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Hey folks. While we were waiting for the US scene release of Dragon Quest VI, I struck up a conversation about the Sega Saturn! Needless to say, it was wildly off topic, but for some reason it caught on with others.
Anyway, the games I currently own are Astal and Nights, though I'm using the double swap trick to play Radiant Silvergun, Galactic Attack, Guardian Heroes, Darius Gaiden, Sonic Jam, the Panzer Dragoon trilogy (Panzer Dragoon, Panzer Dragoon Zwei, and Panzer Dragoon Saga), Striker '96, and just for a chuckle (because I have no idea what it will play like yet or anything), NBA Jam Extreme. I'm kind of tickled at the thought of playing something so incredibly 90's as that, but otherwise, I really do not like Sports games. They lack creativity.
Astal's pretty good. A lot of people probably wouldn't recognize it because of the lack of brandnameness, but it really is a very gorgeous little title, with full voice acting and gameplay that I would describe as a mix between the classic Super Mario titles and Streets of Rage. Odd combination, I know, but you'll see what I mean when you play it. Actually, perhaps a better comparison is Rayman.
NiGHTS is really like a more linear, flying Sonic, with emphasis on time-attack style gameplay. The faster you are and the more you collect second-for-second, the better your grade will be. If you've played the Wii version, it's pretty similar, minus the whole walking around as the kids thing. (Well, you do walk around, but for maybe five seconds before NiGHTS wakes up.)
Radiant Silvergun was the first game I decided to burn and use the swap trick on, and it was definitely worth it to play the Saturn version on the TV. The Saturn controller is really just plain ideal for this particular game, with it's three basic bullets being tied to the A B and C buttons, and the combination bullets being tied to X, Y, and Z. Sure, you could just press a combination of one of the two basic bullet buttons to get your combo, but that can get tricky in the middle of battle, especially the A+C combination. (Which is rather useful for enemies which are behind you, which happens a lot.)
Out of the Panzer Dragoon trilogy, the only one I've actually played (and for not very long because I sadly lack a memory cartridge) is Saga. Let me tell you, it's just plain sad how this game never got a remake. Out of all the games I can think of, the formula and world of this one would benefit from a remake the most. If I had to choose a company to remake it, I would definitely choose Atlus, hopefully partnered with Smilebit, who now has some of the members who developed PDS.
I say that PDS needs a remake badly, because while it's systems are simultaneously timeless and unique, it's dated visuals and somewhat slow loading times can grate on the experience. Plus, being an excellent RPG that is tragically trapped on the Sega Saturn is just never a good thing, mostly due to lack of availability of memory cartridges to the masses, as well as Sega Saturns. I think it should be remade for the PC.
The system for PDS remains rather unique throughout gaming history. There's nothing really accurate to compare it to, but I guess if I had to pull a crazy one, I'd pull out Grandia II, if only for the real time/turn-based hybrid and positioning systems. All of the battles are seen from on dragonback, and there are four positions you can take; rear, front, port, and starboard. Each enemy has a certain amount of places they can attack from and from where they are vulnerable. Sometimes, the most dangerous locations to be are also the most vulnerable for the enemy, so you have to plan your attack and execute quickly. It's really much more simple and streamlined than I'm making it out to be. Best way to understand it is to play it yourself.
Darius Gaiden is similar to Gradius, only much more fast paced. If you play both Darius Gaiden and G Darius (PSX), you're in for a surprise; the games are almost identical. Only big difference is G Darius' use of polygons as opposed to Gaiden's use of sprites. I could be very, very wrong about that, though.
Galactic Attack is also good. Not much to say about it other than that it's a very beloved SHMUP.
You know, the Saturn is a very unique experience in general. Many modern games don't have the uniqueness that the Saturn did. Between NiGHTS, Radiant Silvergun, and Panzer Dragoon Saga, I'd say that playing the Saturn is a real trip for any modern gamer.
Anyway, the games I currently own are Astal and Nights, though I'm using the double swap trick to play Radiant Silvergun, Galactic Attack, Guardian Heroes, Darius Gaiden, Sonic Jam, the Panzer Dragoon trilogy (Panzer Dragoon, Panzer Dragoon Zwei, and Panzer Dragoon Saga), Striker '96, and just for a chuckle (because I have no idea what it will play like yet or anything), NBA Jam Extreme. I'm kind of tickled at the thought of playing something so incredibly 90's as that, but otherwise, I really do not like Sports games. They lack creativity.
Astal's pretty good. A lot of people probably wouldn't recognize it because of the lack of brandnameness, but it really is a very gorgeous little title, with full voice acting and gameplay that I would describe as a mix between the classic Super Mario titles and Streets of Rage. Odd combination, I know, but you'll see what I mean when you play it. Actually, perhaps a better comparison is Rayman.
NiGHTS is really like a more linear, flying Sonic, with emphasis on time-attack style gameplay. The faster you are and the more you collect second-for-second, the better your grade will be. If you've played the Wii version, it's pretty similar, minus the whole walking around as the kids thing. (Well, you do walk around, but for maybe five seconds before NiGHTS wakes up.)
Radiant Silvergun was the first game I decided to burn and use the swap trick on, and it was definitely worth it to play the Saturn version on the TV. The Saturn controller is really just plain ideal for this particular game, with it's three basic bullets being tied to the A B and C buttons, and the combination bullets being tied to X, Y, and Z. Sure, you could just press a combination of one of the two basic bullet buttons to get your combo, but that can get tricky in the middle of battle, especially the A+C combination. (Which is rather useful for enemies which are behind you, which happens a lot.)
Out of the Panzer Dragoon trilogy, the only one I've actually played (and for not very long because I sadly lack a memory cartridge) is Saga. Let me tell you, it's just plain sad how this game never got a remake. Out of all the games I can think of, the formula and world of this one would benefit from a remake the most. If I had to choose a company to remake it, I would definitely choose Atlus, hopefully partnered with Smilebit, who now has some of the members who developed PDS.
I say that PDS needs a remake badly, because while it's systems are simultaneously timeless and unique, it's dated visuals and somewhat slow loading times can grate on the experience. Plus, being an excellent RPG that is tragically trapped on the Sega Saturn is just never a good thing, mostly due to lack of availability of memory cartridges to the masses, as well as Sega Saturns. I think it should be remade for the PC.
The system for PDS remains rather unique throughout gaming history. There's nothing really accurate to compare it to, but I guess if I had to pull a crazy one, I'd pull out Grandia II, if only for the real time/turn-based hybrid and positioning systems. All of the battles are seen from on dragonback, and there are four positions you can take; rear, front, port, and starboard. Each enemy has a certain amount of places they can attack from and from where they are vulnerable. Sometimes, the most dangerous locations to be are also the most vulnerable for the enemy, so you have to plan your attack and execute quickly. It's really much more simple and streamlined than I'm making it out to be. Best way to understand it is to play it yourself.
Darius Gaiden is similar to Gradius, only much more fast paced. If you play both Darius Gaiden and G Darius (PSX), you're in for a surprise; the games are almost identical. Only big difference is G Darius' use of polygons as opposed to Gaiden's use of sprites. I could be very, very wrong about that, though.
Galactic Attack is also good. Not much to say about it other than that it's a very beloved SHMUP.
You know, the Saturn is a very unique experience in general. Many modern games don't have the uniqueness that the Saturn did. Between NiGHTS, Radiant Silvergun, and Panzer Dragoon Saga, I'd say that playing the Saturn is a real trip for any modern gamer.
