Saturn Saturn Recommendations?

[StarFeline]

Hello! Recently I've watched a Did You Know Gaming episode translating old Japanese gaming magazines. Apparently, the N64 did very poorly in Japan and the rest of the world compared to their expectations. On one screen I saw that the SEGA SATURN had twice as many games as the N64 did throughout its whole lifespan. This is crazy because the N64 was the very first console I've ever played with and I've been lead to believe that the Saturn was a short lived failure that got trounced by all of its competitors.

So my question is this, what are some worthwhile Sega Saturn titles that I could play right now (emulated ofc, screw ebay prices) so that I can explore this often overlooked gaming console?

 

[Waffles]

I personally recommend...

Magic School: Lunar.

Sonic R.

Virtua Cop.

Panzer Dragoon Zwei.

Yumini Remix.

 

[spicemeister]

Princess Crown
Cotton 2 / Cotton Boomerang
Shinrei Jusatshi Taromaru

3 japanese only releases but playable

 

[Smiley Cat]

As a JRPG fan, I have to mention "Panzer Dragoon Saga".

It's one of the most unique JRPG's ever made. It's not perfect by any means, but it's definitely a must play.

 

[StarFeline]

Wow lots of Japanese games huh lol. I guess this will be my deep dive into JRPGS huh. I'll look over these suggestions and see which look the most interesting to me. Perhaps I will detail my experiences on another forum post

 

[stealthRUSH]

Super Tempo - 2D platformer
Die Hard Arcade - 3D beat'em up
Astra Superstars - 2D fighting
Gungriffon - 3D simulator

 

[moonbits]

Elevator Action Returns
Shining The Holy Ark

 

[Adrastia]

Magic Knight Ray Earth: It's a fun action RPG. You don't need to have read the manga either. It follows the story pretty well from what I remember. Some people dislike the English voice acting. There's an undub available if you want. The script is the most Working Designsified of any Working Designs translation that I have ever played. I think they went all out because it was the last US Saturn game to be released.

Dark Savior: Isometric action game with a unique sort of fighting system and story progression. If you finish an enemy off in a particular way then you can transform into them during battles. The story can be replayed in different timelines or something like that. It's been awhile. It's made by Climax, the same developers that made Landstalker.

 

[dropsmegamega]

Saturn Bomberman (the first one, not the Fight! one), its my favorite classic bomberman, both the campaigns and versus mode are very fun to play.

Clockwork Knight 1 & 2, although far from the best platformers I've played, they are very charming.

Guardian Heroes. Haven't played it yet tbh, but I've only heard great things about it.

 

[Boo Man]

Saturn Bomberman (the first one, not the Fight! one), its my favorite classic bomberman, both the campaigns and versus mode are very fun to play.

Clockwork Knight 1 & 2, although far from the best platformers I've played, they are very charming.

Guardian Heroes. Haven't played it yet tbh, but I've only heard great things about it.

yeah i just discovered Saturn Bomberman! what a beautiful game
me & my gf have been playing 2p but we are stuck at the ninja boss

 

[Honey_Ogre]

Hello! Recently I've watched a Did You Know Gaming episode translating old Japanese gaming magazines. Apparently, the N64 did very poorly in Japan and the rest of the world compared to their expectations. On one screen I saw that the SEGA SATURN had twice as many games as the N64 did throughout its whole lifespan. This is crazy because the N64 was the very first console I've ever played with and I've been lead to believe that the Saturn was a short lived failure that got trounced by all of its competitors.

So my question is this, what are some worthwhile Sega Saturn titles that I could play right now (emulated ofc, screw ebay prices) so that I can explore this often overlooked gaming console?

-Silhouette Mirage
-NiGHTS into Dreams
-Princess Crown (very recently got translated)
-Policenauts
-Groove on Fight
-Golden Axe: The Duel

There's also a metric ton of arcade ports for the system that are all great and the Saturn version of Castlevania Symphony of the Night and Grandia are superior imo

And yea - most of the recs you're gonna get are going to be JP games. When the Saturn was brought to the states, they didn't localize much of the catalogue.

 

[Sayo]

I am going to steer away from recommending you a good game and instead I am going to recommend

something so horrible that you will never ever forget it, Death Crimson.
Generally regarded as one of the worst games ever made, and one that has carried a cult and memetic status in the Japanese community, this on-rails shooter is truly something else, from its bizarre, dissonant BGM to its hilarious handheld camcorder opening sequence, its truly something to behold. The enemy graphics don't really resemble much of anything, the stages are some of the ugliest things you'll ever see, the entire game feels like a fever dream. I implore anyone who hasn't tried it to give it a shot or at least watch a video about it, it's just crazy in the best and worst way possible.
Perhaps more interesting is the fact that it later got a proper sequel for the Sega Dreamcast which is actually a very competent if forgettable title, and that the development studio still exists to this day and has collaborated with the development of titles such as Melty Blood (!)
Famously, Pop Team Epic parodied the game in one of their episodes, which I'll attach here.

 

[RebelofDaNeonGod]

Hello! Recently I've watched a Did You Know Gaming episode translating old Japanese gaming magazines. Apparently, the N64 did very poorly in Japan and the rest of the world compared to their expectations. On one screen I saw that the SEGA SATURN had twice as many games as the N64 did throughout its whole lifespan. This is crazy because the N64 was the very first console I've ever played with and I've been lead to believe that the Saturn was a short lived failure that got trounced by all of its competitors.

So my question is this, what are some worthwhile Sega Saturn titles that I could play right now (emulated ofc, screw ebay prices) so that I can explore this often overlooked gaming console?

Imma need you to check out Dungeon Master Nexus, it's a more slow FPS dungeon crawler than your average joint, but if you can appreciate what it's doing and how it looks, it'll be a fun trip.

Then Imma need you to check out Baroque, go through it and really immerse yourself in the atmosphere and tones that the game gives you, also an FPS rpg. (This goes for the other games I mention, but avoid any corny video essays on youtube, they're always full of bull)

Bulk Slash, just get on this immediately, no other words.

 

[BananaJane]

Lunacy

 

[Fivemeese]

Hi it's me the guy who recommends Vampire Savior in every Saturn & arcade fighter thread I see. You should play Vampire Savior or Rabbit. Laura Croft is slightly thicker and kind of tan in this system's Tomb Raider port, so it's the best one- also something to consider. If you're drunk or sleep deprived play Funky Head Boxers.

 

[RebelofDaNeonGod]

I've come back to this thread to add to the list of recommendations. Play Blast Wind and Shadows of the Tusk

 

[Ikagura]

I haven't played much on that hardware sadly but I could say that at least I've finished Radiant Silvergun, Panzer Dragoon, Burning Rangers and Nights into Dreams on it.

I've yet to try much more games but usually I prefer playing on the PSX if I could have the choice.

 

[Parasite_Steve]

The Saturn had quite an impressive library in its home country, but alas only there.

It did quite poorly outside of Japan and a lot of that boiled down to terrible business decisions. I don't actually know a single person who had one in the 90s and the only reason I knew it even existed back then was a brief mention of a special version of Battle Arena Toshinden that was built specifically for it, in a playstation magazine special on fighting games in 98.
Having said that, here are some of my personal favorites:
Radiant Silvergun. Hands down one of the most creative shmups on any system. I don't regret horribly overpaying for it back in 2009 at Super Potato.
Layer Section. Where RS trumps with complexity Layer Section/Galactic Attack focuses on simplicity. One of the fairest shmups on the system. The excellent 2D graphics and soundtrack will make you come back for more even if you suck at it.
Wachenröder. A fairly linear but beautifully atmospheric tactical rpg. There's a fan translation iirc. Gameplay wise it's pretty standard fare but I love spending time in the game's dark, melancholic but oddly calming steampunk world. Bonus points for the lovely miniatures in the intro.
Panzer Dragoon series. On aesthetics alone an absolute masterpiece. Thankfully fun to play too. As much as I was and still am a playstation kid these games would definitely have made me turn my head back then.
Virtua Fighter 2. Feels almost too obvious to mention but it's a milestone in the fighting game genre that was followed by many imitators. As much as I love Tekken and consider it ultimately the better series, there's no denying it wouldn't exist without the continuing innovations of the virtua fighter games.
Nights into dreams/christmas nights. One of the more famous unique titles on the system, It's not for everyone but I love it personally
Shinobi X. Not the strongest entry in the Shinobi saga but better than its reputation. The gameplay is fun (if a step down from Shinobi 3) the soundtrack is atmospheric and the mortal kombat style digitized actors combined with low budget live action cutscenes make for a beautiful cheese fest.

 

[SaebaSan86]

Hello! Recently I've watched a Did You Know Gaming episode translating old Japanese gaming magazines. Apparently, the N64 did very poorly in Japan and the rest of the world compared to their expectations. On one screen I saw that the SEGA SATURN had twice as many games as the N64 did throughout its whole lifespan. This is crazy because the N64 was the very first console I've ever played with and I've been lead to believe that the Saturn was a short lived failure that got trounced by all of its competitors.

So my question is this, what are some worthwhile Sega Saturn titles that I could play right now (emulated ofc, screw ebay prices) so that I can explore this often overlooked gaming console?

Yumimi Mix Remix

 

[mandrakes]

shining series and record of lodoss war is a must for saturn

 

[Clippy]

If you're into 2D fighters then pretty much anything Capcom made back in the day was best represented on the Saturn (though you'd be better off emulating the arcade originals these days I reckon)

Other than that Albert Odyssey is a decent, if by the numbers, JRPG and Bulk Slash is a short and sweet action romp that got a fan translation a little while back.

 

[Heretic]

My guy, you must play Dodonpachi. the saturn version.... I'm sure people will say the real arcade version is better, or like saturn version is a port, or something, but like the saturn version of this game is jsut like... If I could do one of those little chef kiss emoji, that perfectly describes what it's like to play Dodonpachi on sega saturn.

 

[APoorNoob]

Asuka 120% Burning fest Limited

 

[ATenderLad]

I don't see it mentioned yet, Bulk Slash is a really creative little mech action title.

 

[spectresfrommercury]

devil summoner