Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
I dunno. Wein's map theme is a lot better than Junon's, for sure. That counts for a lot imo.
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Sega Saturn Appreciation and Emulation Thread
- Thread starter Seik
- Start date
<3 Dragon Force talk.
I also started off with Wein when I played back in the day due to him being on the cover. It's only natural to want to start off with the main character to get the "main" story before branching off into other people, I guess.
My favorite campaigns are Goldark -> Gongos -> Junon (Sonic Dragon!) -> Mikhal -> Leon -> Wein -> Reinhart -> Teiris
Did they do anything about that in Sega Ages: Dragon Force?
I also started off with Wein when I played back in the day due to him being on the cover. It's only natural to want to start off with the main character to get the "main" story before branching off into other people, I guess.
My favorite campaigns are Goldark -> Gongos -> Junon (Sonic Dragon!) -> Mikhal -> Leon -> Wein -> Reinhart -> Teiris
Did they do anything about that in Sega Ages: Dragon Force?
cj_iwakura
Member
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Nope.
The extra bosses in that version were pretty neat, especially the 2nd one. Difficult to beat even if you know how to manipulate the game really well.
ExitPlanetDust
Member
Hell, there's barely a way to play Playstation games on OS X.
ExitPlanetDust
Member
Edit: n/m, I was thinking of something else.
Yeah I'm running PCSX and it's OK. Unless there have been any new developments, it's pretty bare bones.
Yeah I'm running PCSX and it's OK. Unless there have been any new developments, it's pretty bare bones.
cj_iwakura
Member
There's barely a way to play them on PC. The Saturn stumps programmers even 15 years later!
Genesis Knight
Member
Come on, SSF is great.
cj_iwakura
Member
There's still some games it can't run if I recall correctly, but eh, I'll never let my Saturn go unused.
A Black Falcon
Member
SSF plays almost everything... its compatibility rate is high, higher than the best N64 emulators for sure.
Shadow Hog
Member
It's a shame that updates to it have seemingly stopped, though, because there are definitely issues still abound, including ones with games it could emulate fine in earlier versions (Clockwork Knight 2 crashes when loading the main game's menu; Rayman has all input on turbo; BUG!'s background spasms; Daytona USA is really really quiet for some reason).
IrishNinja
Member
I'm not sure the full amount of games, well over 150, but I can tell you in the process, I got an MSX2 with about 20 games, including contra, Castlevania, Space Manbow, Aleste, Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, and SD snatcher, along with some translation carts and a FDD.
Some of those 115 purchases were of multiple games at once, though.
Made for an awesome 2 months, though. Every day was like christmas, getting a new package every day.
jesus shit
i must've done about a grand and a half of damage with the recent framemeister pickup, but that's incredible
the worst part is all the stuff i pulled before singing up for ebay bucks (;_
Chiaroscuro
Member
I think this may be already covered in this thread, but what is the concensus about the Saturn port of Resident Evil? Better/worse than PS1 version? I want to replay the series, and was thinking about giving the Saturn version a go.
Valkyria
Banned
Which thread? And BST Cloud?
I mean the Buy/Sell/Trade thread --> http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=506332
I traded one good game I didn't really play for another good game that I would play. It's like magic. lol
Valkyria
Banned
Hahaha I'm such a fool. BST= Buy/Sell/Trade, is the same nickname as a friend of mine and I was thinking he was trading saturn games and did not tell me XDDD.
Thanks!
sixteen-bit
Member
I don't have an answer for you right now, but I think a few GAF members are playing through it right now actually, try asking this thread:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=532800
sixteen-bit
Member
ExitPlanetDust
Member
Oh wow, that's amazing! All this time.
cj_iwakura
Member
That's a contradiction. Heck, I can't think of a single localized Saturn shmup.
Affordable and import? I'd say Macross.
ExitPlanetDust
Member
Galactic Attack is probably as affordable as you're going to get. Thankfully it's also one of the best. We also got Darius Gaiden in the West and I don't think prices have gotten out of control on that one either.
Uh, other than that... that's really it for USA Saturn shmups unless you count the Super Scalers in the Working Designs Sega Ages release.
If you're looking for inexpensive NA released shmups from that era, you are probably better off looking for them on Playstation.
sixteen-bit
Member
I can think of at least 3. Galactic Attack, Darius Gaiden, and In the Hunt.
Thanks!
cj_iwakura
Member
Didn't know about any of those. I'm a failure, I know.
Genesis Knight
Member
First two are great, last, uh... Pass. Sadly.
cj_iwakura
Member
I have Darius Gaiden on PS2's Taito Legends 2, never played the others. DG is amazing.
Having a Saturn copy would be kind of neat.
RoryDropkick
Member
Because of the game itself, or just the conversion versus the PS version, because if it's the second one, then yes I agree.
Genesis Knight
Member
I love the game, and the Saturn on is more arcade faithful than the sped-up PS one...but yeah, that slowdown is rough.
dreamcastmaster
Banned
Galactic Attack is one of the best shmups ever. Play it!
Yeah, Because netlink built in would have been really useful (either back then or right now)...
I know, I'm just joking. It's a nice historic piece of hardware, but not much other than that.
sixteen-bit
Member
Galactic Attack should also be on Taito Legends 2. There it's listed as "Rayforce".
Saturn Versions are indeed preferable to the Taito Legends release, since that one is 480i only. Looks blurry compared to the 240p Saturn versions on my Trinitron.
cj_iwakura
Member
Still, for $14.99, it's probably the best shmup anthology imaginable.
sixteen-bit
Member
Certainly. Can't beat that value.
A Black Falcon
Member
That's pretty much it, for traditional shmups released in the US, and of those In the Hunt really isn't very good, as I've said before... get the much better PS1 version. Darius Gaiden and Galactic Attack are great and well worth getting, though!
Europe got several more shmups than the US did (they got the Parodius collection and Darius II, and maybe one more), but for the US... thin selection, that's for sure. There are a lot of US Saturn games where you shoot things, but those are the only traditional shmups. Though Tempest 2000 (tube shooter) and the US-released rail shooters, such as Panzer Dragoon, PD Zwei, Space Harrier and After Burner in Sega Ages, and such are related too. (Freeroam 3d shooters are an entirely different thing.)
But yeah, apart from the US ones, most other Saturn shmups are pricey. There are no cheap import Saturn shmups. It's annoying.
Taito Legends 2 does not have Galactic Attack in it. It has RayStorm, the second game, but not RayForce, the first one. I believe that one of the Japan-only PS2 Taito collections may have RayForce in it, but neither one of the Western-released collections do. The Saturn version is still the only Western-released home system version of the game.
Taito Legends 2 does, however, have Darius Gaiden in it. And yeah, it's a great collection... as long as you don't care that it has no tate support, which really ruins a lot of the games versus the Saturn versions. Darius Gaiden, RayStorm, and G-Darius (among others) are horizontal games, though, so that doesn't affect them.
dreamcastmaster
Banned
Makes me glad I filled in 99% of my import Saturn Shump collection back in 2000, when the interest was low and people were dumping their collections. Only Hyper Dual and Sexy Parodius are on my wants list now.
theSlacker
Member
Saturn was a system that I was never really able to get into. By the time I was able to get back to gaming after the 16 bit era it was like 1998 when the playstation was getting a ton of great things so ended up using my little money for that. Recently I've been wanting to go back though the system I missed with my now disposable income.
So basically I wanted to know if there is anything I should look out for when buying a used Saturn, and the version differences? Guess I should say that I would be ntsc, not that I know how much a difference that would make to the system versions. Thanks for any help.
So basically I wanted to know if there is anything I should look out for when buying a used Saturn, and the version differences? Guess I should say that I would be ntsc, not that I know how much a difference that would make to the system versions. Thanks for any help.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
All the DF talk a couple days ago got me to start a new save file.
Always enjoyed picking them off one-by-one after boxing all of them in... Not that it makes sense for Goldark to do it any other way, for obvious reasons if you've played through it.
Circular buttons = model 2 Saturn
Black = USA/PAL
Gray = model 1 JPN
White = model 2 JPN
Unless something has changed in the past decade, I believe the 2nd model is generally preferred for modding (regardless of region). It was easier to find chips for that one back when I was looking for them.
The 2nd version of the standard official controller is also much preferred overall to the 1st version that the USA and PAL regions received. (The "inferior" controller was never released in Japan in the first place.)
The easiest way to play imports is to obtain a "Pro Action Replay 4-in-1 Plus." It provides import capability, 1MB and 4MB RAM expansions for games that utilize it, and additional backup memory (although somewhat more cumbersome than 1st party carts). Be warned that the Saturn's cartridge slot is notoriously prone to wear and tear, though. The pins get pushed apart real easily over time and it can take some effort to get the system to read any cart you plug into it after a while.
The system clock and internal memory are powered by a watch battery in the rear compartment. If you're prompted to set the date and time when powering on the system, that means you need a new battery. These typically last anywhere from 1 to 3 years in my experience. To prevent save data from being wiped out during a battery change, you can back it up to a cartridge beforehand... or try your luck at changing the battery while the system is powered on I guess.
Always enjoyed picking them off one-by-one after boxing all of them in... Not that it makes sense for Goldark to do it any other way, for obvious reasons if you've played through it.
Oval buttons = model 1 Saturn
Circular buttons = model 2 Saturn
Black = USA/PAL
Gray = model 1 JPN
White = model 2 JPN
Unless something has changed in the past decade, I believe the 2nd model is generally preferred for modding (regardless of region). It was easier to find chips for that one back when I was looking for them.
The 2nd version of the standard official controller is also much preferred overall to the 1st version that the USA and PAL regions received. (The "inferior" controller was never released in Japan in the first place.)
The easiest way to play imports is to obtain a "Pro Action Replay 4-in-1 Plus." It provides import capability, 1MB and 4MB RAM expansions for games that utilize it, and additional backup memory (although somewhat more cumbersome than 1st party carts). Be warned that the Saturn's cartridge slot is notoriously prone to wear and tear, though. The pins get pushed apart real easily over time and it can take some effort to get the system to read any cart you plug into it after a while.
The system clock and internal memory are powered by a watch battery in the rear compartment. If you're prompted to set the date and time when powering on the system, that means you need a new battery. These typically last anywhere from 1 to 3 years in my experience. To prevent save data from being wiped out during a battery change, you can back it up to a cartridge beforehand... or try your luck at changing the battery while the system is powered on I guess.
Six gave a nice overview, so I'll just reiterate and suggest you purchase this; it unlocks a ton of useful functionality, the best being making your system region free.
As he also said, you'll want to backup your console memory to the flashcard regularly; it dies with your system battery. It's also easy to fill up the console's 512kb limit; my Nights file is 277kb for some reason. The memory card mentioned holds 8mb, which should be plenty for most users. One last thing: if you get a Japanese Saturn, a US copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga will not boot without an Action Replay code. I don't know of any other game that requires this.
What I'm curious about though is the supposed 'weak' cartridge slot. Granted, I've only removed it ~20 times in over a decade, but it feels solid. Either way, unless you want to play King of Fighters or use the modem, you'll want to just keep it inserted at all times. The memory card uses flash memory, so there's no battery to ever replace. The system battery, however, will need regular changing. Thankfully, it's slotted, and very simple to do.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
The A-life file takes up most of the memory. You can do without it if you don't care about that aspect of the game.
theSlacker
Member
Thanks a ton for the info. Time to hit up ebay and craigslist. Think I have a few lists of worthwhile games laying around to try to pick out some of the cheaper ones to give a try first.
Was just going to ask about this. That if there is a reason to ever remove the cart if I get one, and if leaving it in all the time is what causes the problem with reading it.
Also is there a reason to get the thing you linked, listed as an Action Replay 3 in 1 plus, over the 4 in 1 plus that he mentioned? Also think I would have to get balls deep before worrying if I can play Panzer Dragoon Saga. Would be going for US version of the system and the game anyway though.
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