Out of curiosity, what are some of these gems? I'm totally ignorant when it comes to the Saturn's library.
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
What say ye, era? Sega console with the best library including imports? (HINT: it's the Saturn)
- Thread starter Discontent
- Start date
Out of curiosity, what are some of these gems? I'm totally ignorant when it comes to the Saturn's library.
I actually marginally prefer the Saturn library even without the imports. All the great fighting game arcade ports(+Fighters Megamix), Sega Rally and the Panzer Dragoon Series do it for me. Mega Drive is probably a better more varied line up for most people though.
In what genre ? There are too many games...
Radiant Silvergun
Symphony of the Night
Rayman
Panzer Dragoon Zwei and Azel
KOF 97
Vampire Savior
Worms
Saturn Bomberman
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Megaman Xs
Metal Slug
Bakubaku Animals
Virtua Fighter 2
House of the Dead
Gun Griffon
Virtual On
Dynamite Deka
Burning Rangers
Sega Rally
Dragon Force
Xmen Children of the Atom
Wipeout
Quake
Decathlete
Exhumed (Metroid Prime's ancestor)
Grandia
Thunder Force V
Shining Force 3
Atlus RPGs
Guardian Heroes
Princess Crown
...
Cliché : "the Genesis has more games" (less than 1000)
Facts: The Saturn has more than 1000 games
A hidden piece of art from Enix.
Most of Capcom games were Sega reprogrammed on the Genesis... They were mostly done by Capcom itself on the Saturn.
Last edited:
What is true for the Dreamcast, isn't for the Saturn...
EA didn't support the Dreamcast but there was EA games on Saturn, Atlus, Enix... More than 1000 games on the Saturn, less than 1000 on the genesis...
OP
OP
OP
OP
Another vote for the Saturn, based mainly on third-party support in general and fighting games in particular. Although as far as first-party goes, it's the Dreamcast for me.
I went with Saturn as well, but Genesis isn't no slouch either though. Has a bunch of great games no matter what genre.
It is 1000000% the Saturn. As I've mentioned previously, I think the best console libraries ever are SNES/PSX/Saturn.
I bought the Saturn quite late as I wasn't working yet then. Basically bought a second hand one a couple of months before Shining Force 3 Scenario 1 came out, because the official UK Sega Saturn magazine made it sound like the best SRPG ever....and to this day, SF3 remains the best SRPG ever imo. I became a massive fan, sending the proof of purchases of S1 (and s2 & s3 which I imported) to get the premium disc, and ended up playing a (very very small) part in the SF3 scenario 2/3 fan translations.
Panzer Dragoon Zwei & Saga were huge favourites for me too. Getting all the levels perfected in Zwei was very enjoyable. I still remember how blown away I was that PDS was fully voiced, even for the NPC's.
Being able to get a copy of PDS at all is still a fond memory to me. I had only once seen it in a shop, the week it came out, but didn't have any cash on me. I came back the next day cash in hand and it had already been sold. :(
Then a couple of months later I randomly saw a second hand copy in Computer Exchange. No-one yet knew how limited the print run was, so I got it for £30! I had been looking everywhere and couldn't find a copy anywhere an dhad pretty much given up, I walked into CEX randomly and there it is. Those were the only two copies I saw during the life of the Saturn and quite a while after.
Mystaria : Realms of Lore was another favourite. Hideously ugly but highly addictive SRPG.
The Shmup support was amazing, and I think I ended up with every single shmup released on the saturn. I think Batsugun was prob my favourite.
Fantastic arcade support too. Though amusingly my favourite "arcade" game is the saturn exclusive Fighters Megamix. Such a huge amount of fun.
Sonic Jam has been my goto way to play S1/2/3/K up until the whitehead ports (and I still tend to use the saturn as I have it easier to set up then the last (last-last now I guess lol?) gen versions. Still a gold standard example for ports.
I could ramble on forever about my love of the saturn lol
I bought the Saturn quite late as I wasn't working yet then. Basically bought a second hand one a couple of months before Shining Force 3 Scenario 1 came out, because the official UK Sega Saturn magazine made it sound like the best SRPG ever....and to this day, SF3 remains the best SRPG ever imo. I became a massive fan, sending the proof of purchases of S1 (and s2 & s3 which I imported) to get the premium disc, and ended up playing a (very very small) part in the SF3 scenario 2/3 fan translations.
Panzer Dragoon Zwei & Saga were huge favourites for me too. Getting all the levels perfected in Zwei was very enjoyable. I still remember how blown away I was that PDS was fully voiced, even for the NPC's.
Being able to get a copy of PDS at all is still a fond memory to me. I had only once seen it in a shop, the week it came out, but didn't have any cash on me. I came back the next day cash in hand and it had already been sold. :(
Then a couple of months later I randomly saw a second hand copy in Computer Exchange. No-one yet knew how limited the print run was, so I got it for £30! I had been looking everywhere and couldn't find a copy anywhere an dhad pretty much given up, I walked into CEX randomly and there it is. Those were the only two copies I saw during the life of the Saturn and quite a while after.
Mystaria : Realms of Lore was another favourite. Hideously ugly but highly addictive SRPG.
The Shmup support was amazing, and I think I ended up with every single shmup released on the saturn. I think Batsugun was prob my favourite.
Fantastic arcade support too. Though amusingly my favourite "arcade" game is the saturn exclusive Fighters Megamix. Such a huge amount of fun.
Sonic Jam has been my goto way to play S1/2/3/K up until the whitehead ports (and I still tend to use the saturn as I have it easier to set up then the last (last-last now I guess lol?) gen versions. Still a gold standard example for ports.
I could ramble on forever about my love of the saturn lol
Schmups
RPGs
Brawlers
Action games
Is there really a true weakness on the Saturn ?
Maybe platformers ? But honestly i was happy with Raymand and a bunch a hybrid genres (action/platformers)
Even FPS were quite surprising with the Lobotomy ports (Duke Nukem, Quake) and original creations like the excellent PowerSlave.
YES ! Saturn is getting closer !
Era is finally having a second thought on the subject... That's great !
Astal, Bug! and Clockwork Knight are good platformers.
But I feel like except for the 2D stuff a lot of those games were just better on the PSX which to me diminishes the Saturn's impact significantly.
Indeed, most 3D multi were prettier on the PSX (with often longer loadings though) but that's another topic. It doesn't change the tiers support on the Saturn and that a Sega consoles comparison.
Well, i didn't enjoy them that much but Saturn has Sonic and Disney collection anyway (some could say it's cheating but hey Dreamcast doesn't have them... :)
The Saturn's my favorite Sega system, especially when you take into account the massive import library. It's also the system where the highest number of quality games haven't been ported to something more recent. However, for sheer numbers, I don't think the Genesis can be beat, especially if you throw in the Sega CD which gives you a small handful of killer games.
I understand that the Dreamcast burned bright, but it also only lasted for about 2.5 years as an active system (not counting hobbyist games, of which it has plenty) and plenty of its good games have since been ported to other systems. It was the weakest system of the gen & the controllers were kind of awkward too. I've never understood why it has so many fans in 2021.
I understand that the Dreamcast burned bright, but it also only lasted for about 2.5 years as an active system (not counting hobbyist games, of which it has plenty) and plenty of its good games have since been ported to other systems. It was the weakest system of the gen & the controllers were kind of awkward too. I've never understood why it has so many fans in 2021.
OP
OP
Like Giant Enemy Crab said in another thread, it had plenty of heart and it brought a lot of unique titles and even hardware features for its time. Plenty of Genesis games have been ported too but yes Saturn has a lot of games that are still exclusive to it.
Genesis without a doubt. That Sega was bringing their A game and from that we got some incredible titles like Sonic, Gunstar Heroes, Streets of Rage and some incredible 3rd party support.
If you haven't seen it yet, watch Console Wars. It's a great behind the scenes story of Sega during that era.
If you haven't seen it yet, watch Console Wars. It's a great behind the scenes story of Sega during that era.
You're right for the eternal unlucky Dreamcast (laughed before release, robbed from exclusives after 2001)
But the "sheer amount" of megadrive games compared to the Saturn is wrong.
Impressions are not facts.
The Megadrive has a sheer amount of top platformers compared to the Saturn but that's it.
Saturn has a sheer amount of RPGs, Fighters, Schmups, Action games, Arcade and overall more games.
To match the 1000 games of the Saturn, yeah, Megadrive is forced to add the 200 games of the Sega CD... (850+200)
And then like Freezer, Saturn bring to the table the collections titles (with dozens of old Arcade or Genesis titles included...) ;)
As of the Dreamcast, it's true the library is a little behind the others but it produced the most important games of the bunch so it mustn't be overlooked either.
Last edited:
If wikipedia is to be believed, the Sega Saturn had 1047 releases and only about 250 were released in NA. In contrast, Genesis had 879 games and about 700 of them were released in NA (not counting Sega CD or 32x releases). I think there are even more NA Genesis games than there were Japanese Genesis games.
Yup. This thread is including import games so... yeah, the sheer number of games is on Sega Saturn.
People must learn this fact :)
As much as I love the Saturn, personally I'd give the nod to the Mega Drive/Genesis here but I've probably played a greater quantity and variety of the MD's library. I own or have at least played most of the Saturn's well known games but not too many beyond that admittedly.
Sports games for sure but that's largely personal taste as to whether it's a big deal or not. Sensible Soccer, Speedball 2 and the EA hockey games on the MD are still great fun to play today.
Sports games for sure but that's largely personal taste as to whether it's a big deal or not. Sensible Soccer, Speedball 2 and the EA hockey games on the MD are still great fun to play today.
Sega Rally and Worlwide Soccer 97/98 are fun Saturn sports game. System is underwhelming if you like American football though.
3D Platformers is the genre where Saturn truly dropped the ball.
It's crazy how good/bad the Dreamcast library can look depending on what it's being juxtaposed against.
A few days ago we had a long thread where people claimed the DC library outclassed the PS2's.
A few days ago we had a long thread where people claimed the DC library outclassed the PS2's.
Loved that game! I had a multitap and played this with my nephews and brother! So much fun.
OP
OP
That thread was fantastic.
I still couldn't believe that multiple people were dying on the hill of "Dreamcast had better sports games than the PS2!"
Like, what?
Saturn is the worst library of the three - but it's still amazing. Unfortunately, many 3D games from that gen just don't hold up well.
Honestly, at this point, I think Saturn might be a bit overrated. It's absolutely become the underdog darling in retro gaming circles, but I just don't think the games are quite as good as people are making them out to be...
I think Genesis/Mega Drive/CD/32x actually has a better library than the Saturn....
Dreamcast is tops for me. I don't care if it has some weak spots, the games hold up the best for modern gaming. And the 2D fighting games are freaking KoF 98, Garou MOTW, MvC 1&2AND the two Capcom vs SNK games. Also, Power Stone.
The shmups aren't nearly as good - Saturn is tough to beat for any console on that front.
Having a solid back catalogue of arcade games on Dreamcast helps a lot, in addition to legendary games like Skies of Arcadia, Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, in addition to a lot of great unknown Japanese games such as Napple Tale, Cool Cool Toon, L.O.L., Segagaga...
As much as I like Panzer Dragoon, Rez benefits from the increased power on the DC. I also like the art style better.
And, of course, it helps that the games just look and play better on the DC.
Honestly, at this point, I think Saturn might be a bit overrated. It's absolutely become the underdog darling in retro gaming circles, but I just don't think the games are quite as good as people are making them out to be...
I think Genesis/Mega Drive/CD/32x actually has a better library than the Saturn....
Dreamcast is tops for me. I don't care if it has some weak spots, the games hold up the best for modern gaming. And the 2D fighting games are freaking KoF 98, Garou MOTW, MvC 1&2AND the two Capcom vs SNK games. Also, Power Stone.
The shmups aren't nearly as good - Saturn is tough to beat for any console on that front.
Having a solid back catalogue of arcade games on Dreamcast helps a lot, in addition to legendary games like Skies of Arcadia, Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, in addition to a lot of great unknown Japanese games such as Napple Tale, Cool Cool Toon, L.O.L., Segagaga...
As much as I like Panzer Dragoon, Rez benefits from the increased power on the DC. I also like the art style better.
And, of course, it helps that the games just look and play better on the DC.
It's the Saturn for me.
It is an amazing party machine:
Saturn Bomberman
Guardian Heroes
Decathlete/Winter Heat
Three Dirty Dwarves
ALL OF THE FIGHTING GAMES
I even brought it to a bachelor party not long ago so we could relive our childhood and it was still great times. Mad bombers!!
It had great RPGs like:
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Shining Force 3
Shining the Holy Ark
Grandia
And the shmups! I really only got deep into Radiant Silvergun, but there's no doubt it blows most other systems out of the water in the genre.
Oh, and the light gun games.
It is an amazing party machine:
Saturn Bomberman
Guardian Heroes
Decathlete/Winter Heat
Three Dirty Dwarves
ALL OF THE FIGHTING GAMES
I even brought it to a bachelor party not long ago so we could relive our childhood and it was still great times. Mad bombers!!
It had great RPGs like:
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Shining Force 3
Shining the Holy Ark
Grandia
And the shmups! I really only got deep into Radiant Silvergun, but there's no doubt it blows most other systems out of the water in the genre.
Oh, and the light gun games.
OP
OP
Some European exclusive games for Saturn too. Like Euros 96 and the Rugby one.
And it's an awesome system with some of the best 8-bit games.
OP
OP
I wanted a more even poll. I don't think there'll be many people at all voting for Master System
Dreamcast is my personal favorite for now. All 3 had a ton of fantastic games, but DC's library speaks to me the most.
If it had lasted longer, I can't even imagine what awesomeness would have come.
If it had lasted longer, I can't even imagine what awesomeness would have come.
There are still Saturn RPGs with no translation that just look incredible. Wachenroder, Terra Phantastica, Tengai Makyo 4, Sakura Wars 2. I was overjoyed to see Sakura Wars, Grandia, Valhollian, and Vandal Hearts get translations over the last year or so. The Saturn's depths have not been fully explored. You've got amazingly detailed platformers that are super fun like Tryrush Deppy or Super Tempo or Keio Flying Squadron 2 (which at least got a Euro release), cute isometric platformers like Steamgear Mash, etc. It just keeps going.
OP
OP
The clue is literally in the title but people still getting it wrong lol
These all look beautiful but I don't think any of them are that well designed. 2d platformers are an area where Gen/MD obliterates the Saturn (the reverse is true for fighting games).
Tryrush Deppy is an extremely fun game and Steamgear Mash is made very well. Super Tempo is clunky but aesthetically better than 99% of the era. But the general point is that the Saturn has way more to it than people are even allowing for.
There's also Shinobi X but I wouldn't put that over the Mega Drive Shinobi.
If you count 3D platformers best one is probably Tomb Raider.