Join us as we list and discuss the top ten must have games for the Sega Saturn!
Nights Into Dreams
Developed by Sonic Team and produced by Yuji Naka, Nights is an action game that follows the story of claris and elliot who manage to wind up in a dream world known as Nightopia. With the help of our character Nights, they embark on a journey to save the realm from the grasp of an evil ruler known as Wizeman. The gameplay basically involves flying around a pseudo-3D world and passing through rings, there are seven levels in total and each imposes a time limit upon the player. Only once you have accumulated enough points are you allowed to proceed to the next stage. The game was received positively amongst critics at the time and was praised for its surreal atmosphere, impressive graphics and gameplay. Each stage is challenging enough but to reach that euphoric state you need to master the art of infinite looping: passing through rings quick enough to maintain the timer and effectively loop the level several times while generating insane scores. Nights was released along side a completely new controller for the system known as the Saturn 3D controller, it featured an analogue stick and triggers specifically designed for the game and would go on to influence the design of unfortunately Sega last console the dreamcast. Nights is incredible, It doesn't click for everyone, but it is defiantly worth a go.
Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei
Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei is an on-rails shooter and takes place before the events of the first game released in 1992. It blends an unusual story line and elegant atmosphere with some intense action. You take control of Jean Luc and are tasked with taking down a ship known as the shelcoof with the help of your dragon Lagi. There are three types of attack, Jean Luc himself has the ability to use a gun whilst Lagi offers a laser attack to tear up enemies, but what really kicks things off is the berserk attack. The screen fills with lasers emanating from Lagi which automatically attack all enemies on the screen for a short amount of time… In order to use this devastating move you have to fill a meter which is replenished slightly upon defeating enemies. Unlike contemporaries such as Star Fox, Zwei allows the camera to be panned all around the dragon mount, and therefore fire at enemies coming from all directions. After receiving feedback from the first title in the series, Team Andromeda focused on making the game more accessible and more story intensive but a lot more was added to the formula such having the ability to take alternate routes when traversing each stage as well as your dragon now being able to evolve based on your performance.
The game is widely remembered for its wild set pieces and insane boss fights, this one truly deserves a place on your shelf.
Guardian Heroes
Developed by treasure and coined as a fighting RPG by the team, Guardian Heroes is a 2D side scrolling beatemup that sees you choosing from four characters that all posses specific abilities and strengths tailored to specific styles of play. No other system at the time could do 2D like the Saturn, and the game exemplifying this the most was Guardian Heroes. The visuals are truly spectacular and still hold up to this day. Unlike Final Fight, which had a variable plane of movement, Heroes only had three planes where movement was restricted to left and right, with players needing to alternate between them. It ensured the fighting engine was precise, well defined, and unlike anything else. The game allows you to change the storyline in subtle was through your actions such as being able to choose from a number of branching paths, which lead to different endings. The RPG aspect of the game sees you earning experience points during each stage and between stages you have the ability to customise each characters strength, vitality, mentality, ability and luck. This aspect combined with the alternate paths results in a ton of replay ability and opens the game up to a lot of experimentation upon each play through. Treasure also blessed it with a fantastic anime intro, and dozens of frames of super-liquid-smooth animation. Truly a classic for the system and one that you should check out.
Virtua Fighter 2
While the Saturn did not lack decent 3D fighters, none of them could hold a candle to VF2. Developed by AM2 and initially released in the arcades, While it wasn't the most accessible game to grace the console (arguably its only weakness), VF2's perfectly weighted controls, fluid animation and sheer depth really set the game aside, and the stunning high-resolution visuals only helped sweeten the deal. It used Sega's hardware to run the game at 60 frames per second at with no slowdown as well as introducing the use of texture mapped 3D characters and motion capture to the series, it really helped make the game feel alive and at the time was a sight to behold. Offering 10 very distinct and realistic fighting styles each character brought something new to the table and offered a huge amount of variety for a fighting game at the time. While the AI was competent enough, VF2 was always best enjoyed with a friend of roughly comparable skill, where learning a character and devising tactics accordingly to beat them became the order of the day and the best thing about it… It still plays like a dream.
Virtual On
If you like mechs and one on one battles to the death then Virtual On has got your covered. Developed by AM3, it originally began life in the arcades and was ported to the Saturn in 1996. Each battle takes place on a stage as you take control of a virtuaroid who can walk, run, jump and even climb on the various buildings scattered throughout the environments. Each mech can use a variety of firearms, explosives, melee weapons and special techniques to destroy one another as you battle it out. Unlike Virtua Fighter 2, Virtual On had to be toned down for its release on the home system. Gone is the blistering 60fps action as well as the high resolution visuals present in the original arcade release but that does not mean virtual on is a bad port. When considering the Saturns limitations itsunderstanable that some corners would have to be cut as the game presents some pretty hectic action when fights really start to get going. In order to fully enjoy virtual on, a special controller was created to emulate the arcade experience in the form of the Saturn twin sticks which made the game all the easier to play, thats not to say it is unplayable with a normal controller… just a hell of a lot easier and enjoyable. Virtual On is a solid title and deserves a place in every Sega Saturn collection, the addictive nature of the game will keep you playing for years to come!
Street Fighter Zero 3
Capcom was one of the Saturn's strongest supporters and as a result there are a host of great beat-'em-ups available on the system. While the likes of X-Men Vs Street Fighter, Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Marvel Vs Street Fighter are all worthy of a mention, its the Japanese-only Street Fighter Zero 3 that really kicked it home. Capcom included all the arcade's extra gameplay modes and a console-exclusive World Tour to ensure that arcade veterans had plenty to sink their teeth into. Taking the character roster up to 33, the game was huge and took advantage of the Saturn ram cartridge in order to reduce its load times and include more frames, which results in a near arcade perfect port. As with most Street fighter games the gameplay remains similar to precious entries in the series but was mixed up with a new mechanic that allowed you to take control of how your super combo bar functions, thanks to the various options this presented it was now possible to work out different strategies according to which style you chose. This game now goes for a hefty price but is totally worth it, as it is by far the best street fighter game on the system.
Burning Rangers
An action game released in 1998 and brought to us by Sonic team, Burning rangers is a game all about rescuing civilians and extinguishing fires… Ok at first I’ll admit it doesn’t sound to exciting, and sounds more like a fucking fireman sam simulator but this is Sega at its best… Innovative and quirky, pretty much sums up Sega’s attitude in the 32-bit era. You take control of a burning ranger and are presented with a futuristic society, in which fire has become the only danger. There are four levels in the game that include a variety of missions, but most involve transporting stranded civilians out of burning buildings, which is achieved by collecting energy crystals that you receive after extinguishing each fire. The crystals work a lot like the rings in sonic games, you need to posses at least one in order to survive taking a hit from an enemy or getting caught in a fire. As a burning ranger you have quite a few tools at your disposal, including a jetpack that can be used to perform manoeuvres such as back flips and rolls as well as having the ability swim and dive underwater as you traverse the games different stages. but what set burning rangers apart has to be its voice navigation system, in games like this you would mostly expect an on screen map to work out your position but instead you must rely on directions given to you from the mission controller in the form of several voice cues. Although the visuals look a bit dated, in my opinion the game is still a joy to play and one you should defiantly own.
Sega Rally
Developed by AM3 and released in 1995, Like many of Sega’s greats before it Sega Rally was first released to the public in the form of an arcade version and with the news of Sega’s new console the Saturn it made sense for the company to move the game over to the home machine. One of the main differences between the two versions is its frame rate which had to be changed from 60 to 30fps in order to run efficiently on the console but this does not detract from the experience as it is essentially the exact same game. Ok Sega Rally might have only had a depressing amount of content including 3 cars and four tracks, but thanks to its endless time attack options, its one of the Sega Saturn games that I often find myself going back to, time and time again. Now The most important factor of any driving game has to be its handling and the way in which this aspect of Sega rally perfectly aligns with each courses design is nothing short of breathtaking. Slipping and sliding around each corner feels so good and rewarding that it will push you to achieve the best times possible for each track.
Shining Force III
Released in 1997 shining force 3 was one of the last Saturn games to be released in the western territories. And as most Sega fans know the series is often celebrated for its impressive graphics, music and unique battle system upon each release. Shining force 3 was no exception and introduces us to Synbios, a young warrior who is the son of a very famous general within the games world. Although the entire story is not told in the game, instead taking place over three separate scenarios, two of which never saw an english release… It’s still possible to enjoy the story for what it is but as expected a lot is unanswered by the time the credits role. There are now fan translations of the later scenarios which can be played if you are interested in carrying on the story. The battle system is generally quite simple but thats what makes it so fun, each battle can’t last from a few mites up to a couple of hours and really depends on how you approach the game, its possible to be fast and reckless but sometimes it pays to take it slow and easy. There are many improvements made to the formula including more classes of characters, more weapons, more spells, and for each weapon, there are certain special attacks, which are gained through increasing your weapon levels, which, of course, increase by fighting. One of the best RPGS on the system and truly a must have for fans of the genre.
Radiant Silvergun
As with most great games on the system Radiant Silvergun was developed by Treasure and stands as a true testament to the power of the Saturn. You take control of the galaxies most lethal star fighter, the radiant silver gun and are tasked with tracking down the origin, a being who is responsible for disrupting the fabric of time, ok the story is a bit wacky but as with most shoot em ups the gameplay is where its at. You have seven weapons at your disposal at any time which can all be levelled up negating the use of power ups which are surprisingly absent from the game. In order to upgrade your weapons efficiently its a good idea to get used to chaining enemies of the same colour…. As if you kill three of the same colour you obtain a points bonus. This aspect would later go on to influence radiant silver guns spiritual successor Ikaruga as well as the games insanely constructed bosses that consist of multiple sections which if all destroyed before the core of the boss, awards the player with further bonuses. Received well at the time of its release the game stands up to this day and even received a rerelease on the xbox 360 which is probably the cheapest way to pick it up.
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