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Sega Saturn Appreciation and Emulation Thread

Defunkled

Member
All my import games from eBay have arrived but I'm still waiting on my Action Replay cart from Play-Asia. How long does it usually take to receive stuff from them? It shipped about two weeks ago.
 
All my import games from eBay have arrived but I'm still waiting on my Action Replay cart from Play-Asia. How long does it usually take to receive stuff from them? It shipped about two weeks ago.

Which shipping option did you choose? It's been ages since I ordered anything from PA, but I remember it taking forever when I chose the cheap option.
 

Defunkled

Member
Which shipping option did you choose? It's been ages since I ordered anything from PA, but I remember it taking forever when I chose the cheap option.

Yeah I went with the cheapest option. Oh well. It just sucks having all these import games but not being able to play them until the Action Replay cart arrives. I'll definitely be going with the faster shipping option in the future.
 
Back on the waiting game for retro_console_accessories now that the 15th has come and gone. Looks like her direct website is gone now too so getting worried.
 

chemicals

Member
I am sad to say that I completely missed the Saturn... I didn't even "know somebody who knew somebody who had one." I got to see it in motion once, at Toys R Us when it first came out they had a huge display with the flying dragon game... I have to admit I was so locked in to the SNES at that time that I even missed the PSX launch by about 6 months. Those late SNES releases were awesome (DKC and Yoshi's Island kept me playing my SNES long after my friends had all switched to PSX).
 

Shouta

Member
Do these run the SF3 games well? I found stupid cheap copies of Scenario 2/3 when I was in Japan but never picked up a Saturn to play it, lol.
 
Sure did. Dropping truth bombs up in here:

http://www.robwebb1.plus.com/saturn/saturnhard.htm
Thanks! Just ordered. :)

Also, to follow-up on my last post, I must say that Hyper Duel is such a fun shooter. Lots of energy, great control, satisfying weapons/mechanics. Really not disappointed, which can happen when playing rare/hyped games. Unfortunately, I am not as enthusiastic about the other Saturn shooter I purchased around the same time: Shienryu. Pretty generic stuff with bland music. Like the graphics though.

Where should I go from here? I already have Galactic Attack and Darius Gaiden as well. Was thinking of Salamander, Blast Wind and/or Soukyugurentai.
 
Where should I go from here? I already have Galactic Attack and Darius Gaiden as well. Was thinking of Salamander, Blast Wind and/or Soukyugurentai.

Hyper Duel is sweet. Technosoft rocks my body.

It's hard to give a recommendation without knowing more about your shmup tastes. I don't like Salamander, and between your other two you have...

Blast Wind, which is awesome but very expensive.
Soukyugurentai, which is the best shmup on the platform and cheapish.

So, Souky.
 
Soukyugurentai is that good, hey? Nice. I might just go for it. (Otokuyo is the ''bug-free'' version when using the Action Replay card, right?)

I tend to prefer horizontal shooters myself (btw, I already have TF 3 and 4 on Genesis, but I find myself still tempted by Gold Pack no 2...).

As far as vertical ones go, I love MUSHA, Soldier Blade, Final Soldier and Super Star Soldier. I also had a lot of fun with Galactic Attack and RayStorm, though I prefer the former's type of graphics. That homing device is a great gimmick!
 
Soukyugurentai is that good? Nice. (Otokuyo is the ''bug-free'' version when using the Action Replay card, right?)

I tend to prefer horizontal shooters myself (btw, I already have TF 3 and 4 on Genesis, but I find myself still tempted by Gold Pack no 2...).

As far as vertical ones go, I love MUSHA, Soldier Blade, Final Soldier and Super Star Soldier. I also had a lot of fun with Galactic Attack and Ray Storm, though I prefer the former's type of graphics. That homing device is a great gimmick!

Souky has mechanics very similar to Galactic Attack, which you should appreciate, as well as an awesomely dark and oppressive soundtrack to go with apocalyptic future visuals. Otokuyo is the fixed version for AR, yeah. That's the version I have.

Most Saturn shmups are verts, but as far as hori shmups go, have you seen Sengoku Blade? Might be up your alley.

My top vert recommendation that you haven't mentioned but maybe you already know about is Batsugun.
 
Souky has mechanics very similar to Galactic Attack, which you should appreciate, as well as an awesomely dark and oppressive soundtrack to go with apocalyptic future visuals. Otokuyo is the fixed version for AR, yeah. That's the version I have.

Most Saturn shmups are verts, but as far as hori shmups go, have you seen Sengoku Blade? Might be up your alley.

My top vert recommendation that you haven't mentioned but maybe you already know about is Batsugun.
I forgot to mention that save Gun.Smoke and Lords of Thunder (off the top of my head), I generally don't care for shmups starring a character (instead of a ship). That being said, Cotton Boomerang is on my want list.

I have Batsugun on my wish list, but I'll wait a bit because I am not a huge fan (yet?) of so-called bullet hell games (isn't Batsugun the originator of the style after all? - I just might be confusing it with another title...). On the list, I also have Skull Fang and Sonic Wings Special, but it's mostly because they look old school, as I hardly hear anyone mention them and don't really know if they're worthy.
 

Defunkled

Member
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My Action Replay cart finally came but it says it's only a 3-in-1. How different is it from the 4-in-1? Am I screwed for certain games?
 
My Action Replay cart finally came but it says it's only a 3-in-1. How different is it from the 4-in-1? Am I screwed for certain games?

No, you're fine. I have the exact same one, and it works with the games known to have problems with some AR models (Vampire Savior and Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter in particular) perfectly.
 

KageMaru

Member
So I just received my copy of Blazing Heroes but I also found out that this game was also released in the states under the name Mystaria: The Realms of Lore. Does anyone know if there is any differences between the two versions or was it just a name change? Thanks.
 
I have Batsugun on my wish list, but I'll wait a bit because I am not a huge fan (yet?) of so-called bullet hell games (isn't Batsugun the originator of the style after all? - I just might be confusing it with another title...). On the list, I also have Skull Fang and Sonic Wings Special, but it's mostly because they look old school, as I hardly hear anyone mention them and don't really know if they're worthy.

They're pretty mediocre. I own SWS but I've played both. Batsugun isn't really bullet hell IMO but yeah, it started it. I think of it more like Truxton on steroids.
 
That's what I thought. Thanks for the info, I'll purchase them (if ever) when I am scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel.

P.S. I heard good things about Dodonpachi. Any reason to get the previous game, Donpachi, also? If the latter is less hectic, it could be more up my alley.
 

Ms. Tea

Member
So I just received my copy of Blazing Heroes but I also found out that this game was also released in the states under the name Mystaria: The Realms of Lore. Does anyone know if there is any differences between the two versions or was it just a name change? Thanks.

I can't find anything definitive online, but I'm pretty sure they're identical. I think the kingdom is even still "Mystaria" in the game itself. It was purely a trademark thing; TSR thought "Mystaria" sounded too similar to "Mystara".
 

KageMaru

Member
I can't find anything definitive online, but I'm pretty sure they're identical. I think the kingdom is even still "Mystaria" in the game itself. It was purely a trademark thing; TSR thought "Mystaria" sounded too similar to "Mystara".

Yeah I couldn't find anything solid online either, thanks for the info. =D Hopefully it's a decent RPG.
 
That's what I thought. Thanks for the info, I'll purchase them (if ever) when I am scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel.

P.S. I heard good things about Dodonpachi. Any reason to get the previous game, Donpachi, also? If the latter is less hectic, it could be more up my alley.

Both are solid purchases although purists will tell you there are better ports. Have you looked at TV5? I hate the graphics but it's thunder force.
 
Both are solid purchases although purists will tell you there are better ports. Have you looked at TV5? I hate the graphics but it's thunder force.
Bought a copy of TFV on PlayStation back in the 90s.... I never played it much though (graphics annoyed me - what a drop off from Lightening Force) and ended up selling it. I plan on giving it a second chance (on Saturn) some time down the road because you gotta love Tec(h)nosoft. :)
 
Well supposedly it looks better on Saturn, but it's still a hideous game.
Yes, it is ugly. I hated the graphics of most late 90s shooters released here (R-Type Delta, G Darius, RayCrisis (which somehow plays and looks worse than its predecessor), even Einhander...). Shame they all hopped on the polygon graphics bandwagon (though I like the Gradius Gaiden graphics, from the little I've seen).
 
Just picked up a Saturn and XMen for cheap from a mom and pop but it looks like ass on my HDTV. Any tips?

- Get a CRT off of Craigslist for cheap.
- Buy some S-Video Cables (Not easy to find these days, and are grossly overpriced)
- Invest in an XRGB & some SCART cables. Easily the most expensive option, but it'll net you the best picture quality by far.
 
I know that Saturn Bomberman is taken as one of the best Bomberman games, but there are also some other Japan exclusive Bomberman games (Fight, Party, etc). Are they worth checking?
 
Cool, thanks. The Saturn X4 goes doe a ton more then the PS1 version, so thought it might have something extra. Glad to know I can skip it.

All Saturn X4 has over the PS1 version is additional background effects like heat distortion on Magmard Dragoon's level. You really aren't missing much.
 

Kainazzo

Member
Cool, thanks. The Saturn X4 goes doe a ton more then the PS1 version, so thought it might have something extra. Glad to know I can skip it.

Aside from a few new effects, the Saturn version also loops the BGM properly. There's a little gap in the PS1 version that got annoying after a while, though it may not be noticeable to others. Also, I feel the Japanese Saturn controller is a lot more suited to the game, but that's just up to the player. In the end, while it isn't worth the price discrepancy, I would say the Saturn has the better version.

Speaking of prices, I'm surprised how stable Radiant Silvergun has been over the years. When I first bought my import Saturn about a decade ago, I remember RS cost $175 in the store. While the console prices have practically crashed, the game remains about the same. I wish I'd waited a few more years to start collecting, my JP Saturn was also $175. Who the heck pays that much for one now?

Edit: Crazier yet, black stunners used to be fairly pricey versus the blue and orange ones. Now I can find plenty in retro stores and online for $10 0_o.
 
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