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Sega Saturn |OT| Appreciation and Emulation Thread

Traxus

Traxus

Spirit Tamer
Member
Jan 2, 2018
5,214
Laevateinn said:
Someone hacked Tomb Raider to play the E3 Demo levels of Tomb Raider 2 to give an idea of what it may have looked like on Saturn. I haven't played Tomb Raider since the 90s on my PC but this is making me want to give the Saturn version a go.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU-Vbzf7_4Y
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That'a cool. I played some Powerslave last night and was impressed how well the Saturn handles 3d geometry. There was none of the warping or visible seams I'm used to seeing on the PS1. Kind of weird given the Saturn's reputation for handling 3d worse than its competitors.
 
TaySan

TaySan

SayTan
Member
Dec 10, 2018
31,716
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Anyone excited for these?
zj14pwq9i2u91.jpg
 
petetnt

petetnt

Member
Oct 28, 2017
976
Neat, hadn't noticed that there's a Saturn OT thread here. I always wanted to own one and I finally jumped on it last summer and got this decent collection going on:


image.png


Haven't had much time to play after the summer though, but I did buy a Arcade Racer controller too and that's been tons of fun. Mostly have been just switching around with different games.
 
petetnt

petetnt

Member
Oct 28, 2017
976
IrishNinja said:
nice collection! been curious about dark seed for years, does that one have english voice acting + jp subs?. i wanna say the PSX one did
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Yep. Interestingly it supports the Shuttle Mouse and I think the Saturn version was only released in Japan. It had a sequel too that had a similar fate, but never played that.

800px-Saturn_mouse_white.jpg


edit: picture from Sega Retro, I don't have one myself
 
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IrishNinja

IrishNinja

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,856
Vice City
petetnt said:
Yep. Interestingly it supports the Shuttle Mouse and I think the Saturn version was only released in Japan. It had a sequel too that had a similar fate, but never played that.

800px-Saturn_mouse_white.jpg
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oh wow, i'd never seen that before! damn, so dark seed is playable then...that might be a good one for spooky season

also on the subject of saturn controllers: all the virtua and other sticks (flying, driving etc) shot up before i got em, sadly. i swear next time im in akiba i'm gonna look for those, and also any train controllers i can find
 
Glimlocker

Glimlocker

Member
Mar 7, 2019
3,640
Empire of the Inland Realm, USA
petetnt said:
Yep. Interestingly it supports the Shuttle Mouse and I think the Saturn version was only released in Japan. It had a sequel too that had a similar fate, but never played that.
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Interesting fact that I remind people whenever I get the slightest chance:
Panzer Dragoon Zwei is playable with the shuttle mouse and works very well. It's my preferred way to play the game.
Rez is ALSO playable with a Dreamcast mouse, but doesn't play as well as PDZ.

IrishNinja said:
also on the subject of saturn controllers: all the virtua and other sticks (flying, driving etc) shot up before i got em, sadly.
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I keep eyeing the Twin Sticks, but I don't think I can justify the space they take up for the small amount of games it would support.
The mission stick is interesting - not quite as precise as I'd like it to be, and it's a bit twitchy. Still fun for a play of Night Striker or Spacer Harrier though.
 
Gelf

Gelf

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,372
TaySan said:
Anyone excited for these?
zj14pwq9i2u91.jpg
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I'm very interested.

With the sticks I'm happy with any kind really as I see them only for occasional use, this is not the sort of pad I'd use for everything. I just don't want to be screwed if a game needs the right stick for one function forcing me to play with a less preferred 2D pad for the entire time.

I am far less fussy with sticks than I am with dpads, I've been spoiled for life with the Saturn there.
 
IrishNinja

IrishNinja

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,856
Vice City
Glimlocker said:
I keep eyeing the Twin Sticks, but I don't think I can justify the space they take up for the small amount of games it would support.
The mission stick is interesting - not quite as precise as I'd like it to be, and it's a bit twitchy. Still fun for a play of Night Striker or Spacer Harrier though.
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same - local shop wants like $100 for mission stick, i know it's gonna be mostly sega ages stuff for me and i'd love that (just like i'd love a wheel for OutRun but can't justify the current prices
 
Barrel Cannon

Barrel Cannon

It's Pronounced "Aerith"
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
9,383
TaySan said:
Ordered my first Saturn modded with Fenrir, F-Ram, and PicoPsu. Any must-have controllers and accessories?
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Also if you go for multi taps don't overpay for them. Wait for them to drop in price or bid for them. I took a long time to get both of mine but that's how I saved getting them. They aren't really worth it unless you plan on having Saturn bomberman sessions though and even 1 multitap will give you plenty of players.

The 3D controller is useful for nights. Not sure what the F-ram mod does but if it doesn't provide the extra ram for Capcom games then grab one of those for better compatibility with tons of games that use it.

Also instead of grabbing a Saturn stick, grab a newer PC/360 stick and use a brooks adapter. You'll get way better quality of a stick and it'll be useable on a Dreamcast and PC as well that way.
 
Laevateinn

Laevateinn

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,137
Chicago
Barrel Cannon said:
Also if you go for multi taps don't overpay for them. Wait for them to drop in price or bid for them. I took a long time to get both of mine but that's how I saved getting them. They aren't really worth it unless you plan on having Saturn bomberman sessions though and even 1 multitap will give you plenty of players.

The 3D controller is useful for nights. Not sure what the F-ram mod does but if it doesn't provide the extra ram for Capcom games then grab one of those for better compatibility with tons of games that use it.

Also instead of grabbing a Saturn stick, grab a newer PC/360 stick and use a brooks adapter. You'll get way better quality of a stick and it'll be useable on a Dreamcast and PC as well that way.
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The F-Ram mod allows you to keep your saves without having to have a CR2032 battery in the system.
 
TaySan

TaySan

SayTan
Member
Dec 10, 2018
31,716
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Barrel Cannon said:
Also if you go for multi taps don't overpay for them. Wait for them to drop in price or bid for them. I took a long time to get both of mine but that's how I saved getting them. They aren't really worth it unless you plan on having Saturn bomberman sessions though and even 1 multitap will give you plenty of players.

The 3D controller is useful for nights. Not sure what the F-ram mod does but if it doesn't provide the extra ram for Capcom games then grab one of those for better compatibility with tons of games that use it.

Also instead of grabbing a Saturn stick, grab a newer PC/360 stick and use a brooks adapter. You'll get way better quality of a stick and it'll be useable on a Dreamcast and PC as well that way.
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I bought a Pseudo Kai all in one action replay. 1m/4m ram and 8m memory card

s-l300.jpg
 
Glimlocker

Glimlocker

Member
Mar 7, 2019
3,640
Empire of the Inland Realm, USA
TaySan said:
Ordered my first Saturn modded with Fenrir, F-Ram, and PicoPsu. Any must-have controllers and accessories?
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Sorry to be hyper-pedantic, but last I heard, Pico power supplies were not recommended to install over stock power supplies.

All I am saying is just to double check on that part. Things may have changed from the last time I heard about them.

Probably won't have problems either way. But, what I've heard is that they do not offer any improvement over the stock PSU and tend to add noise to the line.

Laevateinn said:
After watching Arino play Space Harrier with it I really want a Mission Stick.
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The thing with the mission stick is that it activates with very little movement and I've never gotten to use the full spectrum of motion in a game.

Instead, I can only use about 35% of its full range in most games.
In practice, this makes it a very twitchy gameplay experience.

I don't remember what the arcade space harrier feels like, but I imagine the sensitivity is mapped properly to the full range of the stick.

This is with a JP Mission Stick, though I doubt other regions are much different.
It's still a fun time, but feels more of a novelty that could've been better rather than a well-thought out integration of the accessory.
 
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DaveLong

DaveLong

Member
Nov 2, 2017
1,205
Barrel Cannon said:
The 3D controller is useful for nights. Not sure what the F-ram mod does but if it doesn't provide the extra ram for Capcom games then grab one of those for better compatibility with tons of games that use it.
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I just picked up Sega Rally Plus which has native support for the 3D controller. It's at least one other game to make that useful!
 
petetnt

petetnt

Member
Oct 28, 2017
976
IrishNinja said:
could've sworn i used the 3d pad on burning rangers years back as well?
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Tons of games support the pad, but honestly for many games (outside of Nights of course) it's a bit finicky so playing it in digital mode is often preferable at least for me. What Glimlocker said about the Mission Stick also seems to affect the Arcade Racer, for some reason it seems to go from 0 to 100% with just a fraction of the full turning capability, which is okay when you learn it but it kinda threw me off the loop for a while on Daytona / Sega Rally etc.
 
dubc

dubc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,429
Seattle
Glimlocker said:
Has anyone ever played the JP import game Noon?
Recently picked it up and thought I'd be able to figure out what to do.

Turns out, I don't really know what to do.
Here is a video of the game:

View: https://youtu.be/wzeeT1x1zGc

It's definitely a match 3 game, but I assume there's more nuance to it.
Either way, the graphics look quite lovely.
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I haven't played it personally but there is a faq on gamefaqs:

Noon - FAQ - Saturn - By UndeadKing - GameFAQs

For Noon on the Saturn, FAQ by UndeadKing.
gamefaqs.gamespot.com
 
Laevateinn

Laevateinn

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,137
Chicago
This looks like the sort of game I would enjoy for 15 minutes even though I have no idea what's going on and then give up.

Really cool soundtrack at least
 
Glimlocker

Glimlocker

Member
Mar 7, 2019
3,640
Empire of the Inland Realm, USA
dubc said:
I haven't played it personally but there is a faq on gamefaqs:

Noon - FAQ - Saturn - By UndeadKing - GameFAQs

For Noon on the Saturn, FAQ by UndeadKing.
gamefaqs.gamespot.com
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Ah, I gave up looking! Thanks for checking it out.
There's very little documentation about this game anywhere. I couldn't even find a review for it, so after that, I figured a FAQ was out of the question and just gave up.

It seems to confirm what my gameplay experiences were, though.

Laevateinn said:
This looks like the sort of game I would enjoy for 15 minutes even though I have no idea what's going on and then give up.

Really cool soundtrack at least
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Yeah, that's essentially what I did.
It does have a tutorial, but the dialogue is unskippable, slow and narrated by a high-pitched anime voice, so I kinda stopped it after the first 3 minutes. It's also in Japanese, of course.

The artstyle is incredibly on-point, as is the soundtrack. If I can figure out the mechanics well enough, I think it'll be pretty solid.
I'd been looking to pick it up for probably around 6 years now, so I'm happy to own it.
 
Piggychan

Piggychan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,914
while taking Night Warriors - Darkstalkers Revenge out for a spin the flier within showed some upcoming games..


L9Dq2Dt.jpg



pq7u6M8.jpg


nggvn5R.jpg
 
Fuzzy

Fuzzy

Completely non-threatening
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
18,197
Toronto
Some in this thread might be interested in this.

www.resetera.com

Unreleased SegaSoft FMV Game SACRED POOLS Now Available (Saturn, PC, Mac, PS1)

Here is The Sacred Pools, an unreleased FMV game by Sega planned for release in 1997. The game was a new arrival to the FMV market that was pushed as an "erotic thriller" for older audiences. With a reported budget of 2-3 million dollars, Sega's new division SegaSoft aimed to expand the...
www.resetera.com www.resetera.com
 
TaySan

TaySan

SayTan
Member
Dec 10, 2018
31,716
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Can't get the original controller to work sadly. Tried spraying compressed air in the controller port, but didn't work. :/ 3D controller works fine though.
 
Piggychan

Piggychan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,914
you might have to unscrew and open the controller and clean the contacts between the board and rubber
 
MrNewVegas

MrNewVegas

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,757
I know very little about the Saturn but I own one lol.

I'm torn between getting a Satiator or an Astro City Mini V. I know the emulation on the mini isn't the greatest. I was just wondering how all the shmups run on the Saturn?
 
Glimlocker

Glimlocker

Member
Mar 7, 2019
3,640
Empire of the Inland Realm, USA
MrNewVegas said:
I know very little about the Saturn but I own one lol.

I'm torn between getting a Satiator or an Astro City Mini V. I know the emulation on the mini isn't the greatest. I was just wondering how all the shmups run on the Saturn?
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In terms of performance, a good chunk (almost all, but my following example) are arcade perfect AND may add optional arrange modes + music players. The Psikyo games will have less lag than other methods, too.

DoDonPachi and DonPachi are not arcade perfect in terms of graphics, but run quite well.

Obviously, the Astro City will have pretty exclusive MAJOR shmups (Toaplan and Raizing games come to mind) but Saturn also has plenty of great gems, just not as major.
 
MrNewVegas

MrNewVegas

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,757
Glimlocker said:
In terms of performance, a good chunk (almost all, but my following example) are arcade perfect AND may add optional arrange modes + music players. The Psikyo games will have less lag than other methods, too.

DoDonPachi and DonPachi are not arcade perfect in terms of graphics, but run quite well.

Obviously, the Astro City will have pretty exclusive MAJOR shmups (Toaplan and Raizing games come to mind) but Saturn also has plenty of great gems, just not as major.
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Thanks for your answer! It's a tough choice!
 
BizzyBum

BizzyBum

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,198
New York
So recently I've been more and more interested to revisit retro gaming and the Saturn was the only system back in the day that I didn't own (had both the PS1 and N64) so I figured why not and pulled the trigger on everything I needed (I think) so I ended up getting:
  • NA Model 1 w/ FRAM Mod and Fenrir ODE and 2 controllers
  • Pseudo Kai Action Replay All-in-one
  • RAD2X HDMI cable
Unfortunately the PSK and RAD2X won't be delivered until sometime in January so I'll have to wait at least a month to start playing, but pretty exciting to have the ability to play the entire US and Japanese Saturn library at will. I'm also possibly interested in setting up NetLink capabilities for it in the future as well but not right at the start when I get it.

I'll end up watching some YouTube vids on some of what's considered the best games and hidden gems, but does anyone here have any recommendations as well that maybe aren't mentioned as often?
 
MikeMyers

MikeMyers

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,137
United Kingdom
BizzyBum said:
So recently I've been more and more interested to revisit retro gaming and the Saturn was the only system back in the day that I didn't own (had both the PS1 and N64) so I figured why not and pulled the trigger on everything I needed (I think) so I ended up getting:
  • NA Model 1 w/ FRAM Mod and Fenrir ODE and 2 controllers
  • Pseudo Kai Action Replay All-in-one
  • RAD2X HDMI cable
Unfortunately the PSK and RAD2X won't be delivered until sometime in January so I'll have to wait at least a month to start playing, but pretty exciting to have the ability to play the entire US and Japanese Saturn library at will. I'm also possibly interested in setting up NetLink capabilities for it in the future as well but not right at the start when I get it.

I'll end up watching some YouTube vids on some of what's considered the best games and hidden gems, but does anyone here have any recommendations as well that maybe aren't mentioned as often?
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If you're getting into imports the Sakura Wars series is a must. Sakura Wars Columns is a must.
 
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