The Sega Saturn is one of the more infamous failed consoles. While it did decently well in Japan for a bit, the lack of Sonic games, infighting between Sega's US and Japan divisions, a rushed release, and 3D that paled in comparison to the Playstation and N64 meant it did not do well in America and was most-likely the biggest cause for Sega having to drop off of doing consoles. However, the benefit of hindsight is an interesting thing, as years later, collectors started to realize that Saturn wasn't entirely a lost cause of a console. It handled 2D games better than both the PS1 and the N64, it had loads of cult classics that were only available on the console, several iconic classics had their best (Mega Man 8) or most content-rich (Symphony Of The Night) versions on the Saturn, and once you realized just how many games were released solely in Japan, you get a console that had finally found its niche.
I've always been fascinated with underdog consoles. The Dreamcast is my second favorite console of all time behind the Wii for its many unique and original games, cohesive aesthetic, and ahead-of-its-time innovations. I still have a soft-spot for the Wii U and would even rank it over the Switch. And most notably, I wrote an entire post about how cool the Game Boy Color is. Having grown up with the Wii, I've been spending this past year or so really delving into the libraries of consoles I never got to experience (starting with handhelds like the Game Boy, Neo Geo Pocket Color, and DS before moving onto the NES and SNES) and it's been great. I discovered some new favorites (Starfy 3, Rocket Slime, Umihara Kawase), and gained more appreciation for many of the consoles themselves. But I was especially excited to check out the Saturn not just because it scratches that cult underdog niche, because almost all of its games are entirely new to me, the only ones I've played before now were Nights and Sonic R. So I wanted to document my findings as I explore the Saturn's library. The console was a failure, that can't be denied, but I want to see if its library is in fact better than people tend to give it credit for. So let's start with its launch lineup.
Virtua Fighter Remix: Virtua Fighter was the big system seller for the Saturn and it was... mixed. At the time, it was pretty widely-praised because no one had ever seen a 3D game of its caliber on a home console before, and it hard-carried the console's performance in Japan. However, people quickly realized that this port had some rough graphical issues, particularly with the lighting. When the 32X version looked better, that's an issue. So Sega quickly made a new budget version called Virtua Fighter Remix and handed it out to homes for free, which is the version I obviously went for. Remix is almost exactly the same as the original Virtua Fighter port, just with better visuals, so in terms of gameplay and content, this is still mostly what people were experiencing at launch. So what did I think?
Virtua Fighter Remix really impressed me. Being the first 2D/3D fighting game of its kind, I've often heard people say it hasn't aged the best, but aside from one particular aspect of the gameplay, I honestly couldn't really tell. For the first 3D fighting game, the developers nailed the character animations. Attacks feel weighty and movement feels natural, and right off the bat, there are so many different moves you can pull off ranging from throws to dodges to stomps. Each character has a few standard moves so that they're all on the same playing field, but they also vary a lot in terms of playstyle which keeps things both balanced and varied. I never got the impression that this is some watered-down fighting game prototype, it's a fun fighting game in its own merits with a great amount of thought put into its movement and balancing... well, except for one thing. Jumping feels off, there's no going around it. Characters jump like they're on the moon, which doesn't just stick out from the otherwise spot-on physics and animation, but also makes midair attacks feel pretty impractical for combat. This is probably the one thing about Virtua Fighter that agree hasn't aged all that gracefully, and is probably the one big knock I have towards it. Speaking of the animation, though, I have to say that I adore how Ring Outs work. Seeing characters ragdoll-physics themselves off of stages never fails to get a gleeful chuckle out of me, it's so charming.
It's always interesting to see how developers add content to arcade ports for their console releases, because most arcade games are way too short to actually be sold at full price. Namco, for example, added a Galaxian loading screen to their Ridge Racer port that, when won, would unlock more cars. Sega, on the other hand, tends to add a lot of cheat codes. Like, I've inputted in more cheat codes for these four games alone than in probably all the other games I've played combined. While on its surface, Virtua Fighter just has the standard Arcade and VS modes, some preset high scores to beat, and a few options like difficulty settings, the cheat codes range from alternate costumes to playing as the final boss Dural to a stage select that allows you to change the size of arenas (which in turn makes Ring Outs even funnier). And to think these aren't even the craziest secrets Sega packed into a game in this very launch lineup. As far as presentation goes, the Remix version looks great, with vastly improved textures and of course lighting. There'll always be a charm to the original polygonal models, but there's no denying Remix looks vastly better. And you know what else is better? The music. The original soundtrack was more FM/chiptune-heavy, but all the tracks got arranges to show off the new CD-quality audio and it sounds so good. The character themes are varied but equally energetic, the instruments sound super crisp, and it all has such a great arcade-y feel to it.
Overall, Virtua Fighter Remix is a fun fighting game! It may seem basic at first, but for the first of its kind, it nails (most of) the fundamentals surprisingly well, and has that classic Sega arcade charm to carry it even further. That first release may have been a bit rough, but I'm glad we got Remix to really bring out its fullest potential.
4/5 Stars
Daytona USA: Say it with me everyone, ROOOOOLLLLINNNNG STAAAAAAAART!
Daytona USA is a stellar arcade game, dare I say, one of Sega's very best. Learning the controls and the tracks is incredibly satisfying, especially now that you don't need to put in a quarter every time you want to give it a go. There may be only three tracks, but they're all you need. Because the first time you play any of the tracks in Daytona USA, you will lose. It takes a while to learn the layouts and how to nail each turn, but once you do, Daytona starts to become oddly relaxing. It's effective in its replayability, even now I'm still coming back to it to play a round just for fun. And the Saturn port adds so much extra content to really make it feel like a worthy console release. There's still the Arcade Mode entirely intact, but there's also a Saturn Mode which comes with 10 extra unlockable cars, mirror mode versions of the tracks, and a Time Trial option. And that's not to mention the vast options menu that lets you modify the lap counts and difficulty, along with the many cheat codes like a super fast Maniac Mode and a karaoke mode that puts song lyrics on the bottom screen, as well as the ability to play as a horse. Not as someone riding a horse, just a horse. Why can't we get weird unlockables like this anymore?!
Keep in mind that the arcade version of Daytona USA just has 2 cars and the three tracks, so even more than with Virtua Fighter, this port adds a ridiculous amount of extra content that only encourages replaying the game. However, while content-wise this port is far superior to its arcade counterpart, it does have its downgrades, particularly in the visuals department. See, just like with Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA was rushed for release. The graphics being more low resolution is a given, it was always gonna happen, but the far weaker draw distance and worse framerate could've been fixed. I know this because just like with Virtua Fighter, we got a rerelease in the Championship Circuit Edition. Unlike Remix, however, this wasn't just a graphical upgrade. It added some more cars and modes, but it also removed the lyrics from the music tracks and altered the physics (which the original version actually got spot-on). So overall, I think I'll still stick with the original Daytona port. Sure, it looks worse but the general art direction and vibe of the game can still be felt, and I refuse to play Daytona USA without Takenobu Mitsuyoshi's iconic songs playing in the background. Speaking of which...
Daytona USA's soundtrack is perfect. It's so fun and catchy and upbeat, you have to be heartless to not feel an ounce of joy listening to these tracks. Mitsuyoshi's singing isn't the most harmonic, and the words he says aren't the clearest, but the sheer energy he puts into his songs makes up for all of that. The man's an absolute treasure and, in my eyes, he's a big reason why Daytona USA works as well as it does. The King Of Speed and Let's Go Away are the obvious highlights here, but I just need to single out Sky High for pretty much encapsulating the feel-good "blue skies" vibe that I've always loved about the Y2K era of Sega. I wonder how much this game's general aesthetic influenced Sega in general, because you can really feel its design philosophy seep into much of the Dreamcast's library. Oh right, we're talking about Saturn Daytona. Well, the good thing is that I'd actually say, while the graphics are worse, the CD-quality Saturn remixes are way better than the already great arcade originals, mostly due to the higher-quality instrumentals and the clearer, less sample-heavy vocals.
Overall, Daytona USA is a phenomenal arcade classic, but its Saturn port is a bit mixed. On one hand, the music is far better, and the sheer amount of content added is quite frankly wild. On the other hand, the graphics and framerate are far worse. However, fundamentally, the core gameplay and aesthetic that define this game are entirely intact, so while Daytona USA for the Sega Saturn may not replace the arcade original, I think it still stands alongside it as another great way to play this great game.
4/5 Stars
Clockwork Knight: During the Saturn era, Sega suffered from a lot of infighting between its US and Japan departments, particularly over Sonic The Hedgehog. As Sonic became a massive hit in the US but not in Japan, SoJ wanted to find a replacement for the iconic blue mascot, which lead to a bunch of Sega-made platformers early on that just couldn't quite live up to it, like Bug! which is actually really not very good. Clockwork Knight, on the other hand, is actually a really fun 2D platformer that deserves more praise.
Clockwork Knight is a platformer about a wind-up toy knight named Pepper trying to save a princess. It's a simple plot, but the neat wrinkle here is that since Pepper is a toy, the entire game takes place inside of someone's house. This premise alone makes Clockwork Knight stand out, since all the stages use toys and other household items as platforms and level gimmicks, ranging from sink faucets to toy trains to hanging mobiles. Even better, Clockwork Knight goes for a 2.5D style not unlike Klonoa, with 2D sprite-based characters in a 3D world where they could interact with background elements. The game doesn't take things quite as far as Klonoa does, but this alone makes for some especially memorable and unique level gimmicks and boss fights. It really is the creativity in the visuals and level design that carried Clockwork Knight because the gameplay itself is mostly pretty simple. Pepper has few moves, and there are really only eight levels before the game comes to a close. But it's a dense eight levels, with barely a moment of boredom. Clockwork Knight throws new ideas at you constantly in an almost playlike manner, and the sheer amount of things to interact with, hidden areas, and secret exits make it surprisingly replayable. I can't tell you how many times it took to get that secret bonus in 2-2.
For the most part, Clockwork Knight is a pretty easy game. There are multiple difficulty levels, but there are really only two things that would give you grief. First is the fact that there are no checkpoints, dying starts you at the beginning of a level, though it's not too bad since levels are a bit short. Second is the bosses, which can be genuinely tricky due to their abundance of moves and phases. This is a very dynamic set of boss fights, all of which use the background in some very interesting and creative ways. They also often have a lot of opportunities where they're open to attack, so risky players can race to find ways to whittle down their health as fast as possible. As far as the presentation goes, Clockwork Knight uses pre-rendered graphics which don't entirely look the best nowadays. However, the sheer effort that went into said presentation shines even through the poorly-aged elements. The bosses have super unique designs, the level locations fully utilize the house setting, each world is intercut by a pre-rendered CGI cutscene, each stage has its own unique invincibility and goal themes, and the game ends with a full-on musical number. Speaking of which, the soundtrack is, once again, really good! It's very jazz-heavy and gives the whole game a strong sense of musical identity.
Overall, Clockwork Knight is a really inventive platformer that I had a lot of fun with. It really is the creative setting, strong level design, and top-notch bosses that made this one for me, and even if it doesn't look the best nowadays, the effort put into the game's look and sound really shows. My biggest gripe here is really just that I wish it was a bit longer, but hey, maybe that's what the sequel is for?
4/5 Stars
Panzer Dragoon: Panzer Dragoon is one of the biggest IPs Sega introduced during the Saturn era, and probably one of the more successful too. We got a whole trilogy of these things along with the XBOX-exclusive Orta and a remake a few years ago. I went into this first one mostly just expecting a straight-forward rail shooter not unlike the SNES Star Fox, but what I got was something way more demanding and mechanically complex than I was previously expecting.
So Panzer Dragoon is a on-rails shooter where you fly atop a dragon and gun down opponents with your blaster. You have a normal shot and a homing shot if you hold down the shoot button. At first, I was a bit confused as to why the devs didn't just have the dragon breath fire at enemies, but then I discovered what Panzer Dragoon's central mechanic is. Panzer Dragoon basically has a perspective system, so enemies don't just show up in front of your character, they can show up behind or to the side of the too. Thus, you can press L and R to turn 90 degrees and shoot those enemies down. On one hand, this is a really cool system that adds a bit of complexity to an otherwise simple formula. On the other hand, this makes the game incredibly difficult. There's a radar to help you track enemies but even then, you'll be having to do a lot of multi-tasking, especially during boss fights where you'll be darting your eyes around nonstop to keep track. It also doesn't help that unless you're facing directly forward, you can't dodge, which leads to several sections where you need to precisely shoot-down the enemies' projectiles instead. Panzer Dragoon is brutal, I couldn't even get past Stage 5 even on Easy Mode. Dying restarts the stage, and you only get extra credits by killing a high-enough percentage of enemies in a stage.
But does this high difficulty make the game bad? No, not really, because it's all learnable. On your first playthrough, you're likely to get overwhelmed trying to learn how to change perspectives. But as you keep playing, you learn the enemy layouts, get a grip on the controls, and start to improve. I even discovered that there's no cap to how fast you can shoot, so you can quickly alternate buttons to shoot almost twice as fast and make boss fights go by a bit faster. What also kept me playing even as I sucked at the game was its impeccable art direction, setpiece design, and music, and how it all comes together. Panzer Dragoon has a lot of memorable visuals, like the sand worms in Stage 2, the waterlogged city in Stage 6, and especially that long-winding cavern in Stage 4, which reminded me a lot of the equally great Stage 4 in Touhou: Ten Desires. It makes every stage stand out as memorable, which is only bolstered by its unique and otherworldly artstyle, and fantastic orchestral soundtrack. It's hard to really describe the vibes Panzer Dragoon elicits other than it being exactly what you'd imagine a world of dragons to look like. Despite this being a short, linear rail shooter, it feels like the developers had a vision for this world, and I really hope the sequels will be able to further expand on it.
So yeah, Panzer Dragoon is yet another great Saturn launch title, who knew? If I'm being objective here, I might even say that it's the best of the bunch, with fun and deceptively complex gameplay, memorable stage designs, and a stellar presentation that really comes together. However, it's also really unforgiving and challenging, and even if I think the difficulty is mostly done well, this is the only game out of these four that I just was not able to see the finish of. Panzer Dragoon is a strong first step for the series, but I think there's room for its sequel to take things even further.
4/5 Stars
So, how's the Saturn so far? Honestly, pretty good! This isn't a bad launch (as you can tell by the fact that I gave all these games 4/5 stars), there's a solid game in pretty much every genre, and they're all super replayable and charming. They have their flaws and poorly-aged elements, for sure, but there's a lot of fun to be had with these gems, and the music is uniformly phenomenal. Let's hope the console keeps this up when I check out Virtua Fighter 2, Astal, Virtua Cop, and Clockwork Knight 2.
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