SEGA SATURN - the discussion thread

[MartyG]

I have 3 of these. Two black Saturns and a Hi-Saturn.

Every game lover should own this machine, if only for Sega Rally ( which I still play ) and Panzer Dragoon Saga. If you like 2D fighters and shooters the Saturn is a must buy.

[Mr_Sands]

I'd love to get one of those 'This is cool' saturns. Cos they are indeed cool.

[Kotatsu Neko]

Burning rangers ain't all that really, a good acheivement back in the day but today it is blurry and almost unplayable, the game has alot of potential and was screaming out for a dreamcast update which would smooth everything over.

That's true but I do still really enjoy Burning Rangers. It's a great idea for a game and plays well despite the rough graphics. It really is amazing for the Saturn too, transparency was very hard to achieve on the machine (unless you limited it to a 2D playfield) and BR is absolutely full of the stuff. Plus all the lighting effects, it's an amazing piece of code.

Love the anime intro too which as well as being fantastically well animated is also a great demo of just how great Saturn FMV quality was by the end of the machine's life. It really had come a long way since the dark days of Panzer Dragoon 1's postage stamp sized blocky FMV.

It has a great intro song too

[Team Andromeda]

That's true but I do still really enjoy Burning Rangers. It's a great idea for a game and plays well despite the rough graphics. It really is amazing for the Saturn too, transparency was very hard to achieve on the machine (unless you limited it to a 2D playfield) and BR is absolutely full of the stuff. Plus all the lighting effects, it's an amazing piece of code.

Love the anime intro too which as well as being fantastically well animated is also a great demo of just how great Saturn FMV quality was by the end of the machine's life. It really had come a long way since the dark days of Panzer Dragoon 1's postage stamp sized blocky FMV.

It has a great intro song too

I agree it was amazing pice of code, given what Sonic Team were asking the Saturn to do Although technically they are still a 2D playfield (just vertical).

You?re right about the intro too, though Astal an early Saturn game had an amazing intro (every bit as good as on the PS and full screen) plus thatalso had a great song in the intro.

I love the Saturn it?s by far and adway the best Console I?ve owned

[crazymadone]

there is one on ebay right now

the seller has that and final fight revenge

only $214 and $174 respectively

FFS! $214 for Asra Superstars.the last time i saw one was about 8-10 months ago, and i thought ?65 was expensive!

[hankwangford]

I agree it was amazing pice of code, given what Sonic Team were asking the Saturn to do Although technically they are still a 2D playfield (just vertical).

Ummm... what?

[Team Andromeda]

Ummm... what?

You know it?s not a real 3D transparency effect(even though it looks like).

Sonic Team made create use of VDP 2 to display the VDP 2 Flat Playfiled filed vertically (When in most games it?s flat and used for floors ect) to given the impression of 3D transparent explosions .

If you look at them closely you?ll see they are flat (never see the sides) and nothing more than clever use of the playfiled

[buster_broon]

X-men vs Street Fighter + RAM
King of Fighters Best Collection
Groove on Fight
Street Fighter Collection

Just added them to my collection - now looking out for a radiant silvergun

2 finished on ebay tonight - 1 in america for ?70 and 1 in the UK for ?122

feck me

[anephric]

I've bid on US RS auctions before to try and get a slightly lower finishing price...

I would've well gone for that @ ?70.

[buster_broon]

I would've well gone for that @ ?70.

i was going to but i didnt expect the Uk one to go up by so much

they were at the same price ish at the same time

[Kubrick]

With the dollar being so weak, there's never been a better time to buy RSG.

Just been watching superplay videos of someone rinsing the absolute arse out of it...Think I'm gonna have to get another copy of it again sometime.

[Kotatsu Neko]

You know it?s not a real 3D transparency effect(even though it looks like).

Sonic Team made create use of VDP 2 to display the VDP 2 Flat Playfiled filed vertically (When in most games it?s flat and used for floors ect) to given the impression of 3D transparent explosions .

If you look at them closely you?ll see they are flat (never see the sides) and nothing more than clever use of the playfiled

Are you saying that all the transparencies (including all the transparent glass walls) are rendered into a playfield, then composited transparently into the frame buffer?

Interesting. Possible I guess but hell to sort as the thing would have no Z value. I did notice that the glass walls were not at screen res, but 1/4 res scaled up though. So something clever is going on.

The lighting is interesting too. I gather Saturn had no hardware gourad shading, you had to draw the blends yourself in software! Insane. But what a machine when fully tamed.

[dataDave]

With the dollar being so weak, there's never been a better time to buy RSG.

...Or to tip American strippers generously, as I just found out.

[Team Andromeda]

Are you saying that all the transparencies (including all the transparent glass walls) are rendered into a playfield, then composited transparently into the frame buffer?

Interesting. Possible I guess but hell to sort as the thing would have no Z value. I did notice that the glass walls were not at screen res, but 1/4 res scaled up though. So something clever is going on.

The lighting is interesting too. I gather Saturn had no hardware gourad shading, you had to draw the blends yourself in software! Insane. But what a machine when fully tamed.

Basically yes . Play the game again you see the explosions are perfectly flat and using the same plane (plus you?ll never see the sides as it?s flat not matter what angle you try and look from).
It was great use of the VDP 2.
Only bad part was the shadows and even the transporting effect had to use that crappy mesh effect (as they were 3D effects).

I?m think the Saturn had Hardware support for gourad shading. Doesn?t Fighting Vipers make use of it ?

[msm13579]

i had no intention of buying RSG but a bit ago saw a US ebay auction with it cheap and just stuck in a bid for ?65, and won! very pleased