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Time for another Wipeout XL video. This is almost certainly my favorite Sega Saturn racing game, and easily my favorite PlayStation One game. Tantalus did an absolutely stunning job with this translation, the analog steering via the 3D multi controller is wonderful, the color and art design is glorious, and the Saturn-exclusive music by Cold Storage still bangs. Yes, the PSX version has that iconic electronica soundtrack--we all have that album on CD, right? If you're really cool, you'll have the super-rare vinyl LP edition.

Honestly, Sega should have published this title in North America and left Touring Car Championship in Japan. This is the last killer racing title our beloved console would ever see.
 



Yay, I found a Saturn Wipeout XL video that I haven't seen before. I love this videogame. It's fantastic on both Saturn and PlayStation, which is how God intended. They're both equally stunning. The Sony version has that iconic electronica soundtrack. The Sega version has that buttery smooth analog steering (via the 3D multi controller). Every one of you should own a copy of this game, but I don't know if you can play it on Saroo or SD card or whatever is your preferred backup method. You might have to spend the money for the physical version, and it will cost you a pretty penny. Fortunately, the cover design and booklet are a marvel of visual design, easily one of the best Japanese Saturn releases.

Why didn't we get Wipeout XL in North America? Why did Sega of America insist on using those old, crummy Sega CD boxes? Augh! It's the eternal lament for the '90s Sega fan. It probably doesn't matter today quite as much, as long as you're able to get your hands on this fantastic racing game. It's one of my all-time Saturn favorites, and it deserves to be one of your favorites as well.
 



Tomb Raider 2 on Sega Saturn. It wasn't just a show-off demo, it's really coming. And it looks fantastic. Ovbiously, there is still much work to be done, and this is the work of a single individual, so temper your expectations appropriately. I do hope this project is fully completed, it would be fantastic.
 
I kinda wanna see the Mega Man X games that Saturn didn't get. Maybe if Saturn lasted another year or so in Japan they could have been possible.

How hard could it be to port those over? Same goes for any other PS1 2D games I guess.
 
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Tomonobu Itagaki died this week. He's best remembered for creating Dead or Alive, which became a superb fighting game series that was eventually overwhelmed by softcore porn. I never quite understood that. Actually, I understand it perfectly. Oh, well. The first three DOA games are fantastic, especially the original, and especially the Sega Saturn translation. Godspeed, you rock star. They don't build 'em like you anymore.
 
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We have a new translation patch update for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Check out this examination by Video Game Esoterica. Now this all-time classic is even better on Sega Saturn, which only means that we have another excuse to play through it yet again. As if we need any excuses, hah.
 



Here's a look at the Japanese release of Bug! on Saturn. This version is known for having a much lower difficulty, which will be welcome to most gamers who wanted to check this little gem out. There still isn't any way to save your game, unfortunately. Why Sega of America didn't think of that remains a mystery, but that's Sega. It's what they do.

Bug is an interesting little videogame. In 1995, it was a pioneer in the new frontier of 3D platforming games, as software teams were trying to solve the riddle of how to reinvent the traditional 2D genre with the new polygon technology. In 1996, however, Super Mario 64 and Tomb Raider dropped, which pretty much set the standard for everything that followed. Bug's linear paths, despite being able to walk in all directions, became horribly outdated, an instant relic, a failed experiment. Fast forward 20-30 years, and the rise of 2.5D platforming games has made Bug relevant and innovative once again.

The only problem, of course, remains the complete lack of save states, which is ludicrous for a difficult platformer that takes an eternity to complete. At least the Japanese version is much easier and less frustrating. If you're looking to collect a physical copy, I'd go with that version. The box art is also nicer, but isn't that always the case?
 



Here's a video that compares the standard and widescreen aspect ratios in Panzer Dragoon Zwei. Sega was quite innovative in offering the widescreen format in a number of their Saturn titles, and it's something that will be appreciated far more today, for obvious reason. Either way you play, what a magnificent videogame.
 



The latest Sega Saturn videogame to receive an English translation: Airs Adventure. This RPG was released in Japan in late 1996 and is known as a "bad" game, but with that certain level of cheesy charm that lovers of camp and MST3K may appreciate. And honestly? This doesn't look half bad. We've seen far worse.

As always, kudos to the translators who gave us another wonderful labor of love.
 
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I completed tomb raider a couple of weeks ago on Saturn. I decided to use the model 1 controller for it and I really enjoyed it. The game has a lot of charm and I really liked the wavy water effects on the Saturn version.
 
Calverz said:
N62N96Z4jtHFplvJ.jpeg

I completed tomb raider a couple of weeks ago on Saturn. I decided to use the model 1 controller for it and I really enjoyed it. The game has a lot of charm and I really liked the wavy water effects on the Saturn version.
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I also have a special place in my heart for Saturn Tomb Raider. I prefer its lighting effects, much more atmospheric and spooky when sliding down those caves. The VDP2 water effects are also still highly impressive, and Saturn is the home for cool water effects (Panzer Zwei, Grandia, etc). I do wish Core had been able to devote more time to refining the graphics engine. I have long suspected that rushing the game out the door early in the PAL territories was a mistake. But given that the game was being created for three platforms at once, it's all very impressive.
 
Oh wow, I never heard of this game/series. I hope it gets fan translated (not like the machine translated PSP port) like all the other Saturn awesome stuff we got to play recently (ish). It doesn't have amazing 3D or anything and actually looks very old school/16bit/RPGMaker-like with its tile based movement but still some great backgrounds, well animated sprites and battle screens that have big hand drawn rather than pixel art sprites for the enemies and also character portraits in dialogues etc., and even some nice effects here and there like the parts characters turn into Paper Mario stuff.
 
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Normally when we talk about Sega Saturn emulation it's the Sega Saturn MiSTer FPGA core...but a new Sega Saturn emulator was just released by StrikerX3 called Ymir and even though its in its early stages of development it's a legit impressive Saturn emulator! and now Ymir has another big update as of 1/11/206 so let's check it out! Now with near to 100% Saturn library compatibility! The ultimate retro gaming console...your PC with software emulation! and if you want to know what is emulation in video games check my playlists! Because Saturn has some retro gaming hidden gems!
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Looks like the remake of Panzer Dragoon Zwei is arriving at last, and here is an early first impression of what has been shown so far. Honestly? I still think the 1996 original looks and sounds better. There's a grit and texture to that world that always feels airbrushed away in these modern HD remakes. I want the rough-hewn look of the original videogames, which fit the apocalyptic mood so perfectly.

In any case, I hope this new PDZ turns out to be good, because it's a fantastic videogame and should be enjoyed by everyone. Oh, if only Sega respected their catalog as much as Nintendo respects theirs.
 



Wow! Fighters Megamix made an appearance at EVO Japan 2025, and we have a compilation video of 50 matches. This is terrific to see, because I can never find versus matches for this game anywhere. All the YouTube videos are single-player playthroughs.

The players competing in these matches are pretty good. They're better than the button-mashing rookies you'll find in all those other videos, but it's nowhere near the level of the legendary tournament masters of the 90s. Bun Bun Maru or Ikebukuro Sarah would mop the floor with everyone. Still, what matters is that Megamix is finally working its way onto the competitve scene. I hope it finally builds a proper following.

And can Sega finally bring back Megamix, pretty please? This should be their Smash Brothers.
 
Daniel Thomas MacInnes said:



Wow! Fighters Megamix made an appearance at EVO Japan 2025, and we have a compilation video of 50 matches. This is terrific to see, because I can never find versus matches for this game anywhere. All the YouTube videos are single-player playthroughs.

The players competing in these matches are pretty good. They're better than the button-mashing rookies you'll find in all those other videos, but it's nowhere near the level of the legendary tournament masters of the 90s. Bun Bun Maru or Ikebukuro Sarah would mop the floor with everyone. Still, what matters is that Megamix is finally working its way onto the competitve scene. I hope it finally builds a proper following.

And can Sega finally bring back Megamix, pretty please? This should be their Smash Brothers.
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Even if Sega chooses not to iterate on it, it is a huge shame that Fighters Megamix has not had a modern port. I am pretty surprised to see it in competition given how nuts its balancing is.
 


Normally when we talk about Sega Saturn emulation it's the Sega Saturn MiSTer FPGA core...but a new Sega Saturn emulator was just released by StrikerX3 called Ymir and even though its in its early stages of development it's a legit impressive Saturn emulator! Now with Ymir 0.3 out for testing and now Ymir has another big update as of 4/124/2026 so let's check it out! Now with near to 100% Saturn library compatibility! This is why retro gaming is making a comeback...more Sega!
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poodaddy said:
Thank goodness you write the little summaries for people who can't stand listening to this guy. It is appreciated.
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This video provides an in-depth update on Sega Saturn emulation, focusing on the ongoing development of the emulator "a mirror" (also spelled "you mirror"). The latest version 0.3.0 playtest, available on GitHub, demonstrates significant progress, making "a mirror" a leading choice for Sega Saturn emulation in 2026.

Key Insights

  • "a mirror" is rapidly becoming one of the best Sega Saturn emulators, nearing full compatibility with the Saturn library and offering a more stable and reliable experience than many predecessors.
  • The emulator emphasizes ease of use, making Sega Saturn games accessible to a broader audience compared to alternatives like Mednafen, which, despite its accuracy, has a complex command-line setup.
  • The latest build introduces better mouse support for light guns and peripherals, enhancing gameplay for titles requiring such inputs.
  • There are rumored upcoming graphical enhancements on the GPU side, though these are not yet confirmed or demonstrated.
  • The Sega Saturn emulation scene in 2026 is described as hot and rapidly evolving, with many emulators and updates pushing retro gaming accessibility forward.

Technical and Performance Highlights

  • "a mirror" has progressed from barely running a few games at very low frame rates with corrupted graphics to now running nearly the entire Sega Saturn library with minimal visual glitches.
  • The audio emulation quality is excellent, as demonstrated by near-perfect playback of games like Nights into Dreams, which also tests the emulator's speed, rendering, and input latency.
  • The emulator supports deinterlacing modes, but these currently work inconsistently; for example, Virtual Fighter 2 shows graphical artifacts when deinterlacing is enabled.
  • Visual improvements such as higher internal resolutions, widescreen support, and graphical enhancements are desired by the community and the video creator but remain aspirational.

Comparative Context


a mirrorGrowing compatibility, stable, user-friendly, good peripheral supportSome minor graphical issues (e.g., deinterlacing), still in developmentVery easy to set up, runs well out-of-the-box
MednafenExtremely accurate emulationDifficult setup (command line), not beginner-friendlyComplex for average users



Important Features and Improvements

  • Improved input capture for light guns and mouse peripherals.
  • Enhanced stability and reliability from previous versions.
  • Sound and music latency minimized to near imperceptible levels.
  • Ability to emulate complex Saturn hardware features like dual SH2 CPUs and VDP1/VDP2 graphics chips with increasing accuracy.

Contextual Notes on Sega Saturn Emulation

  • Sega Saturn emulation has historically lagged behind other platforms due to its complex hardware architecture, including multiple processors and video display processors.
  • The RGB output quality of the original Saturn hardware is among the best for retro consoles, but emulation now offers the advantage of modern video outputs like HDMI with superior clarity.
  • Games running in interlaced modes (480i/240p), like Virtual Fighter 2, sometimes present challenges in emulation, especially in modern flat-panel displays where line flickering can appear.

Summary Timeline of "a mirror" Development Progress


Early versionsVery limited compatibility, graphical corruption, low FPSPast
Version ~0.2.xImproved performance, more games playablePrevious stable versions
Version 0.3.0 playtest (current)Near full library support, stable, better peripheral input, some graphical issuesActive testing, available now
Future plansPotential GPU graphical enhancements, higher internal resolutions, widescreen supportRumored / Not confirmed



Conclusions

  • The "a mirror" emulator is a milestone in Sega Saturn emulation, offering a blend of compatibility, stability, and user accessibility previously unseen.
  • It is highly recommended for anyone interested in Sega Saturn games, especially those who found other emulators difficult to configure.
  • While not yet perfect, the ongoing development hints at future improvements that could bring graphical enhancements similar to those seen in PlayStation 1 emulators like DuckStation.
  • The overall state of retro gaming emulation in 2026 is strong, with multiple platforms receiving continuous updates and new emulators, fueling a resurgence in retro gaming interest.
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IbizaPocholo said:
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Beautiful stuff. Ya know, I legitimately believe that AAA gaming going under wouldn't affect me at all. There is a veritable treasure of incredible games out there and I don't have enough time to play them all.

Doesn't hurt that they tend to be better than modern games anyway.
 
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