Top 10 … Games I’d Like To See On A SEGA Saturn Mini

Welcome, one and all, to a bit of a retro gaming post. You see, back in December last year, Retro-Bit announced a new partnership with SEGA. The idea was that they would create new controllers for various SEGA systems, including, but not limited to, the Genesis/Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast. Now, some of these have already appeared, and they look pretty nice. But … Retro-Bit also make consoles and cartridges. If you browse their site, they do some pretty nice, not to mention officially licensed, stuff! For example, the plug and play Retro-Cade has legal versions of Mega Man 2, Double Dragon, and Final Fight all loaded and ready to go.

The point here is that there have, as you may expect, been rumblings of this partnership leading to new consoles. While there is the possibility of that simply being new build systems that will play the discs and cartridges, there is also the chance that we’ll get some plug-and-play stuff coming through. I mean, the NES-Mini and SNES-Mini did well, and SEGA are already getting ready to produce a Genesis/Mega Drive-Mini. So, I want to do some speculation as to what I’d like to see if we get even more as a result of this partnership. I’m going to start with a list of ten games I’d like to see if we get a SEGA Saturn-Mini.

So, first some history. The Saturn was launched in 1995, and by 1998 was considered to be a commercial failure, having only sold 9.26 million units worldwide. The fact is, a number of things really scuppered the system. The most prominent of these are often taken to be 1) the cancellation of the 3D Sonic X-Treme, and 2) the system being more capable of handling 2D gaming than 3D gaming. Despite this, it has gained a fair amount of cult status over the years, and in more recent times, many people are looking at it with a lot more fondness than it received in its original life cycle. It’s worth remembering that the system was the first to offer online play in the USA via your own Internet Service Provider via the Net Link adapter. That’s a pretty cool little achievement! Plus, there were some really stand-out titles in the catalogue.

Which brings me nicely to the list of games I’d like to see if we get a SEGA Saturn-Mini. I’m going to go with ten titles, covering a mix of genres. Some of these will be obvious picks, others maybe not so much. So, let’s begin.

 

sega saturn box art nights into dreams1 – Nights into Dreams

This was a 2.5D game, and one that is fondly remembered by many. In fact, with the lack of a definitive Sonic title on the Saturn, this is probably the game most synonymous with the system. The brunt of the game sees you flying through levels and trying link up actions like passing through rings and collecting items to build a combo and improve your level ranking. There were also entities known as Nitghtopians in the levels that could mate and create new lifeforms, altering the way the levels look. What made the artificial life system so cool was that it also caused shifts in the tempo and pitch of the music depending on the Nightopians’ mood. Graphically, it was a strong showing for the era, and the Saturn 3D controller for the game was a good addition. Sure, the low number of levels meant that the game was a little too short for some’s tastes, but the replayability was definitely there!

 

sega saturn box art virtua fighter 22 – Virtua Fighter 2

Deemed by many to be the best looking polygonal fighter on the 64-Bit generation of consoles, Virtua Fighter 2 was a near perfect arcade port. Featuring a focus on realistic fight moves and martial arts styles, the game had a ton of nice looking attacks and counters. It may not have been as fast games like Street Fighter Alpha 3 (which also saw a well-received Saturn port), but the speed really didn’t matter. To this day, it remains one of the most well-loved games in the genre, and for good reason.

 

sega saturn box art resident evil3 – Resident Evil

Most people will remember the PlayStation version of the survival horror classic, but the Saturn version shouldn’t be overlooked. On top of running remarkably well considering the Saturn was the weaker of that generation’s consoles when it came to 3D graphics, it also features of a bountiful amount of exclusive content. Of course, that includes additional outfits for the playable heroes, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, but there’s more than that on offer here. Zombie Wesker, a golden Tyrant, a second breed of Hunters known as Ticks, and a second Tyrant prior to the final battle all make up the Saturn exclusive enemies. There was also an unlockable battle mode where players had to fight through several rooms of enemies and would be graded afterwards. Plus, if blood’s your thing, the Japanese version is the goriest of all the versions, with decapitated head sticking around and Plant 42 being able to cut the player before the game over screen.

 

sega saturn box art panzer dragoon 2 zwei4 – Panzer Dragoon II Zwei

Panzer Dragoon is the most well-known rail shooter series on the system, and for good reason. I mean, who doesn’t want to take to the skies on a dragon and lay waste to their foes? With the popularity of things such as Game of Thrones right now, it seems like a good time to revisit the world of combative dragon riding. The reason I pick this over the original game though is that it went so much more in depth, adding in alternative routes and a dragon evolution system that was based on the player’s performance. It also improved on the already impressive graphics and smoothed out the animations.

 

sega saturn box art rally championship5 – Sega Rally Championship

While Daytona USA failed to gain any traction in the racing game world, Sega Rally Championship sought to overtake the other popular arcade ports like Ridge Racer. In a way, it was actually an innovator in the genre, as it was the first ever racing game to show the vehicle’s handling changing with the difference in friction properties associated with driving on different surfaces. It’s a simple thing that seems obvious now, but in the 64-Bit generation, it was unheard of. What makes it a technical marvel too is that the whole thing had to be remade when it came to porting the game due the differences in power between the Saturn and Arcade hardware. It also made use of the Net Link adapter to offer multiplayer gaming across the net.

 

sega saturn box FEDA Remake Emblem of Justice SNES6 – FEDA Remake!: The Emblem of Justice

This was an interesting little release for the system, as it was not a new game or arcade port, but a reworking of an old SNES title. The game was a strategy RPG that featured a large variety of human and anthropomorphic animal characters, and the Saturn version saw some major graphical changes for the game. Cut scenes were now fully animated, and the attack animations were greatly improved upon. The real shame is that neither version of the game actually had a Western release. So, imagine if they finally did an official translation! That’d be a nice little addition to the set!

 

sega saturn box virtua cop7 – Virtua Cop

The third of Sega’s major arcade ports on the system was also a real hit for them. Featuring support for both a light gun and a Saturn mouse, the game saw the ability to target individual body parts with realistic consequences, adding a layer of depth that many arcade style shooters lacked. The game received praise for enemies popping up in more ways than simply leaping out from barrels, and the simple fun of the game made it a mainstay for many Saturn gamers. Interestingly, it also ran better on the Saturn than on the later PC port.

 

sega saturn box art wipeout 20978 – Wipeout 2097

Deemed by some to be superior to the PlayStation version, Wipeout 2097 took all the good bits of the original Wipeout and improved the things that were a little off. Responsiveness and controls were tidied up, the graphics and sound effects were ramped up in quality, and the aggressive AI was countered by the ability to destroy opponents. While the PlayStation only allowed analogue control via the Negcon Twist, this was also fully compatible with the Saturn 3D controller that had come bundled with Nights into Dreams. This was the futuristic racer of the time.

 

sega saturn box art shining force 39 – Shining Force III

Another strategy RPG game for the list, this was released in three parts, and saw players traversing a 3D plane with polygonal graphics that kinda looked 2D. The battle animations are a little dated now, but they do look good in the context of the era. Since the demise of the Genesis/Mega Drive, this the was the first Shining game to receive both critical and fan acclaim, and it’s a mainstay in many people’s Saturn library. In the West, we onyl got the first part too, so a full release of all three parts would be another great addition to the set.

 

sega saturn box art guardian heroes10 – Guardian Heroes

Said to be the true successor to games like Streets of Rage and Golden Axe, Guardian heroes was a strange beast. Graphically, it actually looked a bit dated, even on release, but what it did was make up for this with some fantastic gameplay. Featuring all the staples of the scrolling beat ‘em up genre in terms of combat, it elevated this with RPG story elements that allowed for multiple endings, and switched from a true isometric style of play to fully 2D side-scrolling with three planes that could be switched between. While only two players could play co-op in the story mode, all the playable characters could be used at once in the battle mode, meaning that up to six people could duke it out in an arena mode, adding some great frenetic fun to the proceedings.

 

So, those are my ten picks for a Sega Saturn-Mini. But what about yourselves? What did you think of the console? Did you have any favourite games? What would you like to see in a Mini console if it were released?

30 thoughts on “Top 10 … Games I’d Like To See On A SEGA Saturn Mini

  1. I never owned the sega systems unfortunately, but it was interesting to read about the Resident Evil game. I never knew that, and for me Resident Evil will always be one of the greatest games ever. Cool to read about this slightly different version. Especially awesome to hear about a second Tyrant 😊

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Yeah, I really never knew that this version was out there as well. So many good memories of this game, most notably the dogs jumping through the window where I literally jumped out of my seat and dropped my controller lol 😊

        Liked by 1 person

  2. One of my biggest regrets is not buying a Saturn and the Magic Knight Rayearth game, and now it costs a fortune. So I’d pick that since it’s a rare game and the last to be released, although it’s unlikely.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I think I heard somewhere that Sega lost the source code to many of these games. It would certainly explain why they’ve taken so long to re-release them. Given how many Genesis re-releases there have been, not having a Saturn mini of some kind is a missed opportunity, I’d say.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Mini consoles are all the rage these days. A collection of Saturn games would be cool. Not sure how likely it is to happen though, as the system wasn’t very popular. From your list I would be interested in trying Shining Force III, along with Emblem of Justice.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s odd, because both the Saturn and Dreamcast seem to be so well loved by retro collectors now, but at the time of release, they just didn’t find a footing. It’s a shame really, because they both had some fun games.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. The Dreamcast was ahead of its time. I think it didn’t succeed because the public lost its faith in Sega after all those underwhelming hardware add-ons they made for the Megadrive.

        Liked by 2 people

  5. I strongly agree with Nights and Virtua Fighter 2. Those were some quality games on the Saturn. While I never owned one, I did play some games at a friend’s house or if my family took me to a Funcoland (that was before GameStop was a thing when they bought out Babbages, and Software Etc!), Toys R Us, or Target where there would be a sample station there. I guess another one you could add is Fighters Megamix since that was Sega’s crossover fighter before Smash Bros. existed even though Sonic wasn’t in that game.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I don’t think I played SF Alpha on the Saturn, but I heard it was a great port. Sega has always been good when it comes to perfect arcade-to-console conversions especially with the Dreamcast.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I know, right? I wished it would’ve lasted longer (especially in America since they still made games in Japan) and for Sega to get back in the 1st party console game. It’s been just Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft for 20 years now and it’s been so repetitive since then.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. It would be a really unexpected move if they did get back into it now, given they’ve had some bits as a third party developer. I grew up a Sega kid though, so their console demise was really sad for me.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Sure thing. If Sega got back into making consoles again, I would totally buy it. Thanks for relating for being a Sega kid since I grew up having a Genesis (or Mega Drive) Nomad and a Dreamcast.

        Liked by 1 person

      5. I had a Master System first (it was my second console), then a Mega Drive. Sadly, I didn’t get to experience the Saturn until after its life cycle, but the Dreamcast we owned. So many great games with those systems. The Mega Drive is still my favourite console.

        Liked by 1 person

      6. I don’t think I’ve ever played anything with the Master System before. What were some good games on there? Yeah, I got a Dreamcast the year it came out in America for Christmas that time which was awesome. Genesis/Mega Drive had so many great games on there.

        Liked by 1 person

      7. Master System had some excellent releases. Wonderboy 3: The Dragon’s Trap is a classic. The port of the original Shinobi is far better than many expected, I think. Sonic 2 was great because it went out of its way to be different to the Mega Drive version. Master of Darkness is a great Castlevania style game. Moonwalker was fun too.

        What were your favourites on the Mega Drive?

        Liked by 1 person

      8. Very nice. I was unfamiliar with that console besides the fact that it was Sega’s first system. Thanks for the recommendations.

        Good question. You can’t go wrong with a lot of the old-school Sonic games for starters. Shining Force was cool. I also like Columns, Street Fighter II, Samurai Shodown, Streets of Rage, NBA Jam, and NBA Hangtime were great from what I remember.

        Liked by 1 person

      9. I actually wasn’t their first. The first that was a success in the West, certainly, but they had one before it called the SG-1000.

        Sonic is a must, S3&K is my favourite there. I loved Streets pof Rage and Golden Axe, Comix Zone, and some of the EA titles like Road Rash and Hauinting Starring Polterguy. Really, really great console.

        Liked by 1 person

      10. Oh, wow! I certainly didn’t know that. Thanks for informing me. Did you ever play on that system?

        Sure thing and that was a good choice with that crossover Sonic game when you mashed the cartridges together to make that game. Those are all good choices and I had Golden Axe with that Genesis 6-pack compilation cartridge.

        Liked by 1 person

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