Random Gaming Thoughts

I use an app called Gameye. You can use it to scan the barcode of ANY game and photog the front of any cartridge and it'll add, while you input the data.

Doesn't work for non-NA though, so you'll need to locate import prices on different sites, of which I use the lovely site with the current going rate of PDS :D

Panzer Dragoon Saga Prices Sega Saturn | Compare Loose, CIB & New Prices

www.pricecharting.com www.pricecharting.com
 
Is anybody here a Sega Saturn expert? What kind of system was it? What were its pros and cons? Would you recommend for retro gaming?
I never knew anyone with a Saturn so I never got to experience it.
 
Finished Stray the other day when I was sick. Short but sweet. It made me think about Shenmue 3 and how it could have been if the entire game was set in Bailu village.
 
BruceWayne911 said:
Is anybody here a Sega Saturn expert? What kind of system was it? What were its pros and cons? Would you recommend for retro gaming?
I never knew anyone with a Saturn so I never got to experience it.
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I can't say I'm particularly an expert but figured I'd at least respond so that a thread can get going. I bought a Saturn and a Satiator (a type of "ODE") but actually haven't really been spending too much time playing it.

In general the reputation is that there were a bunch of great games in the Japanese market that were never localized (and therefore the US library is not considered as impressive), but now there have been fan translations on games such as Shining Force III, Dragon Force II, and Policenauts, for example. The strength of the library is in 2D fighters/Arcade type games, strategy RPGs, Panzer Dragoon series, and definitely a few unique individual games.

Sega Lord X is a youtuber who's favorite system is the Saturn. Here are two videos that cover his favorite 25 games, and you can probably go through a bunch of his other Saturn videos and learn a lot.




I'm sure you can get more info inside of the dedicated Saturn thread - https://www.shenmuedojo.com/forum/index.php?threads/sega-saturn.3795/
 
BruceWayne911 said:
Is anybody here a Sega Saturn expert? What kind of system was it? What were its pros and cons? Would you recommend for retro gaming?
I never knew anyone with a Saturn so I never got to experience it.
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It is great system that never got a proper chance due to Sega screwing up the marketing and the strong competion.

What type of games do you like? If you like beatiful 2d games than it is worth a recommendation for sure. The Saturn is also way better with 3d graphics than it's reputation. Games like burning rangers, the panzer dragoon series, sega rally are really quite good locking but in general it was easier to get out good results with the ps1.

It is a good system if you like japanese games. For fans of western games it is not as good.
 
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9dragons said:
It is great system that never got a proper chance due to Sega screwing up the marketing and the strong competion.

What type of games do you like? If you like beatiful 2d games than it is worth a recommendation for sure. The Saturn is also way better with 3d graphics than it's reputation. Games like burning rangers, the panzer dragoon series, sega rally are really quite good locking but in general it was easier to get out good results with the ps1.

It is a good system if you like japanese games. For fans of western games it is not as good.
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Honestly I'll give any game a try except for turn based Rpgs.
 
BruceWayne911 said:
Is anybody here a Sega Saturn expert? What kind of system was it? What were its pros and cons? Would you recommend for retro gaming?
I never knew anyone with a Saturn so I never got to experience it.
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I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I have bought a variety of games for the system a long time ago.

The Sega Saturn is replete with jrpgs and arcade ports. I would only purchase one if you're a fan of both genres.
Also, get yourself a memory cartridge because its internal memory is faulty.

Feel free to ask me any further questions which pertains to the console.
 
thepeaguy83 said:
I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I have bought a variety of games for the system a long time ago.

The Sega Saturn is replete with jrpgs and arcade ports. I would only purchase one if you're a fan of both genres.
Also, get yourself a memory cartridge because its internal memory is faulty.

Feel free to ask me any further questions which pertains to the console.
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1. True, those would be the two types of games that are most-abundant. That and sports games, dating sims, mahjong titles and more.
2. No, I would not purchase, "only if you're a fan." That's your opinion AND while RPGs is a genre, Arcade ports aren't. If you can afford it, there is a wealth of genres and fantastic games to be played.
3. Completely false; the internal memory is rock-solid and works with 0 issues. The problem is that the internal memory doesn't hold a lot of space.

And don't just buy any memory cart, get either a Gameshark or Pro Action Replay 4-in-1. The PAR makes the Gameshark obsolete (as it allows you to play games that require a RAM cart), but I find that the Gameshark fits better in the cartridge slot, where the PAR doesn't sit well and eventually you need to prop it up somehow.
 
In response to Truck:

I had a Sega Saturn in the 1990s, so I'm aware of its flaws. Its internal memory can erase itself on a whim. Speaking from experience, if you had to play a lengthy jrpg like Shining Force 3 (all 3 scenarios), you'd feel frustrated when all your efforts are erased outright. That's why I suggested buying a back up memory accessory.

I don't know what the bloke's gaming predilections are, but I will assume that he's not a sports fanatic.

If you want to purchase a Sega Saturn, it's all about the 2D arcade ports, shumups and the jrpgs. You can acquire sports titles from other consoles of that era, anyway, The Saturn offered nothing unique to the table, sports wise.
 
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Guys, you had different Saturn models judging by your location, so its possible your motherboard revisions presented their own quirkiness.

@BruceWayne911 I don't know if you're targeting for real hardware or emulation (building a fake saturn or mini version with raspberry pi alikes). In case its the first scenario Im attaching some info about composite video output quality & regions, as it will be important for your better choose.
https://www.retrorgb.com/saturncompare.html

But if it's the latter allow me to prompt you to wait for further progress and price democratization in FPGA hardware emulation. Probably you already heard thats the big bass. One day that will bring us Saturn with raytracing for example.

In terms of game catalogue, try some titles released also on psx. Being so different systems in the graphics pipeline, the visuals had notable differences between ports. Its very obvious at Dead or Alive for example, the PSX uses intensively goraud shading and flat colors while the Saturn lacks the lightning but totally texture map the models.
Also, try and give a chance to one turn-based rpg, Panzer Dragoon Saga. It's very enjoyable and the mechanics reminds more casual mobile turn-rpgs than the most hardcore ones.
 
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For me, it was the second model. However, the save data erasure was a common problem for SS owners like me.

When I purchased a memory cart, I've not looked back since, rofl.
 
thepeaguy83 said:
I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I have bought a variety of games for the system a long time ago.

The Sega Saturn is replete with jrpgs and arcade ports. I would only purchase one if you're a fan of both genres.
Also, get yourself a memory cartridge because its internal memory is faulty.

Feel free to ask me any further questions which pertains to the console.
Click to expand...

Seaman said:
Guys, you had different Saturn models judging by your location, so its possible your motherboard revisions presented their own quirkiness.

@BruceWayne911 I don't know if you're targeting for real hardware or emulation (building a fake saturn or mini version with raspberry pi alikes). In case its the first scenario Im attaching some info about composite video output quality & regions, as it will be important for your better choose.
https://www.retrorgb.com/saturncompare.html

But if it's the latter allow me to prompt you to wait for further progress and price democratization in FPGA hardware emulation. Probably you already heard thats the big bass. One day that will bring us Saturn with raytracing for example.

In terms of game catalogue, try some titles released also on psx. Being so different systems in the graphics pipeline, the visuals had notable differences between ports. Its very obvious at Dead or Alive for example, the PSX uses intensively goraud shading and flat colors while the Saturn lacks the lightning but totally texture map the models.
Also, try and give a chance to one turn-based rpg, Panzer Dragoon Saga. It's very enjoyable and the mechanics reminds more casual mobile turn-rpgs than the most hardcore ones.
Click to expand...

I'll definitely have to checkout the Saturn if it has tons of shumps. I'll give Panzer Dragoon Saga a shot.
 
BruceWayne911 said:
I'll definitely have to checkout the Saturn if it has tons of shumps. I'll give Panzer Dragoon Saga a shot.
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Radiant Silvergun, in particular, is a classic for that console. (That's if you don't already have the XBox 360 version of the game.)

Other recommendations I can give you are:-

Dragon Force
P Dragoon 1, Zwei and Saga
Shining Wisdom (similar to Zelda games)
Story of Thor/Beyond Oasis 2
Burning Rangers
Rayman
Pandemonium
Clockwork Knight
Castlevania: SotN
Guardian Heroes
Duke Nukem 3D
Quake
Die Hard Trilogy
Alien Trilogy
Die Hard Arcade
Nights & Xmas Nights
Linkle Liver Story
Thunder Force V
Steep Slope Sliders


...and many more to come...

If you like srpgs, I can recommend some, if you want.
 
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