there than in any of Sega's Saturn racing games, really. It's a highly under-appreciated game. I think the critics need to play it with the racing wheel sometime -- that's the only way to play it with proper controls, just like with Hang-On GP. Saturn Virtua Racing is a better game than Hang-On GP is, though; I like that game too, but it's not nearly as good as Virtua Racing,

But yes, I do love 32X Virtua Racing,. It's a fantastic game, and is one of the best games on the 32X. But the Saturn version is pretty great too.
 

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Yeah, they really nailed the handling perfectly in the first version. I don't know why they've never managed to get it quite as right in any port after it...
The Saturn port is designed for the digital control pad, so it's not shocking that it plays easily on a digital control pad.
The HD version seems 1:1 with the arcade. That version feels the same on a 360 controller as the Model 2 version does with a Dreamcast controller via the Model 2 emulator.
 

Mercutio

Member
So I've completed the SOTN on Saturn, which I've never done before, and have a few thoughts. 203%, Level 51.

1. While the new prison area is uninspired, I like the garden quite a bit and I appreciate how they connect areas on the map. Frankly, they make the lower left section connect a bit better.

2. The new enemies in the prison area (in both reverse and normal castles) are horribly drawn, but the garden ones fit in with the rest of the game very nicely, in both areas. The new boss in the garden is awesome, and a genuine challenge. I can't remember which section the new knights who have to be knocked away from their spirits are, but they too are a great enemy and fit the game wonderfully.

3. The "Nose Demon" is just the damn regular demon with a mask. I never saw him do anything interesting or new, but he can activate the secret switches. I used him as my primary familiar for the course of the game, and have grown to accept him.

4. The slowdown sucks. Flat out. It's like Metal Slug 2 when there's a ton of stuff going on, or when you're in areas with a ton of 3D effects.

5. The Maria battle before you get the goggles is AWESOME. Seriously, that room and encounter always felt completely weird in the original game, and having a really cool and actually very tough (took me a few tries) boss fight there makes a ton of sense... you have to EARN the ability to go to that other castle.

6. I really missed transparency effects after a while.

7. The scale up of the graphics is a little weird, but I don't mind it. I don't think the graphics are terribly damaged by it; everything is still colorful and has a nice clean chunkiness which looks great if you have an S-Video or RGB modded Saturn with a decent scaler / TV.

8. The game is still completely over if you can get a Schmoo to drop Crisselgrim.
 

IrishNinja

Member
So I've completed the SOTN on Saturn, which I've never done before, and have a few thoughts. 203%, Level 51.

thanks for this, by the way! i've still been wanting this, but every offer so far has been the same $80 which is a bit more than i wanted. debating using some amazon reward money to pull it for $40 or so which sounds about right to me.
 
7. The scale up of the graphics is a little weird, but I don't mind it. I don't think the graphics are terribly damaged by it; everything is still colorful and has a nice clean chunkiness which looks great if you have an S-Video or RGB modded Saturn with a decent scaler / TV.
You don't need to mod the Saturn for S-Video or RGB output.
 
The Saturn port is designed for the digital control pad, so it's not shocking that it plays easily on a digital control pad.
The HD version seems 1:1 with the arcade. That version feels the same on a 360 controller as the Model 2 version does with a Dreamcast controller via the Model 2 emulator.

Yeah, it is a game which somehow just never quite feels right with a gamepad analog stick, no matter what platform it's on. It needs something more precise.
 

Mikhal

Member
Tried testing Cyberbots with a 1MB RAM cart I recently picked up. Graphical glitches all over the place in 3MB mode. I know my cart slot is shitty so I tried to clean it and retry a few times to no avail. Read the game works on a 4MB RAM cart so I tried that instead... still saw graphical glitches in 3MB mode with the 4MB cart. Booted X-Men vs. SF without reseating the cart, and it failed the cart check. When the cart actually passes the XvSF cart check, Cyberbots show no glitches.

I wonder if the reports of graphical glitches in Marvel Super Heroes in 3MB mode may be due to the Saturn's shitty cart slot. Even though the 3MB option gets unlocked, it doesn't necessarily mean that the cart is inserted correctly all the way...
 

Cafeman

Member
Saturn Virtua Racing... I know some people dislike it, but I think it's actually quite good. ... 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. ... 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...


I used to dismiss Saturn Virtua Racing, but if you check out the 1st post of this thread linked below, you'll read my replaying of it and finding it was really a good effort.

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/185374-saturn-gaming-summer-11/?hl=virtua racing

Now I love 32X VR and Saturn VR. I don't find the PS2 "port" very fun at all, although it looks great. The biggest thing to get used to on the Saturn one is that if you bump a car, I'm pretty sure you spin out nearly every time. On the 32x, you can bump and rub against cars to a degree and deep in the race. I have no problem with the Saturn version's dpad control.
 
lol, look at this Death Crimson lightgun
http://workshop.txt-nifty.com/pcengine/2006/02/warning_a_huge_.html

tumblr_mzthbfeVja1rqbjyuo4_500.jpg
tumblr_mzthbfeVja1rqbjyuo5_500.jpg
 

IrishNinja

Member
finally got to play Toraumaru last night..god, why must that one be one of the stupid-expensive games? such an awesome title

I won one of those 120 game mixed titles grab bags recently. Got a few gems in there but man - so many text heavy games ...

i was assuming as much but man it looked like there was so much awesome in those lots too! prolly just gonna sell the moonspeak ones, or what?
 

Mercutio

Member
thanks for this, by the way! i've still been wanting this, but every offer so far has been the same $80 which is a bit more than i wanted. debating using some amazon reward money to pull it for $40 or so which sounds about right to me.

I'm happy to have it because it's my favorite game, and it was about $70 when I bought it at a place in NYC. I'll definitely do the Maria part, since she's a completely different character than in other versions. It's a curiosity of a game more than anything else. I can't say it wasn't worth the cost to me.

You don't need to mod the Saturn for S-Video or RGB output.

Whoops! You're right. I simply meant mine had been modded for a direct S-Video cable connection, not through the multi-port thing. It seems to be of better quality than S Video out of the multi. I'm not totally sure what my modder did in there though, I'll have to crack it open one of these days and see.
 

Exr

Member
I know it sucks, but Final Fight Revenge is supposed to be expensive right? Managed to grab a copy for $20 off of craigslist, jumped on that offer so fast.
 
I know it sucks, but Final Fight Revenge is supposed to be expensive right? Managed to grab a copy for $20 off of craigslist, jumped on that offer so fast.

Yeah, awful game but it was one of the last Saturn games ever released (March 2000). As a result the print run was low and it's sought after.
 
Yeah, awful game but it was one of the last Saturn games ever released (March 2000). As a result the print run was low and it's sought after.

The Video Game Critic thought it was okay, surprisingly. I haven't played it myself... but I'd like to get it sometime. http://videogamecritic.com/satfl.htm#Final_Fight_Revenge_(Japan)

The gameplay may or may not be decent (depending on opinion), but it is interesting for being Capcom's last Saturn game, and only their second Saturn game that used polygons, along with Resident Evil; all of their other polygonal games that generation were Playstation-only.
 
I don't know if it requires extra RAM or not, but it's a Japan-only release, so the latter half of that question is moot.

maybe they were confused with the other belt scroll action game turned fighter nobody wanted, Golden Axe: The Duel - though, the J-version has no RAM expansion support.
 

Seik

Banned
So what's the best emulator at this point, Yabause or SSF?

It's been something like a year since I tried Yabause, months since SSF but I checked it didn't really changed during all this time, still the same version, while Yabause seems to have more updates. I think it's worth giving a shot to both.

Whatever, SSF seems to work with most games and does a good job to emulate it perfectly. The only negative I'd give to SSF is that you cannot upscale the internal resolution while on Yabause you can. Yabause seemed more buggy in some games and had less compatibility. I really need to try a newer version soon though.

EDIT: I just downloaded the latest version of Yabause, will try it soon. I updated the OP with a link for all the differents versions of Yabause for MAC/WINDOWS 32/64-bit.

Neither is really being worked on anymore. But SSF.

Wrong, the latest version of Yabause available is from December 2013.
 

koopas

Member
finally got to play Toraumaru last night..god, why must that one be one of the stupid-expensive games? such an awesome title



i was assuming as much but man it looked like there was so much awesome in those lots too! prolly just gonna sell the moonspeak ones, or what?
I got lucky and there were two shmups in the bunch. A few sealed games as well.

Have you ever played those Virtua Fighter I guess jpeg discs? They are simply still photos of the Virtua Fighter cast set to music. I mean I can maybe understand if it was some buxom female fighter but the ones I have are all dudes (kage and somebody who looks like gen) super super weird.

Playing (or attempting to play) the japanese godzilla game. It's a godzilla rts in full moonspeak. Making zero progress here lol

I'll take some photos in a little while. I have almost 250+ jap saturn games from that seller.
 

IrishNinja

Member
^hahaha that's what those VF ones sounded like, that's funny though! definitely put up impressions of your haul, again you can prolly offset some of the cost by unloading others in buy/sell etc if anything. and yeah, i can only image the trial & error of a moonspeak godzilla RTS, that'd be funny to see, heh
 
It's been something like a year since I tried Yabause, months since SSF but I checked it didn't really changed during all this time, still the same version, while Yabause seems to have more updates. I think it's worth giving a shot to both.

Whatever, SSF seems to work with most games and does a good job to emulate it perfectly. The only negative I'd give to SSF is that you cannot upscale the internal resolution while on Yabause you can. Yabause seemed more buggy in some games and had less compatibility. I really need to try a newer version soon though.

EDIT: I just downloaded the latest version of Yabause, will try it soon. I updated the OP with a link for all the differents versions of Yabause for MAC/WINDOWS 32/64-bit.


Wrong, the latest version of Yabause available is from December 2013.

Thanks for the info. I managed to get Daytona USA running in Yaubase some time ago, but Sega Rally didn't. I'd love me some SR in higher resolution.
 

Mercutio

Member
Well its official, I'm a part of SaturnGAF





Anyone knows of Cables/Converters than makes the game look decent on an HDTV?


You're gloooooooooooriiiouuuuussss!

S-Video isn't bad if you have a TV that handles upscaling analog signals well. My Toshiba does about as well as the XRGB via S-Vid. But YMMV. SCART is great too.

Just don't get a cheapo SCART to HDMI adaptor. It'll make a lousy picture.
 

IrishNinja

Member
Well its official, I'm a part of SaturnGAF

Anyone knows of Cables/Converters than makes the game look decent on an HDTV?

nice! lotta moonspeak there, but i'm in that club now too, haha
and yeah like Mercutio said, i started Saturn on S-vid and the quality wasn't bad, but i do so adore scanlines on a lotta 32-bit era stuff too.
 
This past weekend my store went to a local art show and had a Marvel Superheroes vs. Street Fighter tournament. It went over quite well, and everyone was amazed that it was running off of the Saturn. I'm still amazed by the 4mb cart games to this day. I've even considered hunting down SFZ3 just to make my collection feel "complete" (because dammit, I'm not going to buy Final Fight Revenge)
 

Mikhal

Member
Damn. I'd like to live in a world where the Saturn received the CPS2/MVS ports that the PSX ended up getting later.

Marvel vs. Capcom
KOF98/99
Last Blade 1
Metal Slug X
Samurai Shodown 1+2 Collection

Honerable mentions:
JoJo's Venture
Mega Man 1-6
Mega Man X5/X6
 
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