Just got me a sega saturn woo hoo!

[Turd Furgason]

For $20 -

 

Anybody know of any must have games for it - i know the saturn library is not exactly the strongest but im sure there are some good games.

 

 

Any suggestions?

[uglyclone]

Dragon Force is my favorite Saturn game.

[Impaler_26]

I had a Saturn until a few years ago. Here are some games i liked on that machine:

 

The 3 Panzer Dragoon games (especially Panzer Dragoon Saga was great), Nights + Christmas Nights, Sega Rally, Deep Fear, Dragon Force, Thunderforce V, Mystaria, Shining: The Holy Ark, Shining Force 3 - Part 1 (brilliant strategy game, too bad the other 2 parts weren't released outside of japan), Keio Flying Squadron 2, Tempest 2000, Resident Evil, Rayman...

 

There are enough fantastic games released for the Saturn. Just be sure to read reviews before you buy a game coz there are also quite a few turds (like for every console).

[Reaperman]

actually the saturn library is very strong. Off the top of my head I can think of so many good titles for it. here's a good cross section:

 

virtua cop 2

fighters megamix

Mr. Bones

die hard arcade

nights

sega touring car championship

manx tt superbike

xmen vs. street fighter (import and requires extra ram)

castlevania sotn (import but better than psx version if you can get past the language barrier)

radiant silvergun (expensive import)

panzer dragoon saga (just retarded expensive)

[8th lutz]

I got a Sega Saturn last year.

 

Here are some of the Sega Saturn games I enjoy playing based on what I have:

 

Panzer Dragoon

Sega Ages

Shining in the Holy Ark

Nights

Darius Gaiden

Bubble Bobble also featuring Rainbow Islands

Guardian Heroes

Virtua Cop

Virtua Cop 2

Virtua Fighter 2

Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits

[2600Lives]

A great, underrated game is SCUD The Disposable Assassin. Excellent stuff, and you have the option of using the light gun on some stages.

 

The Saturn is actually loaded with great games. Fighters Megamix is just INSANELY good. Burning Force is also excellent, but hella expensive. Guardian Heroes, Last Bronx, Legend Of Oasis, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Three Ditry Dwarves, all excellent titles. I suggest getting a few things for it. A Game Shark is essential for the system, not because of the cheats, but because it has built in flash memory and the ability to play import titles. Also, get the 3-D control pad so you can fully enjoy Nights.

[nonner242]

I love:

 

(imports****)

 

Marvel vs SF****

Galactic Attack

Assualt Suit Leynos 2 (Series....Cybernator on SNES, Target Eart on Genesis)****

In the Hunt (Irems Great sub shooter)

Dungeons & Dragons Collection (Only Arcade port of the awesome Capcom game)****

Panzer Dragoon Saga

Radiant Silvergun ($$$$)****

Battle Gregga****

House of the Dead

Blazing Rangers

Street Fighter Collection

Metal Slug****

Hercs Adventure

Macross Games (Robotech games)****

 

It has so many game for it to list.

Imports are a must.

[shadow460]

Here are a few I like:

$ Virtual On: Operation Moongate (even better if you can get the NetLink, Twin Stick, and Direct Link to go with it)

$ Shining the Holy Ark

Command & Conquer

Virtua Cop 1 and 2

Area 51

Gex

Off World Interceptor Extreme (not for the kids, though)

$ Enemy Zero

Sega Touring Car

NiGHTS into Dreams

$ Christmas NiGHTS

Worldwide Soccer: Victory Goal Edition

Either of the Arcade's Greatest Hits titles.

$ Saturn Bomberman

 

Games with great ratings that I don't like (but you might):

$ Shining Force III

$ Burning Rangers

 

Try to grab a 3D pad or two for the system, also try for a couple of Sega light guns or a Super Cobra. Also try to get an official Backup cartridge. To play imports you either need a modchip, an Action Replay 4 in 1, or a Game Shark. I have a Game Shark for that, but YMMV with one.

 

The ones I marked with a dollar sign are likely to cost you a bit of money, BTW, but they are worth it.

Edited January 12, 2009 by shadow460

[RickHarrisMaine]

Panzer Dragoon Saga is quite expensive, and while I'd like it, I'm intrigued by the idea of getting the import version, Azel RPG (or something like that) which is a lot cheaper, and with my Gameshark, I could play.

 

Panzer Dragoon

Skeleton Warriors

Virtual Cop 1 and 2

 

man, this has basically become about my fave system....

 

Wing Arms is highly underrated too....

[8th lutz]

I forgot to mention that it is likely that Guardian Heroes will cost you a lot of money if you want it. Guardian Heroes should cost you at least $50.00 if you don't import it.

 

Panzer Dragoon Saga and Shining Force 3 should cost way more than Guardian Heroes will without doing the import route.

 

Panzer Dragoon Saga and Shining Force 3 are know to go three digits in price on ebay.

Edited January 12, 2009 by 8th lutz

[Turd Furgason]

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions guys - the console actually came with a few games. It came with Nights - so i will play through that as soon as i replace the cr2032 battery today....now i have a long list of games to look for .

 

 

Thanks again

 

-Turd

[shadow460]

I forgot to mention that it is likely that Guardian Heroes will cost you a lot of money if you want it. Guardian Heroes should cost you at least $50.00 if you don't import it.

 

Panzer Dragoon Saga and Shining Force 3 should cost way more than Guardian Heroes will without doing the import route.

 

Panzer Dragoon Saga and Shining Force 3 are know to go three digits in price on ebay.

 

I've seen PDS in the $200 range, and SFIII between $75 and $125. I hear good things about them. I haven't played PDS, but I did play SF III and I just couldn't get into it.

[Lord Thag]

I just took the plung into Saturn territory myself. It's very good, I'm ashamed I didn't give it more of a chance back in the day. My current favorites are Iron Storm, Duke Nukem 2D, Nights, Alien Trilogy, and Shinobi (gotta love those FMV cut scenes!)

 

Damn good system. Pretty cheap too. I lucked out on a game store clearance and got three decks and about twenty games all told.

[shadow460]

I just took the plung into Saturn territory myself. It's very good, I'm ashamed I didn't give it more of a chance back in the day. My current favorites are Iron Storm, Duke Nukem 2D, Nights, Alien Trilogy, and Shinobi (gotta love those FMV cut scenes!)

 

Damn good system. Pretty cheap too. I lucked out on a game store clearance and got three decks and about twenty games all told.

 

lol, now it's time to go pawn your valuables, empty your bank account, and go beg for food on the street corner. You're gonna need it after you get hooked on buying Saturn titles.

[Artlover]

No love for Sonic Jam or Clockwork Knights?

 

Panzer Dragoon, eh... Yeah, it's good, but remember: Pop-in-a-rific

[+remowilliams]

Panzer Dragoon, eh... Yeah, it's good, but remember: Pop-in-a-rific

I'll take that any day over the PS1 which couldn't draw a friggin straight line in 3D. And hello screen door view!

[pinball22]

No love for Sonic Jam or Clockwork Knights?

 

I definitely love Clockwork Knight. Not the longest game, but quite fun. I also second whoever said Skeleton Warriors.

If you like point-and-click adventure games, get Blazing Dragons... it's good and very funny. If you like Bomberman, Saturn Bomberman is a good one.

[+Cafeman]

The Clockwork Knight games are really nice, very interesting and can be addictive for a while. Gameplay is a nice mix of easy parts and challenging parts. The bosses are all quite unique. The visuals are unlike any other game! Visuals are smooth and fluid with lots of colors, very "cheesy" but not especially "Cute" - more "strange" in an odd, baroque styling. Music is especially good on the first one (I think it is redbook CD audio, where CK2 uses chip tunes which are still good, but not quite as much presence as in part 1).

 

CK2 especially has nice FX and gameplay -- SEGA added the challenge of finding 4 playing cards in each section; I found it fun and especially challenging to find & touch every card. If you miss a card, you cannot go back and try again if you complete the level so you have to quickly die on purpose in the barao-baro (donkey riding) parts to return to the checkpoint and try again to nab that card. All the bosses from Ck1 and in Ck2 as well.

 

There's also between-stages gambling and that can really be addictive as well, gambling your coins to win extra coins/lives/goodies, while the female toy stares at you with an almost unsettling look.

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

I forgot to mention that it is likely that Guardian Heroes will cost you a lot of money if you want it. Guardian Heroes should cost you at least $50.00 if you don't import it.

 

Panzer Dragoon Saga and Shining Force 3 should cost way more than Guardian Heroes will without doing the import route.

 

Panzer Dragoon Saga and Shining Force 3 are know to go three digits in price on ebay.

 

I lucked out a couple months ago and picked up a Saturn package from a guy at work. It came with a model 2 system, regular controller, 3d controller, 2 stunners, and an ST-Key to play imports. For games it came with a few US games, the notable ones being Shining Force III and Guardian Heroes. For Japanese games, there were a few but the only one of note was Radiant Silvergun. All the games were complete except that the import games did not have spine cards. The total for this goodness: $150.

 

JY

[Atariman]

No love for Sonic Jam or Clockwork Knights?

 

I definitely love Clockwork Knight. Not the longest game, but quite fun. I also second whoever said Skeleton Warriors.

If you like point-and-click adventure games, get Blazing Dragons... it's good and very funny. If you like Bomberman, Saturn Bomberman is a good one.

 

And I'll vouch for Sonc Jam - as far as I know this is the only Sonic compilation that allows you to turn on the spin dash for Sonic 1. The "museum"-type stuff in the pre-Sonic Adventure-type level is pretty good as well.

[famicommander]

i know the saturn library is not exactly the strongest

False. The SEGA Saturn is far and away the best console I've ever laid hands on. Try these:

-Virtua Fighter 2

-Fighters Megamix

-NiGHTS Into Dreams

-Panzer Dragoon

-Panzer Dragoon Zwei

-Panzer Dragoon Saga

-Radiant Silvergun

-Dragon Force

-Astal

-Saturn Bomberman

-Virtua Cop

-Guardian Heroes

-Thunderforce

-Burning Rangers

-Shinobi Legions

-Shining Force III

-Shining the Holy Ark

-The House of the Dead

-Clockworks Knight 1 and 2

-Rayman

-Gunbird

 

And so many others...

[phaxda]

Well, partially due to this thread, I picked up a cheap Saturn on eBay yesterday. Thanks for all the good game recommendations. I bough only a bare deck, so I will need a controller. I saw the 3D ones mentioned here and am assuming these are better controllers than the 3rd-party cheapies I am seeing offered for auction? Really looking forward to playing this--just need the a controller and maybe a couple more games (I have an NHL game and Madden '97 that I have been holding onto for years).

[Turd Furgason]

i actually just found a second one for 5 bucks....no controllers though.....if you having trouble finding games you can always DL them and do the old Disc Swap ....i have heard that this can hurt the moter in the cd rom drive over time.....i have had no problems though...you just gotta be quick

[+Cafeman]

Here's my Sega Saturn in-depth description of what I have and had:

 

System: I'm on my 2nd Saturn, first one stopped reading discs and would reboot after playing for like 15 minutes or so. Because of this, it took me all summer to beat a certain part of Panzer Dragoon Saga because I couldn't get to a save in the Tower before the system would reboot!

 

Extras: I have several standard USA pads and japanese pads, several NiGHTS 3D control pads, the multi-tap for Saturn Bombmeran, and the 5-in-1 Action replay which I leave in the system at all times because the cart got has gotten finicky, and sometimes it is too hard to find the cart 'sweet spot'.

 

Games:

 

Astal -- posterboy for Saturn's 2D FX and color capabilities - large well-animated sprites; can get difficult; a must-own for 2D platform fans

Baku Baku Animal -- a must-own for Tetris/Columns style puzzle game fans. The 2-player competition is cut-throat and fun - wifey and I played against each other many many nights.

Bug! -- don't knock it till you've tried it. A fun game if not AAA-calibre. Gets difficult to beat.

Burning Rangers -- very unique game which I love and hate. Love fire fighting and finding & rescuing victims; Hate the broken dialogue (especially what the victims say when you rescue them, GROAN!) and hate the swimming parts. The bosses are pretty cool as are the types of fire.

Clockwork Knight -- short but 32-bit specialness - it has really good music quality.

Clockwork Knight 2 -- much longer than part 1 and more fun/rewarding to play.

Darius Gaiden -- one of my most favorite 2d horizontal shooters. Great port!

Daytona USA -- I never play this, graphics are too busted. Fun for a few games but very dated now.

Daytona USA CCE -- racing action not as sweet as part 1 but more solid visuals and more tracks/variations. If you love Daytona USA, both are worth owning and are cheap.

Dead or Alive (import) -- technically uber-impressive on Saturn, perhaps the best fighter of the 32-bit era, and loads o'fun. I sold it after tiring of fighters and needed money though.

Die Hard Arcade -- awesome SEGA fun! beat'em up.

Duke Nukem 3D -- super-awesome port of the PC game w/bonus unlockable multiplayer death tank game.

Earthworm Jim 2 -- just like on Genesis this isn't as special as the original Genesis game, but is certainly a fun and weird platformer with greatly enhanced bg visuals and music. Can get frustrating in several levels.

F1 Challenge - fun for a while and not horrible, but very dated now.

Fighters Megamix -- great fun, expecially in 1-player mode when you first go through all the rows of fighters unlocking more fighters to control as you go! Visually its 60fps w/great animation but very low res, even for Saturn.

Galactic Attack -- Layer Section. Great vertical shmup.

Guardian Heroes -- kind of rare and moderately expensive; a frantic 2d fantasy hack'em up/beat'em up by Treasure - nothing else like it and undead soldier ROCKS!

In the Hunt -- submarine game with lots o'slowdown and a glitch which makes you unplug your controller when booting it up, just so it will work. Kind of awesome but slow and tough game. I believe the PSX version is better.

Last Bronx -- another technical masterpiece from Sega AM2 along the lines of Virtua Fighter, but with weapons. I never really liked this one as much as VF games.

Legend of Oasis -- I sold this because the gamestyle isnt' my liking (top-down style fight/puzzle adventure). Awesome presentation, art and color usage.

The Lost World (Jurassic Park) - get the 2nd version on PSX if you can find it; less frustration and glitches. Still playable but REALLY HARD. Use a level skip code.

Manx TT Superbike - short and marred by the rubberiest rubber-band racers you'll ever see, but combined with the 3D analog controller this is fun for many races! Very good visuals on Saturn!

Marvel Super Heroes -- I love this game, but it is on the slow-side compared to the ram-cart enhanced Saturn 2D fighters/DC fighters. It has an Infinity Gem gameplay mechanism (if you grab a gem, you get enhanced abilities as long as you possess it during the fight) which is not in any other Capcom heroes fighter. My 5-in-1 RAM cart actually causes this game to be SLOWER so its not worth using to me.

Marvel VS Street Fighter (import game needed 4MEG RAM cart) -- this is my favorite Saturn fighter; very similar to XMvsSF but I like this one much better. Very smooth, no loading, great visuals and sound and speed.

Mega Man X3 and X4 -- awesome 32-bit versions of MM! Great visuals.

NHL Powerplay '96 -- this game is very dated but nothing could hold a candle to it back when it came out. Still fun if you aren't spoiled by newer hockey games. I like this version better than the sequel.

NiGHTS into Dreams -- the BEST Saturn game ! If you "get it", you'll play it forever. Magical in every way.

Panzer Dragoon / Panzer Dragoon Zwei -- I still love 'em although I've outgrown them. I prefer the Xbox PD game which is an amalgamation of all the others before it, but these are still great. PD is visually noticeably worse than Zwei - Zwei has some very impressive levels and FX, but the original's story is more gripping to me.

Powerslave -- perfect 10/10 game, a FPS adventure game like Doom/Duke Nukem, but with aliens in an Egyptian motif.

Radiant Silvergun (import) -- awesome Treasure shoot that I'm sure you've read about. I've tried to sell mine but (kinda thankfully) nobody ever bit on it. I've played it so darn much that now it just sits on the shelf, but it is truly an awesome "different take" on vertical shooters. SOme of the best / most polished Saturn visuals. Loads o'screen-filling enemies/shots.

Rayman -- another poster-child for the Saturn's 2D potential. This is, IMHO,the best version of Rayman and the best Rayman game (although Dreamcast Rayman 2 is equally awesome). VERY hard so don't feel guilty cheating with 20-lives codes (you'll still need to earn completing the whole game, evne with the 20-lives cheat code).

Saturn Bomberman -- one of the best Saturn games. A rich, fun game which you'll need the multi-tap to play over 2-player at a time. But the one-player game is fantastic too.

Sega Rally Championship -- easily the best Saturn racer. read some reviews. Still fun and challenging with music that hasn't been topped.

Sega Touring Car championship -- I draw a VF2/Last Bronx analogy here between Sega Rally & Daytona VS this game -- it has its merits and its cut from the same cloth, but I don't like it as much. It is really too much for Saturn - its hard to see corners coming up. WEIRD-O music which I like but don't choose to listen to outside the game.

Shining Force III (USA version) -- a lot of fun and impressive 32-bit 3D version of Sega's infamous RPG series. I eventually sold it for $$ after beating it. It has some of the worst voice-acting in the USA version ever - imagine an effeminate dude with a lisp yelling out "fear my artic blasthhht (blast)".

Shinobi Legions -- we complained about it back in the day, but I think this game is awesome fun with horrible and entertaining FMV cinemas! You ain't lived till you've seen them!

Skeleton Warriors -- I own it but got it late and never played it much.

Sonic 3D Blast -- don't think this is trash - its a fun diversion with eye-blinding color, nice tunes, and super-awesome 3D-versions of Sonic 2 genesis' half-pipe stages. Very fun isometric platformer and nothing else is like it.

Sonic Jam -- sure, its just another collection of Sonic Genesis games, but back in the day it was a dream come true courtesy of Sega. Plus it has a very fun 3D overworld with challenges. You Sonic fans will get a nice warm glow playing it.

Sonic R -- fun for 1 day, then grows old.

Street Fighter Alpha/ Alpha 2 -- Alpha 2 is better due to more content, both are fantastic games.

Street Fighter Collection -- has Super SFII Turbo + a new version of ALpha 2.

Tempest 2000 - just as awesome as any other version. Great music and gameplay. Great port from the Jag!

Three Dirty Dwarves -- a strange 3-player simultaneous 2D beat'em up with some alternative-gameplay style of levels (involving hound dogs, baseball diamonds, and other scenarious), great 2D visuals and different feel to its levels, bosses and stuff. Like many Saturn games, I've never played anything which feels quite like this.

Thunderforce V -- fun but kind of choppy frame rate ruins it for me. I prefer the Genesis games.

Tomb Raider - lots of fun but visually very dated now. PSX version is prettier, but not by much. I loved it back in the day but never play it anymore. Play Anniversary on a newer console!

Virtua Fighter -- only 20-30fps and very few moves in this earlyversion, but razor-clear audio which beats VF2! Give it a listen!

Virtua Fighter Remix -- same as VF but with redrawn visuals make this one much more impressive.

Virtua Fighter 2-- a perfect game and still quite fun, although I've grown tired of it and prefer newer incarnations of VF. It's nice to marvel at and appreciate the 32-bitness of it.

Virtua Racing - a "C" level game at best, not programmed by Sega. Has some fun but the racing itself cant' hold a candle to the 32X VR.

X-men VS Street Fighter (import, needs 4MEG RAM cart) -- I eventually sold this one and then bought Marvel VS SF instead. This game is perfect and loads o'fun -- see my MvsSF comments above.

[Turd Furgason]

boo yow!