![]() Specifically, I’m using a device called the Fenrir Duo -a new version of the ODE that fits in all Saturn models, regardless of whether it’s a 20-pin or 21-pin model. If you’re literally anyone else, I’m using a wonderful device called an ODE. How exactly am I playing all these games?Īre you a law authority covering copyright for abandoned games? If so, I found a bin of every Sega Saturn game ever released in a dumpster behind the 7-11, dumped them all onto my hard drive, and then threw out the physical copies. How was this supposed to be a Super Mario 64 killer?Ģ: Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete - Working Designs totally borked the difficulty of the official release on PlaySation, but now, like Grandia, you can play it at the intended difficulty thanks to the fans who’ve ported the English script to the Saturn. More below!Ĥ: Grandia - The best version of a classic JRPG, now playable in English thanks to a fan hack to bring the English PlayStation script to the Saturn.ģ: NiGHTS Into Dreams - I have no idea what’s going on. The pinnacle of gameplay? Not so much.ĥ: Magic Knight Rayearth - Rieko Kodama doing magic schoolgirls in a bright, adventurous action RPG with a Working Designs localization? Sign me up. Like, foreground, middleground, and background.Ĩ: Virtua Fighter/Racing - No list of Saturn games is complete without Sega’s genuinely impressive arcade ports.ħ: Astal - The pinnacle of 2D graphics on the system? Maybe. But, in Japan, it’s got the best versions of Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, Grandia, and Suikoden, along with unique titles from the creator of Phantasy Star, and a game that actually deserves its $1,200+ price tag, and now they’re easier to play than ever.ĩ: Guardian Heroes - Beat ‘em up on three planes. ![]() Its flat start, the still developing popularity of Japanese RPGs (before Final Fantasy VII ’s release), and Sega's insistence on marketing only 3D games in the west doomed the system's amazing Japanese RPG from the start. That's the thing about the Saturn-it's an amazing JRPG console. “But, Aidan, the Saturn barely had any games, let alone JRPGs?” Especially for a Japanese RPG fan like me. ![]() So, I want to dive into my experience with the console a quarter century later and shine a light on its vast, creative library of games-and what it means to have this trove of mostly undiscovered gems from a gaming golden age. It doesn’t always work, but exploring its library of games (since buying a console earlier this year-the first time I’ve ever owned a Saturn) has been an absolute delight. Over in Japan, the Saturn found a ton of success, leading to a library of Japanese games bursting with risk, creativity, and vision. That last bit might’ve been difficult to market, but now, 25 years later? That’s exactly what makes the Saturn so fascinating. It was a huge flop in the west thanks to the, erm, bold marketing strategy of a surprise release (which upset retailers who didn’t get the console), a last-minute shift to try to compete with Sony’s new PlayStation console and its impressive 3D graphics, and, honestly, just a really strange library of games. Frankly, you’ve probably never played a Saturn. Here's a screenshot that shows the option clearly: DOT com/qaeY4fZįILE "Panzer Dragoon Saga (USA) (Disc 1) (Track 1).You probably didn’t own a Saturn.
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