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Sega Saturn Appreciation and Emulation Thread

Mzo

Member
Sonic R is? Really?

Also Sonic Into Dreams isn't that exciting. Running out of time and being forced to play on foot is a punishment in NiGHTS and it definitely feels like it. Reskinning the character to Sonic doesn't really make it better.
 

Khaz

Member
It's just a reskin, no speed adjustment? Damn.

I use the walking phase at the beginning of a level to try and get as much orbs as possible without having the clock catch me, it helps with the final score. But it's a pain yes.
 
Sonic R is not a good game, but damned if I don't love it in spite of itself. I still have a fair amount of fun with it, trying to unlock everything in one pass from a fresh save.

It's just a reskin, no speed adjustment? Damn.
There's definitely a speed adjustment, from my recollection. It's still not that great.
 

MikeMyers

Member
Sonic R is? Really?

Also Sonic Into Dreams isn't that exciting. Running out of time and being forced to play on foot is a punishment in NiGHTS and it definitely feels like it. Reskinning the character to Sonic doesn't really make it better.

I think Sonic R is the best looking game on the system, yeah. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I haven't seen anything else that has impressed me.

Sonic into Dreams is more of a novelty for me. Would be nice to see him in his beginning of the end 3D Platforming debut.
 
I think Sonic R is the best looking game on the system, yeah. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I haven't seen anything else that has impressed me.

Sonic into Dreams is more of a novelty for me. Would be nice to see him in his beginning of the end 3D Platforming debut.

I would say Panzer Dragoon Saga.
 

D.Lo

Member
Yeah VF2 is amazing. Perfect use of the system's capabilities, it truly was state of the art for home console games at release.

Though I've always hated the VF art direction (as well as its ripoff Tekken), those lame renders of the characters with dead eyes.
 

Celine

Member
Optimising the use of the various processors in the machine, I wouldn't say that's cheating.
I've already explained myself.
The games cited above put polygons to create the environments, VF2 environment (arena, background) are just flat texture.
 
The only Saturn SHMUP I have is Layer Section, and I'm generally pretty new to the genre. So between Donpachi, Dodonpachi, and Metal Black, which would be the best to get next? I'm allowing myself one more SHMUP before I leave Tokyo (someone recommended Batsugun awhile back, but I don't think I can afford it).
 
I mean, it looked good enough back in the day, but yeah, VF2's backgrounds are kind of annoying to me nowadays, now that I know the arcade version had fully polygonal ones including a bridge going over Shun Di's raft stage.

Ignorance is bliss, I guess!
 

D.Lo

Member
The only Saturn SHMUP I have is Layer Section, and I'm generally pretty new to the genre. So between Donpachi, Dodonpachi, and Metal Black, which would be the best to get next? I'm allowing myself one more SHMUP before I leave Tokyo (someone recommended Batsugun awhile back, but I don't think I can afford it).
Dodonpachi is by far the best. Many people prefer the PS1 version though, as it has less pixelated explosions, but I love both, and both are awesome.
 
Dodonpachi is by far the best. Many people prefer the PS1 version though, as it has less pixelated explosions, but I love both, and both are awesome.

Darius Gaiden is pretty good. Has branching paths and some unique boss encounters.

I hadn't actually considered Darius Gaiden, but it actually might be the one to get for me. The difficulty looks pretty manageable, whereas Dodonpachi looks extremely tough. I can't even beat Layer Section!

Not yet, anyway.
 

MikeMyers

Member
I still think Saturn VF2 looks good and I've played the PS3 version which looks like the arcade one.

Though I've always hated the VF art direction (as well as its ripoff Tekken), those lame renders of the characters with dead eyes.

ex2-s3.jpg
 
Also, what does SaturnGAF think of Panzer Dragoon Orta? Any good?

I liked it. Definitely worth playing.

I hadn't actually considered Darius Gaiden, but it actually might be the one to get for me. The difficulty looks pretty manageable, whereas Dodonpachi looks extremely tough. I can't even beat Layer Section!

Not yet, anyway.

Darius Gaiden also has a pretty great ZUNTATA soundtrack. And it's cheap. One of the best value games on Saturn.
 

oneida

Cock Strain, Lifetime Warranty

MikeMyers

Member
Dude if Xbox One had BC for original Xbox I would buy that console straight away.

Anyone here got UMK3 on Saturn? Does it always have the same order of stages like the Arcade collection on PS360 does? That annoyed the hell out of me.
 

gelf

Member
Dude if Xbox One had BC for original Xbox I would buy that console straight away.

Anyone here got UMK3 on Saturn? Does it always have the same order of stages like the Arcade collection on PS360 does? That annoyed the hell out of me.

No idea what the order is in the arcade collection but from my memory it goes through the stages new to Ultimate before getting to the older MK3 stages. I think uppercuts through ceilings can trap you in a loop of these stages too.
 

oneida

Cock Strain, Lifetime Warranty
The only Saturn SHMUP I have is Layer Section, and I'm generally pretty new to the genre. So between Donpachi, Dodonpachi, and Metal Black, which would be the best to get next? I'm allowing myself one more SHMUP before I leave Tokyo (someone recommended Batsugun awhile back, but I don't think I can afford it).

I say this as a huge fan of Metal Black (it is one of my favorite shmups): it's not for everyone. It isn't as pretty as many Saturn shooters as it was originally released in arcades in 1991. It doesn't have the scoring mechanics of a CAVE shooter or the gnarly art design of a Konami horizontal shooter.

I adore it for its atmosphere and its narrative, I think the game's mechanics work their way into the story in a really cool way, and I think the soundtrack is absolute gold. Even stuff like autofire has a bit of a twist to it. It's got very cool set-pieces and a tremendously good last stage. But for full disclosure, I really didn't like the game very much the first few times I played it.
 

MikeMyers

Member
No idea what the order is in the arcade collection but from my memory it goes through the stages new to Ultimate before getting to the older MK3 stages. I think uppercuts through ceilings can trap you in a loop of these stages too.
Yeah the PS360 version does that too. Really annoying.

Still wish Saturn got proper MK2. It could have easily handled an arcade-perfect port of it.
 
I say this as a huge fan of Metal Black (it is one of my favorite shmups): it's not for everyone. It isn't as pretty as many Saturn shooters as it was originally released in arcades in 1991. It doesn't have the scoring mechanics of a CAVE shooter or the gnarly art design of a Konami horizontal shooter.

I adore it for its atmosphere and its narrative, I think the game's mechanics work their way into the story in a really cool way, and I think the soundtrack is absolute gold. Even stuff like autofire has a bit of a twist to it. It's got very cool set-pieces and a tremendously good last stage. But for full disclosure, I really didn't like the game very much the first few times I played it.

I appreciate this thoughtful response! I'm mostly attracted to the game for the reasons you mention; I watched a playthrough of the first level, and I was struck by the aesthetic/music. The game itself doesn't look *that* interesting. It'll be something I grab if I find myself with some extra money at the end of my trip.
 
I think Sonic R is the best looking game on the system, yeah. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I haven't seen anything else that has impressed me.

Sonic into Dreams is more of a novelty for me. Would be nice to see him in his beginning of the end 3D Platforming debut.

I agree, Sonic R blew my mind back in the day.
I also used to listen to the ost a lot, the convenience of saturn game discs also doubling as music cds.
As for Sonic into Dreams, playing as Sonic gives the boss fight a slightly different twist so there's that. He's also faster than the normal characters.
I was happy with it since I'd cling to anything that made the wait for a true 3D sonic easier.
God only knows how many hours I spent in that 3D level in Sonic Jam, another one of the Saturn's most impressive technical achievements btw,

Also, what does SaturnGAF think of Panzer Dragoon Orta? Any good?

As much as it pains me to say it, I've never played it. I wish Sega would throw this old PD fan a bone and put it on steam.
Couldn't justify getting a Xbox just for this game, there was nothing else on the system that interested me,
 

IrishNinja

Member
God only knows how many hours I spent in that 3D level in Sonic Jam, another one of the Saturn's most impressive technical achievements btw,

i remember salivating over shots of that in gaming mags in the day, finally got a copy years back and spent the greater part of a day just wandering around, getting every ring & bit of trivia, haha
 

piggychan

Member
Good. I overall like the designs and music of earlier games more (and those are huge elements in this series), but it does have the most interesting mechanics.

ditto on the designs and music.

Orta looks great on the xbox but gameplay I find switching between the dragons a little confusing during the hectic moments.
 

gelf

Member
I barely ever switched the dragon style in Orta but I do like the boost mechanic especially since it allowed for bosses that combined the rail shooting with Panzer Dragoon Saga like movement around them.

I agree that the Saturn games are better in design and music though. It's tough to say which I prefer overall between Zwei and Orta.
 

Khaz

Member
Couldn't justify getting a Xbox just for this game, there was nothing else on the system that interested me,

I'm finding myself rebuying games on the XBox that I have on the PC. Even though they can often go to much higher resolutions and give a cleaner look, I feel having them on a CRT, even better on an HD CRT, makes them much more lively. Plus it means I don't have to bother with the random controller support of PC games from that era.
 
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