Revisiting Sega Saturn

[Shozuki]

I always thought the original Saturn Daytona was the only home version that played like the original arcade. I had the Dreamcast and XLBA versions and they look great but just don't feel like Daytona. I spent ages fiddling with the settings on the DC to get it to handle like the original but even with the steering wheel it was nothing like it. The graphics on the Saturn game didn't bother me too much but it would have been nice to have multiplayer.

Yeah it plays really well, it just could have been much more and maybe helped sell the system to masses? Either way its a ton of fun! Whilst were on the subject, were any of the Saturn steering wheels any good? Can't help but feel these games would be even more fun with one!!

Still haven't quite made it to the games of the Saturn mags yet, as my game of choice for the Saturn is STILL Panzer Dragoon - absolutely loving it. There isn't anything in issue 1 that tickles my fancy though so I may end up skipping to issue 2: Virtua Cop, Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter 2 - Which is gonna be a ton of fun!

[J0e Musashi]

Panzer Dragoon 2 is awesome. It destroys the first game. Easily top three on the Saturn.

[vanpeebles]

My fave saturn game is Gun Frontier, I'm not a big fan of shooters but I loved that one. Super music and a quirky setting.

[Shozuki]

Panzer Dragoon 2 is awesome. It destroys the first game. Easily top three on the Saturn.

That's awesome to hear - the first is a very special game - loving the crap out of it!

[sj33]

I always thought the original Saturn Daytona was the only home version that played like the original arcade. I had the Dreamcast and XLBA versions and they look great but just don't feel like Daytona. I spent ages fiddling with the settings on the DC to get it to handle like the original but even with the steering wheel it was nothing like it. The graphics on the Saturn game didn't bother me too much but it would have been nice to have multiplayer.

I've been trying to tell Krish this. The game is a pure triumph of gameplay, to the extent that the technical drawbacks don't really matter. I had similar issues with the Dreamcast game, it just wasn't the same.

[BigDeadFreak]

Glad I'm not the only one who liked it. It really seemed like a stick to beat the Saturn with for some people when it came out.

Never tried any of the wheels Shozuki but they all looked a bit cheap and plasticy to me. I had a reasonably expensive one for the PS1 but even that had a bit of a Kwik Save feel to it. I think the official Dreamcast one was the first console wheel of any real quality. I'm sure there are adaptors that let you use Dreamcast controllers on the Saturn but I've no idea if they support steering wheels. I can't imagine playing Sega Rally with anything other than a Japanese Saturn pad though, it seems such a perfect combination.

[Baseley09]

Omgz the Panzer games on Saturn are pure fantasy amaze legend.

I've got reasonably far in Hydlide and it is a chore, looks ass, but it has something, it's not entirely without credit. It's better than Alone in the Dark 2.

[Decider-VT]

I always thought the original Saturn Daytona was the only home version that played like the original arcade. I had the Dreamcast and XLBA versions and they look great but just don't feel like Daytona. I spent ages fiddling with the settings on the DC to get it to handle like the original but even with the steering wheel it was nothing like it. The graphics on the Saturn game didn't bother me too much but it would have been nice to have multiplayer.

How do you find the XBLA version different? Apart from resolution and pad, of course.

[BigDeadFreak]

The XBLA version of Daytona? It looks great, really great but apart form that it's a bit poor really. The handling is just like some generic racing game, it really doesn't play like Daytona. Also, there's no local multiplayer which just seems insane.

[Shozuki]

Had a quick spurt of some saturn gaming to calm my nerves after a heavy ZombiU session.... The Saturn really shows how much of an excellent quick gaming machine it is...

I've eulogised massively about the original Panzer Dragoon and seeing as technically I haven't made it to the sequel yet I had a quick run through of the first again. It's truly beautiful and an extremely playable game, I simply love it. Now though I'm onto Christmas '95 games, 1st of which:

Virtua Cop
Lovely game, fluid, crisp (looks absolutely incredible via RGB Scart) and soaked in the 90's. It's really easy though completed it straight away with default settings, but can easily see this and Panzer Dragoon being included in quick Saturn sessions here and there... I don't know how close it is to the arcade version but I can't imagine there's too much difference. The only problem is the same with all Sega ports I've come across so far is the general lack of content... replaying a 30 minute game on hard doesn't really cut it. As usual though I expect it would have been really something special for it to be even playable at home - so I'll take that into account.

A side note - the Saturn gun is also really nice, seems to not need any calibration but works flawlessly, on quick impressions it seems to be better then the G-Con? But I can't be certain of that, if it's not Namco really had to be kept on their toes with this gun's quality... (When was Time Crisis out?)

Looking forward to Sega Rally and the daddy of them all VF2!!

[BigDeadFreak]

I really enjoyed Virtua Cop, probably my favourite gun game and definitely better than the second. It seemed to have a real flow to it. Well done for completing it, I never managed it.

[Shozuki]

I really enjoyed Virtua Cop, probably my favourite gun game and definitely better than the second. It seemed to have a real flow to it. Well done for completing it, I never managed it.

Wha!? Really!? Is the Japanese version nerfed for noobs or something then? I found it quite easy...? Sad to hear the 2nd isn't as good - why is that?

[Sam The Man]

I enjoyed the 2nd and found it to be better than the first with a bit more action and set pieces in it. I played it using the Predator Light Gun which i found pretty good.

Also if you thought Panzer 1 was good wait til you see how much of an improvement Zwei is. Graphics, Framerate & Gameplay i.m.o are all far better.

[Guts]

Man, I loved Virtua Cop 2 in the arcade back in the day as a kid. Spend almost all of my pocket money for it and other classics. Precious memories. The jewelry store robbery, the car chase etc. Must have played it dozens of times, but could never beat it.

[Shozuki]

Starting to feel like I glitched my game with all you peeps talking about how impossible these games are...