• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Which 20 Games Should Be Included On A Saturn Classic?

Kazza

Member
With the imminent release of the Playstation Classic and rumours of an N64 Classic, I thought it might be fun to speculate on which games deserve to be included on any theoretical Saturn Classic. While not impossible, unfortunately any Saturn Classic is likely to remain theoretical for the time being, which is a shame as it has many great games still unavailable elsewhere. Still, Sega's been doing pretty well over the past couple of years, so maybe we'll get some ports or a collection at some point in the future.

The fact that it was so hard to narrow the selection down to just 20 speaks volumes about the quality of the system's library. I tried to maintain a balance between the following criteria:
1. Games that have aged well and are still fun to play today
2. Games which are unavailable elsewhere
3. Games that are so representative of the system that it seemed a shame to leave them out
4. A mix of genres

Here goes:

Astal

giphy.gif


An early release that still looks great today. It really showed off the Saturn's 2D chops. Simple but fun gameplay.


Panzer Dragoon Zwei

giphy.gif


While it might be controversial to leave the original Panzer Dragoon out, space is limited and this sequel has a higher framerate (30 fps as opposed to 20 fps), making it smoother to play.


Panzer Dragoon Saga

giphy.gif


$400+ dollars on ebay and widely considered as one of the best RPGs of that generation. Need I say more?


Sega Rally

giphy.gif


Along with Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtua Cop, this was the game that proved that the Saturn could do great 3D if programmed right. Still fun to play today.


Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition

giphy.gif


I know some people think the gameplay of the original Saturn Daytona is closer to the arcade, I always thought this one controls great too. With two extra tracks, 7 extra cars and a much smoother framerate and less pop-in, this seems the right choice to me. Plus, an arcade perfect version was already released last gen, making the original Saturn port obselete.


Guardian Heroes

giphy.gif


Even though a HD remaster was released on Xbox 360 (Xbox One BC), it hasn't been released on other platforms and is too good to be left off the list.


Radiant Silvergun

giphy.gif


See above.


Virtua Fighter 2

giphy.gif


Arcade perfect versions have been released on last gen consoles (as well as in Yakuza 5), but to leave VF2 off a Saturn collection just seems wrong. High res and 60 fps. Great port!


Dragon Force

giphy.gif


Amazing real time strategy and tactical RPG with a huge number of sprites on screen at once. Was re-released on PS2 as part of the Sega Classics collection.


Shining Force 3

giphy.gif


Highly regarded RPG. I hope Sega would finally translate scenarios 2 and 3 as a surprise inclusion (as Nintendo included Star Fox 2 in the SNES Classic).


Burning Rangers

giphy.gif


Unique futuristic firefighting game from Sonic Team. The effects really pushed the Saturn hardware, and it shows in parts. Ideally, this would get a remaster, but until that happens it deserves a place on this list.


Baku Baku Animal

giphy.gif


I wanted a mix of genres and needed a puzzle game. Baku Baku is fun, and was released by Sega, so it seems a good fit.


Exhumed

giphy.gif


A FPS with strong metroidvania elements. This gen of consoles often struggled with FPS games, but Lobotomy Software were geniuses at squeezing the most out of the Saturn hardware, and this was no exception. Versions were released on PC and PS1, but they are inferior in design to the Saturn version. See Digital Foundry's excellent video if you're not convinced.


Athlete Kings/DecAthlete

giphy.gif


Although not as strong as the Megadrive/Genesis in terms of its sports library, the Saturn still got some great games. Sega's World Series Baseball and Worldwide Soccer games would both be worthy inclusions, but I chose Athlete Kings for its high resolution and 60 fps gameplay (similar to VF2).


2D Capcom Fighting Game

giphy.gif


I was a little too young when Street Fighter 2 hit the arcades, so I never got super in to the whole 2D fighting game craze. However, the Saturn was well known as the best way to play these games that gen, so I had to include at least one. While one of the X-Men games would be great, licencing issues might make one of the Street Fighters or Vampire Hunter more likely.


Fighters Megamix

giphy.gif


A mix of VF2, VF3 and Fighting Vipers gamplay, plus a huge roster of Sega characters (including the Daytona car). What more could you want?


Saturn Bomberman

giphy.gif


Although not a Sega game, this is considered by many to be the best bomberman game. Beautiful 2D graphics.


Sonic R

giphy.gif


Not a platformer, nor a racer, I avoided this when it was released due to mediocre reviews, but I now think this is a little underrated. Plus, the collection needs a Sonic game, and this seems a better choice than Sonic 3D Blast.


Nights Into Dreams

giphy.gif


Similar to Virtua Fighter 2, this too has already had better versions released on more modern hardware, but it feels wrong to leave it out.


Deep Fear

giphy.gif


While the Saturn got a good port of Resident Evil, it seemed a shame not to give this Sega game a chance to shine instead. Although it has the same Resident Evil style tank controls, survival horror gameplay and cheesy voice acting, it would be unfair to dismiss this as a mere copycat. Improved controls (you can run and shoot at the same time), an air meter (you are underwater and the rooms run out of air) and its own story are enough to make this a good game in its own right.

That's it. What does everybody think? I thinkg this selection of games is realistic in terms of rights/licencing and compares favourably with the games on the PS1 Classic (and even the SNES Classic imho). I'm always on the lookout for new Saturn games and would welcome any alternative opinions.
 

Kazza

Member
Since Sega relied less on third party developer than Sony did during the PS1 era, they might be able to easily add another 10 games without increasing the cost of the system/sorftware. If I could add another 10 I would choose:

1. Dynamite Deka / Diehard Arcade
2. Princess Crown (Atlus game, now owned by Sega)
3. Dark Saviour
4. Shining The Holy Ark
5. The Legend of Oasis
6. Panzer Dragoon
7. Sega Worldwide Soccer
8. Thunderforce 5
9. Clockwork Knight 1 & 2
10. Shinobi X/Legions

Even then, I could easily name another 10 games, and don't think there's a bad one among them.
 

Kazza

Member
I just realised, out of the 20+ games I owned during the Saturn's active lifetime, only 6 of them made my top 20 list (and only 2 more in the 10 honourable mentions). :messenger_anguished: I guess I didn't choose wisely at the time, although I still had fun!
 

JimmyJones

Banned
My gran used to foster a girl and bought her a Sega Saturn. Baku Baku, Nights and Bug are some of my earliest gaming memories.
 

Mr Hyde

Member
I sooooo want to play Guardian Heroes again. That shit was the best back when I was young. Sega should definitely include it if they do a classic Saturn. Or they can port it over to current consoles, either way. It´s too good to be forgotten.
 

Kazza

Member
My gran used to foster a girl and bought her a Sega Saturn. Baku Baku, Nights and Bug are some of my earliest gaming memories.

Bug was a decent game. It was released during those early days when everyone was still trying to work out what a 3D platformer would look like. I think they made a pretty good stab at it, although it doesn't compare to Mario 64 of course.

Anything worth trippie digits on the system.

I ain't made of money for buying the classics physical.

That's why Sega needs to get off their arses and release a collection. Saturn collecting is pretty expensive now. I'm confident that the Panzer Dragoon games will get some kind of basic port eventually.

Every single fighting game on Saturn :)

You could easily fill a 20 games collection with just fighting games and it would still be a decent collection :)

In fact, lets try:
1. VF1
2. VF1 Remix
3. VF2
4. VF Kids
5. Fighting Vipers
6. Last Bronx
7. Fighters Megamix
8. Dead or Alive
9. Golden Axe: The Duel
10. Mortal Kombat 2
11. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
12. Vampire Saviour
13. X-Men v Street Fighter
14. X-Men Children of the Atom
15. Street Fighter Alpha 2
16. Street Fighter Alpha 3
17. Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game
18. King of Fighters
19. Samurai Showdown
20. Marvel Super Heroes v Capcom

Plus:
Final Fight Revenge as a bonus :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Yep, looks pretty decent to me (and I'm probably missing a few)
 

Kazza

Member
I sooooo want to play Guardian Heroes again. That shit was the best back when I was young. Sega should definitely include it if they do a classic Saturn. Or they can port it over to current consoles, either way. It´s too good to be forgotten.

Guardian Heroes in backwards compatible on Xbox One, if you have one. It includes both the original Saturn version, as well as a new HD version (with a choice of classic or alternative controls). It's a bargain at £3/$5.
 
Last edited:

phil_t98

#SonyToo
the thing with the Saturn and original PlayStation their games now have aged badly, when we got PS2and Dreamcast onwards they still look good by todays standards and very playable, where as Saturn had low frame rates and poor polygon and textures. I loved my Saturn and still have it
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Calling Daniel Thomas MacInnes Daniel Thomas MacInnes !

Personally, I'd want fewer 3D games (since a lot of them look bad unless played on a CRT) and as many 2D games as possible.

That would never happen, so I think your list is pretty darn comprehensive.

Some others for consideration:
Galaxy Force II
Street Racer
Power Drift
Puyo Puyo Sun
Sakura Wars Columns
Kururin Pa!
Pocket Fighter
Virtua Fighter Kids
Clockwork Knight
Soukyugurentai
Twinkle Star Sprites (Saturn version has lots of exclusive content)
Magical Drop III
 

dirthead

Banned
It's a crime that Guardian Heroes isn't on GOG/Steam/whatever.

Really, though, the Saturn Virtua Fighter 2, Daytona, and Sega Rally are fairly worthless when you can just emulate the arcade versions now. The arcade versions are so much better.

The Saturn very strongly leans on arcade ports that simply don't matter anymore. For that reason, I don't think it'd be that great of a machine to "mini."
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
It's a crime that Guardian Heroes isn't on GOG/Steam/whatever.

Really, though, the Saturn Virtua Fighter 2, Daytona, and Sega Rally are fairly worthless when you can just emulate the arcade versions now. The arcade versions are so much better.

The Saturn very strongly leans on arcade ports that simply don't matter anymore. For that reason, I don't think it'd be that great of a machine to "mini."
In all fairness, can you imagine a better avenue for getting some of these games out there?

"Mid-90s collection of random ST-V, CPS2, and Taito F3 games" doesn't quite have the same ring as "Sega Saturn mini", not to mention Saturn still has some big hitters (if only by reputation) like Nights, Panzer Dragoon, and Guardian Heroes.
 

RAIDEN1

Member
If Sega did release a mini of this console (though it isn't a piece of hardware you would shout about from their hardware collection in light of how it performed in its heyday) then I wouldn't hold my breath of Sega doing a perfect job of it, just look at their recent genesis collection, or the genesis mini..saying that the Panzer Dragoon collection should be there, along with the usual staples of VF2, Sega Rally, Dead or Alive etc...
 

zenspider

Member
  1. Panzer Dragoon
  2. Panzer Dragoon Zwei
  3. Panzer Dragoon Saga
  4. Virtua Fighter 2
  5. Daytona USA
  6. Sega Rally Championship
  7. Clockwork Knight 1+2
  8. Shinobi Legions
  9. Sonic R
  10. Burning Rangers
  11. Dark Savior
  12. Astal
  13. Nights Into Dreams
  14. Shining Force III (all scenarios)
  15. Fighting Vipers
  16. Dragon Force
  17. Guardian Heroes
  18. *Grandia
  19. *Radiant Silvergun
  20. *Psychic Killer Taromaru
  21. *Dragon Force 2
 

Kazza

Member
the thing with the Saturn and original PlayStation their games now have aged badly, when we got PS2and Dreamcast onwards they still look good by todays standards and very playable, where as Saturn had low frame rates and poor polygon and textures. I loved my Saturn and still have it

I generally agree that a lot of the 3D games of that era were marred by low framerates and low quality textures (anything sub-30 fps is difficult to play now) . However, most of the games I've listed here have at least a stable 30 fps framerate, with some even at 60 fps. It was the sub-30 fps framerate which led me to drop Panzer Dragoon (with a heavy heart).


Calling Daniel Thomas MacInnes Daniel Thomas MacInnes !

Personally, I'd want fewer 3D games (since a lot of them look bad unless played on a CRT) and as many 2D games as possible.

That would never happen, so I think your list is pretty darn comprehensive.

Some others for consideration:
Galaxy Force II
Street Racer
Power Drift
Puyo Puyo Sun
Sakura Wars Columns
Kururin Pa!
Pocket Fighter
Virtua Fighter Kids
Clockwork Knight
Soukyugurentai
Twinkle Star Sprites (Saturn version has lots of exclusive content)
Magical Drop III

Nice list. While it makes sense to have more of a focus on 2D games from a playability standpoint, I felt the collection should be representative of the Saturn library, so it seemed wrong to leave out 3D games. The 3D games can still be fun, so long as they are at least 30 fps (which most of these are), although admittedly Burning Rangers is looking a little rough around the edges nowadays.

It's a crime that Guardian Heroes isn't on GOG/Steam/whatever.

Really, though, the Saturn Virtua Fighter 2, Daytona, and Sega Rally are fairly worthless when you can just emulate the arcade versions now. The arcade versions are so much better.

The Saturn very strongly leans on arcade ports that simply don't matter anymore. For that reason, I don't think it'd be that great of a machine to "mini."

By my count, only 4 of the 20 games I listed have significantly superior arcade ports, and could easily be replaced with any from the extra 10 games I listed. Still, I take your point about arcade releases. That's why Sega need to release some kind of arcade collection :)

If Sega did release a mini of this console (though it isn't a piece of hardware you would shout about from their hardware collection in light of how it performed in its heyday) then I wouldn't hold my breath of Sega doing a perfect job of it, just look at their recent genesis collection, or the genesis mini..saying that the Panzer Dragoon collection should be there, along with the usual staples of VF2, Sega Rally, Dead or Alive etc...

The Genesis Mini is apparently being handled in house and has been delayed to next year so they can get the quality right. Let's see how they do with that one.

No love for sonic jam, virtual hydlide, D, or Torico?

Although the hub world section is cool, Sonic Jam is still basically just a re-release of Sonic 1-3. Virtual Hydlide was the subject of a recent AVGN video, and doesn't look too great to me (another, non-comedic, youtuber called Sega Lord X didn't seem to think much of it either). Torico looks interesting, I'd like to play it sometime. I always wanted to buy D back in the day, but I never got the chance/had the money.
 

Kazza

Member
  1. Panzer Dragoon
  2. Panzer Dragoon Zwei
  3. Panzer Dragoon Saga
  4. Virtua Fighter 2
  5. Daytona USA
  6. Sega Rally Championship
  7. Clockwork Knight 1+2
  8. Shinobi Legions
  9. Sonic R
  10. Burning Rangers
  11. Dark Savior
  12. Astal
  13. Nights Into Dreams
  14. Shining Force III (all scenarios)
  15. Fighting Vipers
  16. Dragon Force
  17. Guardian Heroes
  18. *Grandia
  19. *Radiant Silvergun
  20. *Psychic Killer Taromaru
  21. *Dragon Force 2

You cheated and added an extra game. I must admit that I was tempted to do that myself ;)

Dark Savior, Shinobi Legions and Grandia are all solid picks. I only found out about Psychic Killer Taromaru from a youtube video last year, but it looks great, with lots of unique graphical effects and concepts. Of all the Saturn games I haven't played yet, that's the one I want to play the most.
 
Good list, at first I thought you missed PowerSlave but then I remembered it has a different name in different territories Exhumed
 
Last edited:

Kazza

Member
In all fairness, can you imagine a better avenue for getting some of these games out there?

"Mid-90s collection of random ST-V, CPS2, and Taito F3 games" doesn't quite have the same ring as "Sega Saturn mini", not to mention Saturn still has some big hitters (if only by reputation) like Nights, Panzer Dragoon, and Guardian Heroes.

That's a good point. There's a real mixture of games on the Saturn which would be hard to market any other way.

I sometimes wonder how Sega would organise any arcade collection. By arcade board ("System 32 Collection, Model 2 Collection") might be a good idea, as it would contain a mixture of genres. On the other hand, a "Arcade Racing Collection" with Outrun, Daytona 2 etc would be a great collection too.
 

Link1110

Member
Japan would get a far better one

Tengai Makyou Fourth Apocalypse
Legend of Heroes 3
Shining Force 3
Lunar 1 and 2
Grandia
 
Last edited:

MayauMiao

Member
I wish there is a Dreamcast mini. I never had one, and heard great games came out for that console. Sega should focus on that unit.

Shenmue 1 & 2 on Dreamcast mini would be freaking cool.
 

hecatomb

Banned
Bug
xmen vs sf
vampire sav
street fighter alpha 3
marvel super heroes
Nights
panzer dragoon saga
Guardian Heroes
Radiant Silvergun
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

I don't know why anyone would want Sonic R, that game sucked. and some of the worst controls.
 
Last edited:

dirthead

Banned
A lot of people listing licensed Marvel CPS2 games, which I doubt would happen due to Disney licensing hell.

You can't even really do a System 32 arcade collection probably because you couldn't get Spiderman.
 

dirthead

Banned
Still could get alpha 3, and vampire sav, if they worked something out with capcom

I still don't see it. Why would Capcom do that when they can resell their arcade games in their own arcade packs and not give Sega any cut whatsoever?

That's why I say the Saturn leans very heavily on arcade ports that simply don't matter in a world where the original arcades are emulated more or less perfectly.
 

Yoshi

Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
NiGHTS
Sonic R
Rayman
Croc
all three episodes of Shining Force 3.
 

Kazza

Member
I've only just noticed, but the 24th anniversary of the Saturn release in Japan was on the 22nd of this month (just missed it by a day with this thread!).





The Japanese twitter announcement has over 8.5k likes, whereas the Sega Europe one has only 697. Kinda shows the difference in success the Saturn had in the two regions.

Still, next year will be the 25th anniversary........Saturn 25th Anniversary Collection confirmed???
 
Last edited:

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
I've only just noticed, but the 24th anniversary of the Saturn release in Japan was on the 22nd of this month (just missed it by a day with this thread!).





The Japanese twitter announcement has over 8.5k likes, whereas the Sega Europe one has only 697. Kinda shows the difference in success the Saturn had in the two regions.

Still, next year will be the 25th anniversary........Saturn 25th Anniversary Collection confirmed???

If I'm not mistaken, Saturn was more successful in Japan than the N64 was, and by a pretty big margin. They got hundreds more games in Japan for the Saturn compared to PAL and US regions.
 

Kazza

Member
If I'm not mistaken, Saturn was more successful in Japan than the N64 was, and by a pretty big margin. They got hundreds more games in Japan for the Saturn compared to PAL and US regions.

I believe it did during its lifetime, but the N64 may have closed some of the gap due to a longer lifespan. It's crazy to think that Sega's least well known console in the west was by far its best performing one in Japan. Despite its overall commercial failure, it must have still been quite satisfying for Sega of Japan to have finally got one over Nintendo on their own turf.
 

Kazza

Member
If I'm not mistaken, Saturn was more successful in Japan than the N64 was, and by a pretty big margin. They got hundreds more games in Japan for the Saturn compared to PAL and US regions.

I believe it did during its lifetime, but the N64 may have closed some of the gap due to a longer lifespan. It's crazy to think that Sega's least well known console in the west was by far its best performing one in Japan. Despite its overall commercial failure, it must have still been quite satisfying for Sega of Japan to have finally got one over Nintendo on their own turf.
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
I believe it did during its lifetime, but the N64 may have closed some of the gap due to a longer lifespan. It's crazy to think that Sega's least well known console in the west was by far its best performing one in Japan. Despite its overall commercial failure, it must have still been quite satisfying for Sega of Japan to have finally got one over Nintendo on their own turf.
The number of games made a big difference, too. N64 had about 300 total and Saturn had four times that in Japan.

Lots of weird stuff on the Saturn that has mostly been lost to time, like all of the themed puzzle games, dating simulators, and interactive novels.
 

hecatomb

Banned
I still don't see it. Why would Capcom do that when they can resell their arcade games in their own arcade packs and not give Sega any cut whatsoever?

That's why I say the Saturn leans very heavily on arcade ports that simply don't matter in a world where the original arcades are emulated more or less perfectly.
I don't see why not, capcom will make money off the deal.
 

hecatomb

Banned
I believe it did during its lifetime, but the N64 may have closed some of the gap due to a longer lifespan. It's crazy to think that Sega's least well known console in the west was by far its best performing one in Japan. Despite its overall commercial failure, it must have still been quite satisfying for Sega of Japan to have finally got one over Nintendo on their own turf.
Saturn would have sold a lot better if capcom would have released their fighting games in America. At the time fighting game tournaments were becoming pretty big.
 
Top Bottom