Sega Saturn 30th Birthday Article Part 1, 1994 launch

 Sega's 6th Planet From the Sun Celebrates its 30th Anniversary

If you weren't able to tell from some other articles on this blog, my favorite console is the Sega Saturn. Its library is quintessential for the arcade enjoyer with dozens of home ports and peripherals to bring the arcade home, while still offering unique experiences at a time when the standards of 3D gameplay were not yet fully defined. This year on November 22nd will be the 30th anniversary of when the Saturn was released in its native country. To celebrate this anniversary, I wanted to take look back at the Saturn's reception upon launch in 1994, review some notable software, as well as a bit of the year that followed with the U.S release of the console. I'll also be looking at the very first issue of Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) which covers everything you'd need to know about the Saturn if you were on the edge of purchasing the system. The magazine look through will be part 2 of this blog post, so keep an eye out for that. 

Before the Saturn launched in Japan, Sega had been producing home consoles since 1983, and arcade hardware long before that. However, despite being a player in Japan's home console market, they never had the opportunity to be the country's top dog. Sega's first home console, the SG-1000, famously released on the same day as Nintendo's Famicom later known in the states as the NES. Even as Sega created their future consoles, the Mark III and Mega Drive, they never had gotten majority share of the console market over Nintendo or NEC. However this time around would be a little different for Sega, as by the end of 1995 Sega would go from 12% of the console market to 32%. Comparatively, longtime competitor Nintendo had dropped from 75% to 33% of the console market in 1995. With a console specifically made for the Japanese audience, and software to boot, the Saturn would be Sega's most successful console in its native land, eventually having over 1000+ pieces of software released there, and getting support until the year 2000. One other interesting aspect of the Saturn was that Sega was not the only manufacturer of the console. On its release day in 1994, consumers also had the option of purchasing a JVC/Victor V-Saturn. The console itself functioning the same as a Sega produced console with the only difference being a slight change in bios. Eventually, Hitachi would also produce several Saturn systems that had a few other perks, but that wouldn't occur until 1995. The console sold well at launch, reportedly selling 170,000 units on day one, and by mid-1995 Sega had sold 1 million units, celebrated by a price drop on the console and a new pack-in title being Virtua Fighter Remix. When it was all said and done the Saturn sold about 6 million units in Japan alone, outselling the later released Nintendo 64. The Saturn's fortunes wouldn't be so great in the U.S., but that's a story for later. A console would be nothing without its games, and luckily for the Sega Saturn it came bundled with a port of one of Japan's hottest arcade games, Virtua Fighter. 

Frankly, when you're looking at the Saturn's launch titles without Virtua Fighter it looks a little bare. Thankfully for Sega, AM2 and Yu Suzuki had created an arcade phenomenon when Virtua Fighter released the year prior. Essentially creating the 3D fighting genre, Virtua Fighter took a more realistic take on fighting games, using fighters with real fighting styles. Additionally, the game took advantage of its new found dimension with more camera angles as you're fighting and in the replay system after a round end. With fighting games being as popular in the early '90s as they were, Virtua Fighter found a way to stand out with more methodical and precise gameplay and visuals that couldn't be replicated on a home console before the 5th generation of consoles. It truly was a cultural phenomenon, and this is reflected in the sales numbers of the Saturn which came bundled with a home port of the original release in the U.S. As for the port itself, it’s still fun, but graphically it has some downgrades from the arcade release. When playing it can be hard not to notice the occasional polygon pop-in on characters and on the battle arenas themselves. Its especially noticeable on the attract screen with the quads on Akira's arms flashing in and out. Thankfully the gameplay was brought home intact, and pulling off moves with each character is the same as in the arcade. Despite the graphical flaws, people still bought the Saturn and its port of Virtua Fighter. Additionally, in 1995 Sega would release Virtua Fighter Remix, and updated port with new texture mapped graphics, and Virtua Fighter 2 which to many would be a graphical showcase for the system and the system's best selling game. However, Virtua Fighter wasn't the only game available on launch day. The launch also featured a port of PC game Myst, and a few weeks later games like Gale Racer and Clockwork Knight released. Although software was slow to release at first, the games slowly picked up through 1995 as more notable 3rd parties like Capcom, Konami, Taito, Atlus and Sunsoft to name a few started releasing games for the Saturn. Sega didn't have a shortage of 1st party support either releasing games like Panzer Dragoon, Sega Rally Championship, Virtua Cop, and Magic Knight Rayearth along with the aforementioned hit Virtua Fighter 2. Software like this was able to keep the Saturn competitive with the newly released PlayStation until 1997, when Square released Final Fantasy VII and Sony never looked back.

One thing that isn't talked about as much with the Saturn, and a personal highlight for me is the console's personality in its UI and presentation, in addition to its promise to bring the arcade experience home. When I first started playing around with my Saturn, one of the first things I noticed was that the controller had indentations on it meant for CD playback. I enjoy using my Saturn on occasion as a CD player, and the spaceship visualizer is one of my favorite parts of the system. I also really enjoy the sounds with each button press and menu that gets closed, they just add a lil’ something special, similar to when you're messing around with other console's menus like the PS2. Outside of the console and games that you would get on launch day, you also had several peripherals that you could purchase. For starters we have the backup memory cartridge for when your console has a little bit too much data stored on it. One of the cons of the PlayStation at launch was that everything was separate, so games and memory cards had to be purchased separately whilst the Saturn was ready to go straight out of the box. That memory built into the system wasn't permanent however, as a watch battery can be accessed on the back of the system that powers your internal memory and clock, so its important to get a backup cart at some point. Less essential perhaps were other control options such as the Shuttle Mouse and Virtua Stick. The Shuttle Mouse came in handy on launch day for Myst specifically, but would later have much more functionality in PC ports, dating sims/ADV games, and strategy rpgs like Sakura Wars and Iron Storm. The Virtua Stick was built for the Virtua Fighter fans that wanted a closer to arcade experience with an arcade controller. This controller would have a few revisions, including one that closer resembles the controller from Sega's own Astro City line of arcade cabinets, as well as a pro variant which was 2 controllers built into one for the ultimate 2-player home arcade! Curiously, the Saturn Taisen cable was also released on launch day allowing 2 consoles to connect to allow for multiplayer across 2 televisions, but no games at launch or even in 1995 supported it. Plenty of other peripherals would be launched for the system in the years to come like the Virtua Gun, Netlink Modem and 3D Control Pad for analog control. 

The Japanese launch of the console being well received, Sega of America was hoping for something similar in the states. However, a number of issues would come up that hindered the launch of the Saturn. Even before the Saturn launched, Sega was already producing the Sega 32X, an add-on for the Genesis that used the same chips as the Saturn itself, the Hitachi SH-2. This add-on would launch in the holiday of 1994, even coming out after the Saturn console in Japan! This was intended to give a longer lifespan to the aging Genesis hardware, which was still performing quite well in the USA. However, this caused a rift among consumers who were hesitant on purchasing an originally $160 add-on, when the new console was literally right around the corner. This shot Sega in the foot, because they expected the 32X to sell better, and many chips that could've been used in Saturns were instead in hardware that quite literally was sitting in a warehouse. Check out the FY 1996 documents that were released last year for some interesting sales data from Sega of America on both the Saturn and its other systems. Another issue comes up with the Saturn's launch. Saturn was originally planned to release on September 2nd 1995 dubbed "Saturnday". This would not be the case however, as Sega was worried about the upcoming PlayStation and its impressive 3D capabilities and games. Because of this, Sega decided to surprise launch the console on May 11th, 1995 at the very first E3 launching with 6 different games. This was bad for a handful of reasons. For one, a lot of stores didn't actually have the console on the 11th, with some stores not getting them until months later. The console was also only released at specific retailers, and this hurt Sega's relationship with other big name stores like Kay-Bee Toys. Lastly was the consoles price point, originally launching at $399. This led to Sony's infamous speech at E3 the same year, where Sony president Steve Race walked up to the podium and just said literally "299" and walked away. It was clear that Sega's pricing on the console was too high, and that reflected in the sales numbers. Reportedly the Saturn sold around 80,000 units from May to September when the PlayStation launched. In its first week, the PlayStation sold 130,000 units. So much for a getting a leg up. Problems would continue throughout the years, with a lack of some major Japan releases not getting localized, franchises that were big on the Genesis not coming over to the Saturn, and more. Nevertheless, the Saturn still had its fanbase, but they wouldn't be around for very long because the console essentially got the boot at the end of 1997, with a few pieces of software coming out in '98. There's a lot more that goes into the Saturn's failures in the U.S market, and I have the major source I used linked down below if you're interested in reading more about the system in the coming years after its launch. 

Overall, the Saturn had a better launch in Japan than the US, and that launch helped it perform better in the former rather than the latter. There's a number of things that Sega could've done better to set the Saturn up for more success, but lets not focus on Sega's shortcomings especially on the Saturn's birthday. For more information on the Saturn's launch in Japan, check out part two for the Saturn's celebration where we go over the 1st issue of Sega Saturn Magazine (JP). Thanks for reading!

Sources:

https://retrocdn.net/images/e/e1/Edge_UK_032.pdf

https://segaretro.org/images/8/8c/SegaFY1997BrandReview_US. pdf

https://segaretro.org/History_of_the_Sega_Saturn/Release

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E3_1995

Sega Saturn Birthday Article Part 2, Sega Saturn Magazine Issue #1 Spotlight

 Birthday Celebration Part Two: Straight From the Source

Welcome to part two of the Sega Saturn's 30th birthday celebration where today we will take a look at the very first issue of Sega Saturn Magazine (JP). Previously a Mega Drive/Genesis centered magazine called Beep! Mega Drive, when the Saturn released they shifted their focus almost entirely and immediately to the brand new console. I think we take for granted the frequency and ease of access of new game news with things like social media, conferences and more developers than ever before to share information. However, back in 1994, outside of commercials a gaming magazine was one of the best ways to learn about what was on the horizon. I happen to have the first issue of Sega Saturn Magazine, so lets take a look at the media cycle, advertisements and previews that gamers were fawning over in 1994. Keep in mind that the publication itself is in Japanese, and I'll mostly be using Google translate off of my phone to get a better idea of interviews and information.

One of my favorite parts of any magazine and especially new console cycle are the advertisements. Sega had a great run in the U.S with their "Genesis does" advertisement campaign, and so you would hope that some of that magic would carry over into Japan's ads. So, how did the initial ads turn out? 

That's right, coneheads... Certainly memorable but perhaps not for the right reasons. Sega would later redeem themselves with the Segata Sanshiro line of commercials that are pure gold today. The coneheads however are what we have for now, and they're featured right as you open up the magazine and they give you quite the look as if you're interrupting their ever so important Virtua Fighter time. You'll also see ads for some games in particular, like on the back of the magazine is a prominent Virtua Fighter ad, and there's a Myst before a bulk of the game coverage. If you've read the first post already, then you know that Sega wasn't the only one producing Saturn systems on launch. Victor/JVC had their hand in console production launching their V-Saturn variant on the same day as Sega's console. [why did Victor produce Saturns?] I really like Victor's ad on the new console, with the system front and center with an early 3D futuristic, almost apocalyptic civilization on the horizon. Additionally, you'll also see at the back of the magazine what you would get if you decided not to purchase the latest and greatest system, which was the 32X. Logistically it is insane to me that the 32X came out after the Saturn in Japan and only in Japan. The Mega Drive install-base in Japan was already diminished compared to the competition, and then you're going to ask them to buy the second add-on for the console, even though the new hotness is on the market? Putting that into a modern context exasperates the issue even further. Can you imagine purchasing a new PlayStation 5, and days after the console comes out, Sony comes out with a new VR headset that's only compatible with the PS4, and is supported for less than a year. The 32X would get more coverage, some in later issues of Sega Saturn Magazine where a few pages were reserved for the aging Sega hardware, but also in the last issue of Beep! Mega Drive. 

Game coverage in this issue was in depth for not only launch titles but also software to come. Let's start with the cover title and pack-in game, Virtua Fighter. If it wasn't understood yet on how important this game was in Japan, there is an almost 40 page section of the magazine solely dedicated to Virtua Fighter, where other games are lucky to get 2 pages. In this section aptly titled "All About Virtua Fighter" you get an in depth walkthrough of the arcade mode, a basic operations guide for things like guarding and jumping, character-specific movesets and tips, as well as every feature of the game and addition to the home port of this game. It really leaves nothing for the imagination when compared to magazines of the time that would usually have a handful of screenshots and basic information on the game. Something interesting to note is that Virtua Fighter is the only game that got reviewed in this particular issue, receiving a 9.5/10 overall with separate reviews from 4 individuals. One reviewer whose name I believe is Kobayashi says something along the lines of "moreover, the severity of command input and the operating feel are exactly the same as the arcade version! The Sega Saturn is a must-buy as it allows you to recreate the latest techniques and battle tactics used in popular arcades". He does note that some minor graphical details weren't fully carried over to the Saturn port, like the hands not having fully defined fingers or movement. One of the new features of the home port of Virtua Fighter is a new arranged soundtrack. It doesn't adjust a ton from the arcade original, with a lot of compositions just being longer because of new home port options to allow for longer matches. This is detailed in full for each song with an interview from the Saturn's and arcade version's composers respectively. 

After this, we get an insider look at the Sega Saturn from Sega's perspective through a full interview with multiple key personnel. This includes the product manager Hideki Okamura, hardware R&D department head Kazuhiko Hamada, and famed arcade developer and producer of Sega AM2 Yu Suzuki. Talking with Yu Suzuki, who was the lead developer on Virtua Fighter in the arcade as well as the Saturn port, says this about developing on the Saturn. 

Yu Suzuki also directed many Sega Arcade hits, like Outrun, Space Harrier, After Burner II and Virtua Racing.

"If I start talking about the details, there'll be no end to it, but honestly I'm glad it's finished. From the beginning I aimed to make an exact copy, but I feel like if we had a little more time, we could have added a few more extras. For the time being, we were able to add a rank certification mode, but we'll save the ideas that didn't make it in this time for the next time we port "2" (laughs)".

 Early in the Saturn's life it seemed like the crunch for games at Sega, even for important developers like Yu Suzuki, was abundant (see Pandamonium's video on Virtua Cop for more information on how early Saturn development evolved as '95 went on). Suzuki also talks about the pros and cons of using CD technology with their new system. When asked if next generation games could be made on ROM cartridges he replies 

"it's possible with ROM, and I can say this with confidence, based on the hardware. Even if the capacity is large, that is, when all you have to do is compress it." The con that Suzuki adds comes into affect more for the consumer than anything. He states "however, in this case the software will be expensive, costing around 15,000 yen (which currently is about $97 USD in today's money, but the yen is weak so it likely was even higher in '94). Also, it may be difficult to stream large amounts of image data, such as interactive movies using ROM".

Also speaking at length with the editorial department was Hideki Okamura. As opposed to the more game development questions that they asked Suzuki, with Okamura they focus more of their questions towards the Saturn's place in the market. When talking with Okamura about the Saturn's launch, he has this to say about the initial sales.

After being in charge of marketing for the Saturn, he later made campaigns for the Dreamcast. Okamura is still at Sega today, and is an Executive Manager and COO for the company.

"We have closed the first order. I can't tell you the exact number, but it's amazing. The initial response is very good. This time, when we set the goal of selling 2 million units in one year, we wanted to strategically create a boom. So what should we do? First of all, it was the boom of Virtua Fighter."

It can't be understated how big Virtua Fighter was in this point of time, as well as how hard it carried the system to a strong launching point in Japan. Think of Zelda BOTW as a comparison of importance for a system. Additionally, Japan historically was not Sega's strong region, and only gained a foothold in America within the last few years. To sell 2 million units in the first year was almost unheard for Sega at this point, with even the Mega Drive only selling around 3.5 million units in 6 years on the market. The editorial department then goes on to ask about the price of the system at launch compared to some competitors.

Editorial Department: "The price of the Sega Saturn is 44,800 yen. The Sony PlayStation is 39,800 yen, and the new Real 3DO machine is 44,800. What about the price?" Okamura responds "I don't mind at all. I think I set the price appropriately for the product, and I tried my best to set it as cheaply as possible."

It seems that the Japanese system compared more favorably to the PlayStation price-wise unlike the U.S release. The editors even go on to say that the PlayStation’s price doesn’t include a memory card or game, another thing that the U.S market seemed to overlook at the time when Saturn announced its price of $399 compared to Sony’s $299.

Virtual Fighter was the main selling point of the Saturn at launch, but there were some other titles that released at/near launch that were covered in a smaller, yet still detailed section of the issue. Some games, like "WanChai Connection" and "Mahjong Gokuu Tenjiku" were clearly geared towards a Japanese audience, and didn't take advantage of the hardware the same way that other games in '95 would do. Interestingly, most of the coverage on all games in this section are more informational or promotional than anything. For example, the mahjong game's text in the article is actually a conversation between the characters you encounter in the game about buying a Saturn and how they're in one of the launch titles. One character, Gojo, says something along the lines of "I was just talking to this pig about the Sega Saturn. I think I'll buy the console and Virtua Fighter first, then I want Panzer Dragoon and Daytona USA...". Goku, another character replies with "wait a minute, aren't you forgetting something important?" to which Gojo replies "That's right, Blue Seed...". Goku hastily replies "no you idiot! There's a Saturn game in which we appear!". Definitely an interesting way to promote your game, but understandable with so many mahjong games being prominent on other consoles. Aside from more Japan-centric games you had games like Clockwork Knight that took advantage of the hardware a bit more. The game features a 2.5D point of view with pre-rendered characters and some fully 3D environments and bosses as well. Another interesting game titled "Tama: Adventurous Ball in Giddy Labyrinth". From what I've seen it looks like a game where you control a ball through a fully 3D maze to get to an exit. The game wasn't exactly a system seller, but a bit more notable for featuring visuals that you couldn't replicate on other systems. Also featuring coverage in quite a bit of the magazine was Myst, the first of many PC ports to the console. Showcasing that the Saturn could play a contemporary PC game with relative ease was a strong showing for Sega's console, and the magazine highlights this with a 4 page spread about the game. Lastly, there is coverage for a game called Gale Racer. Also known as Rad Mobile in the arcade, this port wasn't exactly doing the system any favors, as they switched out some of the sprites of the opposing vehicles with polygons that don't look the best. The draw distance/pop in is also pretty bad making this game a hit or miss for most players. In the last section of the magazine, they highlight some upcoming software to look forward to in the coming months. Games such as early progress on Daytona USA, and the magazine even asks if a Virtua Fighter 2 port would be worked on for the console as well!

Overall, the first issue of Sega Saturn Magazine was a great indication of what to come, with unique advertising, in depth developer interviews and information on games and strategies for the most popular titles. If you liked what you read, you can also see more of the magazine for yourself on my new YouTube channel, CheckTheManual, for more coverage and visuals on the articles in this first issue. As always, thanks for reading and celebrate the Saturn's birthday any way you can!

Sources and Youtube Channel:

YouTube.com/@checkthemanual

https://segaretro.org/Hideki_Okamura

https://segaretro.org/Yu_Suzuki

https://retrocdn.net/images/8/85/SSM_JP_1994-01_941201.pdf

https://segaretro.org/Sega_Mega_Drive

Sega Saturn Birthday Article Part 3: Teeezy's Top 10 Saturn Games

 Top Ten (Personal) Sega Saturn Games

   

It wouldn't be a birthday celebration for my favorite console without a mention of some of my favorite games on the system. To me the Saturn's library is unlike any other as its filled with the best versions of a lot of arcade games, experimental software and more peripherals/expansions than a Fischer Price playset. It's because of the library that I fell in love with the system, and the reason I've looked into other Japanese game libraries in general. For that I have to thank the Saturn. So to spread the love I wanted to highlight my 10 favorite Saturn games in order. These games range a variety of genres, and as always isn't a definitive list so you might like other games more than I do. Let me know what your favorite Saturn games are in the comments down below, maybe I'll find something new to play. With that being said, lets start with a game that made me excited to be a Saturn owner early on.

#10

Daytona USA

This game usually is pretty divisive amongst Saturn owners. One of the earliest titles released for Saturn, Daytona USA was largely a rushed port of the classic 1993 Model 2 arcade game that revolutionized gaming with its texture mapped polygons running at a blazing 60 FPS. The Saturn port got the short end of the stick running on a machine that developers hadn't worked out the kinks of 3D gaming, and it affects the performance and presentation of the game quite a bit. The arcade runs at a buttery smooth 60 FPS, whereas the Saturn is lucky to go above 20-25. The pop in of the polygons ahead of you are a bit jarring at first as well, so if you don't know the tracks it can affect your overall race because the racetrack literally isn't there until you are about to drive on it in a second. This hurt the Saturn early in its life, being compared to Namco's Ridge Racer as a launch title on the Playstation. However, the gameplay of Daytona USA is fully intact. Controls have been translated to a standard controller beautifully, with enough buttons on the Saturn controller to play with a manual transmission and gear drift through turns like a pro. The music has been brought over in CD quality from the arcade game as well, and it cannot be understated how much it adds to every race. Daytona USA was one of the first three games I got with my Saturn, and as someone who hadn't played the arcade version yet, this got me well prepared and excited for the real thing. Is there much reason to come back to Daytona on Saturn today? Probably not compared to some other games on this list, but it will always hold a special place to me.

#9

Dead or Alive

If you like fighting games, the Saturn is one of the best console to invest in aside from the Neo Geo. With its variety of 2D and 3D fighting games, you'll find something that scratches that itch. For me Dead or Alive works perfectly on the Saturn while also showcasing the hardware. With a fun cast of characters, smooth controls all running in the Saturn's high-res mode, it makes for one of the Saturn's finest fighting games. I also had a lot of fun unlocking some of the costumes for characters and learning special moves to perform multi-hit combos. It's also hard not to mention the game's "physics" with the low polygonal women. My girlfriend and I had an absolute blast playing against each other and laughing whenever one of the female fighters struck a victory pose. Definitely check out DoA if you have the chance.

#8

Decathlete

If someone hasn't played on a Sega Saturn, or even heard of the Saturn and is their first time playing the system, this is almost always the first or second game I show them. With a friend, Decathlete becomes of the most fun experiences on the console, becoming a contest in button mashing, timing, and who can nail a single jump on the pole vault. With a fun cast of characters, and a menu that has a lot of personality that actually screams at you "hey hey hey! oh ho!" as you select your game mode. Another game that runs in the Saturn's high res mode, I also like to use it as an example of what the Saturn could do graphically, although its probably not the best example. I'm sure for some of my friends though the Saturn is the Decathlete console, and I have a lot of great memories playing this with all sorts of friends. Eventually though, we will have to play some Winter Heat to spice things up...

#7

Battle Garegga

With some shmup players saying this is the most quintessential shmup of all time, and being a game that helped define the genre of bullet hell, it makes sense as why it would be on my list. A late release for Saturn in '98 this port was regarded as the key way to enjoy this legendary shmup. After playing it I can see why. With amazing visuals and sprite work, a pumping soundtrack that keeps you invested in the downtime of a stage, and a brutal difficulty that demands perfection, it has been a game I come back to time and time again to see how far I can get on one credit (I made it to stage 5 one time). There's also a variety of modes for practice and understanding on the game's brutal ranking system, as well as an option to help see some of the smaller bullets. There's better ways to enjoy this game today with a revision coming to PS4 in 2016, but I prefer the Saturn version. All I have to do now is get a TATE setup to enjoy this and a few other Saturn shmups at full capacity.

#6

Sega Touring Car Championship

When I first bought this game I didn't really like it, and even still it certainly is a game with an acquired taste. That taste being achieving racing perfection in an engine that doesn't play like other arcade racers in the generation or since then. Most arcade racers rely on a drift mechanic to power most of the excitement during gameplay, while Sega Touring Car is largely a grip racer. It also, unlike other racers on the console like the aforementioned Daytona USA, doesn't work well with a standard controller. This game to me is one of the few games that are essentially playing for the 3D Control Pad. Once I had the controller, I was able to scratch the surface and start winning races. However, my love for the game really only started earlier this year with the Sega Saturn Shiro! Discord's community challenge. With serious time investment in the game, the more I appreciated the differences in its gameplay, and how much content there was to mess around with. You also can't go without mentioning the eurobeat soundtrack that enhances those time trial attempts even more. If you're looking for something different but rewarding, give this game a try. You can also check out my full review I did earlier this year for more details. 

#5

Magical Drop III

One genre of game that certainly didn't have a shortage on Saturn was the humble puzzle game. With so many good puzzlers on Saturn, it was difficult to pick just one, but ultimately I had to go with Magical Drop III. This fast paced, competitive puzzle game sets itself apart by having the puzzle pieces pile up at the top of the screen and trying to crush you at the bottom. The more colors you match together, the more opportunity you have to get a crazy combo and flood the opponent's half of the screen with junk pieces that they have to grab. Another thing I really enjoy is that each character has their own special powers and ways that they add junk pieces to the opponent's board, making the gameplay deeper than your usual Puyo Puyo of the era. This game is a perfect balancing act of mindfulness of your board state, and the franticness of moving faster than your opponent, and is especially fun with a friend. 

#4

Nights into Dreams

For a lot of people this is their favorite Saturn game and for good reason. It highlights everything that Sega was about for the console generation. Fluid arcade score attack action with a personality all its own. When paired with the 3D Control Pad that was bundled with the game, it unlocks a special experience. Nailing a section of a stage and achieving that A rank for the first time is a lot of fun. Thankfully this game has been brought to more modern systems for people to enjoy, definitely give it a shot!

#3

Thunder Force V

One of the earliest shmups I ever beat without a continue, Thunder Force V thus far has been my favorite entry in the series. Although also being released on the PlayStation, this is one of the shining examples of the Saturn version having some upsides thanks to its 2nd graphic processing chip. I also prefer the Saturn controller for this game, as it makes it very easy for each button to control one of the different types of shots. Similar to other games on this list, the soundtrack is one of the highlights of the experience for me, with some seriously rocking guitars and synths on some tracks, and a call back to Thunder Force 4 on Stage 5 that's pretty cool. This game feels really good to come back to now, especially once you've routed the levels and know which weapons work best for each situation. If you haven't played a shmup before this one wouldn't be a bad place to start. The difficulty curve feels just right, and its one I come back to often.

#2

Grandia

One of my favorite parts of the Saturn is its community. With so many great resources and projects being worked on constantly, it continues to give life to Sega's 5th planet from the Sun. It's always exciting to see is a new fan translation for a game that was previously only playable in Japanese on the console. Even if the game was playable in English on other systems, I'd almost always try to play on the Saturn. In this case, Grandia was made for the Saturn first before getting ported to the PlayStation a year or so later. From the same developer as the Lunar games, this would become a spiritual successor and go on to have sequels for later systems, but I think this first entry is going to be hard to beat. You follow Justin whose father was an adventurer, and he wants to be just like him. He goes on a adventure of epic proportions, and along the way the story becomes a coming of age story, and tackles themes of young love, friendship, and the ecosystem/planet. Traversing the world is always exciting with varied locales and 3D environments with 2D sprites, something that was essentially made to work well on the Saturn. The thing that really stands out as the game changer is the combat system. You're able to see the turn order of events, and each battle happens on its own contained battlefield that the enemies and your characters move around on. Positions on the field help determine which attacks hit, and how quickly your moves will land. Spells are also universal for the most part, but each character has weapons that they specialize in and skills that only they can learn. Playing Grandia earlier this year quickly was one of my favorite experiences on the console, and I can thank only the community for allowing me to experience such a great game on my favorite console. 

Before we get to number 1, lets take a look at a few honorable mentions that didn't quite make it.

Sakura Wars

Part dating-sim, part SRPG, all a great time. One of the first translation patches I ever played for Saturn, and a great experience for any anime fan as the production values in this game and it's presentation are spot on.

Virtua Fighter 2

Many people would have this game in their top 10, and its easy to see why. With great graphics and translation from the arcade game, its one of the best arcade ports on a console full of arcade ports. 

Rockman 8

I've been a Megaman/Rockman fan for a long time, and this game slowly has become one of my favorites. One of the best presentations of any Rockman game in the classic series, along with the standard tight controls, better accessibility options for weapons and some Saturn exclusive content make the game a personal favorite for the system and in the series.

#1

Sega Rally Championship

Sega Rally Championship on Saturn exemplifies everything great and not so great with the console. A wonderful arcade port with added content and smooth gameplay with 3D visuals on a console that had a difficult time presenting them, but there's only 4 courses in total. However, the track designs are sublime, and with the main mode of gameplay requiring proficiency on each track in order to win it makes it all the more natural that you'd be looking for spots to decrease your time. When I first started playing Sega Rally Championship, my main goal was just to beat the arcade mode, but then you start shaving seconds off of the default time with each second barrier passed feeling as a major accomplishment. The strategies for each track are deep on the arcade mode and in time trials. Strategies like bumping into walls, opposing cars, and nailing that hair pin on the mountain course turn a novice/intermediate player into an expert. Every few months or so I always find myself coming back to Sega Rally for a good while trying to decrease my times on any one of the game's various modes. The gameplay isn't all though, as this game also has my favorite presentation and soundtrack on the console. All of this on a standard Saturn d-pad as well, serious props to the developers for taking the time to make this game translate well on a standard Saturn controller. It doesn't get much better on the Saturn than Sega Rally Championship, and it's easily one of my favorite games ever as well as my favorite game on the console.

Thanks so much for reading my list of my favorite Saturn games. Let me know if you've played these games before, and what your favorite Saturn games are!

Mini-Review Orbo on Playdate

 Orbo Mini-Review

When it comes to playing games, one thing I'm always looking for are unique experiences. Most games now take on the challenge of uniqueness in their characters, story, visuals, presentation and more, but a lot of games don't have the opportunity to branch outside of the limitations of their toolset. In video game's case, its the console/computer and controller. As a developer, you don't have the chance to tweak things very often. With the Playdate, it gives developers a new and fun tool to mess around with in the crank on the side of the handheld. A lot of games use the crank well, and one game that I've been enjoying recently that utilizes the crank is a game called Orbo made by thermay.io.

Orbo is a simple, yet addictive shooter and the concept of the game is simple. You control one of the only analog space satellites and proceed to destroy space junk and other AI satellites that are causing issues within Earth's orbit. Your analog satellite is positioned in the center of the screen, and to rotate your satellite and shoot down the opposition you use the Playdate’s crank. Shooting happens automatically as you're turning, so there's no need to worry about pressing any additional buttons. As a game, with a concept and gameplay so easy to understand, you have to nail the basics which thankfully Orbo does. Shooting down the enemy satellites is satisfying, and because you’re in space enemies fly at you in unique ways based on your gravity. It's also easy in arcade style games to feel like death or mistakes are the game's fault, but with the control on offer with the Playdate's crank being so precise, every time I die I know it's my fault. The game offers the option to recalibrate your crank in order to line up with the satellite a little better, but I honestly have never needed to calibrate. The presentation again while simple, really shows well on the Playdate's LCD screen. Another thing you can run the risk of with a game so simple is repetitiveness and lack of replay value. Thankfully the gameplay switches up with pseudo power ups getting introduced as you score higher, and global ranking to see where you stack against other players.

In summary, Orbo is a easy to understand game that takes advantage of being on a unique platform and ends up creating an experience that's both fun, relaxing and satisfying to enjoy. Whether played in ten minute spurts, or longer play sessions to get a high score, Orbo is a great time, and if you have a Playdate its an easy recommendation from me. As I was writing this, I got the urge to play some Orbo and got a new high score which you'll see below. Hopefully I can get another hundred or so points to rank in the top ten globally! As always, the link to the game will be below, and thank you for taking the time to read!

All screenshots are taken from a Playdate handheld

https://play.date/games/orbo/

Devil Blade Reboot Review

Games have never been easier to make in this day and age. With tons of resources and engines available, anyone could create their own game if they set their mind to it. Back in the day, it was a little trickier to create games and experiences, but some companies wanted to change that. I'm sure you've heard of the long running RPG Maker franchise that has been available for people to create their experiences, but have you heard of Dezaemon? Dezaemon was available to people with some 5th generation consoles like the Saturn, PlayStation and N64 to create shmups. One such game created with this engine was the original Devil Blade, featured on Dezaemon Plus as a demo game for you to enjoy. Both versions of the game were created by Shigatake, better known for their illustrations featured in Vanillaware games like Muramasa, Dragon's Crown and Odin Sphere to name a few. Shigitake decided to remake his 90's shmup with a new engine, STGbuilder, and that's what we're taking a look at today. Is this game worth your time? Let's take a deeper look.

Devil Blade is a pretty straight forward shoot em' up with elements of games from the 32-bit era and beyond. The game's visuals have great detail in its pixel art, which is to be expected from Vanillaware staff, but even still it really captures that 5th generation of console vibe. That isn't to say that its all old school, with great lighting effects in the backgrounds, and more bullets on screen than could be on a 5th gen console. Gameplay-wise, Devil Blade takes place over 5 full stages with the final boss having his own 6th stage. This feels just right for a shmup, and you can beat the game in about a half hour. This isn't to say there isn't reason to continue playing, as the scoring system has several unique aspects to it. Starting off, each enemy you kill can have a multiplier added on to them, and that increases the closer you are to the enemy when they die. This encourages a risky gameplay style with a lot of memorization on enemy patterns and spawns in order to maintain that multiplier, because if you stray away from enemies the multiplier will fall. This risky gameplay is even further accentuated by the berserk mode. Once you've killed enough enemies within a close range, you'll enter berserk mode which increases the maximum score multiplier from 5x to 20x. This is the essence of Devil Blade, fly up close and personal with your enemy, and be rewarded with the high-score. That's not all however, as there's another way to activate berserk mode with your bombs. By default you get 3 bombs each life, and when the bomb button is tapped you get a screen clearing attack that can really save your butt in a desperate situation. However, when holding the bomb button, you'll use one of your bombs to go straight into berserk mode, allowing you to rack up hundreds of thousands of points very quickly. If you can maintain your berserk meter throughout the entire stage, you'll be rewarded with heavy bonuses at the end of the stage. With the scoring system laid out, you then have two options for playing Devil Blade, survival or high score?  

Let's say this is your first shmup, and all this scoring talk is nice, but if you can't get past the first boss what's the point? Thankfully, I believe that Devil Blade is the perfect beginner shmup for anyone wanting to get into the genre! Straight from the get-go you have 4 difficulty options; easy, normal, hard and insane, with insane not allowing you to go below a certain multiplier, otherwise you die. Easy difficulty not only gives you easier bullet patterns (that are similar on higher difficulties allowing you to learn if you decide to move up a difficulty) but it also gives you auto-bomb functions, where if a bullet strikes you it will automatically use one of your bombs instead, which will also give you a shield to prevent a hit. The more you play the game as well, you get coins that can be used to unlock extra goodies, as well as continues to use in the main game mode in case you lose all of your lives. The ultimate goal in any shmup though is to beat the game without using a continue, and I believe that with a little time investment anyone could one credit clear the game on easy difficulty. I wouldn't call myself the best shmup player, but I was able to one credit clear both easy and normal difficulties within a few hours of picking the game up. As mentioned earlier, the more you play the game the more coins you'll get to unlock extra goodies, and lets speak on some of those now. 

In addition to extra continues, you'll unlock things like wallpapers and artwork that were used in development of the game. You'll also be able to unlock the games soundtrack to play in the music player, which by itself is enough reward. The soundtrack for this game is electric to put it plainly. The music is composed mainly by Hasu, with some tracks having additional help from Shigitake, and after playing the game it is easily one of my favorite shmup soundtracks period. With rock/metal guitars, and remixes from the original release it really kicks the entire experience up a notch. My favorites are tracks 3, 4 and 11 which are the first stage music, first boss music and the 4th stage boss music I believe. That's not the only thing your coins can get you, as you can also unlock an updated arranged version of the original Devil Blade! This version maintains its older graphics, but carries over some of the scoring systems from the newer reboot such as the berserk mode. You also have the choice of unlocking the older soundtrack as well so you can choose which versions you want to hear during gameplay which is a nice touch. 

With all this being said, it is no doubt in my mind that Devil Blade is a highlight release of 2024, and the game that I didn't know that I wanted. The game itself is a passion project, and it shows in all the greatest ways possible. Shigitake spent the last 5 years remaking the game that got him into the industry, and it really captures everything great about shmups while adding some fresh ideas and goodies for replay value. If you haven't heard or seen this game at all, I've linked the steam page and bandcamp page for the soundtrack below. Please check it out, I can't sing this game's praises high enough. Thank you for reading, and let me know if you play Devil Blade!

Links and picture sources below:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2882440/DEVIL_BLADE_REBOOT/

https://hasu2010.bandcamp.com/album/devil-blade-reboot

The Future is Now: Neo Geo CD Overview and Super Sidekicks 2 Mini Review

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Welcome the latest edition of the Teeezy game console collection, the Neo Geo CD. As a fan of arcade action, beautiful sprite work, and obscurity/history, the SNK and Neo Geo brand has always interested me. So much of the gaming experiences in the 1990's was bringing the arcade experience home, whether it was actual ports of games, improving technology, or even control schemes. So what did SNK do? Literally bring the arcade technology home! The Neo Geo AES was released in 1990 and had the same hardware framework as their arcade cabinet counterpart, the MVS. Those same games were brought home from the MVS to the AES playing exactly the same as their arcade counterpart. Being ahead of the home competition allowed SNK to support the MVS well into the 2000's well after the PS2 and Xbox had released, despite the architecture not being comparable to those systems. So what's the catch? The cost! The system originally released for $650 with games costing around the $200-300 dollar mark. Just as a reminder, that's 1990 $650. Adjusting for inflation, that puts the AES at $1553.30 in 2024. Needless to say the AES was a boujee console for a boujee consumer. A status symbol if you were lucky enough to own one as a kid. Because of this, SNK wanted to make their games more accessible to a larger audience, and with the revolution of CD-ROM technology they had a solution.

Enter the Neo Geo CD. Released in 1994, the Neo Geo CD was created to capture that larger audience by appealing to a more reasonable price point. Instead of placing the games on a large cartridge, SNK opted to place their games on a CD-ROM to charge around $40-$60 dollars for a game. In addition to the cost change, the larger storage capacity of CD's allowed for clearer red book audio, and added bonus content like concept art or exclusive content. This sounds like a dream scenario, but if you research the console or read reviews/coverage of the console in its heyday one common point of contention comes up, and that's the loading. The reduced memory and the nature of CD-ROM technology means that the larger your games, the more loading is required for a particular game. This works fine for smaller, earlier Neo Geo releases, where loading either happens all at the start or are comparable to other games of the time. As games got larger however, the loading times grow exponentially, especially with fighting games, the Neo Geo's bread and butter. On larger games like King of Fighters '98 or The Last Blade, loading happens sometimes after only seconds of gameplay followed by almost a minute of loading. SNK realized this issue, and in Japan actually released the Neo Geo CDZ featuring a double speed CD-ROM drive which helps load games faster, but it was too little too late. It is unavoidable if you're playing on original hardware, you will feel it. Nowadays, Neo Geo games are regularly available across multiple platforms or on original hardware with multi-carts, so is there any reason for playing on a Neo Geo CD today? Well for one, how can you ignore this fun little boot screen?

Charm aside, there were a few other reasons I was looking out for the console. There are a handful of console exclusives released that caught my eye, like Crossed Swords II a action RPG played from a pseudo 1st person perspective. As a fan of Saturn and PlayStation I also appreciate the packaging of NGCD games. They look good on a shelf together, and I might have a slight obsession with spine cards... Additionally, after playing lesser ports of Neo Geo games on consoles released in the same generation, you get a closer experience to the original on the CD because its built off the same hardware as the AES, just with a different mechanism to load the games. Personally, those loading times aren't something that I've been concerned with, as I play on a lot of other CD-based systems and deal with loading all the time. Some of the larger games I probably wouldn't look to play on the NGCD, but as another console to collect for, the library itself is very well balanced and doesn't have a lot of filler/shovelware. A perfect example of something that I would have no interest in on other consoles, but I've been enjoying on the NGCD is a soccer game. 

Super Sidekicks 2 is that soccer game, and was released the same year as the CD console. The game itself isn't very deep, but instead offers fast paced action with fun presentation. You play as the country of your choice, and go through a world tournament until you eventually become the world champ. The game is easy to pick up with a 3 button setup for both offense and defense, and the game gives you a brief tutorial before starting each session. Personally, the defense doesn't work as well as the offense with slide kicks and shoulder checks being difficult to hit, so I don't bother with it outside of some desperation plays. I wouldn't be talking about this game without its presentation. When you score a goal you get a fun cutscene of your player celebrating, or the opposing goalie punching the ground in anger. After halftime or at the start of a game you can hear the crowd chanting "Oleeee Ole Ole Oleee!". The best is when someone gets fouled, which shows both the player that got fouled and the player that committed the foul's reactions. It can turn into the player going super saiyan if you get fouled, and the computer player getting so pissed he screams and runs off the field. Outside of the main single player game, there is an exhibition mode if you want to play a single match or a 2-player game, and even the option to view the arcade attract mode which is fun. Not many sports games grab my attention outside of racing games or the occasional golf game, but this is the first soccer game that I can appreciate and for that I applaud the Neo Geo CD. 

Thanks for reading! I don't think I'll be prioritizing my collecting efforts for the Neo Geo CD, but any stand out experiences I play on the console I'm sure I'll talk about here. In the meantime, I'll be plugging away on a larger group of posts releasing later this year, with other content ideas in the meantime. I also really appreciate any feedback, so let me know if this kind of thing is interesting or if I should focus more on other content!

Sources:

https://www.giantbomb.com/neo-geo/3045-25/

https://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg90-neo_geo_cd.htm#page=reviews

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo_Geo_CD

 5 Peripherals I'd like to own 

Peripherals for video games, while still something that is used in games today definitely had it's heyday in years prior. Whether it was something that you had to have in order to enjoy the game, like a memory card or 2nd controller for multiplayer, or something more specialized that gave a new way to play or offered more options and content for a game. After collecting games more seriously over the past few years, I realized that I had a lot more peripherals in my possession than I realized. From light guns to arcade sticks, from cables to adapters you end up amassing peripherals as your collection grows. Today I want to highlight 5 peripherals that I have some interest in getting, whether to experience a game in the best way possible, or to expand the possibilities of a specific system. 

Saturn Taisen Cable

A big part of Sega's experience on the Saturn and their marketing behind it was that they were trying to bring the arcade experience home. All the favorites were available, from arcade wheels to light guns, the mission stick to the Netlink modem for online play. One that I want to highlight today and have on a gaming bucket list is obtaining and using a Saturn Taisen Cable. The Playstation had a similar option for its OG models, but the main idea behind it is you link 2 systems up to one another, and play multiplayer games on 2 separate screens as opposed to a split-screen. For a lot of people, this would be the closest experience possible to having an arcade experience at home (at least in the late 90's, way before Arcade 1Up made aftermarket machines more accessible). There aren't very many games supported by the cable, but the main one I want to play multiplayer in this way is Daytona USA Circuit Edition. It'll require 2 Saturns, 2 copies of the game, 2 TVs, and another person. A boy can dream...

E Reader

The E Reader was an add-on for your Gameboy Advance that let your read specialized cards that unlocked items in certain games, play games that are bound to the cards and more. My main reasoning behind this are the Animal Crossing E Reader cards that let you unlock certain items in the original Animal Crossing on Gamecube, along with artwork with each of the villagers. The Amiibo Cards for New Leaf and New Horizons were something that let me scratch my card collecting itch, so it would be nice to have another set of cards to compare and contrast with the newer ones. There were also some pretty cool expansions for games like Pokemon Pinball, F Zero GP Legend and others that I would be interested in taking a look at, so at least it's multi-purposed.

NeGcon Controller

Early on in the Ps1's lifespan the controllers didn't have any sort of analog option. That wasn't more regularly available until the Dualshock 1 controller got released a few years after the console got released. How are you supposed to enjoy racing games or other games that require more finesse? That's easy with the NeGcon controller! Instead of having a normal analog stick, Namco actually designed the controller to twist in the middle as the analog. The controller was made for the Ridge Racer series and continues to work even into the Ps2 era of games, but it also has compatibility with games outside of Namco games which is really interesting. I know the controller was created with racing games specifically in mind, but I wonder how the older Ridge Racer games play with this controller.

PSP GPS

I just found out about this the other day, but apparently there was a GPS released for the PSP that has data saved on it as opposed to accessing the information from the internet or satellite. The data itself is old, but it's still usable today and I always need an excuse to use my PSP more. Definitely more of a novelty but kinda neat. 

Vectrex Light Pen

One of the coolest systems that I have is the Vectrex, although I don't take advantage of it as much as I should honestly. With the official games I'm on the lookout for dwindling to 2-3 games, I'm starting to turn my attention to the homebrew and peripheral scene. The 3D imager is completely out of the question because of its price, but the light pen gives enough novelty to be interesting. This allows you to use specific cartridges as a drawing program straight onto the Vectrex. I'm not much of an artist myself, but if there's a way to draw on a system I like spending some time with it to see how it works. I got a kick out of a homebrew Saturn title a few years ago Sartist and took an evening to create a little landscape using my Saturn controller, so I imagine I'll do something similar to that. Personally the Vectrex will always fill more of a party trick role in my library as opposed to something that I play on a regular basis, so having another trick to show off would be cool.

So yeah, that's some more obscure items I have on my radar to expand my peripheral collection. Some of them will definitely take longer than others, like the Taisen Cable or Light Pen, but my local store has a NeGcon controller so maybe I'll get them closer than I expected! I wanted to make a bit of a shorter post after the longer review of Sega Touring Car, so let me know if the shorter content is something I should do more often? Or stick to more in depth reviews that get put out at a slower pace? Let me know! Otherwise thanks for reading as always!