Released on May 11, 1995, the Saturn was Sega’s follow-up to the Genesis. Sega put all of its stock into the project, essentially ending support for the 16-bit line once the Saturn was released. The system enjoyed moderate success in Japan, but fell flat with American gamers partly due to Sega’s Japanese corporate leadership not allowing Sega of America to properly market the game to American consumers’ unique tastes. The system was officially discontinued in 1999, having sold less than 10 million units worldwide. In death as in life, the system lived under the shadow of the Sony Playstation, and is popularly considered to be the red-headed stepchild of the 32-bit generation. This reputation is understandable considering the success of the Playstation, but as many classic gaming enthusiasts are starting to realize, the Saturn was a great system in its own right particularly when its import library is taken into account.
Episode 35 – The North American launch of the Sega Saturn. The Saturn was surprise-launced on May 11, 1995 along with 6 games. Virtua Fighter was the pack-in, while Daytona USA, Panzer Dragoon, Clockwork Knight, Worldwide Soccer: Sega International Victory Goal Edition, and Pebble Beach Golf Links were also available. Show Notes: – This was … Read more
Episode 34 – I really dislike the term “hidden gem” because it’s the go-to phrase for YouTube click-bait creators, but Elevator Action really does fall squarely into that category. Released by Taito into the arcades in 1994, it was the follow-up to the original 1983 arcade game, which itself was released on the NES. Elevator … Read more
Manx TT Superbike for the Sega Saturn can best be described as “Daytona USA with motorcycles.” “Manx” is the demonym for someone or something coming from the Isle of Man, which is where this game takes place as it’s based on the actual motorcycle race that takes place there annually (the International Isle of Man … Read more
Game companies may have decided that Americans were no longer interested in 2D games in the 32 bit era, but in Japan 2D was still alive and well. Elevator Action Returns is an excellent example of the kind of games that we missed out on due to the 3D craze. The game distills the best … Read more
Virtua fighter shares many traits with another Saturn game, Daytona USA, as both a Saturn launch title and a home conversion of a 1993 hit arcade game. The game is noteworthy in the annals of video game history for being the first fully 3D arcade fighting game, which in the early 90’s made it stand … Read more
Tetris Plus was the only Tetris game released for the Sega Saturn in the United States, and is a port of the 1990 Japanese-only arcade game of the same name. Along with the requisite “Classic” and “Vs.” modes, Tetris Plus features a “puzzle” mode (isn’t the whole game a puzzle?) that is really the meat … Read more
I grew up playing Tetris. I got a Game Boy the Christmas after it was launched and played Tetris more than any other game on that system. The Tengen version of Tetris is one of my favorite NES games, and it is a crime against humanity that Nintendo forced it off of the market. Because … Read more
Sega Ages is an arcade compilation disc from Sega featuring 3 classic arcade titles; OutRun, Afterburner II, and Space Harrier. All three games are arcade-perfect translations and include options menus which allow you to alter the control scheme, adjust the difficulty level, and listen to music and sound effects, plus a few options specific to … Read more
I’ve probably spent more time playing NHL 97 (albeit on the Playstation) than any other hockey game on any system. In fact, it was one of the main reasons that I finally upgraded to a Playstation from the Sega Genesis. When it came time to review the Saturn version of this game, I was worried … Read more
The first time you fire this game up, you’re greeted with a full motion video highlight reel of big hits and big goals from the NHL that gets you psyched to play some hockey. Unfortunately the game that follows will leave you feeling unfulfilled. All-Star Hockey allows you to play a single game, a full … Read more
The Sega Saturn was originally scheduled to launch on “Saturnday” September 2nd, 1995, but Sega of Japan insisted on an early launch to get the jump on Sony’s Playstation, also launching that fall. On May 11th at E3, Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske announced that the Saturn was available immediately at select retailers, 4 … Read more
Released as a launch title on the Saturn, Daytona USA was a home port of Sega’s wildly popular 1993 arcade hit of the same name, and is one of the defining titles on the console. The arcade-style racer includes three tracks of increasing difficulty and the option of a stock car with either an automatic … Read more