Support NeoGAF

[djtiesto]

Played some Linkle Liver Story and Virtua Cop - Linkle Liver Story, if you haven't played, is a game with a very strange title, cute graphics but a bit too many furries for my taste I like the colorful 2D look of the game (even though it mixes in atrocious, blocky Saturn polygons here and there) and the music, though the game itself isn't the greatest. The hit detection is rather odd - you swing your staff and it seems to hit quite a good deal farther than it appears, plus enemies have no recoil when you hit them. Virtua Cop is still a lot of fun, even though the graphics look fairly dated... hey is that game running in Hi-Res?

I really need to pick up more Saturn stuff. I have Dragon Force but never really got into it. How is Shining the Holy Ark and Shining Force 3 part 1? Worth picking up? I need some more US games in my library, playing Linkle Liver Story makes me realize I don't remember half the Japanese I learned in college

 

[Izzy]

Saturn was easily my favourite 32/64-bit console. I have a huge Saturn games library - too lazy to type the recommendations right now.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

Get in to Dragon Force! Shining Force is worthwhile if you like that series. I've never tried Shining the Holy Dark, but I picked up the Saturn only recently and have a limited library. Do you have Guardian Heroes? Sweet mercy, that's worth picking up.

 

[D-X]

I picked up Virtual On the other day and I was surprised how good it looked and played.

 

[gunstarhero]

Shining the Holy Ark was great - IF you like dungeon crawlers. If not, steer clear, cause this game can frustrate the shit out of you. It was one of my favorite Saturn games, but thats probably due to the fact that I was a big "Shining" fan (until lately...ug.) Really cool characters/monsters, spells and dungeons - the one town was kinda lame, but it's such a small part of the game, you really dont mind. Great game.

Shining Force 3 pt1 is awesome - save for the fact that the last 2 chapters never made it stateside. That's a must own if you can find a copy.

 

[Finaika]

I really need to pick up more Saturn stuff. I have Dragon Force but never really got into it. How is Shining the Holy Ark and Shining Force 3 part 1? Worth picking up? I need some more US games in my library, playing Linkle Liver Story makes me realize I don't remember half the Japanese I learned in college

I really enjoyed Shining the Holy Ark... though maybe because it was one of the 1st RPGs I've played. The 1st person perspective made it unique and the music is awesome (especially the catchy battle-theme).

I enjoyed Shining Force 3 part 1 too... but unfortunately I didn't finish it. I really wish I can play more SRPGs that are similar to SF3. The Nippon Ichi stuff are too deep for me. I really hope Stella Deus is similar to it.

 

[jarrod]

Saturn > NES > GBA > *

 

[djtiesto]

My Saturn library is rather small, here's what I have for it:

US:
NiGHTS
Astal
Guardian Heroes
Dragon Force
Dark Savior
Magic Knight Rayearth
Virtua Cop
Daytona USA
Madden '97 (It came with the system and I can't get rid of it!)
World Series Baseball 2

JP:
Tengai Makyo:The Apocalypse 4 - absolutely hilarious traditional RPG. If you know Japanese and/or don't mind playing imports with detailed walkthroughs, this game is a must get, plus it's cheap

Langrisser III - V - I need to start playing these games some more. IV looked very good, I played about 8 battles into it. III was weird, I couldn't get a taste for the battle system. And I haven't tried V, as there's not really any detailed walkthroughs

Linkle Liver Story - Cute game I'm playing now, I mentioned above. Action RPG with pretty graphics and nice music.

Radiant Silvergun - Absolutely LOVE this game. Some might say it's overrated (I'll give you that it's overpriced!) but I say they're fooey. This is the centerpiece of my "collection". OMG the soundtrack!

Princess Quest - I bought the wrong game this time, I got this and Princess Crown confused Never played Princess Crown (I've always been meaning to, there's a good walkthrough out there courtesy everyone's favorite GAF poster - well at least every non Nintendo fan's favorite ), but this game is kinda weak - primitive graphics and first person dungeons.

Blue Seed - Modern day RPG with a card based battle system. Would be cooler if I knew what was going on.

 

[Instigator]

Virtua Cop 1 runs in 640 x 240 if memory serves me right.

 

[beanoboy7]

I took out my Saturn the other day, unfortunately I have RF input no AV cables, but VF2 and the Virtua Cops are awesome. So is ClockWork Knight. It's too bad the Saturn and the Dreamcast never were successful

 

[Rlan]

Buy Duke Nukem 3D. Then buy Quake. Then buy a Multi-Tap. Then buy 7 Controllers. Then play Death Tank with friends.

After that, play Duke Nukem 3D and Quake

 

[Dave Long]

Yeah, Virtua Cop is not a hi-res game. Get Virtua Fighter 2 if you want to see real hi-res on Saturn.

I had made a thread some months ago about the system that was loaded with recommendations. I think it's gone though.

Stuff you should consider getting...

Darius Gaiden (great fish-based shooter)
Decathlete (still my favorite Track and Field type game, also hi-res)
Gun Griffon (Not as compelling now as it was then, but definitely inspiration for Steel Batallion)
Last Gladiators Digital Pinball (and Necronomicon Pinball if you can find it) (awesome tables in hi-res!)
Vampire Savior (my favorite Darkstalkers game)
Panzer Dragoon and PDZwei (still awesome)
Sega Rally Championship (classic)
Three Dirty Dwarves (SegaSoft's finest hour IMO, really fun and funny!)
Virtua Cop 2 (better than the first)
Virtual On (still cool)

There's a lot more stuff that I don't personally own that's easily recommendable. I'll look again for that thread.

 

[jarrod]

Buy Duke Nukem 3D. Then buy Quake. Then buy a Multi-Tap. Then buy 7 Controllers. Then play Death Tank with friends.

After that, play Duke Nukem 3D and Quake

Man, Duke Nukem and Quake were both amazing considering Saturn's capabilities. Sega should've bought Lobotomy when they had the chance... reminds me of Sega letting Core Design slip through their fingers in the Sega CD days.

 

[Jonnyram]

Saturn, home of Hi-10 Bomberman!
Main thing I keep mine around for is Nights.

 

[bob_arctor]

If you like shmups at all, Saturn's got some of the best. Keep in mind Ebay's prices tend to fluctuate, so try to hold out for a good deal on some of these "must haves":

Radiant Silvergun (to be fair, this one will never drop in price I don't think)
Battle Garrega (about $100 nowadays, you could probably find it for less though)
Layer Section (or U.S. Galactic Attack--this one you find for like $10, which is a steal)
Strikers 1945 (I would say part II as well, but it's a way inferior conversion compared to the 1st, plus I like the original better)
Gunbird (also another you can snag for cheap and a definite gem)
DoDonpachi (big guns, crazy bullet swarms)
Batsugun (bigger guns, slightly less crazy bullet swarms)
Soukygurentai (this you can get relatively cheap, esp. the re-release version)
Salamander Deluxe Pack (about $60 or so, worth it for Salamander 2 alone)

The list is almost endless, but these should definitely be in your Saturn library.

 

[FortNinety]

I've always wanted to play Linkle Liver Story.... which if I recall correctly was referred to as Rinkle River Story by Gamefan (which I think is a much better name). Anyway, I've always wanted to hear it since I was a big fan of Gau Entertainment/NexTech, makers of Ranger X and Crusader of Centy.

So the music's that good? Better start looking for the soundtrack then...

 

[djtiesto]

If you like shmups at all, Saturn's got some of the best. Keep in mind Ebay's prices tend to fluctuate, so try to hold out for a good deal on some of these "must haves":

Radiant Silvergun (to be fair, this one will never drop in price I don't think)
Battle Garrega (about $100 nowadays, you could probably find it for less though)
Layer Section (or U.S. Galactic Attack--this one you find for like $10, which is a steal)
Strikers 1945 (I would say part II as well, but it's a way inferior conversion compared to the 1st, plus I like the original better)
Gunbird (also another you can snag for cheap and a definite gem)
DoDonpachi (big guns, crazy bullet swarms)
Batsugun (bigger guns, slightly less crazy bullet swarms)
Soukygurentai (this you can get relatively cheap, esp. the re-release version)
Salamander Deluxe Pack (about $60 or so, worth it for Salamander 2 alone)

The list is almost endless, but these should definitely be in your Saturn library.

Yeah, I love Radiant... I have DoDonPachi and Battle Garegga on MAME - Garegga is pretty decent but DoDonPachi is great, I definietly need to get the home version. Thank you for the other recommendation.

I've always wanted to play Linkle Liver Story.... which if I recall correctly was referred to as Rinkle River Story by Gamefan (which I think is a much better name). Anyway, I've always wanted to hear it since I was a big fan of Gau Entertainment/NexTech, makers of Ranger X and Crusader of Centy.

So the music's that good? Better start looking for the soundtrack then...

Well, it's not amazing, it's got its share of catchy songs but sounds pretty much like typical game music. I've always been a fan of the Saturn's audio output, it always sounded cleaner than the PSX's (Astal is another game with a good soundtrack). I like the clock tower theme a lot though.... The game's wroth picking up, it can't be all too expensive (I think mine was about $25, with shipping and everything, from Japan), it's supposedly short. I didn't know this team made Ranger X and Crusader of Centy, Ranger X was a really cool game sadly doomed to near total obscurity.

 

[Tabris]

Wow, not a single mention of Panzer Dragoon Saga yet.

Is that cause everyone assumes he isn't going to spend the 100+ he would have to spend on getting the game?

 

[Guileless]

I think people say Radiant Silvergun is overrated simply because of its price. I think the actual number of people who have played it is much less than people who claim to have played it on the internets.

I got RS for $12 in the summer of 1999 at an EB Games in Jackson, Miss. The clerk thought I was crazy for buying Japanese Saturn games that had sat on their shelf forever. Good times.

 

[dog$]

I think people say Radiant Silvergun is overrated simply because of its price.

It's boring, unfocussed, and has nearly non-existant levels.

 

[FortNinety]

Well, it's not amazing, it's got its share of catchy songs but sounds pretty much like typical game music. I've always been a fan of the Saturn's audio output, it always sounded cleaner than the PSX's (Astal is another game with a good soundtrack). I like the clock tower theme a lot though.... The game's wroth picking up, it can't be all too expensive (I think mine was about $25, with shipping and everything, from Japan), it's supposedly short. I didn't know this team made Ranger X and Crusader of Centy, Ranger X was a really cool game sadly doomed to near total obscurity.

Yah, I'm also a big time fan of the Saturn's sound, mostly due to NiGHTS.

As for Gau/NexTech, Ranger X and Crusader of Centy were unfortunately their only real good games. Their third was Gran Chaser (Cyber Speedway or something to that effect in America), than sorta Wipeout rip off, even though both were developed at the same time, and that's pretty much it for them. Last I heard they just do work for hire support for programming and the such. They played a key role on Code Veronica for the DC I heard.

 

[FortNinety]

It's boring, unfocussed, and has nearly non-existant levels.

Wow, one person has never been so wrong.

 

[bob_arctor]

It's boring, unfocussed, and has nearly non-existant levels.

Totally disagree on the boring part but I'll agree it's overrated--in the sense that there are many "as good", or better, shmups on the Saturn imo. Layer Section, for example. Or Batsugun.

 

[Tsubaki]

My Saturn library is rather small, here's what I have for it:


Langrisser III - V - I need to start playing these games some more. IV looked very good, I played about 8 battles into it. III was weird, I couldn't get a taste for the battle system. And I haven't tried V, as there's not really any detailed walkthroughs

Langrisser III was an experiment of sorts... The least liked one of all the main games. I personally haven't tried out my copy of it, but the voice cast list is amazing for that one...

Langrisser IV is generally regarded as the best one. V is more of the same of IV, which isn't really a bad thing.

Radiant Silvergun - Absolutely LOVE this game. Some might say it's overrated (I'll give you that it's overpriced!) but I say they're fooey. This is the centerpiece of my "collection". OMG the soundtrack!

I think this is one game that everyone who is a gamer should play. Doesn't mean you will love it, but it is a very noteworthy game regardless of whether the cost was $150 or $15.

dog$ is kinda right, depending on viewpoint. Nevertheless, it's a total blast for me to play. Not my favorite shooter, but it's not entirely a shooter which is why it sometimes gets hated upon.

My own Saturn suggestions go back to:

http://forums.gaming-age.com/showpost.php?p=840413&postcount=86

Heck the whole thread was probably my favorite thread on this board ever.

 

[Mejilan]

I think just about the only Saturn games I DO actually own are Shining Series titles! Hahahah.

 

[bob_arctor]

Oh yeah, didn't see anyone mention this (you should be ashamed of yourselves!):

 

[jarrod]

Oh yeah, didn't see anyone mention this (you should be ashamed of yourselves!):

Fucking fantastic game, though the first one was sweeter (if way shorter). Man, I'd kill for a GBA port of either.

 

[aoi tsuki]

Oh yeah, didn't see anyone mention this (you should be ashamed of yourselves!):

Sadly, i never played this. i was always curious about it given the Yuzo Koshiro connection.

 

[jarrod]

Sadly, i never played this. i was always curious about it given the Yuzo Koshiro connection.

It rocks. Easily the best ARPG on Saturn and the 2nd best 32bit ARPG in general imo. Without question, pick it up if you ever find it.

 

[basik]

Princess Quest - I bought the wrong game this time, I got this and Princess Crown confused Never played Princess Crown (I've always been meaning to, there's a good walkthrough out there courtesy everyone's favorite GAF poster - well at least every non Nintendo fan's favorite ), but this game is kinda weak - primitive graphics and first person dungeons.

where is that princess crown walkthrough you mentioned? I think I remember seeing it once somewhere, I bought this game a couple years ago and never really played it cuz I kept buying more stuff

 

[aceface]

Does the Saturn not have territorial lockouts? I just got one for free this past weekend, so this thread is very helpful.

 

[jarrod]

Does the Saturn not have territorial lockouts? I just got one for free this past weekend, so this thread is very helpful.

It does have lockouts but it's a pretty simple hardware mod iirc. I dunno, you might be able a shop to do it if you're afraid of soldering.

 

[swoon]

Fucking fantastic game, though the first one was sweeter (if way shorter). Man, I'd kill for a GBA port of either.

oh man a gba/ds port or whatever of this series would awesome.

i'd like to add hyper duel to this saturn love list

 

[demon]

Oh yeah, didn't see anyone mention this (you should be ashamed of yourselves!):

That is a cool game. I always found it very relaxing, too...maybe because of the nice orchestral soundtrack.

The games I played the most were Nights, Fighters Megamix, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and Dragon Force. I miss my Saturn.

 

[djtiesto]

where is that princess crown walkthrough you mentioned? I think I remember seeing it once somewhere, I bought this game a couple years ago and never really played it cuz I kept buying more stuff

I saw it on GameFAQs, it probably still should be there. Try here.

It's boring, unfocussed, and has nearly non-existant levels.

I don't know what you me about "nearly non-existent levels", but I actually like having a game where I have to take into account the geometry of the levels, instead of just dodging bullets and blasting shit away (don't get me wrong, I love games like this, too). This game also has a good difficulty balance, it's not so hardcore as to scare everyone off after the second stage, but it's not a total cakewalk, either. Great game to get people back into shooters, as many of my non shooter fans liked it.

 

[D-X]

Oh yeah, didn't see anyone mention this (you should be ashamed of yourselves!):

Just picked these two up and plan to play them back to back when I have the time

 

[PC Gaijin]

Shining Force 3 is great fun. A real shame that Camelot abandoned Sega after that (although honestly I didn't like the Golden Sun games). Shining the Holy Ark is a fabulous dungeon crawler ruined by persistent slowdown. There's no rhyme or reason to the slowdown either; it often happens when there's only one enemy on the screen, yet sometimes when the screen is packed with enemies there is no slowdown at all. Better than 90% of the time though the battles chug. When the battles are running at full speed it's maddening to see what the game could have been.

Radiant Silvergun and Panzer Dragoon Saga are both overrated. To the poster who says that people claimed RS is overrated probably haven't played it: the reverse is also true, I think a lot of the accolades both of these games get are from people who have never played them . Not saying they're not good games, but they're also not the greatest shooter and greatest RPG ever IMO.

Have you ever played any of the Sakura Taisen games djtiesto? At least one of the first three is worth trying (although if you're only going to play one I'd play the third one on DC). The Sakura Taisen themed Columns game is good too.

If I remember right, the Princess Crown walkthrough was written by Drinky Crow (if Drinky Crow is who I think he is, sorry this board and the posters have been through so many iterations I don't know who is who anymore .

Some other Saturn RPGs I have played:

Riglord Saga 2 - strat RPG sequel to Mystaria/Blazing Heroes. Much better than the first game, and fairly good looking to boot.

Terra Phantastica - another very pretty strat RPG

Samurai Spirits RPG - uhm, not sure what to say about this one. Worthwhile if you're an SNK fan I guess

PuyoPuyo RPG - this is a nice action RPG with PuyoPuyo characters

Devil Summoner Soul Hackers - I never got very far in this one. A damn shame the first game never made it over (Atlus was supposedly working on translating it)

Ronde - another strategy RPG (detecting a trend here? yes, I like strat RPGs). Not very good at all.

Arcana Strikes - I originally got this because I thought it was related to the SNES RPG. Not so, this is a card game/RPG. Nice graphics and the language barrier is very low.

Shadows of the Tusk - not an RPG, but a very addictive strategy game. You fight with a deck of cards of characters, moving your pieces around a 25-square grid somewhat like Archon (but without the arcade combat of Archon).

Quo Vadis - strategy RPG set in space. There is a sequel which I have never played. Mainly notable (for me anyway) due to the Mikimoto art.

Blue Breaker - port of a PC-FX game. Part RPG part simulation game. Also extraordinarily difficult (not helped by my poor Japanese).

Wachenroder - you guessed it, another strategy RPG! Sort of a steampunk setting, which is cool.

It's funny this topic appeared, I have been thinking lately how much I miss the 32-bit era. That was probably my favorite time for console RPGs (on both PSX and Saturn). You still had plenty of traditional style 2D RPGs plus lots of groundbreaking 3D titles. Just an awesome, exciting time to be a console RPG fan. The current generation has just left me cold (outside of KOTOR), there isn't a single JRPG on PS2 yet that has really grabbed me the way the JRPGs from the 32-bit era did (and before people start jumping on me I still have quite a backlog of PS2 RPGs that I am playing through).

 

[jarrod]

Few quick notes, questions and whatevers...

Shining Force 3 is great fun. A real shame that Camelot abandoned Sega after that (although honestly I didn't like the Golden Sun games).

Camelot "abandoned" Sega after their funding was cut halfway through the SF3 trilogy and they were told to just finish it and start making Dreamcast games. Both Sony and Sega treated Camelot like shit from what I understand (rushing almost all their titles), which is why they're so loyal to Nintendo now (despite being a 100% independant 3rd party developer).

Riglord Saga 2 - strat RPG sequel to Mystaria/Blazing Heroes. Much better than the first game, and fairly good looking to boot.

Might be because the game was developed internally (by the division who eventually became Overworks) rather than outsourced to MicroCabin. Shame it didn't come west.

Terra Phantastica - another very pretty strat RPG

Did this game have any link to the Phantasy Star games? I remember it was originally rumored to be PS5.

Devil Summoner Soul Hackers - I never got very far in this one. A damn shame the first game never made it over (Atlus was supposedly working on translating it)

Atlus USA was translating this as well as Steamgear Mash and Lunacy for US Saturn release. They backed out and SOA eventually picked up Lunacy themselves though.

Also, Atlus USA tried to release the sequel (Soul Hackers) on PS1 but SCEA product approval shut it down.

Wachenroder - you guessed it, another strategy RPG! Sort of a steampunk setting, which is cool.

This game actually ran off Camelot's SF3 engine iirc. Sega developed it internally though I think.

 

[PC Gaijin]

Camelot "abandoned" Sega after their funding was cut halfway through the SF3 trilogy and they were told to just finish it and start making Dreamcast games. Both Sony and Sega treated Camelot like shit from what I understand (rushing almost all their titles), which is why they're so loyal to Nintendo now (despite being a 100% independant 3rd party developer).

I'm aware of Camelot's history with Sega. I thought it was a shame because I would have liked to have seen what they could have done on Dreamcast, rather than the Mario sports games and Golden Sun.

Did this game have any link to the Phantasy Star games? I remember it was originally rumored to be PS5.

No.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

waht about Johnny Bazookatone!!!

 

[GhaleonEB]

Shining the Holy Ark was great - IF you like dungeon crawlers. If not, steer clear, cause this game can frustrate the shit out of you. It was one of my favorite Saturn games, but thats probably due to the fact that I was a big "Shining" fan (until lately...ug.) Really cool characters/monsters, spells and dungeons - the one town was kinda lame, but it's such a small part of the game, you really dont mind. Great game.

Every word of this post is true, and is exaclty what I was about to post. Every word.

 

[jarrod]

I'm aware of Camelot's history with Sega. I thought it was a shame because I would have liked to have seen what they could have done on Dreamcast, rather than the Mario sports games and Golden Sun.

Given the massive success of Mingol (which is what attracted Nintendo in the first place), I suspect had Camelot remained with Sega exclusively we'd have likely gotten "Sonic Golf" and a Shining game that bears striking similarity to Golden Sun in terms of aesthetic and mechanics. I myself wouldn't have minded Shining Wisdom 2, Shining Force 4 or a new dungeon crawl, but I sort of doubt we'd have got them. :/

 

[Shogmaster]

Buy Duke Nukem 3D. Then buy Quake. Then buy a Multi-Tap. Then buy 7 Controllers. Then play Death Tank with friends.

After that, play Duke Nukem 3D and Quake

This man knows what he's talking about. Death Tank with 7 people = multiplayer nirvana.

 

[Mejilan]

Oh yeah, I have Legend of Oasis too.

 

[BobbyRobby]

Damn, I want a Saturn. Where is the cheapest I could get one?

 

[D-X]

Who handles the Shining series now?

 

[Mejilan]

Who handles the Shining series now?

Either internally at Sega or whoever they whore the franchise out to.

 

[Jim]

Easily my most played Saturn game, behind VF2/Fighters' MegaMix/SFA2/Nights:

Guardian Heroes:

One of the best damn 2 player games ever.

 

[Mejilan]

Oh yeah, I have GH too.

 

[BuddyC]

I still hold Bubble Symphony quite close to my heart. Bubble Bobble with more players and other various tweaks, including an awesome soundtrack? Sign me up!