Mr. Luchador
Member
Some great memories of playing the Saturn and my friend's house. We were both gutted the day we set it up, and tried to play it again a few years ago, only to find the internal battery had died.
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Sega Saturn Appreciation and Emulation Thread
- Thread starter Seik
- Start date
Genesis Knight
Member
Sweet stick. I use a the Hori Fighting Stick SS modded with Seimitsu lever and buttons.
I have the Region-free BIOS chip mod, and it is sweet.
I really want one of those Hori SS sticks. I've got some of the other Sega sticks but, for the most part, they are a bit janky. I still need to print out a move strip from one of the Saturn games...something like Garegga. It sucks having Virtua Fighter in there. I've got a few move strips from some of my Cave PCBs but really does not make sense putting one of those in there.
papersleeves
Member
Here is my collection I've built over the last few years. Mostly shooters but a few platformers. I'm probably only halfway to completing my collection. Still about twenty more shooters to get, all the fighters, and a dozen platformers...and maybe a few of the NA localised RGPs. I do also have Enemy Zero US release. And I want to add some of the racers like Outrun.
From reading this thread I guess I've got the bad version of Souky? Should I be getting the other version with the bigger subtitle on the package? I did not even know there were two different japanese releases.
Fantastic shmups collection! I am even a bit jealous
Superblatt
Member
Here's my collection - all US games. The one unmarked spine is Astal. I'm trying to determine what games to get next, and am considering going the import route.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
So other than the "ZOMG Saturn game!" appeal of having Guardian Heroes on Saturn... is there any reason to play that version over the XBLA release? Not sure what to do with it.
FaintDeftone
Junior Member
I've always wanted to play the game D but it is very hard to find. Hell, I can't even find an ISO of it.
cj_iwakura
Member
It's very good, and quite freaky.
Genesis Knight
Member
Not that I know of. XBLA version is better in all superficial respects such as performance and resolution. (Although a true GH fan who knows mechanics better than I might disagree, if they changed anything at all).
My best friend and I played the PS1 version in the dark so many years ago. At one point we got stuck, and had to run down to the newsstand to check out Tips N' Tricks for help. lol
ExitPlanetDust
Member
6 players locally. 360 can't do that (without another 360 and a LAN cable). Other than that... eh.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Make sure SSF's region is actually set to USA. You can have one region's BIOS loaded but have the emulator set to a different region, so make sure you haven't overlooked that.
6-player local vs 4-player local, but even then, the 360 version can have up to 12-players on a LAN. I'm not sure if the old cheats and codes (debug, stage skip, instant level-up, hitbox viewer, etc.) are in the XBLA version or not but those are pretty minor features.
There's generally no substantial reason to go with the Saturn version. The 360 version performs far better, looks much nicer, and has a lot of new worthwhile gameplay options.
If you're feeling a bit redundant you could play the ps1 version in English and then do the Japanese version
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
I'd get Otokuyo just 'cuz it's technically the best. Soundtrack's the same, yeah.
But the important thing is that you really need to play this game. Soukyugurentai is still one of the best shooters I've ever played. Stage 3 is unquestionably my favorite level in any shmup.
Superblatt
Member
Do you have a YouTube link to share of that level? Don't think I've played it.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
First part of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rpVal14xRU
I love the music and how you're actually going somewhere instead of just floating through space or something. And it's fast.
KDash31987
Member
Here's my collection...
I also got Last Bronx yesterday, but I haven't taken a picture of it yet. It's missing the manual, though, but it's the only copy I've seen anywhere around here, and it was cheap, so I went for it.
Finding any Saturn games I don't own is hard around here. Hell, Last Bronx is only the second US Saturn game I've bought since the Saturn stopped getting games here. The other was Virtua Racing at Goodwill a few years ago.
I also got Last Bronx yesterday, but I haven't taken a picture of it yet. It's missing the manual, though, but it's the only copy I've seen anywhere around here, and it was cheap, so I went for it.
Finding any Saturn games I don't own is hard around here. Hell, Last Bronx is only the second US Saturn game I've bought since the Saturn stopped getting games here. The other was Virtua Racing at Goodwill a few years ago.
Valkyria
Banned
What is google translator image app? Something for the smartphone that translate text in an image?
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
One of the things that kinda bugs me about the Saturn is that there aren't a whole lot of substantial games... y'know, like... non-arcade stuff. I mean, there's the obvious stuff like Shining Force and Dragon Force and Panzer Dragoon Saga... but are there any really good, perhaps lesser known games you can sink your teeth into? Was Legend of Oasis any good?
KDash31987
Member
Legend of Oasis is fantastic. I'd highly recommend it. It's about as close to a Zelda-like experience on the Saturn you can get, though it's vastly different. There's a lot more combat in Legend of Oasis, with a bigger variety of attacks and magic. Not to mention the summoned creatures that help you in the game. There's also a jump button. Hah. Really great game.
I should play it again, now that I think about it...I never did finish it...no thanks to dead memory batteries. Good thing I got an Action Replay 4M Plus a few years back. Thanks to that, I've made way more progress in my Saturn games than before.
Shadow Hog
Member
IIRC it's very good, yes.
Would Powerslave count as substantive? I mean, it's a console FPS and all, but there's a large exploration element, kind of like a proto-Metroid Prime, if it played more like Doom or Duke Nukem 3D and took place in Egypt. I suppose that'd make Hexen (also available on Saturn, but I'd recommend the PC version instead) a better point of reference, but Hexen didn't have permanent power-ups that opened up new areas in old stages, while Metroid does, sooo
U n i o n 0015
Member
There were quite a few, but they weren't particularly advertised. I liked Dark Savior--it had a ton of different paths through the game. I believe it was a Climax game. Legend of Oasis is fantastic, btw.
I think it's wild that Mystaria was re-released as Blazing Heroes.
Astal is a cool platformer. A little straight forward, but looks and sounds excellent.
EDIT: Does Powerslave still hold up graphically? I've never played it, and as a metric, I can still go back to the original Doom or Turok 1.
I need to sit down and finish Deep Fear one day. Also even though I own REmake...i'm still really curious about the Saturn version of RE1.
EDIT: Does Powerslave still hold up graphically? I've never played it, and as a metric, I can still go back to the original Doom or Turok 1.
I need to sit down and finish Deep Fear one day. Also even though I own REmake...i'm still really curious about the Saturn version of RE1.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
It does not, and it was originally released by Playmates Interactive, which means it's a game for suckas. Actually, I take that back. I never played it. But it is definitely ugly today. Not sure why one would choose the Saturn version over just DOSBox-ing up the PC version.
Actually, it might be an amusing nostalgia trip, if nothing else.
I'm kinda tempted to see what's up with Astal, though. Never played it before.
I guess this is as good a place to ask as any. . .
I've got two of these sticks, picked them up separately a long time ago. According to the label on the metal underside, they're both model HSS-07 and both made in Japan. But there's a curious difference:
This one has a metal top panel, attached with the screws visible in the picture.
EDIT: Just noticed that it also says "Sega Saturn" above the rapid-fire switches.
This one has a plastic top panel.
Aside from the one difference, they seem identical. Was there a revision? Is one a knock-off? It's not a really big deal, but I've always wondered.
I think it would be more fun to play the Saturn version, I mean it is why I bought it. lolIf you're feeling a bit redundant you could play the ps1 version in English and then do the Japanese version
Just the normal Google Translator App on my Android Phone. It has an option to take a picture and highlight part of the image to translate. It's not that reliable and sometimes doesn't pick up the text. But it can be useful at times to determine what different actions mean.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps/197483-grandia/faqs/7563
This seems to have a good guide on what the conversations are. Plus there seems to be a Grandia waklthrough in the once official Saturn Magazine. I'll check that out too. I'd post a link, but it is a scan/upload of the magazine, and even though it's old. I doubt it even be allowed. lol
Edit: Oh yeah, the old UK Sega Saturn Magazine did a highly detailed walk through across 6 issues of the game. This will help greatly.
ThatObviousUser
ὠαἴÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï Ïαá¿Ï εἶ
Edit- Super old post...
That is pretty interesting. I've only seen the one with screws and a metal plate. I very much like the form factor and have an identical one for PS1. That SS version is the one I've been meaning to pick up for a bit. I wonder what the story on the plastic-topped one is.
Shadow Hog
Member
If you have no issues with Doom, then Powerslave hasn't aged particularly worse. I suppose the mesh transparencies for water surfaces are kinda ugly, but, well, welcome to 3D on Saturn.
Because they're completely different games. Like, completely different. They share a lot of art and audio assets, but while the Saturn/PS1 game has the aforementioned Metroidvania elements, the PC version is a more straight Build-engine game, and not a particularly good one. The levels are completely different. Plus, oddly, the PC version has a lives system with the possibility of game over, while the Saturn version will just drop you back at the start of the stage, completely reset, and let you try it again.
Genesis Knight
Member
I guess this is as good a place to ask as any. . .
I've got two of these sticks, picked them up separately a long time ago. According to the label on the metal underside, they're both model HSS-07 and both made in Japan. But there's a curious difference:
This one has a metal top panel, attached with the screws visible in the picture.
EDIT: Just noticed that it also says "Sega Saturn" above the rapid-fire switches.
This one has a plastic top panel.
Aside from the one difference, they seem identical. Was there a revision? Is one a knock-off? It's not a really big deal, but I've always wondered.
It gets crazier than that. There's another revision that is a combination PSX/Saturn controller with a dual-connection plug and adds a MODE button next to the START button. That's the one I use, although I have both of the other kinds you're describing.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Holy shit... seriously? That's...
uh...
THE FUCK?
I had never heard anything about that before, which is alarming. Wow. Now I kinda wanna check it out.
MrCunningham
Member
Here's a pretty good side by side comparison of the Playstation and Saturn versions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNnTElbbqTk
The Saturn version looks like it still holds up rather well to me, for an old school styled Doom FPS. But year, from what I understand the PC version is a different game from the console versions. The PC version was built on the Build engine, while the Saturn game used the SlaveDriver engine. The differences between the two engines made level layouts in the PC version almost completely different. The Saturn and Playstation 1 versions are much closer to each other, but still have a few differences.
The whole Lobotomy thing is wild. They ported Quake and Duke to the Saturn using their seemingly awesome engine and they both play like, yup, Quake and Duke. But because of the oddball decision to use BUILD when bringing Powerslave from Saturn to PC, you lose a ton. I guess they didn't have the budget to port their engine to PC.
How often does that happen? The only other instance I can think of where a game was remade in a different engine during the porting process is Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.
How often does that happen? The only other instance I can think of where a game was remade in a different engine during the porting process is Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.
Interesting. Does this PSX/Saturn hybrid controller have a metal or plastic top?
MrCunningham
Member
It's hard to find games that do this now, because everything is so standardized now that porting game engines/ art assets from one platform to another has become pretty easy. But in the past, I'm sure there are examples (I can;t think of my off the top of my head though).
Even though Duke 3D on the Saturn still managed to capture the feel of the PC game, there were still some pretty noticeable differences between the two versions. For one thing the Build engine is not a real 3D polygon engine, it is sector based 2D and you can't do things like stack rooms over each other in 3D space. You can fake room over room by using sector portals that just teleport the player from one part of a map to another, or use bill-boarded sprites to create floors and ceilings. Also the Build engine has this interesting quirk where you can overlap sectors (rooms) over each other in the same 2D space in the editor that will physically work in the game. This can create some weird ass "impossible geometry" that can't really be done in real 3D space.
The SlaveDriver engine was a real 3D polygon engine, and because of this, some levels from Build had to be redesigned to work around the overlapping sector weirdness or to make the fake room over room effects work in real 3D space. Another thing is the Slave Driver engine seemed to be missing some key elements from build, like moving sectors. Things like moving gears in the prison level were static in the Saturn games. Moving trains that were there in the Build game did not move in the Saturn version. Swinging doors from the PC game were removes or replaced with weird Star Trek like sliding doors. There were quite a few differences.
The Playstation version of Duke 3D was actually a perfect port of the PC game more or less, because they ported over the entire Build engine. However, the game suffered from frame rate issues and I think the resolution of some of the game tiles may have also been reduced in quality as well. But the levels are all 100% intact with no real changes. The N64 version of Duke was also really different from the PS1 and Saturn game with levels that were completely rebuilt in some cases (there was a Duke Burger restaurant in E1L2 that wasn't there in any other version for example) and the game had a whole new set of weapons and was heavily edited for political correctness.
However the Saturn version did have Net Link support up to 4 players (if you could find three other people with a Saturn, Duke 3D and a Netlink adapter that is...) which was really incredible for its time. Probably the first console FPS to ever feature online death match.
But I would say that Quake 1 was a much more accurate port than Duke 3D on the Saturn. Some of the levels in Quake 1 were resized a bit for RAM constrictions, but they really managed to retain everything that made Quake Quake. Also the Saturn game had some really cool lighting effects that weren't there in the PC version.
I actually have a brand new/sealed US version of Doom, got it for something like 15$ 4 years ago. I was intrigued to try it at first, but after I saw some videos and heard the general consensus about it, I won't touch it.
Papersleeves is always asking me to open it, but it won't happen.
A Black Falcon
Member
Not quite. SNES Doom ran on the X-Band modem service for 2-player online play. The game required the X-Band for multiplayer, unfortunately, so ever since it was shut down the game has been single player only, but it WAS possible while the service operated.
For local networks, there are more games that predate it of course... Jaguar Doom has two player JagLink support. Also Faceball 2000 for the Game Boy supports up to 16 players via 4-player adapters for the GB.
And it's not really an FPS since you control a vehicle, but BattleWheels for Lynx supports 6-player link play.
A modded system gives you the possibility to use carts(memory, ram or rom) since the slot is free and 100% game compatibility. Depending on the mod, the Action Replay might look cleaner and supports PAL games (I guess).
MrCunningham
Member
I didn't know that Doom on the SNES had Multiplayer over XBand. That's news to me. But yeah, local has been done before.
I actually have a brand new/sealed US version of Doom, got it for something like 15$ 4 years ago. I was intrigued to try it at first, but after I saw some videos and heard the general consensus about it, I won't touch it.
Papersleeves is always asking me to open it, but it won't happen.
I would say that it is almost equal running with Doom on the 3D0 as one of the worst ports of Doom ever conceived. That's saying something when you compare it to something like the SNES port. Hexen on the Saturn though, was a much better port. Though the enemy sprites in Hexen were missing the back sprites, so they were always facing the player. Which means you couldn't sneak up behind enemies or get them to fight each other, like the PC game.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Don't think there's much reason to mod a Saturn. You're gonna need a cart anyway if you want to play most of Capcom's 2D games, and the Action Replay menu isn't obtrusive. The 4-in-1 takes care of everything.
Alrighty, guess I'll just import a cheap white console like I had planned. Thanks.
ExitPlanetDust
Member
Those VO sticks push you pretty close to "best from now" tier.
Genesis Knight
Member
I hated the 4-in-1 menu delay, the inability to use a direct-save backup cartridge, and how i couldn't play King of Fighters 95.
That's why I modded my Saturn.