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[Xater]

In the latest Bombcast Giancarlo Varanini (Gamespot) revealed that when he was working at gametap they got Panzer Dragoon Saga working on the PC. Is you want to listen to this it starts at 19:54: http://media.giantbomb.com/podcast/giantbombcast-040312.mp3

I am sure Sega has the code. Time to release this sucker!

 

[BHK3]

YES

YES

YES YES

 

[Tajin]

Hopefully Joystiq and Kotaku bloggers read this thread on their morning neogaf news scan and this can gain some attention. Panzer Dragoon Saga on Steam would be groundbreaking.

 

[Rahxephon91]

You sure Sega had the code? I don't exactly remember what was said, but it sounded like they just gave gametap the code and were basically like "whatever do what you want, if you can get it to work then cool". I'm not sure if he said that Sega themselves would have the code. It may be in the hands of whoever has Gametap's stuff now. Then again I'm not sure how licenses work but just because Sega owns the ip, I don't think means they own ports or whatever of things they have signed off on.

 

[Macho Madness]

GameTap has sucked since they stopped supporting the client.

 

[Eusis]

That implies at the least that they COULD get PDS working on PC, ideally for Steam release, or on one of the consoles. Maybe M2 could get it done for real?

 

[Upsidedown Fuji]

This is fairly exciting news either way. It would be a bonus if somehow the lost code was recovered but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Baller. PhD]

I would pay money to purchase this video game.

 

[Xater]

You sure Sega had the code? I don't exactly remember what was said, but it sounded like they just gave gametap the code and were basically like "whatever do what you want, if you can get it to work then cool". I'm not sure if he said that Sega themselves would have the code. It may be in the hands of whoever has Gametap's stuff now. Then again I'm not sure how licenses work but just because Sega owns the ip, I don't think means they own ports or whatever of things they have signed off on.

I think usually if a deal like this falls flat I think the publisher keeps the stuff. Even if not and Gametap still has it I am sure a deal could be worked out. Would be a shame if this title will be lost because it is so rare.

 

[Rahxephon91]

I think usually if a deal like this falls flat I think the publisher keeps the stuff. Even if not and Gametap still has it I am sure a deal could be worked out. Would be a shame if this title will be lost because it is so rare.

Well I guess it's just up to if Sega thinks its a worthwhile investment and well given the recent news about Sega....I don't know.

 

[thetrin]

I would pay money for a PC version of Saga, and I already OWN the game.

 

[scitek]

Well I guess it's just up to if Sega thinks its a worthwhile investment and well given the recent news about Sega....I don't know.

Thankfully they're shifting their focus to digital distribution (outside of the 4 franchises they mentioned), so it's not a total impossibility.

 

[yoursisterspretty]

I believe this in reference to a Saturn emulator running PDS. I vaguely remembering hearing about this years ago when Saturn emulation was still in its infancy.

Googling, it appears that gametap was putting up emulated Saturn games around 2007.

 

[IrishNinja]

I would pay money to purchase this video game.

i would pay $1 more than this man to purchase said game
and given his username, that might be a high amount

 

[polyh3dron]

Proximity to April 1st is too close for comfort.

 

[Eusis]

I would pay money for a PC version of Saga, and I already OWN the game.

I think most who own it would, we're talking about a stupid rare 4 disc game for a system that requires fresh CR2032 batteries every 2 years just to save, nevermind the usual issues like dying disc drives or broken controllers. Seriously, this may be the one game that needs re-release most.

 

[Log4Girlz]

Didn't sega lose the original code or something?

 

[RomanticHeroX]

Frank Cifaldi has talked about this on old episodes of Retronauts. Fun fact: Jeremy Parish wrote the manual for the GameTap release of PDS.

 

[Eusis]

Didn't sega lose the original code or something?

I don't imagine that actually prevents a re-release. At worst you remake the game, but more likely they emulate it and make the emulator auto switch discs as necessary, assuming they can't just make some Frakenstein-esque abomination out of the ISOs and eliminate that outright. At any rate as I understand throwing away source code's been a bad habit for Japanese developers, hell it sounds like throwing out assets PERIOD is a bad habit for developers given the BG:Enhanced Edition can't properly put in higher quality art as the old assets are gone.

Frank Cifaldi has talked about this on old episodes of Retronauts. Fun fact: Jeremy Parish wrote the manual for the GameTap release of PDS.

Were we this close? Dammit.

 

[Pooya]

Didn't sega lose the original code or something?

Gametap uses emulators, not a real PC version.

 

[Alexios]

They were using emulators, SEGA had that service in Japan and a few Western services too, like this one and I think Direct2Drive too, but I don't believe they ever added Saga on any of them, though Zwei was there.

Just use your Saturn copy and play it with SSF, it's about what you'd get if they did launch it on one of those services.

 

[scitek]

They were using emulators, SEGA had that service in Japan and a few Western services too, like this one and I think Direct2Drive too, but I don't believe they ever added Saga on any of them, though Zwei was there.

Just use your Saturn copy and play it with SSF, it's about what you'd get if they did launch it on one of those services.

A reasonably priced solution for all.

 

[BocoDragon]

Just use your Saturn copy and play it with SSF, it's about what you'd get if they did launch it on one of those services.

^ Yeah... this.

I think a lot of the appeal of this is due to the longstanding myth that Saturn emulators don't exist or whatever. You can already play it right now on a PC. Yeah, you'd need to pay for the rare discs - or pirate - but this GameTap version would theoretically have to be pirated anyway, right?

 

[Alexios]

A reasonably priced solution for all.

There's a higher chance of being able to acquire a Saturn copy than to get an official release on PC after all this time me thinks.

Especially since it's been years since SEGA cared to do anything on that front. Genesis games still get released, but not Saturn.

As for the price of course you can't risk it if you're poor like me, but you can always buy, play, then resell for a similar price.

Edit: I forgot about Guardian Heroes and Radiant Silvergun I guess.

How did those perform on XBLA and have they announced other Saturn games? Though they also hold up better graphically etc...

 

[Cartman86]

Yeah I remember it from Retronauts. Doubt well ever see anything from it.

 

[scitek]

There's a higher chance of being able to acquire a Saturn copy than to get an official release on PC after all this time me thinks.

Especially since it's been years since SEGA cared to do anything on that front. Genesis games still get released but not Saturn.

Edit: I forgot about Guardian Heroes I guess. How did that perform?

A copy isn't hard to find, really, but I can't afford to spend a couple hundred bucks on a single game.

 

[PastorOfMuppets]

I missed out on this game the first time around because of its scarcity and my ignorance of getting such games but can someone give me a quick primer on why this game has such a cult following on the internet?

 

[Alexios]

I missed out on this game the first time around because of its scarcity and my ignorance of getting such games but can someone give me a quick primer on why this game has such a cult following on the internet?

It's a great JRPG.

 

[Pie and Beans]

This was known about for ages due to that GiriGiri emulator clearly being able to emulate PDS nigh on perfectly and then Sega outright picked it up or whatever for commercial releases. Just, in typical Sega fashion, they never got round to the actual MAKING MONEY part.

 

[Cheerilee]

I missed out on this game the first time around because of its scarcity and my ignorance of getting such games but can someone give me a quick primer on why this game has such a cult following on the internet?

It was promoted as Saturn's "Final Fantasy VII killer" (so was Grandia apparently, in Japan). Sega knew FF7 was coming well in advance and they knew it was going to be big, and would do great things for Sony's PSX, so they tried to fight fire with fire and make their own Saturn-exclusive great RPGs.

But they eventually realized the game didn't stand a chance in America, so they didn't even print very many of them. It ended up as a top-level RPG made for the twelve or so people who cared about RPGs on the Saturn in America. That's a recipe for a cult following.

 

[JustAnotherOtaku]

I don't even play games on PC and I'd buy this on PC!

 

[@MUWANdo]

I missed out on this game the first time around because of its scarcity and my ignorance of getting such games but can someone give me a quick primer on why this game has such a cult following on the internet?

Two reasons:

-it was ahead of its time in terms of battle systems and narrative
-SOA printed, like, twenty copies

 

[Dresden]

Hope it runs better than gametap's Typing of the Dead, that shit crashed every half minute.

 

[Ciastek3214]

Watch it get released on GOG.

 

[Dash Kappei]

I would pay money to purchase this video game.

Damn, you want it that badly uh?

 

[DCharlie]

A reasonably priced solution for all.

*taps US version*

which i agreed to sell to someone about a year and a half ago!

 

[Aselith]

Better sell off those PDS copies now while they still have value. This news though...it's very relevant to my interests. Now do Dragon Force and Burning Rangers and I'll sell my Saturn.

 

[Jake Tower]

As has been noted, I'm pretty sure this was just emulation, not a PC port.

Panzer Dragoon Saga has been playable via emulation for several years at this point.

 

[Aselith]

As has been noted, I'm pretty sure this was just emulation, not a PC port.

Panzer Dragoon Saga has been playable via emulation for several years at this point.

It wouldn't make sense for Gametap to be working on an emulator for Saturn games. It had to be something that would be playable only on PC without a disk. They might be emulating the Saturn code to work on the PC but I'd take that with a thank you.

 

[Augemitbutter]

already own the game, but this reminds me that i'd pay a huge sum of money for a proper HD remake.

 

[The Bookerman]

Meh, Jeremy Parish already revealed that he did the Instructions manuel for this version on gametap for Frank Cifaldi, so this is old news.

 

[Jake Tower]

It wouldn't make sense for Gametap to be working on an emulator for Saturn games. It had to be something that would be playable only on PC without a disk. They might be emulating the Saturn code to work on the PC but I'd take that with a thank you.

You don't need a physical disc to use Saturn emulation.

 

[Aselith]

You don't need a physical disc to use Saturn emulation.

I'd prefer to procure a copy legally though. Basically, this would give people a legal and inexpensive way to play the game whether it's simply emulation or an actual port.

 

[Jake Tower]

I'd prefer to procure a copy legally though. Basically, this would give people a legal and inexpensive way to play the game whether it's simply emulation or an actual port.

That's what the likely GameTap emulation would have provided.

 

[Santerestil]

It wouldn't make sense for Gametap to be working on an emulator for Saturn games. It had to be something that would be playable only on PC

Yeah, because executables for Windows work flawlessly also for every Mac and Linux OS...

 

[Htown]

I'd prefer to procure a copy legally though. Basically, this would give people a legal and inexpensive way to play the game whether it's simply emulation or an actual port.

Gametap was once a service where you would pay a flat monthly fee to access their entire game library, with many games you could download and play at your leisure. This included a ton of emulated games which were licensed from the original publisher. They still have that service in a browser-based form here. So Gametap had a license to release certain emulated Sega games at the time, and this included Saturn games.

Spoiler

they even had some Dreamcast games up at some point

Once they figured out the emulator, they started putting up stuff like Bug, Clockwork Knight, Panzer Dragoon, etc.

It was entirely legal. Unfortunately, Gametap imploded and most of that went away. You can still go there and pay a flat monthly fee to get a bunch of old SNK amd Capcom games to play in your browser, and you still get access to some decent last-gen PC games.

 

[Aselith]

Yeah, because executables for Windows work flawlessly also for every Mac and Linux OS...

What?

 

[Htown]

Yes, I still miss the old Gametap.

Fun fact: The Sam and Max Telltale series used to be GameTap exclusive. The episodic model was perfect for the GT monthly fee business. That's why you'll see Gametap in the opening credits of at least the early Sam and Max episodes.

 

[Coxy]

I am sure Sega has the code.

how sure? sega has a nasty habit of losing code

 

[Baron_Calamity]

I loved Gametap. I even got extra subscriptions for my kids since the client was the best interface for children. I wish someone would remake that interface. Maybe Steam for TVs will.

Anyways, I wouldn't get too hopeful that PDS exists. When Gametap was bought, the new owners didn't get access to any of Gametap's code and it is unlikely anyone over at TimeWarner saved it.