Saturn Saturn appreciation thread

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

The Sega Saturn is a beautiful looking system.

(Image taken from retrorepairsandrefurbs.com)

I think it has my favorite design of all of the Sega systems; I own a black system identical to the image above, but I'd also love to own a gray model at some point. I don't usually feel the need to own more than one kind of a system, but the system has such a nice, sleek look to it!

I'm a very new owner of a Sega Saturn, and lacked a means of playing through the system comfortably through emulation, so I haven't had a long period of time to play through much of its library just yet. Those that I have played, such as Sega Rally Championship and Virtua Racing, look and play great! Sega Rally sure is difficult to get first place, but it's certainly a fun time!

Fighting games being my favorite genre helps quite a bit, given the Saturn's reputation for well-made arcade ports of classics like Vampire Savior and Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold. More obscure fighters like Waku-Waku 7 and Groove On Fight are also very unique outings for the time! Of course, the 3D fighters on the system such as Virtua Fighter, Dead or Alive, and Fighting Vipers all have a low-poly charm to them, and are great in their own right, too!

I look forward to seeing the rest of what the system has to offer - titles rarely mentioned outside of the Sega bubble, such as Astal, Shinobi X, Princess Crown, Guardian Heroes, and the Shining Force titles are all games I plan to check out in the near future!

Last Bronx is a 3D fighter that’s worth checking out from what I hear!

 

[LaserMoose]

Last Bronx is a 3D fighter that’s worth checking out from what I hear!

It definitely is! Too many fighters to list, haha. It's a fighting game player's dream on the Saturn!

 

[stealthRUSH stealthRUSH]

In case of emergency for your fix

Saturn.fm

saturn.fm

 

[cjl8336]

Go for it! If you like Doom or any FPS then it'll be a pretty enjoyable game for you

it's built off Duke Nukem 3D engine I think, I remember this game being called exhumed on PS1

 

[SpcDaicon]

The Saturn always had this air of mytery around it for me.

Although Sega was popular in Brazil, video games were still expensive and hard to come by and, since the Saturn didn't had a good support outside Japan, it's presence here was minimal.

I've completely "skipped" the Satrun and only "discoveried" it after I heard about it years later. To me Sega's console were Master System > Mega Drive (Genesis) > Dreamcast (for years I tought the Dreamcast, the Playstation 1 and the Nintendo 64 were in the same generation) which is a shame since the Saturn looks like a really fun system.

I actauly tried to emulate it to play Princess Crown but struggled mapping the controls and gave up. Recently, I saw online a store selling an USB Saturn controller so I think I might buy it and play some Saturn

 

[DunkeyKong]

it's built off Duke Nukem 3D engine I think, I remember this game being called exhumed on PS1

Yeah it was called a Slave Driver engine they've built from the ground up, it was called exhumed in EU

 

[PaleFolklore]

I'm still a bit divided on my preference for Saturn emulators...but it's nice to see many are still supported, considering how complex the Saturn can be, in regards to emulation.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

Just played some Saturn again today. It seems like daily I am in school, excited to go home and play Saturn. Today was a racing day. I played Virtua Racing and found it to be engaging, but ultimately very rough. I love the look of the game, and took to the handling this time around, but the game is super punishing in ways that feel not very good to play.
Messes around in SEGA Rally. Great as always and an easy recommendation from me on Saturn. Just make sure you get used to the handling because it handles unlike any racing game I’ve ever played. Not bad, but definitely different.

And then, my beloved, Daytona. I love to play this game. I was trying to learn how to power slide, and was ultimately unsuccessful, but it was still a blast. Daytona almost has too strong of a grip on me, as I can restart a race over and over again and never get frustrated or bored.

 

[LaserMoose]

And then, my beloved, Daytona. I love to play this game. I was trying to learn how to power slide, and was ultimately unsuccessful, but it was still a blast. Daytona almost has too strong of a grip on me, as I can restart a race over and over again and never get frustrated or bored.

The spoiler details what I've been doing to powerslide. The mile marker I use may be incorrect, as I can't use my Saturn at the moment to double-check. There seem to be quite a few methods to powerslide!

Spoiler: Daytona USA Drifting Tip

For powersliding, I've found it easiest when going near the curve, downshifting to second gear until your car is around 180 mph (if I remember right) and holding the dpad towards the direction that you are turning. Then you shift back into 3rd/4th gear - no braking necessary. It has been very fun practicing on the beginner stage's last turn!

 

[Pjira]

All of these games were great. There are still more Saturn games, especially a lot of fan translated stuff.

 

[Antilocal123]

Tell this Saturn guy to gain some self-confidence, why should we praise him?!

 

[bigstinkie]

The Sega Saturn is a beautiful looking system.

very swag
in my hoomblest urbanion the white saturn model is the most visually pleasing of all the game consoles
it manages to cross the gap between a fashionable piece of electronics but with enough flair to make it stand out from the vcr

 

[ThunderBoy]

 

[MetHy]

it's built off Duke Nukem 3D engine I think, I remember this game being called exhumed on PS1

Yeah it was called a Slave Driver engine they've built from the ground up, it was called exhumed in EU

Both of these statements are true but not for the same versions. This game(s) had an interesting development history, as despite coming out first, the Saturn version was not the first version made.

The DOS version was developed first, initially under the name Ruins - Return of the Gods, and it was to be published by 3D Realms, hence the use of the Build Engine. However 3D Realms decided to cut ties with third party to concentrate on internal projects (Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior); from there, since much of the DOS version was made, Lobotomy Software managed to license the Build Engine and went on to find a new publisher to release the game, and presumably that new publisher deal included console versions which is why the Saturn version exists. The DOS version was pretty much done at that point, which is why once it eventually released, long after Duke Nukem 3D, it seemed outdated (on top of the fact that the version of the Build Engine they licensed when they cut ties with 3D Realms was at that point also outdated) since they had an entire new game, the Saturn version, to make in the meantime.

If you know anything about the difference between computer and console gaming at the time, you know that releasing CPU heavy games on consoles that on the contrary emphasize on dedicated 3D hardware is a terrible idea, see for instance how laggy Doom on Saturn or Duke Nukem 3D on PSX are. This is probably why the Saturn version is a completely different game, with its own 3D engine, only sharing assets with the DOS version. Then this Saturn version was ported to PSX a year later with some extra changes.

What adds to the confusion between engines is that after this, Lobotomy Software also ported Duke Nukem 3D (and Quake) to Saturn under Slavedriver, the Powerslave engine. From what I've seen, they're some of the best 3D the Saturn got.

 

[Viviana Santos]

These three games are by far my favorite Sega Saturn games.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

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All of these games were great. There are still more Saturn games, especially a lot of fan translated stuff.

WHAT A LINEUP! It’s more niche appealing than what was on other consoles of the time, but that doesn’t mean a thing to us! Good games are good games, and this is a great mix of some of the best games from the biggest genre’s you saw on this delightful beast!

Post automatically merged: Apr 21, 2025

View attachment 60522View attachment 60523View attachment 60524These three games are by far my favorite Sega Saturn games.

I love that you used all three region’s covers!
PAL games have frustrating long boxes, but I love the look of their logos and such. I think they have the nicest packaging design, and I’d love to get PAL Nights someday because the cover art for that region is by far my favorite (though no shade to the Japanese cover, which I already own!)

 

[bigstinkie]

seeing princess crown's burst in popularity has been great
i remember telling people about it years ago with my little 2005 gradriel figure but interest seemed low then

 

[Pjira]

WHAT A LINEUP! It’s more niche appealing than what was on other consoles of the time, but that doesn’t mean a thing to us! Good games are good games, and this is a great mix of some of the best games from the biggest genre’s you saw on this delightful beast!

Post automatically merged: Apr 21, 2025

Thanks, also this called attention that for some reason I forgot half of a sentence in that post.
Of course there are more Saturn games than what I posted, there are more I still need to play lol

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

Any cool games you’ve all been playing on Saturn in the last couple days?

 

[PhrawzT]

I started playing Lunar last night, enjoying it so far.

 

[TwoTain]

Yesterday I could finally set Mednafen to work and I'm doing a dive through Saturn's games. I started with Nights Into Dreams which I never played before and I have a lot to say.
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First of all, I would say that playing Saturn nowadays is a magical experience, even when emulating it and not playing in the traditional way. Saturn is a console that brought me the experience and energy of the 90s, even though I didn't live through that era. I felt all the aesthetics of that era in my few hours of gameplay, and even when emulating it I felt like I was playing on the home console (thanks Mednafen for being a great emulator). I also tested other games to pass the time like Asuka 120 Limited and I can say that the experience was the same.
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Do you have similar thoughts about this console? I still plan on playing a lot of games on it, so feel free to recommend games to me if you want. In my opinion, Saturn is a console that should be more valued even today. I wish there were more emulators for it, even though it is one of the most difficult consoles to emulate due to its 8 cores. I believe in its potential to revive memories and the spirit of the 90s.

The Saturn library has a very specific appeal but when you find a gem, it is nothing short of legendary. Stuff like Baroque, Sakura Wars, Panzer Dragoon Saga, etc. Getting my hands on a SAROO and using it with my NTSC console really opened my eyes to how special the library is.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

Check out these amazing SEGA Saturn setups shared courtesy of The SEGA Guys!

I’m loving the Virtua Fighter love on these!

I way prefer this PAL region collection! Such a shame that PAL games can get so scuffed up, because they look BEAUTIFUL when they’re all together.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

They played SEGA Rally for 30 minutes.

 

[YULEcannon]

Aside from awesome battles with my older brother in Virtua fighter and Fighting Vipers, I remember enjoying the Clockwork Knight demo quite a lot. Only reason I never rented that game back in the day, is because Darkstalkers' Revenge was amazing, and I could never NOT grab that game whenever I saw it at the video store.

 

[Deleted member 3339]

definitely my favorite game on saturn

God Tier Soundtrack