SEGA SATURN - Classic Consoles


Tell me about the Saturn?

 It's big, it's powerful, and a good all-rounder. The Sega Saturn might not be the most glamorous in the polygon department, but its ability to churn out games like Sega Rally and Panzer Dragoon caused quite a stir in gaming circles.

Originally priced at £399, and released four months early without informing either the developers or retailer. SEGA showed the world and more importantly Sony, how not to release a console. Retailers were outraged as they were already trying to clear down previous stock for all the existing Sega hardware taking up valuable shelf space. The PlayStation ruled, but the Saturn shouldn't have been left so far behind. 

Any good?
It used two Hitachi SuperH-2 7604 32-bit RISC processors at 28.63 MHz and many other off the shelf parts that made development difficult, but most Japanese developers swore by it and were able to produce exciting results. The Sega Saturn wasn't the wet salmon everyone believed, underneath the plastic lay a roast leg of lamb, you just needed to leave it in the oven longer in order to get the best results.

Should I get one?
There's a curious shift towards the Sega Saturn of late, people want to experience what would have been, or what they've missed. Right now I have a Saturn in my study, a JAP Saturn next to my sofa, plus four cupboards full of games. My Saturn is very much alive. Duke Nukem and Sega Rally help to keep my system warm.

 How much?

 This is the good part, you don't have to be an expert, just buy what you like and start a collection. Look out for special editions and make the most of the cheap games on eBay. And take the opportunity to join popular Sega forums and read online magazines. You'll find all sorts of people selling the console with games for under £25. Which gives amazing value! Recently I purchased ManxTT for 99p from a car boot sale. Hours of fun was had.

Verdict!

 If you're looking for a fun console to collect for, with plenty of games and a big historical background. The Sega Saturn would make a great choice. Just brace yourself for that twist.

My Favourite SEGA SATURN Games:

ACTUA SOCCER:
One of the best footy games at the time really had that fast pace about it. It's no FIFA, but I played this for hours back in the day. 


BOMBERMAN:
One of the best party games I've ever played and the SEGA SATURN version is the best ever made. 


METAL SLUG:
For me, Metal Slug is and always will be the best run and gun series ever made. Contra comes a close second.


PANDEMONIUM:
I first experienced this on the SEGA Saturn, I know there's a PS version, but this is where I played it first. Amazing game, fluid graphics and still playable even today. 


SONIC JAM:
Before the Sonic Mega Collection on the PS2... We had Sonic Jam on the Sega Saturn. This included Sonic World and all the Megadrive classics including Sonic and Knuckles. Very rare!


DOOM:
It doesn't get much better than this for me. I personally love this port of the game, frame rate sucks a little, but I was used to playing Doom in small windows on my dads PC.   


DUKE NUKEM 3D:
Probably the best game ever released on the Saturn. OMG! I'd play this four hours, the night club bit still sticks with me, fantastic game, great graphics and legendary voice overs.  


MANX TT:
The Saturn catered for all my racing needs, this took simulation and mixed it with all the thrills you'd expect from an arcade game. Still, play this today... looks ugly, but plays really well. 


THUNDERFORCE V:
Made the journey from 16-bit to 32-bit and not only improved, but took the graphics and playability to a new level. One of my favourite shooters of all time.  


TOMB RAIDER:
There was a time when people wouldn't see me for days on end. Tomb Raider was to blame. I'd skip days off work just to play this game until completion. The only series to do that to me since Tomb Raider is Uncharted. 


SEGA RALLY:
Probably my favourite Rally game of all time... 


Other recommendations: 

RADIANT SILVERGUN
Shining the Holy Ark
Athlete Kings
Burning Rangers
Exhumed
Guardian Heroes
House of the Dead
Virtua Fighter series
Die Hard Arcade
Panzer Dragoon series

And Much More...




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amstrad CPC 8-bit exclusive games

Image
Have you ever wondered what Amstrad CPC games were exclusive to the Amstrad CPC? The list below is what I know of, some of the games below are truly awful, but then again, there's quite a few games I wouldn't have missed for the world. This is by no means a definitive list of exclusives, and in most cases, you can find these games on the Amiga, ST and Consoles, but you won't find 'em on the ZX Spectrum or C64 (That's if I've done my homework correctly).  There's some real classic amongst this lot, Bumpy is brilliant, as is Bactron and D.Day is a masterclass in arcade strategy. I also found a game I never knew existed in 'Dempsey and Makepeace' a classic cop series set in the 80s. But the jewel in the crown for me is Get Dexter. Star Driver needs to be checked out if you've never played it, it scrolls along like a mode 7 game, the scrolling technique from the SNES, and if you think you're ready for a challenge, try Builderland, it needs...
Read more

AMSTRAD CPC - TO SCROLL OR NOT TO SCROLL

Image
I used to think it was strange that Commodore 64 and Speccy owners always claimed that their respective machines were far superior to the Amstrad CPC? I mean, c’mon, had they seriously never seen or played the likes of Wec Le-Mans, Robocop, ChaseHq, Sorcery+ and Rainbow Islands on the CPC? The C64 versions of Chase HQ, Continental Circus and Wec-Le-Mans look, and churn along, like a badly curled poo! For sure, there are plenty of examples of this being the case with the CPC (Out Run), and likewise with the Speccy. But I don't want to get too lavatorial or reduce this article into 8-bit zealotry. Instead, I’d simply like to air my frustrations and thoughts in order to quantify and better collect all the facts. Undoubtedly, the Amstrad is the machine of personal choice for me, it left me with some of the best and worst memories (Green Beret), and it was, and still is, a very pleasant machine to program and play games on. One of the biggest complaints I hear ab...
Read more

Donkey kong Jr - Zx Spectrum

Image
Just a few thoughts on the tribute game made with AGD, for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. It's great and everything, but I'm confused? I'm still a massive fan of the original Donkey Kong arcade-style platformer from the 1980's. It is said to be the game that launched the career of Shigeru Miyamoto, but more importantly, Mario and Donkey Kong. The game went on to give Nintendo international stardom, with Miyamoto creating a legacy so powerful, that Nintendo and Japan should pray daily for his continued existence. However, Donkey Kong Jnr wasn't a great sequel, in fact, Miyamoto himself thinks it's a weaker game. It sold well, but so did the USGOLD home conversion of Outrun, so sales don't really mean diddly squat, in regards to us gaming enthusiasts. I did like the way this game reversed the characters roles, with Kong now caged and Mario becoming the antagonist. The game featured a good premise as well, instead of ...
Read more