** The best Sega Saturn games **

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If you have the RAM Cartridge, so go here.

P.S. You must think, that i'm crazy uploading so many games...stolen from sometimes well-known sites! Of course am i...but MEDIAFIRE transfers are the fastest, which are actually avaliable for all of us!!

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CLICK BELOW ON ANY IMAGE...
to watch slideshow with many screenshots for the choosen game.

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I The best and the most playable titles for me (alphabetical order):


Battle Garegga (J) created by 8ing / Raizing

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -YES-

Gameplay

24 screenshots

"One of 8ing / Raizing’s finest shooters and it’s on the Saturn. Battle Garegga is a vertical shooter that can only be described as stunning or at least it could have been when it was first released. Choose from one of 4 or 8 craft (if you have the extra player mode switched on) and take to the skies for an orgy of bullet dodging.

Unlike many other shooters out there Battle Garegga makes you work for your bombs. Basically you have a power bar at the bottom of the screen which represents your bombs. This gradually fills up as you collect the icons that appear after blasting other craft from the sky. Once you collect a certain amount you’re able to let loose a bomb attack. These attacks really do take a lot of damage from the enemy so make sure you use them wisely.

One really nice feature about Battle Garegga are the options. Not only are there loads of them but also a very nice mode called “Easy Option” mode. Once this is selected the beautiful high resolution screen is changed to a very simplistic screen all in English ! It may not look as fancy as the Japanese option screen but it sure makes changing options a lot easier. In the options you can customize almost anything in the game including the screen display. All the typical modes are in there such as arcade mode, Saturn mode, half screen mode that displays the whole screen by scrolling it up and down as you play. Quite similar to how Gunbird works. But the mode that I enjoy most if the Tinny mode. What this does is displays the whole arcade screen mode on your normal TV. The image is quite small but if you have a good TV the image quality is fantastic. No ugly scaled up sprites like in the Saturn mode. Just perfect a ratio like it should be in the arcade mode but displayed on a normal TV.

Battle Garegga is once of the higher quality shooters out there for the Saturn which is good going considering how many shooters there are on the system."

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Silhouette Mirage (J) created by Treasure

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -YES-

Gameplay

28 screenshots

"I just love this game.  By far the best Treasure game on the Saturn.  Treasure really pushed the Saturn with this title making it do massive transparency effects, mirror reflections, beautifully animated 2D sprites every where as  well as some of the craziest fun levels ever seen in a Saturn action game.  Sadly, Silhouette Mirage never made it out of Japan just like Radiant Silvergun unlike Guardian Heroes.  Maybe this is down to Guardian Heroes being published by Sega in Japan while Silhouette Mirage and Radiant Silvergun were published by ESP / Treasure.  This makes Silhouette Mirage one of the rarer Saturn titles out there but no were near as rare as Radiant Silvergun."

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Radiant Silvergun (J) created by Treasure

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

Gameplay

13 screenshots

"The most over hyped Shooter in history finally gets a place in my collection for the hefty sum of 15’000 yen (Bought November 2004) which is quite a lot when most used shooters peak at 5000 yen. I’m sure that most of you know about Radiant Silvergun but just incase you don’t let me tell you a little about it. Radiant Silvergun is by Treasure, one of the most praised software houses in the world. So much so that even their standard games receive praise beyond belief which brings me to the point that I can't understand.  Why do some people have so much love for this game?  I admit that Radiant Silvergun is a good shooter but the way some people react you’d expect it to be the ultimate game that no other can touch. I’m 100% positive that if this game was made by a no mark company then nobody would give a shit about it or not as much as they do now because it’s made by Treasure.

Visually Radiant Silvergun pushes the Saturn to new heights with some amazing 3D environments filled with 3D and 2D magic that you’d never think possible on the Saturn. It’s a shame the same can’t be said about the audio. Again many people praise the audio on Radiant Silvergun and again it is good but no where near as good as the fan boys make it out to be. In fact I feel it doesn’t suit the game at times. There are many other shooters out there with far superior sound tracks.

Radiant Silvergun's weapon system works well if not a little too smart for it’s own good (Just like Ikaruga on the Dreamcast which is also by Treasure) which can lead to confusion in the moment of panic. Still, the amount of different weapons on offer is very impressive indeed.  It will just take a little getting use too.

So after bitching over Radiant Silvergun I expect to get quite a few hate mails from the fan boys but before you guys do start writing your mails, remember one thing. I have an opinion just like you do. I choose not to praise Radiant Silvergun like you guys do simply because I don’t think it deserves it. If this game was cheaper than it is then maybe I would have a little more respect for it but as it is I find paying 15’000 yen for a mint copy pretty difficult to justify. Much more fun can be had from buying 2 or even 3 other top notch shooters on the Saturn for the same price."

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II Very good titles for me (alphabetical order):

Brillants, gems, diamonds...


Assault Suit Leynos 2 (J) created by NCS Misaya

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -YES-

"I've always had a soft spot for NCS games.  They never seem to disappoint me and are always imaginative or should that be were imaginative.  Since the pretty awful Langrisser Millennium on the Dreamcast, NCS Misaya have disappeared or at least have not been noticed by me.  Anyway, Assault Suit Leynos 2 is the follow up to the Mega Drive Game Assault Suit Leynos and is not to be mistaken as the follow up to the amazing Super Famicom game Assault Suit Valken which was also by NCS Misaya and released by Konami in the west but sadly they censored it.

This Saturn release is a very hard game to beat but that doesn't make it a bad game, just one that will last you quite some time.  NCS have worked well with the Saturn's 2D powers providing unbelievable sized boss enemies that fill up the entire screen when it's zoomed out and don't even fit on the screen when it's zoomed in !!  At first the controls can be quite confusing but after a bit of play you'll get use to them, which isn't such a bad thing."

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Bulk Slash (J) created by Hudson

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

Gameplay

30 screenshots

"One of the most over looked games I ever owned. The first time I put it on it must have lasted about 10 minutes due to the odd control system. It wasn’t until 8 months or so later I was feeling rather boarded with no new game bought at that time so I decided to give Bulk Slash another chance and am I glad that I did. The introduction while not the greatest animation in the world really does set the pace for the game with it’s Macross like style. The game it’s self is a 3D flight shooter based around the cities of the world you live in. All areas are fully 3D polygon generated apart from the floor which is a mode 7 effect sprite meaning that it never pops up or fades away. This is a good thing since we all know that the Saturn is no 3D power house so using the floor in this manner constantly gives the impression of distance. The actual polygon world fades in the closer you get to it, sort of like Sonic R. The only thing that isn’t polygon generated is your ship. That’s a pre-rendered sprite but still looks 3D’ish. The ship can run across the ground or fly by transforming in to the plane mode. Now remember that I said above the controls were bad. Well, actually they aren’t that bad to be honest once you get to grips with them. While on the ground your mech walks backwards or forwards using the d-pad and strafes left or right by pressing left or right on the d-pad. To actually turn you must use the L & R triggers. This is why I thought the controls were bad but preserve with it for a little and you’ll soon get the hang of it.

So not only does the game look and sound good but it is actually great fun to play. Through out each level you are give a task that must be completed before being able to battle the boss of that stage. The stages are quite large as well as complicated with many hidden passages, tall buildings and sneaky enemies hiding around every alcove. Thankfully you can find co-pilots through out the stages who will guide you to the main targets. They do speak in Japanese however so it would be a good chance to remember that Migi = Right and Hidari = Left.

If you get the chance to buy Bulk Slash then don’t pass on it. Quality 3D shooting for your Saturn."

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Grandia (J) created by Game Arts

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

"Grandia is hailed by many as the ultimate RPG for the Saturn and it's easy to see why.  Grandia probably pushes the Saturn graphically more than any other RPG out there.  Makes Sega's Shinning Force games look dated even though they were released after Grandia.  Solid 3D worlds with sprites for characters and wonderfully designed maps makes this a delight to watch.

Grandia plays very well indeed with battle controls easy enough to pick up even in Japanese and menus that aren't too confusing like some other RPGs.  The story is also pretty good if you can understand it that is.  Considering that it's in Japanese though I doubt that many of you will be interested in whether the story is any good or not anyway (^v^).

One thing that I must point out is that all the FMV in Grandia runs in the Saturn's highest resolution making it look super sharp like a DVD  !!  The odd thing is that the title screen is in standard resolution while the Grandia Prelude disc is fully high resolution apart from the FMV."

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Layer Section (J) created by Taito

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -YES-

"The year is 1995 and home gamers in Japan are gagging for some hot arcade shooting action.  Along comes Taito with their awesome Layer Section for Saturn.  Layer Section is in fact a conversion of Taito's arcade hit Ray Force.  For some odd reason it was renamed for the Saturn and then renamed again for the western market to Galactic Attack.  Anyway, back to the game.

Back in it's day Layer Section was one hot game.  It was the first in my opinion to really use the Saturn's 2D powers with it's manic parallax scrolling and scaling levels coupled with loads of beefy sprites with no slowdown what so ever.  These days Layer Section is looking a little dated but not enough to make it look poor.  It can still turn a head or two with it's 2D magic and looks better than it's 3D sequel (also on the PlayStation).  Layer Section is one hell of a tough shooter that will having you pulling out your hair.  Sometimes you'll die and have no idea what hit you because there's so much going on.  This is a bad point about the game and probably it's the only one.  Fans of Taito's sound team, Zuntata will love the soundtrack to this game.  Pure classic Zuntata space music.  Many people slated the soundtrack but I find it to be very good.  Wonderful spacey music and great explosion effects.

You should be able to find the Japanese copy of Layer Section quite cheap these days.  Probably one of the few Saturn shooters that can be bought for a cheap price since most of them go for quite a bit of cash.  A true recommended classic !  Buy it now."

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Lunar 2 Eternal Blue (J) created by Game Arts

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

"I've only had time to play Lunar 2 Eternal Blue for an hour or so.  So I can't really give any comments on it apart from what I've seen so far.  The first thing that struck me was that Lunar 2 uses CRI ADX sound format like 80% of Dreamcast games do which gives Lunar 2 some beautiful sound.  One thing that did surprise me was that the game uses Cinipack for the FMV.  This led me to believe that all the FMV would be in a box with awful quality like practically every other if not all other games that use Cinipack.  To my surprise, Lunar 2 has some very nice quality FMV.  The intro alone shows this.  Some scenes don't have the slightest hint of blockyness that plaques Cinipack FMV.

I hope to get time to play this in the future but for now at least I can look at the instruction book and map of the area shown below.

This first print of Lunar 2 Eternal Blue also comes with a set of Sega Freak cards showing some of the characters used in the Lunar series.  Just take a look.  They're very nice indeed."

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Magic Knight Rayearth (my modified release= UJ) created by Sega

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

"One if not the first 2D RPGs released for the Sega Saturn way back in 1995 and still looks good now 9 years later.  Magic Knight Rayearth is based on the anime of the same name and even features the original voice talents from the anime as well as cut scenes.  Our three girls adventure starts out as a normal school trip to Tokyo Tower when suddenly they find them selves falling to the ground only to appear in Sefiro, a magical world of mystery and adventure.  The three girls are told that only they can save Sefiro by Kurefu who gives them the powers of the three elements.  Hikaro Shido (the main red haired character) becomes a user of fire, Umi Ryuzaki (blue haired heroine) becomes a user of water whilst finally the soft hearted and shy Fuu Houoji (green haired heroine) becomes a user of wind.  Our heroine's make many friends on their journey including a cute little white rabbit type creature called Mokona (^v^)  Of course when there's heroes there's enemies and Magic Knight Rayearth is no exception.

Magic Knight Rayearth is one of those RPGs were you really become one with the characters and actually feel sadness when something terrible happens.  This is what I believe makes a good RPG.  I've played so many RPGs that I couldn't care less about if the characters died or what ever but in Magic Knight you'll find yourself hoping for the best to happen to your heroine's.  Magic Knight not only boasts a solid story with some well done cut scenes from the actual anime but also an amazing soundtrack being produced by the Saturn's amazing Yamaha sound processor.  Some of the tunes are truly remembered.  The visuals in Magic Knight Rayearth are also way above average for a 9 year old game and still look good compared to some of the Dreamcast's more modern 2D RPGs.  I've played and finished Magic Knight Rayearth three times over the last 9 years.  First in Japanese then the US God Awful edited and badly dubbed version and then again in Japanese.  There's not many RPGs that I'd play more than once so Magic Knight Rayearth must be good !  By the way, it's nothing like the crappy Super Famicom Versions by Tomy."

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Shining Force III Scenario 1 (U) created by Sega

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

"This has got to be the best RPG on the Saturn.  Far better than Grandia in my opinion.  Shining Force 3 Scenario 1 is the 1st part of 3.  The game features a great story line, solid 3D towns and maps as well as some pretty impressive battle scenes.  If you're in to RPGs then you must get this one."

Shining Force III Scenario 2 (J) created by Sega

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

"The most difficult to find of the 3 Shining Force III games due to it having a lower print run that scenario 1 and 3 for some odd reason."

Shining Force III Scenario 3 (J) created by Sega

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

"The final chapter in the Shining Force Saga is also one of the best.  Its just a shame that this was never released in English just like scenario 2.  Along with this game came 3 stickers promoting the trilogy."

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Wachenroder (J) created by Sega

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

"This game is beautiful.  The whole thing oozes quality from the moment you switch it on.  The full screen CG intro is wonderful.  The whole game takes place in what I believe is called a "Steam Punk" fantasy environment.  Wachenroder (pronounced Vakkenroda) was one of the later Saturn releases which is quite surprising when you consider the amount of detail gone in to this game.  The actual game worlds are all polygon generated and look quite nice.  Easily as good if not better than those used in Grandia or Shining Force 3.  The battle scenes are played in the typical take a few moves over a grid then let your opponent take theirs.  I normally hate this style but with Wachenroder I didn't mind that much due to  the wonderful atmosphere that the game portrays.  The battles are played out on the main world area except for when you do a magic or hard attack.  Then the presentation becomes full 3D much in the same way as Shining Force. Only this time the characters seem to have a shell shaded look to them.  While playing the normal game (none battle scenes) the characters are 2D sprites just like in Grandia or Shining Force 3.  This is all fine and well until the screen zooms in.  For some reason the programmers of Wachenroder thought it would be a great idea to zoom the screen in whist people are having a conversation.  I really wish that they hadn't because it gives the game an awful blocky look at times.  Still, it's not enough to spoil the great game that Wachenroder is.

Wachenroder comes with a beautiful art book which features CG, model and sketches from the game."

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III Good titles for me (alphabetical order):

They're "only" good games, but if you have a lot of free time check them too...shorter: nice releases!!


Deep Fear (my modified release= EJ- aka U) created by Sega

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

"Sega's answer to Capcom's Bio Hazard series.  Deep Far has no zombies but mutant creatures.  The game takes place in an under water research base that has been infested with biowaste.  All hell brakes lose so it's up to our hero to save the day.  Deep Fear features some really nice graphics that are on par with Bio Hazards as well as plenty of blood (^v^)  The playability is a little fiddly at first but you'll soon become accustom to them.  A special mention must go to the music in the game.  Composed by Kenji Kawai who is responsible for many soundtracks to Japanese animation such as Ranma 1/2 and Patlabor.  It's just a shame that the person in change of the voice acting wasn't as selective as the person in charge of the music."

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Dinosaur Island (J) created by Game Arts

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

Intro & 1st Part of the Screenshots

51 screenshots

2nd Part of the Screenshots

34 screenshots

3rd Part of the Screenshots

39 screenshots

"Dinosaur Island is one of the most beautiful games you'll ever see on the Saturn !!  It's an interactive animation with a difference !  All the animation is full screen and powered by the actual Saturn.  not one bit of FMV in sight !!  The quality of the animation is second to none.  Beautiful is the only way to describe it.  This game really goes to show what the Saturn can do in 2D without any extra RAM cartridges.  The audio is also very clear and fits the visuals perfectly.  Story wise it's also very funny packed with loads of typical Japanese style humor.

You're probably thinking that this game would be a waste of money since once you've played it then that's that.  Well, you're wrong because there are many different routs to take from the beginning to the end.  So there is quite a lot of replay value in there.  One of the nice features I like is the ability to fast forward or reverse the game as well as pausing it.  Another cool feature once you've finished the game is to watch it back again as an animation.  I'd seriously recommend checking this out if you're looking for a change from the usual shooting or fighting games."

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Legend of Oasis (U) created by Ancient

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

"This Sega Saturn sequel to the successful Mega Drive game Story Of Thor is a game that every Saturn owner should own or at least try.  Thor is an action RPG much in the same was as the ever popular Zelda games on Nintendo systems.  Thor's graphics are beautifully drawn as well as well animated.  The game focuses on maze like maps that you must navigate to get out of a certain area or to complete a task.  With the view being an almost over head view this can some times lead to confusion thanks to the prospective of things looking a bit odd.

Thor's music is produced by that wonder of game musicians, Yuzo Koshiro.  You may know his work from Sega games such as Super Shinobi, Bare Knuckle 1 to 3, Shenmue (not all music) and such Super Famicom classics like Actraiser 1 and 2 and Super Adventure Island as well as many others.  So you know that Thor is not only going to look good but also sound good."

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Panzer Dragoon (U) created by Team Andromeda

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -YES-

Gameplay

12 screenshots

"When Panzer Dragoon was firsts released people would stop and stair at it's beauty.  I remember the very first time I saw Edge and his dragon fly on to the screen over the ruins half emerged in water while the what's best described as sex to ears music played over.  I was absolutely astounded.  There has never been a game that made me feel the way that Panzer Dragoon did when I first saw it.  For those who have only ever played the poor PC version or the unbelievable sad effort hidden XBox inside of Panzer Dragoon Orta then you have not witnessed the true beauty of Panzer Dragoon.  These days almost 10 years on from it's début Panzer Dragoon is looking a bit old with it's 25fps and low resolution textures but the magic is still there.

For those who don't know Panzer Dragoon is an On-rails 3D shooter.  It differs from other games of the time though because of Panzer Dragoon's full 360 degree shooting radius.  This makes for much more action since you are constantly looking around you for enemies.  Another feature of Panzer Dragoon that is worth a mention are the wonderful cut scenes that are presented in Real time as well as a few FMV ones.  The real time scenes were at the time breathtaking and gave the game that polished look.  The pre-rendered FMV cut scenes were also of a high quality (except for the PAL version) and told out the story of Edge and his Dragon in such a way that you could feel yourself involved within the story.
Like many of the earlier Saturn games, Panzer Dragoon had a beautifully coloured disc."

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Panzer Dragoon Saga (U/E) created by Team Andromeda

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

Gameplay

21 screenshots

"This is one of those games that if it was on the PSX, it would have been classed as the ultimate game of the year.  But of course most of the sad sods out there in PSX land wouldn't know a good game if it popped out of their own arse.

Azel Panzer Dragoon or Panzer Dragoon Saga as it was known in the west was the 3rd in the series and an amazing piece of gaming history, right up there with the likes of Shenmue and Final Fantasy 6 (3).  This missive adventure pushed the Saturn to do some amazing landscapes with almost no loading times at all.  The game spreads over 4 discs with it's compelling story line mixed between RPG, Action, Adventure and Strategy.  If you've never played this game then you are seriously missing out.  The characters are genuinely likeable and you feel yourself become one with them as you play through the game."

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Panzer Dragoon Zwei (U) created by Team Andromeda

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -NO-

Gameplay

10 screenshots

"A massive leap in quality from the first Panzer Dragoon game.  Now with faster frame rates, hardly no pop up problems, amazing water effect and now multiple root selections.  I recently played this game again 7 years after it was first released and it has sure aged well.  It still plays, sounds and looks like a dream.  Of course the latest X-Box Panzer Dragoon looks a hell of a lot better but for what this game was it's still just as good now.  In many ways I prefer this game over the 3rd release since it's essentially just a shooter while the 3rd game is more adventure / RPG based.  Of course Panzer Dragoon Zwei comes with it's own amazing story continuing from the first game displayed as FMV cut scenes and real time graphics.  Panzer Dragoon Zwei is yet another Saturn game that belongs in EVERY Saturn owners collection."

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Shinrei Jusaishi Taroumaru (J) created by Time Warner

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -YES-

Intro, Gameplay & Ending

50 Screenshots

"I’ll start off by saying I find it VERY difficult to believe that Time Warner made this game since EVERY other game they have made is pretty bad. But it seems that they did make it. At first look you’d think that Taumaru is just another beautiful drawn 2D ninja game. That is until the backgrounds suddenly move in 3D! Yes, Taumaru is what Shin Shinobi Den on the Saturn should have been. This is one hell of a beautiful game presented in 2.5D. Time Warner have pushed the Saturn in to doing some very clean and atmospheric visuals with this release. The 3D is the most solid looking I’ve ever seen on the Saturn, making stuff such as Clockwork Knight 2 look as if it’s a 32X game. The 2D character sprites and pre-rendered sprites also look wonderful with great animation and style. Many of the levels are filled with this wonderfully looking mist which gives the game a very spooky feel as well as adding to the list of so called “Saturn can’t do this” special effects. Sound is another area in which Taomaru excels. The music and sound effects really add to that accent Japanese ninja feeling that the programmers have aimed so hard for. It’s really something to see such a beautiful game still look beautiful when in motion. Taumaru sounds too good to be true but there are some drawbacks. It’s as expensive as hell !! It can easily cost you 20’000 yen or over and that’s if you can find it. Also this game isn’t that long but that’s not it’s main problem. The main problem is that it’s too hard !! Yes, even on easy mode it can be a challenge to finish it. This is mainly down to the sluggish pace of the game. It can be very frustrating at times with enemies coming from ever possible angle and all you’ve got is your one weapon and shield power. Still, I guess if it was too easy then I’d be complaining about that. At least this way the game lasts quite a long time. I just wish that Time Warner had put more effort in to the last level. After all, fighting a load of bosses for a last level is quite an out dated idea, don’t you think?

So is Taumaru really worth buying? Well…….I’ll say yes. Even though it can be a right tricky and frustrating bastard of a game it still provides a fun challenge as well as being two players simultaneously."

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Sonic R (J) created by Travelers Tales

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -YES-

"Sega's most impressive Saturn title released as far as graphical capabilities are concerned and it was all down to The UK Liverpool based Travelers Tales.  Makes you wonder why Sega themselves couldn't come up with something like this.

For those new to the Saturn you may not know what Sonic R is.  Sonic R is a 3D racing game staring characters from the Sonic series.  But this is a racing game with a difference.  You actually have to collect Sonics rings to open up secret areas within the track to gain access the emerald stones.  The action is fast and furious in this racer cum platformer.  The only niggle I have with Sonic R is the control system.  At first it all seems too loose making you fly off course quite easily.  I seriously recommend that you persist though.  You will be rewarded in the end.  There are four world for you to race in plus a secret dare I say "Mario Kart" rip off Radiant level which is a fully transparent rainbow like track.  Like all good games Sonic R has many secrets that will have you coming back for more.  There are only five characters to choose from at first being Sonic, Miles/Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Dr. Eggman/Dr. Robotnik.  You don't think Sega would be happy with only five characters, do you?  Better get playing and find those secrets.

At the beginning of this article I said that Sonic R was Sega's most impressive Saturn title released as far as graphical capabilities are concerned.  But why is this?  Well sit tight and read on.  Sonic R pushes the Saturn to do EVERY special effect it's capable of plus many it's NOT capable of doing.  Sonic R gives us real transparencies, gourd shading, light sourcing, reflections and partial dust build up.  This basically means that the back ground doesn't pop up out of nowhere like many Saturn 3D games.  The levels appear from nothing to sold through what's best described as a cleaver transparency effect fading in the background.  This looks much better than the "fog" effect that plaque the N64.  Not only does Sonic R managed to give all of these amazing special effects but it does them running at a solid 30fps !!  This is quite a feat when you conceder stuff Like Sega Rally which was the standard runs at 30fps with none of the above special effects in operation.  Many people who saw Sonic R running for the first time just couldn't believe it was a Saturn powering the game.  Travelers Tales have preformed pure magic with Sonic R.  Just a shame nobody else used the technology.

I've gone on quite a lot about Sonic R's incredible looks but we mustn't forget the incredible sound track that goes with it.  Sega hired their European music master Richard Jacques for the music in Sonic R and he has done it again.  Europeans and Japanese alike love the Sonic R soundtrack with it's dancey up beat tracks all with vocals (karaoke versions are available).  Best described as a more modern Sonic CD soundtrack (Japanese and European version that is)."

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Soukyugurentai Otokuyo (J) created by 8ing / Raizing

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -YES-


19 screenshots

"This version of Soukyugurentai was a re-release because the original version didn’t work with some Saturn Bios versions. Instead of just fixing that problem though, Raizing added a few little extras which include support for the Saturn’s 3D analogue controller and a 1 level playable demo of one of their other shooters, Battle Garegga. I also believe that the original version wouldn’t run on non Japanese Saturns without the text glitching if you used an Action Replay. This re-release fixes that problem also."

"This is what the Saturn is all about, arcade action shooters in 2D.  No other system of it's time could pull of what the Saturn could and this game is one of those to show off what the Saturn can do.  Soukyugurentai comes to us from Raizing, the same people who brought us Battle Garegga and Kingdom Grandprix as well as others.  While those games never really looked that hot the certainly played well.  This is where Soukyugurentai differs.  Soukyugurentai plays well and looks beautiful !!  Let's talk about the way it plays first.  Your ship is equipped with the standard fire and bombs (which look stunning by the way) but also a very nice lock on laser system.  Similar to that used in Layer Selection 1 and 2 but also different enough to be unique.  Your ship can output a wire polygon frame that scans everything within it (below or above) then locks on to that item.  Release the button to let loose a devastating lock on laser or cluster attack depending on which of the two frames you use.

All ships used in the game are pre-rendered very well indeed, the back drops are stunning too, making good use of the Saturn's scaling capabilities and finally the bosses are a sight to behold.  They are massive.  So big that they can fill almost the entire screen.  Soukyugurentai is also an aural master piece with atmospheric tunes coming straight from the Saturn's sound chip.

Soukyugurentai packs a fair challenge but is not the hardest of shooters.  There is plenty to keep you coming back though with the inclusion of a hidden options screen that allows you to customize all sorts of game features such as free zooming, free play, hidden Raizing sound museum and so on.

If you're a Saturn owner and a shooting fan then you should have this game.  Don't be put off by the Electronic Arts logo on the case.  They have nothing to do with the game apart from it's distribution.  This is pure Japanese shooting action."

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Thunder Force V (J) created by Tec(h)nosoft

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -YES-

Gameplay

15 screenshots

"Good old Technosoft who have now disappeared have always stayed with Sega when they brought their excellent Thunder Force series to the Mega Drive and now to the Saturn.  It's just a shame that they never made any Dreamcast games.  Anyway, Thunder Force V is a mix of traditional 2D shooting action mixed with some very nice 3D action.  Technosoft have produced one fine game here on the Saturn with using the hard ware very well.  TFV features such "Saturn can't do" effects as coloured light sourcing, 3 level transparencies and some amazing uses of polygons mixed with 2D sprites.  TFV was also released on the PSX but believe it or not the Saturn version is much better.  It's faster, more transparencies (YES THIS IS NOT A MISTAKE !!) and faster loading that you can't really notice.  The PSX does have smoother textures but I'd go for the Saturn version any day."

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Twinkle Star Sprites (J) created by ADK

OST on the cd-r (= wav quality tracks): -YES-

Gameplay

12 screenshots

"A very sort after game on both the Saturn and Dreamcast and in fact probably more sort after on the Sega consoles than the original Neo Geo version. This Saturn version is pretty much identical to the Neo Geo original plus a load of extras such as a new anime intro as well as the original Neo Geo intro. Modes of play include the arcade original as well as a special Saturn Story Mode. Also included in this double pack is an OMAKE (Bonus) disc that’s packed full of art work from some contest held by ADK. Unfortunately this disc runs in the Saturn’s standard resolution when it should be in high resolution. Lazy ADK !! Still, it’s a nice bonus I guess.

So what’s Twinkle Star Sprites about? Well you could　call it a shooter or then again a puzzle game. When in reality it’s a bit of both. It is played in a typical shoot’em up fashion with patterns of a puzzle game. The idea it to destroy the items coming down in a fashion that will send the debris over to the other players screen resulting in an attack on him. Much in the same way that games such as Tetris or Puyo Puyo do. It all sounds odd and far too confusing to even bother with. Give it time though and you’ll fall in love with this quirky but fun style of game. Like all puzzle games this is much more fun in two player mode but still exciting enough in one player mode to keep you coming back for more. The only problem I found with it is that the first 4 levels are quite easy, allowing you to win without that much effort. So maybe it’s a good idea to stick this game on hard when you get it."

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[Rep_Plus_^-^]

The best OSTs from Saturn games in wav quality tracks (alphabetical order):

Albert Odyssey
Arcade Gears Gun Frontier
Battle Garegga
Blast Wind
Cyberbots Full Metal Madness
D-Xhird
DoDonPachi
Galaxy Fight
Game Tengoku
Hyper Duel
Hyper Reverthion
Layer Section
Layer Section II
Magical School Lunar
Nekketsu Oyako
Ninku
Noon
Prikura Daisakusen
Princess Crown
Shining The Holy Ark
Shinrei Jusatsushi Taromaru
Silhouette Mirage
Skull Fang
Sonic R
Steeldom
Street Fighter Collection CD 1
Suiko Enbu- Fuun Saiki
Thunder Force V
Twinkle Star Sprites

[Elite Evil]

I love the hard work.

[Rep_Plus_^-^]

Imageloop is completly free and offers identical quality of slideshows as on flickr !

[i_got_you60]

sweet i was wondering why not every image was showing up.but now i see that your still putting them up.awesome work dude 

[1111222334]

it looks like you've picked some really good ones. i'll be getting all of these. thanks so much for all your work Rep_Plus_.

[Kewpie]

excellent list, my is comprised of;

Nights
Virtua Fighter II
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Grandia
Sakura Wars
Bulk Slash
GunGriffon
Gradius
Sexy Paridus
Silhouette Mirage
Radiant Silvergun
Guaridan Heroes
Megaman X4
Dragon Force
Burning Rangers
Shining Force III
Die Hard Arcade
Saturn Bomberman
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
X-Men Vs Street Fighter