A Black Falcon
Member
Other threads in this series: Odyssey 2, Atari 7800 (& 2600 games), Game Boy (B&W), Super Nintendo, Sega CD, Playstation 1, Nintendo 64, and PC Racing Games.
The Sega Saturn was released in 1994 in Japan and 1995 in the US, and it was, overall, something of a disaster, particularly in the West, but even in its most successful region, Japan, it ultimately failed, and fell far behind the Playstation in 1997. The financial and gamer-mindshare losses Sega incurred during this generation were one of the major reasons why Sega was forced out of the hardware industry several years later, as well. However, despite that, despite the lack of a real Sonic game, despite how many games were only released in Japan, etc., the Saturn actually is a pretty good console with more than enough games to be well worth any gamer's attention! Even the US library isn't that bad; it's under-rated, really, I would say. The American library is a quite reasonable one for the 1995-early 1998 timeframe, and is every bit as good as the Playstation's library from that same time is, in my opinion at least. Maybe better, in fact. Of course, the Playstation lasted another six years past that point and ultimately had far more games, but looking only at the time when they were both living systems, the Saturn's library is actually quite solid. Get one, actually buy some of the American releases, and see. Then get some imports too; some of them certainly are great.
I have 66 Saturn games, including 6 imports, plus the two demo discs which I will also mention below, so it's a whole lot less games than that N64 list I posted a while back. Still, it's a decent collection I think. I don't have an import-heavy collection, too, so I'll be reviewing a bunch of the Western Saturn releases that people often seem to skip over. Some of them are good games. This is a work in progress. Some of the completed reviews might be improve too later on of course. I'd also like to add all of the save file sizes.
One other thing to know is that I do have an Arcade Racer wheel and Mission Stick joystick, as well as the 3D Controller (and regular model 2 controllers too, of course, though I don't use them), so I will be saying how games work with those controllers. I think that not enough people know about how games work with the Saturn's analog controllers, so explaining about that is certainly one of my goals in this list. I don't have the Stunner lightgun though.
My favorite Saturn games, of the ones I own:
1. NiGHTS
2. Panzer Dragoon
3. Bug!
4. Daytona USA
5. Galactic Attack
6. Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei
7. Sega Rally Championship
8. CrimeWave
9. Bug Too!
10. Star Fighter
Honorable mentions: Willy Wombat, Virtua Racing, Virtua Cop, Night Warriors: DarkStalkers Revenge, Blazing Dragons, Grandia, Fighting Vipers, Daytona USA: Circuit Edition, Clockwork Knight, Magical School Lunar, Lunacy, Soviet Strike
Now, on to the reviews. I list the special controllers each game supports and whether it supports saving at the beginning of the review, and other platforms that the game is on at the end.
Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1 - Mission Stick supported. One player, has saving. This collection includes the arcade versions of Battlezone, Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest, and Super Breakout. The ports of the games are solid, and the collection does save your scores and settings. The Mission Stick support gives you analog controls in Super Breakout, Centipede, and Missile Command; the other two games always were digital. For Centipede and Missile Command especially, it makes a big difference and really makes those games better. I'm not so sure that it improves Super Breakout, though -- in this game, in analog mode basically the stick acts as the paddle, so it'll be on the left side of the screen when you move the stick fully left, at the center when centered, or on the right when you push it all the way right. That is, it doesn't move the paddle, but instead basically the stick is the paddle. It's kind of odd. For those other two though, huge improvement with analog. The analog mode will NOT work with the 3D Controller, so you'll need a Mission Stick to make use of it. This collection also has some bonus materials, including developer interview videos and information stuff; this is one of the top reasons to actually buy this collection, or its counterpart PS1 version, now, because these materials aren't available elsewhere. Also released on PS1, SNES (without saving or the extras), and PC.
Astal - Two players, no saving. Astal is a beautiful, but somewhat empty, anime-styled 2d platformer. You play as Astal, a superpowerful little anime character who has to save the world and rescue the girl, as usual. The game has very good 2d graphics and animation, but unfortunately, the greatness ends with the graphics. The game's boring level designs don't hold up well, and the gameplay suffers a lot as a result. Basically, you just go to the right in every level, and there aren't enough obstacles, or variety, to keep me interested long enough to keep playing. Given the price this game usually sells for, I don't know if I'd recommend it or not. Still, it is an okay 2d platformer on the Saturn, and the Saturn doesn't have too many of them. Oh, the two player mode has player two controlling this little thing that flies around after Astal; it's not a full versus mode or something. Think Mario Galaxy's two player mode, and stuff like that. Saturn exclusive title.
Baku Baku - Two players, has backup save. Baku Baku is a block-dropping puzzle game from Sega, and was the primary ... inspiration ... for Capcom's much more popular game Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. Basically, Puzzle Fighter is a blatant ripoff of Baku Baku. And yes, Baku Baku came first, it isn't the other way around. I've read some excuses saying that Puzzle Fighter took ideas from a third, earlier game too, but that one's quite different... no, it's just Baku Baku with a few additions. Now, I do think that Puzzle FIghter's additions make it a better game overall than Baku Baku is. The additions of the timed drop blocks and the way that blocks next to eachother will (in Puzzle Fighter) combine to form larger, higher-value blocks are great features that Baku Baku does not have. However, apart from that, the only real difference between the two games is the graphics. In this game, you play as some prerendered anime style characters who have to capture all of the escaped zoo animals. So, to use Puzzle Fighter terms because that's the game I'm the most familiar with, playing the role of the regular gems are food blocks, and playing the role of crash gems are the animal blocks. It's a cute game, and a lot of fun; Puzzle Fighter is one of the best puzzle games ever made, and this one is nearly as good too. This is a fantastic game, and you'll get it for a lot less than the Saturn version of Puzzle Fighter, too! Also released on PC and Game Gear.
Battle Arena Toshinden Remix - Two players, no saving. This is a modified version of the first Toshinden game from the Playstation. For the most part it's a port, but they mixed up a few things, and added another character I believe. The graphics aren't quite as good as they were on PS1, but otherwise the game's intact. Toshinden is an early attempt at a 3d fighting game. It's great that you do actually have full 3d movement -- that was rare at this point, most polygonal fighters on the Saturn don't actually allow you to move in three dimensions -- but the game only sort of works, and can be frustrating. Toshinden never was all that great of a game, and I think the graphics and novelty were the things that really made the original PS1 release so popular in 1995. I will admit that this isn't a terrible game, though; it's not that good, but occasionally can be amusingly fun. Also released on PS1.
Battle Monsters - Two players, no saving. Battle Monsters is a unique 2d fighting game. The game's not the greatest game, but at least they did try something different, which counts for something. To give a comparison, Battle Monsters is essentially the Super Smash Bros. of digitized-people (Mortal Kombat-style graphics) fighting games. First, the arenas often have multiple levels, with different platforms to jump between. The combat system isn't exactly like SSB, but does make me think somewhat of it, as Battle Monsters has as simplified fighting system where all of the characters activate their special moves via basic, one or two direction plus button commands, and the game only has two attack buttons, punch and kick. No quarter-circles here, it's simpler than that. That may sound too simple, but there's enough depth in the different moves, and characters, to give it some decent lastability, if you like it that is. The graphics are only okay; for a digitized-people game, this is probably lower tier. It's pretty hard to figure out what some of the characters are supposed to be, or even gender in a few cases. Still, even if it's certainly not one of the Saturn's best fighting games, as a unique attempt at something clearly different from all of those Mortal Kombat clones, and indeed perhaps more of a predecessor to SSB than a clone of MK, Battle Monsters deserves a look. It's fun for a few playthroughs, at least, for sure. Saturn exclusive.
Black Fire - One player, has saving, and supports the Mission Stick. Black Fire is a helicopter sim from NovaLogic, a company which made many sim games in the '90s. NovaLogic mostly worked on the PC, but they did a few console games, obviously including this one. Black Fire isn't the most hardcore of helicopter sims -- this is no Jane's Longbow II, let's just put it that way -- but with a Mission Stick it's not too bad. I wouldn't really recommend it without the Mission Stick, though; without the analog flight controls it gives you, it just isn't the same game. This game is NOT 3D Controller compatible -- it uses the analog stick's throttle wheel for vertical movement, so controls on a 3D Controller in analog mode won't work. This game is really something for genre fans. If you like somewhat simmish helicopter shooting games you might enjoy it. It's not a great game though, I think; I've definitely played better helicopter games before, like, well, the aforementioned Longbow II. I think I might enjoy the ThunderStrike games a bit more than this too, though they're close. Saturn exclusive title.
Blast Chamber - Four players (with multitap, two without), has saving (17 blocks). Blast Chamber is a multiplayer-focused action game from Activision. It looks like they put some money into its marketing, but I just don't like the core gameplay very much, and find this game disappointing and not very fun. I must admit that I've never played it with other people, though; that'd probably be better than it is against the CPU. Still though... not so great. The game does have an original concept, I just don't know how much I like it. On that note, as for the gameplay, Blast Chamber is a single-screen game. In the game you find a four-sided, rotating chamber, the Blast Chamber. You play one of four "contestants" who are in this game of death. You don't get weapons, though. No shooting here. This game is a bit more complex than that. Basically, all four players each have a life timer. When your timer runs out, you die. In order to add more time to your timer, you have to grab the crystal items and carry it to your colored base. If you do that, you get time added. If anyone ELSE brings a crystal to your base, though, you lose time. The only attack in the game is punching; you can hit the other players, and when they fall over they'll drop the crystal if they're carrying one. Genrally one player has their base on each side of the room, and that's where the room rotation comes in to play. See, at certain points, you can rotate the room. The person who rotated the room will stay on their feet, but everyone else will fall down to the new floor, again dropping any crystals they have. You can also jump, for more complex rooms with more obstacles and such in them. And that's the game. You compete in Blast Chambers, either against humans or computers. And... meh. My first impression wasn't too good, and it's stuck. I just don't have enough fun to want to keep playing. Also released on PS1.
Blazing Dragons - One player, has saving. This game is a classic-style graphic adventure game for consoles. It's funny and has good 2d art, like the best classic adventure games. Well, this one isn't the best adventure game -- it's far too short, for one thing -- but while it lasts, it is a pretty fun, and entertaining, game. If you like graphic adventures, you should play Blazing Dragons. In the game you play as a dragon, not a human, which is great; nice change from the usual adventure game thing. This was also released on PS1.
Bootleg Sampler (demo disc) - demo disc with some game demos and some videos. This disc has Clockwork Knight 2 and some others. Nice, for the few minutes they last.
Bug! - One player, has saving (2 blocks). Bug! is an early attempt at a 3d platformer. It's very, very '90s, with a wisecracking anthropomorphic animal (bug, to be specific) as a character, but I think that gives it some charm; I think Bug's lines are sometimes amusing, myself. The game is part 2.5d platformer, part 3d platformer. I think that it's a very interesting, and really good, game, but it's a very good game with one significant flaw -- it's incredibly hard. And that really is a big problem. This game is HARD. The save system is unfairly designed, too -- not only can you only save between worlds, but it actually limits how many times you can load your save file on each level before you have to go back to an earlier level! You can get around this by backing up your save file to a memory card and copying it back for each use, but still, it's a pain. As for the controls, Bug! controls okay. The controls are entirely digital, as you'd expect in 1995, but most of the gameplay is two dimensional, so it's not too bad. That is, the levels are three dimensional mazes of platforms, traps, and challenges, but you're almost always on a path that only allows you to move along one plane, except for when it intersects with other ones. This system works well. This clearly was a team trying to figure out how to merge three dimensional worlds with traditional platformer gameplay. They succeeded, I think. There are some bumps, mostly in the difficulty level and the very long length of the levels, though. On that note, yes, the levels are very long too, and checkpoints are infrequent so when you die, expect to go back a long way. And of course, on game over you go back all the way to the beginning of the world. And each world is made up of three long levels and a boss. Still, overall, I like Bug! a lot. I don't know if I'll ever beat it, it's just too hard, but I like it a lot even so. Bug! is one of my favorite Saturn games. Saturn and PC only.
Bug Too! - One player, has saving (1 block). Bug Too!, the second and unfortunately last game in the Bug series, is a very similar game to the first one across the board. The game makes a few changes, such as improving the graphics even more and giving you three different characters to choose from, instead of just Bug, and also in having more areas with depth, instead of just 2d paths. Yes, this time fewer paths will be strictly flat, so you'll have to deal with depth issues this time in ways you rarely did in the first one, where most of the time you were moving on a (horizontal or vertical) 2d plane only. I like that they were trying to mix things up, and add something new that the first game didn't have, but they needed more 3d-friendly controls to go along with the level designs, I think, and I don't know if this camera works the best for these levels either. However, this game does have some really cool sequences, both visually and gameplay-wise, so these are just criticisms of a great game, not game-breaking flaws, in my opinion. Still, as I said I wish that they'd added 3d controller support, it was out by the time this game released. Instead controls are the same as the first game, so you do still have to move only one one plane at a time. This doesn't mix all that well with the game's more open levels, I think -- the depth issues make the game harder. Judging depth in a game like this can be quite tricky. Still, it's a fantastic game... the complaints above are blemishes on this game, but the great graphics and good gameplay carry it through, if you can handle it. Yes, Bug Too! is probably even harder than the first game. As with the first game you can only save between worlds, and that means beating three long, LONG levels with a bare minimum of deaths, and then beating a boss, before you can save. Good luck, you'll need it. Even the first world is brutally difficult -- finishing it is a real test of skill. Apart from the difficulty and sad lack of analog controls I like this game a lot, but it is somewhat crazily hard. Saturn and PC only.
Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition - Two player, has saving (69 blocks). First, for those who don't know it, Bust-A-Move is one of the classic puzzle game series, and BAM2 is a great early game in that series. But this version of BAM2 isn't just a great game. No, Bust-A-Move 2's Saturn release is by far its best anywhere. Indeed, the Saturn version of BAM2 has some major features that don't exist in any other release of the game. First, on the Saturn there is a second puzzle mode with an entirely different set of puzzles. So for that main single player mode, you've got twice as much content here as in other versions of BAM2. And second, BAM2 for Saturn has a puzzle creator. BAM3 and BAM4 had puzzle creators standard, but this is the only version of BAM2 with one. Beyond that, this is the same great puzzle action you can find in other games in the series. BAM2's main options are the puzzle mode, where you play as Bub or Bob and go through a pyramid-shaped cone of levels, choosing your path at each branch (with, as I said above, two different entirely separate level sets, the second exclusive to this version), vs. CPU mode, where you play through a sequence of CPU opponents, and 2-player mode, in addition to the puzzle edit mode. I do think that BAM3 eclipses BAM2, and that one is my favorite in the whole franchise, but BAM2 is still a great game too, and this is the version to have. BAM2 is on many platforms (PC, N64, PS1, GB...), but they don't have this one's extras.
Choice Cuts (demo disc) - I believe this one is just videos, disappointingly.
Clockwork Knight - One player, no saving. Clockwork Knight is a 2.5d platformer. You're a toy knight and have to rescue the kidnapped toy princess. Sigh, yes, it's THAT plot again. Fortunately the gameplay's a bit better than the story. This game's only barely 2.5d, though. Quite unlike Bug! and its large 3d levels, in Clockwork Knight you just go to the right. This game doesn't even have the perspective shifts you'll find in most later 2.5d platformers. This is basically a 2d game with some polygonal elements. Of course however this game was a very, very early Saturn title, launching in December 1994 in Japan, so it deserves some lenience, and with that in mind, it is a fun game. Clockwork Knight is about as 4th gen like as 2.5d platformers can get, and it's a simple game, but it's a fun simple game, so that's alright. I like Clockwork Knight. It might be a little under-rated, though certainly there are plenty of other platformers as good as it is, you rarely hear it mentioned even on that list. Saturn exclusive.
The Sega Saturn was released in 1994 in Japan and 1995 in the US, and it was, overall, something of a disaster, particularly in the West, but even in its most successful region, Japan, it ultimately failed, and fell far behind the Playstation in 1997. The financial and gamer-mindshare losses Sega incurred during this generation were one of the major reasons why Sega was forced out of the hardware industry several years later, as well. However, despite that, despite the lack of a real Sonic game, despite how many games were only released in Japan, etc., the Saturn actually is a pretty good console with more than enough games to be well worth any gamer's attention! Even the US library isn't that bad; it's under-rated, really, I would say. The American library is a quite reasonable one for the 1995-early 1998 timeframe, and is every bit as good as the Playstation's library from that same time is, in my opinion at least. Maybe better, in fact. Of course, the Playstation lasted another six years past that point and ultimately had far more games, but looking only at the time when they were both living systems, the Saturn's library is actually quite solid. Get one, actually buy some of the American releases, and see. Then get some imports too; some of them certainly are great.
I have 66 Saturn games, including 6 imports, plus the two demo discs which I will also mention below, so it's a whole lot less games than that N64 list I posted a while back. Still, it's a decent collection I think. I don't have an import-heavy collection, too, so I'll be reviewing a bunch of the Western Saturn releases that people often seem to skip over. Some of them are good games. This is a work in progress. Some of the completed reviews might be improve too later on of course. I'd also like to add all of the save file sizes.
One other thing to know is that I do have an Arcade Racer wheel and Mission Stick joystick, as well as the 3D Controller (and regular model 2 controllers too, of course, though I don't use them), so I will be saying how games work with those controllers. I think that not enough people know about how games work with the Saturn's analog controllers, so explaining about that is certainly one of my goals in this list. I don't have the Stunner lightgun though.
My favorite Saturn games, of the ones I own:
1. NiGHTS
2. Panzer Dragoon
3. Bug!
4. Daytona USA
5. Galactic Attack
6. Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei
7. Sega Rally Championship
8. CrimeWave
9. Bug Too!
10. Star Fighter
Honorable mentions: Willy Wombat, Virtua Racing, Virtua Cop, Night Warriors: DarkStalkers Revenge, Blazing Dragons, Grandia, Fighting Vipers, Daytona USA: Circuit Edition, Clockwork Knight, Magical School Lunar, Lunacy, Soviet Strike
Now, on to the reviews. I list the special controllers each game supports and whether it supports saving at the beginning of the review, and other platforms that the game is on at the end.
Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1 - Mission Stick supported. One player, has saving. This collection includes the arcade versions of Battlezone, Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest, and Super Breakout. The ports of the games are solid, and the collection does save your scores and settings. The Mission Stick support gives you analog controls in Super Breakout, Centipede, and Missile Command; the other two games always were digital. For Centipede and Missile Command especially, it makes a big difference and really makes those games better. I'm not so sure that it improves Super Breakout, though -- in this game, in analog mode basically the stick acts as the paddle, so it'll be on the left side of the screen when you move the stick fully left, at the center when centered, or on the right when you push it all the way right. That is, it doesn't move the paddle, but instead basically the stick is the paddle. It's kind of odd. For those other two though, huge improvement with analog. The analog mode will NOT work with the 3D Controller, so you'll need a Mission Stick to make use of it. This collection also has some bonus materials, including developer interview videos and information stuff; this is one of the top reasons to actually buy this collection, or its counterpart PS1 version, now, because these materials aren't available elsewhere. Also released on PS1, SNES (without saving or the extras), and PC.
Astal - Two players, no saving. Astal is a beautiful, but somewhat empty, anime-styled 2d platformer. You play as Astal, a superpowerful little anime character who has to save the world and rescue the girl, as usual. The game has very good 2d graphics and animation, but unfortunately, the greatness ends with the graphics. The game's boring level designs don't hold up well, and the gameplay suffers a lot as a result. Basically, you just go to the right in every level, and there aren't enough obstacles, or variety, to keep me interested long enough to keep playing. Given the price this game usually sells for, I don't know if I'd recommend it or not. Still, it is an okay 2d platformer on the Saturn, and the Saturn doesn't have too many of them. Oh, the two player mode has player two controlling this little thing that flies around after Astal; it's not a full versus mode or something. Think Mario Galaxy's two player mode, and stuff like that. Saturn exclusive title.
Baku Baku - Two players, has backup save. Baku Baku is a block-dropping puzzle game from Sega, and was the primary ... inspiration ... for Capcom's much more popular game Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. Basically, Puzzle Fighter is a blatant ripoff of Baku Baku. And yes, Baku Baku came first, it isn't the other way around. I've read some excuses saying that Puzzle Fighter took ideas from a third, earlier game too, but that one's quite different... no, it's just Baku Baku with a few additions. Now, I do think that Puzzle FIghter's additions make it a better game overall than Baku Baku is. The additions of the timed drop blocks and the way that blocks next to eachother will (in Puzzle Fighter) combine to form larger, higher-value blocks are great features that Baku Baku does not have. However, apart from that, the only real difference between the two games is the graphics. In this game, you play as some prerendered anime style characters who have to capture all of the escaped zoo animals. So, to use Puzzle Fighter terms because that's the game I'm the most familiar with, playing the role of the regular gems are food blocks, and playing the role of crash gems are the animal blocks. It's a cute game, and a lot of fun; Puzzle Fighter is one of the best puzzle games ever made, and this one is nearly as good too. This is a fantastic game, and you'll get it for a lot less than the Saturn version of Puzzle Fighter, too! Also released on PC and Game Gear.
Battle Arena Toshinden Remix - Two players, no saving. This is a modified version of the first Toshinden game from the Playstation. For the most part it's a port, but they mixed up a few things, and added another character I believe. The graphics aren't quite as good as they were on PS1, but otherwise the game's intact. Toshinden is an early attempt at a 3d fighting game. It's great that you do actually have full 3d movement -- that was rare at this point, most polygonal fighters on the Saturn don't actually allow you to move in three dimensions -- but the game only sort of works, and can be frustrating. Toshinden never was all that great of a game, and I think the graphics and novelty were the things that really made the original PS1 release so popular in 1995. I will admit that this isn't a terrible game, though; it's not that good, but occasionally can be amusingly fun. Also released on PS1.
Battle Monsters - Two players, no saving. Battle Monsters is a unique 2d fighting game. The game's not the greatest game, but at least they did try something different, which counts for something. To give a comparison, Battle Monsters is essentially the Super Smash Bros. of digitized-people (Mortal Kombat-style graphics) fighting games. First, the arenas often have multiple levels, with different platforms to jump between. The combat system isn't exactly like SSB, but does make me think somewhat of it, as Battle Monsters has as simplified fighting system where all of the characters activate their special moves via basic, one or two direction plus button commands, and the game only has two attack buttons, punch and kick. No quarter-circles here, it's simpler than that. That may sound too simple, but there's enough depth in the different moves, and characters, to give it some decent lastability, if you like it that is. The graphics are only okay; for a digitized-people game, this is probably lower tier. It's pretty hard to figure out what some of the characters are supposed to be, or even gender in a few cases. Still, even if it's certainly not one of the Saturn's best fighting games, as a unique attempt at something clearly different from all of those Mortal Kombat clones, and indeed perhaps more of a predecessor to SSB than a clone of MK, Battle Monsters deserves a look. It's fun for a few playthroughs, at least, for sure. Saturn exclusive.
Black Fire - One player, has saving, and supports the Mission Stick. Black Fire is a helicopter sim from NovaLogic, a company which made many sim games in the '90s. NovaLogic mostly worked on the PC, but they did a few console games, obviously including this one. Black Fire isn't the most hardcore of helicopter sims -- this is no Jane's Longbow II, let's just put it that way -- but with a Mission Stick it's not too bad. I wouldn't really recommend it without the Mission Stick, though; without the analog flight controls it gives you, it just isn't the same game. This game is NOT 3D Controller compatible -- it uses the analog stick's throttle wheel for vertical movement, so controls on a 3D Controller in analog mode won't work. This game is really something for genre fans. If you like somewhat simmish helicopter shooting games you might enjoy it. It's not a great game though, I think; I've definitely played better helicopter games before, like, well, the aforementioned Longbow II. I think I might enjoy the ThunderStrike games a bit more than this too, though they're close. Saturn exclusive title.
Blast Chamber - Four players (with multitap, two without), has saving (17 blocks). Blast Chamber is a multiplayer-focused action game from Activision. It looks like they put some money into its marketing, but I just don't like the core gameplay very much, and find this game disappointing and not very fun. I must admit that I've never played it with other people, though; that'd probably be better than it is against the CPU. Still though... not so great. The game does have an original concept, I just don't know how much I like it. On that note, as for the gameplay, Blast Chamber is a single-screen game. In the game you find a four-sided, rotating chamber, the Blast Chamber. You play one of four "contestants" who are in this game of death. You don't get weapons, though. No shooting here. This game is a bit more complex than that. Basically, all four players each have a life timer. When your timer runs out, you die. In order to add more time to your timer, you have to grab the crystal items and carry it to your colored base. If you do that, you get time added. If anyone ELSE brings a crystal to your base, though, you lose time. The only attack in the game is punching; you can hit the other players, and when they fall over they'll drop the crystal if they're carrying one. Genrally one player has their base on each side of the room, and that's where the room rotation comes in to play. See, at certain points, you can rotate the room. The person who rotated the room will stay on their feet, but everyone else will fall down to the new floor, again dropping any crystals they have. You can also jump, for more complex rooms with more obstacles and such in them. And that's the game. You compete in Blast Chambers, either against humans or computers. And... meh. My first impression wasn't too good, and it's stuck. I just don't have enough fun to want to keep playing. Also released on PS1.
Blazing Dragons - One player, has saving. This game is a classic-style graphic adventure game for consoles. It's funny and has good 2d art, like the best classic adventure games. Well, this one isn't the best adventure game -- it's far too short, for one thing -- but while it lasts, it is a pretty fun, and entertaining, game. If you like graphic adventures, you should play Blazing Dragons. In the game you play as a dragon, not a human, which is great; nice change from the usual adventure game thing. This was also released on PS1.
Bootleg Sampler (demo disc) - demo disc with some game demos and some videos. This disc has Clockwork Knight 2 and some others. Nice, for the few minutes they last.
Bug! - One player, has saving (2 blocks). Bug! is an early attempt at a 3d platformer. It's very, very '90s, with a wisecracking anthropomorphic animal (bug, to be specific) as a character, but I think that gives it some charm; I think Bug's lines are sometimes amusing, myself. The game is part 2.5d platformer, part 3d platformer. I think that it's a very interesting, and really good, game, but it's a very good game with one significant flaw -- it's incredibly hard. And that really is a big problem. This game is HARD. The save system is unfairly designed, too -- not only can you only save between worlds, but it actually limits how many times you can load your save file on each level before you have to go back to an earlier level! You can get around this by backing up your save file to a memory card and copying it back for each use, but still, it's a pain. As for the controls, Bug! controls okay. The controls are entirely digital, as you'd expect in 1995, but most of the gameplay is two dimensional, so it's not too bad. That is, the levels are three dimensional mazes of platforms, traps, and challenges, but you're almost always on a path that only allows you to move along one plane, except for when it intersects with other ones. This system works well. This clearly was a team trying to figure out how to merge three dimensional worlds with traditional platformer gameplay. They succeeded, I think. There are some bumps, mostly in the difficulty level and the very long length of the levels, though. On that note, yes, the levels are very long too, and checkpoints are infrequent so when you die, expect to go back a long way. And of course, on game over you go back all the way to the beginning of the world. And each world is made up of three long levels and a boss. Still, overall, I like Bug! a lot. I don't know if I'll ever beat it, it's just too hard, but I like it a lot even so. Bug! is one of my favorite Saturn games. Saturn and PC only.
Bug Too! - One player, has saving (1 block). Bug Too!, the second and unfortunately last game in the Bug series, is a very similar game to the first one across the board. The game makes a few changes, such as improving the graphics even more and giving you three different characters to choose from, instead of just Bug, and also in having more areas with depth, instead of just 2d paths. Yes, this time fewer paths will be strictly flat, so you'll have to deal with depth issues this time in ways you rarely did in the first one, where most of the time you were moving on a (horizontal or vertical) 2d plane only. I like that they were trying to mix things up, and add something new that the first game didn't have, but they needed more 3d-friendly controls to go along with the level designs, I think, and I don't know if this camera works the best for these levels either. However, this game does have some really cool sequences, both visually and gameplay-wise, so these are just criticisms of a great game, not game-breaking flaws, in my opinion. Still, as I said I wish that they'd added 3d controller support, it was out by the time this game released. Instead controls are the same as the first game, so you do still have to move only one one plane at a time. This doesn't mix all that well with the game's more open levels, I think -- the depth issues make the game harder. Judging depth in a game like this can be quite tricky. Still, it's a fantastic game... the complaints above are blemishes on this game, but the great graphics and good gameplay carry it through, if you can handle it. Yes, Bug Too! is probably even harder than the first game. As with the first game you can only save between worlds, and that means beating three long, LONG levels with a bare minimum of deaths, and then beating a boss, before you can save. Good luck, you'll need it. Even the first world is brutally difficult -- finishing it is a real test of skill. Apart from the difficulty and sad lack of analog controls I like this game a lot, but it is somewhat crazily hard. Saturn and PC only.
Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition - Two player, has saving (69 blocks). First, for those who don't know it, Bust-A-Move is one of the classic puzzle game series, and BAM2 is a great early game in that series. But this version of BAM2 isn't just a great game. No, Bust-A-Move 2's Saturn release is by far its best anywhere. Indeed, the Saturn version of BAM2 has some major features that don't exist in any other release of the game. First, on the Saturn there is a second puzzle mode with an entirely different set of puzzles. So for that main single player mode, you've got twice as much content here as in other versions of BAM2. And second, BAM2 for Saturn has a puzzle creator. BAM3 and BAM4 had puzzle creators standard, but this is the only version of BAM2 with one. Beyond that, this is the same great puzzle action you can find in other games in the series. BAM2's main options are the puzzle mode, where you play as Bub or Bob and go through a pyramid-shaped cone of levels, choosing your path at each branch (with, as I said above, two different entirely separate level sets, the second exclusive to this version), vs. CPU mode, where you play through a sequence of CPU opponents, and 2-player mode, in addition to the puzzle edit mode. I do think that BAM3 eclipses BAM2, and that one is my favorite in the whole franchise, but BAM2 is still a great game too, and this is the version to have. BAM2 is on many platforms (PC, N64, PS1, GB...), but they don't have this one's extras.
Choice Cuts (demo disc) - I believe this one is just videos, disappointingly.
Clockwork Knight - One player, no saving. Clockwork Knight is a 2.5d platformer. You're a toy knight and have to rescue the kidnapped toy princess. Sigh, yes, it's THAT plot again. Fortunately the gameplay's a bit better than the story. This game's only barely 2.5d, though. Quite unlike Bug! and its large 3d levels, in Clockwork Knight you just go to the right. This game doesn't even have the perspective shifts you'll find in most later 2.5d platformers. This is basically a 2d game with some polygonal elements. Of course however this game was a very, very early Saturn title, launching in December 1994 in Japan, so it deserves some lenience, and with that in mind, it is a fun game. Clockwork Knight is about as 4th gen like as 2.5d platformers can get, and it's a simple game, but it's a fun simple game, so that's alright. I like Clockwork Knight. It might be a little under-rated, though certainly there are plenty of other platformers as good as it is, you rarely hear it mentioned even on that list. Saturn exclusive.