Sega Saturn Video Explosion
I know a ton of people out there are getting into the retro gaming scene more and more each day. All one has to do is look at eBay prices on a few retro classics to understand the demand has never been higher old gems. There are a few consoles that stand above the rest in terms of hardcore fans and their devotion. One of those is the Sega Master System, which Steven will start posting videos on soon enough, and the other is the Sega Saturn. Take note there are many others including Neo Geo, etc, but for our purposes we’re going to spend some time looking at the Master System and the Saturn over the next few weeks. Why, because Steven has been going crazy lately buying retro games, that’s why! I also know that a ton of North Americans bought the Genesis and the Dreamcast, but virtually no one in this part of the world touched the Master System or the Saturn. It’s about time that changes!
To begin my video montage, I start by talking a little bit about the Saturn hardware itself. Keep in mind these videos were all shot using my MacBook Pro’s webcam, so the quality isn’t going to be amazing here. The volume also suffers a little bit, but I think the idea comes across well enough. So take a quick gander at the introduction video that overviews the Saturn’s hardware and it’s incredible multimedia functions.
With that out of the way, we can now start talking about games. Videos will continue to be posted online through the night and into tomorrow, so keep checking to see if new videos have been uploaded. I start off with a very basic overview of a few games I had coupled with my Saturn. This is not my entire collection, but a nice sample of North American gems.
After this brief overview I head straight into the games. The first one up is Knights into Dreams by Sonic Team. I hope you enjoy this very brief gameplay video. Keep in mind that my commentary is classic Jarrod. That means, I have no idea what I’m saying half the time. Also take note that I was playing the game on a big screen HDTV and sitting about a foot away from the screen while keeping my eye on the video recording. In other words, it looks like I’m using the force to play the game instead of the controller.
Be sure to keep on the lookout for more videos in the coming hours.
Now before I sign off, I want all you Saturn nay-sayers to really watch this series. I’m sure I’ll be able to convince at least one of you to pick up a Saturn and give a couple of these games a try. You never know, the Saturn may prove to you that it has far more to offer than you realize. Sega may have killed the system with its launch, but those of us who stuck around and imported witnessed one of the very best Sega consoles ever.
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The question is Justin, does your battery still have juice in it ;) I haven’t used my Saturn in at least a few years, much more likely it’s been 5 to 6 years. In that time my battery ran out of juice and as such, all my lovely saved games are now a thing of the past. I just ordered a set of 5 batteries that should arrive in the next 48 hours. Without a functioning battery there’s just no way I can go any further in any of these games. I’d really like to shoot some footage of my imports, but I need the Action Replay Plus, which should be here sometime next week. Then I have to find Radiant Silvergun and the other wonderful imports I have. There were tons of great fighters and shooters released for the Saturn. What’s so nice about the Saturn is that you can pull it out at any time and have a blast with it. The games are so arcade-like that they’re perfect for pick up and play action.
I look forward to that Android review Justin :)
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Heh, I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t. The Saturn is a like a giant watch in this case. ;) I bought a battery from eBay too, and acquired most of my games from piles that were included with the ones I was mainly after. The Virtua Cops are a lot of fun, but there’s plenty of garbage on the system too. Who knows if I’m really going to play it again though. In fact, I’m going to get rid of a good deal of my old collection just because I’m likely to never play it or return to anything…not to mention my wife-to-be will need the space. Jarrod do you think it would be a good idea to offer what I’m intending to dump to the COE crew? It could make that process a little easier for me and help the guys to possibly score some things more conveniently.
As for Android stuff…yeah that’s coming, just a matter of when. I actually have a mess of paid-for games that I keep acquiring for free from Amazon’s app store. I probably have 40 or so full games, and just about every genre covered. Who knows how many free ones I’ve downloaded ;) So yeah, I want to try to get the first one out before the wedding, and make my teaser video not too much of a liar ;)
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Nice! Glad to see more retro love on COE. :D
I do have a Sega Saturn, with a working save battery. No backup cartridge though. I’m considering ordering one or just getting the Action Replay (so I can play import games as well). Not too many games in my Saturn library though. I was a very late adopter to the system, I snagged mine only a few years ago at a local used game shop. I picked that up, along with NiGHTs, Panzer Dragoon, X-Men: Children of the Atom, Shining Force III, and Albert Odyssey. I’d love to get some more stuff for the console, because it’s terribly underrated. Glad that my save battery still works too! I was recently playing through SFIII, so I was happy that the save feature still worked.
Thankfully, there are actually quite a few game vendors at anime conventions, so the next time I head to one I’ll definitely see if there are any more domestic or import Saturn games. The Mega-fan in me still wants to get X4 and 8 for the Saturn, even though I already have the PS1 versions, lol.
I actually have not played Shining the Holy Ark, though I’d love to. I’ve played Shining Wisdom and really enjoyed that, and of course, I’d love to get some other fighters on the system.
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Shining Wisdom is an excellent game, and if you already own Shining Force III, your collection is already started on the right foot. Mega Man 8 and X4 are better than their PS1 counterparts, but sadly not Symphony of the Night. While there are bonus characters in the Saturn version, the game looks worse than the PS1 version and that really makes no sense at all.
If your battery is still working, get your butt online and buy the Action Replay Plus NOW! Don’t take the chance as the battery could go at any minute Tim. If that is an original console like mine, they only last for about 4 years or so. The Action Replay Plus does everything you could imagine from allowing import titles to acting as a memory card and a 1MB and 4MB RAM expansion. It also goes for $30 on eBay so I would strongly recommend you pick that up ASAP.
Import Saturn games is the way to go especially for all the excellent 2D fighters and shooters. There are TONS.
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I was actually wary of the Action Replay because of some mixed reviews from people online, but based on your strong recommendation, I think I’m gonna go ahead and do it. :) I need to pick up some fighters and shooters especially for the system. I know that Donpachi and Dodonpachi are some shooters I’d get, and for RPGs there is a Shin Megami Tensei game (and the Langrisser series). Any other recommendations?
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What have you heard of the Action Replay Plus Tim? I’ve owned one for years and the only problem is that the Saturn sometimes doesn’t see it so you have to wait a few seconds or reinsert it into the console. Thing is, even the official carts required this. So by all means let me know if you’ve heard of anything else. I know the memory functions are never 100% reliable, but that’s why you use it as a backup for your system. I used to do that with my Saturn until I put my Saturn into storage…then the battery died and I can’t find my Action Reply Plus anywhere. That’s why I’m ordering in a new one and will keep my eye on my Saturn from here on out. I suppose I should do the same for the Dreamcast. Who knows if the VMUs will last forever. Then again my original Zelda game still has the game data saved :)
Now as for imports, just check this list of shooters.
http://www.racketboy.com/retro/sega/saturn/2008/10/sega-saturn-shmups-2d-shooters.html
Close your eyes and pick one. ;). I’ll give you a more detailed list later on, but start with shooters and fighters and the Shining games you don’t already own.
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As I was sitting here it dawned on me that the only issue I ever had with the Action Replay Plus outside of the system sometimes not seeing the cart for a few seconds was that games can’t be saved directly to the cart. In other words, you use the cart as a backup instead of a direct memory card. You had to save your saved games to the internal memory and then copy those files to the cart. Like I said above, so long as you have a new battery in your Saturn and you use the Action Replay Plus as a back-up there should be no problems. Also, just leave the bloody thing in your system and that solves all the potential issues.
I did a fast check on Amazon and everyone seems to love it.
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While it was only mentioned in a few of the Amazon reviews, I was nervous about hearing about removing the cart from the Saturn. The issue with not being able to save directly is a bit annoying, but it’s not that bad. I was just worried that it would cause a problem if someone else in my house unplugged the system or something. But I think I’ll go ahead and order it from Amazon. I saw a pretty decent price for Gunbird on eBay, that one looks like a good start.
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See, the import titles I play don’t really require me to save. I import mainly shooters and fighters. From what I recall you can’t save to the system with both North American and Japanese games. Since games don’t see Action Replay Plus as a memory card, you’re kind of stuck. Like I said, I just don’t save. Wo cares if high scores are saved? Know what I mean?
You should give me a list of all the Saturn games you own, I’d love to see that.
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From what I can gather Tim, there won’t be a problem. You can indeed save Japanese and American games to the system and the Action Replay Plus, so fear not. It’s still the best way to go. If you’re going to pick up the other two scenarios for Shining Force III, let me know how they are ;)
Wait until you guys see what I’m working on next. Oh and Tim make sure you’re watching our YouTube channel as I’ve been posting retro videos there.
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Manu you can score one on eBay for really cheap that included a buttload of games. Just remember that you should try and connect it to your TV via S-Video if you have that option. The composite cables work just fine, but the games look really rough on an HDTV. The other option is to connect it to an older CRT model TV with composite and be done with it :) Either way, I highly recommend you pick this up one day as there are a bunch of exclusives that never hit anywhere outside of Japan and they’re just great. If you like shoot-em-ups and 2D fighters, this is THE console to own.
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Believe it or not man, I actually own the Saturn too…complete with a battery :) No memory expansion though. I scored a unit and a handful of games on eBay a few years ago. I also have two light guns for the machine because I was geeking on the shooters at the time, so I picked up both Virtua Cops. I don’t think I can play the games though because I don’t own a CRT TV! XD I have other titles too like Virtua Fighter and VF2, Mortal Kombat 2, Tomb Raider, D (yes, D), Alone in the Dark, Primal Rage…and a handful of others.
Ah well, maybe after my wedding I’ll pull it out and shoot some things with the wife :) Would need a TV for it though haha.
And fear not boss man…I’m still alive. Still going to bring Android content…I just didn’t have the time necessary for the first review. Maybe I can pull it off before the 22nd ;)