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Sega Saturn Appreciation and Emulation Thread

Saturn Memories

Neo Member
So you're suggesting it should be pronounced 'Ser-gay' since it means Service and Games?

No, I'm saying that David Rosen, an American, owned and/or ran the company for decades when it was operating under the abbreviated name "Sega." Therefore, it's safe to assume that an official English pronunciation existed long before Australians were saying "see-gah" in the '80s. I think it's also safe to assume that this pronunciation was "say-gah."

Edit: Just recalled this commercial from 1977 for a Sega-branded television. I thought I remembered it being Rosen who did the commercial, but it's actually Steve Garvey of the LA Dodgers, lol. Anyway, both he and the narrator clearly say "say-gah."
 

MikeMyers

Member
At least here in Norway, the Master System was really popular as a budget system, and the Mega Drive was also very popular, even though the Snes was more popular. And i feel its the same in most other smaller-languages countries, since Nintendo didnt care to commit much there.

Yeah it was similar in the UK, just that Mega Drive remained top dog even after SNES was released.

As for Nintendo not committing much to Norway, it was mentioned earlier in the thread, but Europe was a fractured market and both Sega and Nintendo were disadvantaged when it came to distribution there. Definitely a weakness that Sony exploited when they entered the market.
 

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
Yeah it was similar in the UK, just that Mega Drive remained top dog even after SNES was released.

As for Nintendo not committing much to Norway, it was mentioned earlier in the thread, but Europe was a fractured market and both Sega and Nintendo were disadvantaged when it came to distribution there. Definitely a weakness that Sony exploited when they entered the market.

Yeah, I think this is the main reason that Playstation becamse such a huge force here when it arrived. Sony had the distribution network that Nintendo and Sega have always lacked, and could therefore sell their machines much more aggressively and at lower prices.
 
Saturn-gaffers, any of you ever bought and opened a brand new Japanese copy of Guardian Heroes? I'd like to know if the picture on Satakore is accurate.

I don't have a brand new copy but mine is in the same conditions as displayed in that picture, or at least I believe it is.
I mean, both regcard and flyer are the same, spine-card seems the same, the disc seems the same.
What's the reason you asked ? You had a brand new copy (lucky you!) and when opened it differs from that picture ?
 

Wereroku

Member
Man I am probably going to jump on this when it is produced. My CD drive is fine right now but between that and disc rot my games aren't going to work eventually.
 

Peagles

Member
They should have got their act together whilst they still had a chance.

Too late now. Keeping demand high by low stock wasn't the way to go.

Pretty much. I wouldn't bother with a Rhea now personally, happy to wait for whatever's on the horizon!
 

Galdelico

Member
I don't have a brand new copy but mine is in the same conditions as displayed in that picture, or at least I believe it is.
I mean, both regcard and flyer are the same, spine-card seems the same, the disc seems the same.
What's the reason you asked ? You had a brand new copy (lucky you!) and when opened it differs from that picture ?
Thanks sir, and yeah, I should've mentioned the reason why I asked. ;)
No, mine was bought used as well, in pretty mint conditions, and was exactly as displayed in that picture. Point is, recently I've seen another photo of the game that depicts something like a move-list leaflet, on top of all the other stuff, which made me wonder if it was supposed to be there in every copy (but I've NEVER seen that before), or it was an extra coming from somewhere else. I asked the seller too, but so far I've got no news from him.
 
They should have got their act together whilst they still had a chance.

Too late now. Keeping demand high by low stock wasn't the way to go.

Plus that guys attitude toward StoneAgeGamer.com and his general doucheyness means fuck him he'll never get a single penny from me.

Everything I've seen and read about the dude just makes him come off as a giant ass to me. I'll happily wait for this solution.
 

D.Lo

Member
No, I'm saying that David Rosen, an American, owned and/or ran the company for decades when it was operating under the abbreviated name "Sega." Therefore, it's safe to assume that an official English pronunciation existed long before Australians were saying "see-gah" in the '80s. I think it's also safe to assume that this pronunciation was "say-gah."

Edit: Just recalled this commercial from 1977 for a Sega-branded television. I thought I remembered it being Rosen who did the commercial, but it's actually Steve Garvey of the LA Dodgers, lol. Anyway, both he and the narrator clearly say "say-gah."
Interesting. I was of course joking about ser-gay ;)
 
Yeah, I think this is the main reason that Playstation becamse such a huge force here when it arrived. Sony had the distribution network that Nintendo and Sega have always lacked, and could therefore sell their machines much more aggressively and at lower prices.
Hell yeah, Norway reporting in here too and I can't ever recall the Saturn being in shops at all in Norway. Only through a few post order companies.
 

MikeMyers

Member
I like the first sentence, that Sega was once "the leading" video game manufactorer. Sucks that Brio didnt even care to distribute Saturn though, even though they had the rights. Hi to you fellow norwegians btw!

They were still leaders during the 32-bit era
in the arcades
!

Kinda funny how Game Gear/Saturn/Dreamcast all sold around the same, but the bulk of their sales were all in different regions.
 

Arizato

Member
Been thinking about getting a Saturn for a while and I recently stumbled upon a Japanese Grey Saturn for about 70€ with all the cables to use it in Europe along with a controller and a game of the seller's choosing. Should I go for it?

Region is not really an issue as I plan to mod it.
 

Rich!

Member
Been thinking about getting a Saturn for a while and I recently stumbled upon a Japanese Grey Saturn for about 70€ with all the cables to use it in Europe along with a controller and a game of the seller's choosing. Should I go for it?

Region is not really an issue as I plan to mod it.

go for it, that's a good price.

bear in mind a mod chip does not enable region free. only a bios replacement mod or an action replay cart does. I get around it by using this simple app to patch my US/UK games before burning them to CD-R:

http://www.romhacking.net/utilities/861/
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
Still haven't had a chance to play Batsugun, after being so excited about finally getting that one last December, but with the OSSC finally headed my way, I'll finally be able to do that. Though I do need to get a new cable from retro_console_accessories, and she's kind of hard to get ahold of.


I'm also thinking about just going ahead and buying Thunder Force Gold Pack 2. Good idea? I want to play Thunder Force AC, but I'm hoping that the version of Thunder Force IV on there is better than the original. I know it gets rid of the unintentional slowdown, which is nice, but I'm curious about the sound quality.
 

InfiniteNine

Rolling Girl
Oh nice, tell me how well it works with the Saturn! I'd be interested in getting one just to deal with the resolution switching blackouts from the framemeister.
 

Arizato

Member
go for it, that's a good price.

bear in mind a mod chip does not enable region free. only a bios replacement mod or an action replay cart does. I get around it by using this simple app to patch my US/UK games before burning them to CD-R:

http://www.romhacking.net/utilities/861/

I bought it after reading your recommendation!

Thanks for the link! Will read up on it ASAP.

You could install a region switch mod as well though:
http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/sega-saturn-country-mod-3/

Love stuff like this. Thanks for the link!
 

JLynn

Member
Would you believe someone is selling flashed Pseudo Saturn Carts for $60? It looks so simple to do! Shit, I should be selling them!
 

Khaz

Member
So with Pseudo Saturn Kai you can also bypass region lock now?
http://ppcenter.webou.net/pskai/
It says it has a save game manager, does anyone know how it works? Were they able to mimic an original backup memory cartridge (as in, shows up in the original BIOS, games can load and save directly from it)?

And the guy also makes an SD cartridge:
http://ppcenter.webou.net/satcart/#gamers
Which is like the Action Replay flashed with Pseudo Saturn, but with an SD slot to load images and stuff. Same question as above.

Which means we have three different means of booting images: Rhea, the thing that goes into the expansion slot, and that Saturn Gamer's Cartridge.
 

Peagles

Member
Well shit, just picked me up 41 JP Saturn games for a just over a buck each. I'll have to post a pic soon and get your recommendations and thoughts!
 

Khaz

Member
Well shit, just picked me up 41 JP Saturn games for a just over a buck each. I'll have to post a pic soon and get your recommendations and thoughts!

In a batch? Watch it being full of mediocre and impenetrable visual novels, barely titillating mahjong games, disappointing idol slideshows and boring baseball simulations.

I browse segagagadomain every once in a while to try and find some hidden gem, but I feel like the vast majority of the exclusive Japanese stuff is either mediocre or beyond our grasp because language.
 

Peagles

Member
In a batch? Watch it being full of mediocre and impenetrable visual novels, barely titillating mahjong games, disappointing idol slideshows and boring baseball simulations.

I browse segagagadomain every once in a while to try and find some hidden gem, but I feel like the vast majority of the exclusive Japanese stuff is either mediocre or beyond our grasp because language.

Yeh in a batch. I'm sitting here next to a big box of games now lol. Just looking up a few and there's some that I think I'd like to play with an English guide or pick up a later English release. Here's a few that have caught my eye that I think I'll try at least:

Sakura Wars 1 & 2
Thor - Seireiohkiden
Langrisser IV
Dark Savior
Quovadis 1 & 2
Marica
Shining Wisdom
Mobile Gundam Side Story I and III
Burning Rangers
The Apocalypse IV
EVE The Lost One
Soul Hackers
Steeldom
Pro Yakyuu Team mo Tsukurou (actually looks like it could be one of the fun baseball games)
Tactics Ogre
DecAthlete & Winter Heat (these look like actual fun sports games)
Sega World Wide Soccer '98 (looks decent for a soccer game)
Vatlva - looks like some weird party MP game?

Only one mahjong game that I can see, thank god, lol.
 

Khaz

Member
Yeh in a batch. I'm sitting here next to a big box of games now lol. Just looking up a few and there's some that I think I'd like to play with an English guide or pick up a later English release. Here's a few that have caught my eye that I think I'll try at least:

Ok that's a cool batch if you can read Japanese!

DecAthlete & Winter Heat (these look like actual fun sports games) yep, super fun in multiplayer, but be prepared to mash buttons lol. You can have up to four players in winter games.

Sega World Wide Soccer '98 (looks decent for a soccer game) It's my favourite football game on the machine. It has an elegant button layout, tight controls and a bunch of cup options for singleplayer and multiplayer. Much better than FIFA and the shitty Gremlin games.
 
That batch of games is already worth paid just for Burning Rangers and Thor

I also agree about SWWS98 being the best soccer/football game for the Saturn



Pro Yakyuu Team wo Tsukurou is a simulation game (the "Let's Play...." brand) so I doubt you can play it w/o a good japanese knowledge.

I suggest you to check a translation guide for The Apocalypse IV (aka Tengai Makyou 4) cause I heard is a very good 2D rpg

Those Gundam games also can be played without so many problems, I just didn't get used to the system control, maybe it's just me that I don't accept a FPS game with a single analog stick :D

Same for Dark Savior


Is Langrisser IV the standard edition or the limited one which comes with a cardboard box and a pin ?
 
I've been starting to rip my Saturn library. Going back to the thread title, what are the recommended emulators? Anything that can render 3D games in higher resolution and correct transparencies?
 

RiZ III

Member
Edit: Just recalled this commercial from 1977 for a Sega-branded television. I thought I remembered it being Rosen who did the commercial, but it's actually Steve Garvey of the LA Dodgers, lol. Anyway, both he and the narrator clearly say "say-gah."

I find it amazing that someone would actually have a recording of this, a seemingly random commercial from almost forty years ago. That commercial is awsome though. Thanks for posting it.
 
There was a thread about Saturn games in 4K. http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1168298&page=1 OP used Yabause.

Thanks. Works like shit for me lol. Lots of visual glitches. Guess I gotta tinker with it.

and how about this; putting the virtual in Virtual On

tumblr_oag2leB58I1tivim4o1_1280.jpg
tumblr_oag2leB58I1tivim4o2_1280.jpg
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
Buying Saturn games feels so fucking good. Like, when I buy SNES games or PS1 games or Dreamcast games, it feels good... but not like this. Why do I like buying for Saturn so much?
 

Peagles

Member
Worldwide Soccer is great.

Nice! I'll definitely be having a play of that then!

Vatlva is an Ancient joint. Yuzo Koshiro + Motohiro Kawashima soundtrack and it's a precursor to Car Battler Joe on GBA.

This might be the one I opened and saw Yuzo Koshiro's name on the booklet and excitedly pointed it out to my husband lol.

Ok that's a cool batch if you can read Japanese!

DecAthlete & Winter Heat (these look like actual fun sports games) yep, super fun in multiplayer, but be prepared to mash buttons lol. You can have up to four players in winter games.

Sega World Wide Soccer '98 (looks decent for a soccer game) It's my favourite football game on the machine. It has an elegant button layout, tight controls and a bunch of cup options for singleplayer and multiplayer. Much better than FIFA and the shitty Gremlin games.

That's another one for World Wide Soccer, sweet!

I can read enough to get through less text-heavy games, but I'm keen to use a guide for some of the others. I didn't have a Saturn growing up but my husband saw DecAthelete and Winter Heat and freaked out cos they used to play them all the time apparently.

That batch of games is already worth paid just for Burning Rangers and Thor

I also agree about SWWS98 being the best soccer/football game for the Saturn



Pro Yakyuu Team wo Tsukurou is a simulation game (the "Let's Play...." brand) so I doubt you can play it w/o a good japanese knowledge.

I suggest you to check a translation guide for The Apocalypse IV (aka Tengai Makyou 4) cause I heard is a very good 2D rpg

Those Gundam games also can be played without so many problems, I just didn't get used to the system control, maybe it's just me that I don't accept a FPS game with a single analog stick :D

Same for Dark Savior


Is Langrisser IV the standard edition or the limited one which comes with a cardboard box and a pin ?

Yeh, from what I see on eBay, by the time I pay shipping to get a copy of Burning Rangers to New Zealand, I'd already have spent what I paid on this whole lot.

Three's a charm for World Wide Soccer, I gotta check this out!

I did find a translation guide for Apocalypse IV and pretty keen on playing it ASAP.

Langrisser IV looks like one of those special price re-release things.
 

Khaz

Member
Well technically the bestest football game would be Road to win. It's the same game but licensed, and with even more customisation options. But unless you're a massive fan of the game I wouldn't bother too much. The game plays identically which is all that matters really.
 

Arizato

Member
Been searching for Enemy Zero now that I have purchased a Saturn. It is really expensive though, so I have started looking at the French and German versions of the game which aren't as pricey. Anyone know if those versions are in English or are they just translated to French/German?
 
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