Thoughts on various (obscure) Saturn imports as they come

[Steven]

I recently got a flood load of JPN Saturn games... mostly the ones many folks haven't played yet... and I figure instead of creating multiple threads for each little game I jam it all in one over the course of the next 2 weeks or so... so let's start off with...

CHIBI MARUKO CHAN NO TAISEN PAZURUDAMA

Quick impressions on Chibi Chan, the cute puzzler that is the 1st of what is a very large "to-play" list for yours truly.


It's cute, it's wacky, it's crazy, it's fun. Seems to fit most Saturn puzzlers don't it!

In Chibi you get "faces" colored green, yellow, pink or blue. Absent is red and again, orange is neglected.
The goal is to match up 3 like colors and it'll disappear.
It's awesome how they disappear too. They shoot some sort of Hadoken upwards with a sound effect. Ahhh those crazy Japanese.

The catch is the locked faces you received, either from the opponent sending them OR as your regular pieces.

I've never played a puzzler where you actually get debris on your own. How very unique...

Once you clear a set of like colors, any junk touching it will unlock and turn into a regular colored face. (and yes the faces have little expressions on them, it's really quite cool)
The chain possibility here is freaking nuts. Absolutely killer. I've already got some 9 chainers under my belt!

The game unfortunately has no stand-alone mode. However, the 1P mode is quite ace. It's held in a game-show format, with a wacky game host who... at the end, is your final opponent.

There are 8 different characters to pick from, all with their own junk pattern... so think of it like Puzzle Fighter! The main girl was the one who I used and her junk pattern was the simple "go down" one. Others have junk coming from OUT the bottom, or to the sides... etc.

I beat the game with the main girl and her ending is very very cute.
She's dancing with rabbits on an island... then... we see a nice shot of her in bed sleeping and smiling... obviously all a dream.

Very innocent stuff.

The final scene is bizarre as bizarre gets!
The game host is riding a bike in the middle of the night sky... while happy faces are jumping out of his basket falling down into the night. A moon with a smiley face looks down and it's all very atmospheric... like that infamous ET shot you remember watching as a youth. All done in excellent bright colors. Just an awesome scene here, folks.

If there was ever a unique cute puzzler for that special girl of yours, Chibi probably is it.
It's different.
In fact, I have to open my toy store pretty soon (ahem, in about 40 minutes...) but I woke up at 7 to play some Coin Puzzle Moujiya and Chibi Chan. Time passed like you wouldn't believe.
Both games are different but they're both tremendously fun.
Highly recommended.

Next up... more obscurity shall ensue...

[Steven]

Let's roll on. In fact let's keep up with Konami. Their long-running "Puzzle Dama" series lived on in the Saturn... and so did another one of their series...

Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball S

This cute title features super deformed baseball players and an innovative batting and pitching format. You might know these games from the SNES or N64 platforms. Even a couple PS2 titles too.

It took me a while to get my hands on this and I'm glad to say I'm satisfied.

If you ever played BOTTOM OF THE 9th (another Konami title) the pitching and batting works exactly the same. Only in Jikkyou, the presentation is vastly different (from Major League players in crap 3D to SD characters in a 16-bit esque light-hearted atmosphere)

The two games (S and Bot9) are quite similar in gameplay. There is a useful camp mode in S where you can practice running, fielding, hitting, defense and pitching. It's very critical to begin in camp mode and stick with it for an hour or so before playing a "real game."

Think of it as Spring Training. Heh, some of the modes reminds me of scenes from THE BAD NEWS BEARS. (Walter Mathau)

Here's how batting works:

You have a rectangle with an X in the middle. You have to guide the X to where the pitch is thrown and swing just at the right moment.

As for pitching, you select your pitch and then have a second (literally) to position where you want the pitch thrown. A ''+'' sign will indicate where you placed the pitch. Sound easy? Think again. Just like in REAL LIFE baseball, if you hit the ball with the + sign above the X cursor, you will likely pop out. Hit the + below the X cursor, you'll likely ground out, and so forth. Trust me, it is VERY cool, not to mention challenging and fun.

There are two types of batting cursors. The default is the normal rectangle box, and the size of that depends on the batter's batting average (clearly, the better the average the bigger the box) The second type (activated by hitting the R button) is the Power swing, which is very small in size and the same for everybody. It's much harder to make contact but if you do, the ball will likely travel faster and farther.
The payoff is, clearly again, a much smaller margin of error.

To make hitting an even more satisfying accomplishment, pitches act like they should in JPPBS. Just because you see the + sign in one place doesn't mean that's where the pitch will necessarily end up. Confused? Let me elaborate, you see...

-A good sinker will break diagonally toward the direction of the pitcher's pitching arm.

-A good fork appears to go straight, but breaks downward sharply at the last second!

-A good knuckleball breaks toward an unexpected direction -- usually downward.

-A good curve breaks diagonally toward the opposite direction of the pitcher's pitching arm.

-A good slider seems to go straight, but breaks sharply and horizontally toward the opposite direction of the pitcher's pitching arm.

Did I mention I like baseball a lot?

And on top of all this, as if it weren't already enough, you got to deal with the nasty fastball and the filthy changeup. A fastball is just that, pure dead heat. A changeup thrown after a steady diet of fastballs can be lethal -- there's no break and it can really throw off the timing of the hitter. Just think about seeing a 90 mile per hour pitch, and the next one being a 60 MPH changeup. Can you say, ''the whiff?''

It's HARD to hit. But with practice and persistence you can get better. You got to move your rectangle thing and place the X where you think the ball will end up, and you got mere nanoseconds with which to work with. ... yeah. Welcome to the Show, rook.
But believe me, it's more fun than it may sound. True, it might frustrate at times, but it's realistic and very very satisfying when you do get a hit. And yes, pitching is very fun!

The graphics though 16-bit, I have no qualms about. They're colorful and bold. The audience in the real games chant, stomp their feet... it can get quite loud!

14 teams and 14 stadiums are available. Funny animations abound. Get an error and an exclamation mark will appear over the player's head. When the pitcher is tiring and/or the bases loaded, he'll look all flustered.

Strike out looking, and watch your SD player stand there and give you this bugged-eye look.

Miss on a Power Swing and the player falls down.

Overall a solid game that has a good learning curve. Definitely worth the $10 I had to shell out. It's definitely not for everyone, and oh -- there is Japanese text so trial and error. The manual is helpful though for the 8 different modes you get...

Would I recommend it? Depends. If you're into baseball, hell yes. If what I described sounds interesting, sure. If you hate baseball completely, wait for my next write-up.

Jikkyou Powerful Pro S is the second best Saturn sport import I've played, right behind the AMAZING Fire Pro 6 Men Scramble.

Oh, and for a great US baseball game, check out World Series Baseball 98. That is ace.

[Steven]

ASTRA SUPERSTARS

Alrighty. Strap on your buckle belts and hold on to your soup rations! We're about to enter one weird fighting world.

THE STORY
ASS (ummm, the game's initials... damn that just ain't right, I'll call it Astra...) takes place in the mystical realm of AstraWorld, a colorful land created by an ancient and peaceful god. To reward the inhabitants of AstraWorld for being such well-behaved individuals, their benefactor has created a powerful gift in the shape of the 'Lucky Star.' Eight individuals from the realm's most prominent countries have stepped forth to claim the Lucky Star for themselves. What follows is a titantic power struggle, with fighters battling each other for possession of the fabled trinket. The winner will enjoy untold fortune and glories, while the losers will face the wrath of their powerful gods.

THE GRAPHICS
The Saturn beautifully flexes its 24-inch phytons with Capcom's 4MB ram cart! So much shit can happen -- in such a SHORT amount of time. Sometimes when punches and chains connect, it seems like it's going TOO fast. Animation is smooth and yes, it also works with the 1 meg ram cart. The diff? It just loads a little longer, there's slight slowdown and slight animation frame loss. Astra definitely reeks of an anime-looking game. Some moves have characters growing as big as HALF the screen. Really quite impressive.



THE GAMEPLAY
The battles take place in mid-air. Think of it like a bungee cord. You can jump up/over your opponent and you can jump down/under your opponent. But you always drift back to the middle of the screen. Since when you press down you literally go down, there are NO Hadoken motions to be found here. In fact, it's basically safe to say the game was made with novices in mind; with button specials and two button super specials.
A+X gives your guy super powers for a short time.
B+Y is your first "Star Special."
C+Z is your second and usually more crazy looking special
Comboing is crazy as you can knock down your enemy, follow him down and continue the combo.

Let's just say on my very first go I immediately got myself a 10 hit combo.... just by punching, timing, diving, punching, repeat.
You can also chain Star Specials after your combos... making for some crazy screen frenzy and sparks and pyrotechnics. It seems like your Saturn is going into a seizure!
(the CPU did a 77-hit combo on me -- holy shit!!!!!)

Some folks will be turned off at the "button mashing-ness" of it all. It's not at all very serious game. Just take it for what it is.

THE CHARACTERS

Lettuce
The main guy. His strongest punches makes his limbs extend like Dhalsim... but they also increase in size... like Rasputin. Some other characters also have this increasing gig. He's pretty cool, and so far the only character I've beaten the game with.

Cupe
A huge hulking man but very friendly-looking. His stage (with the gorgeous water all around you) is breath-taking.

Coco
A weird little boy dress in uh.. well let's just say you might mistake him for a little girl! One of his Star Specials include chucking down a MASSIVE pumpkin that literally eats up almost 2/3 the screen!

Fooly
The devil-looking fighter of the game. Looks like Demitri and Jedah.

Sakamoto
This guy rocks. His fierce attack is a big two hit saber sword slash. Looks like Ukyo, except with horns. Yes -- horns! His Star Specials are some of the best looking around. One transforms him into a big pink-ish beast that takes up the entire half of the left or right screen, depending on where you are. The other is a 12-hit variation of his 2 hit fierce slash attack.



Maron
Cute chick with a short top.



Rouge
Santa Claus looking little girl who throws snowballs. She should hook up with Iceman. There's no business like SNOW BUSINESS! ... sorry

Stella
Magician girl with strange attacks.



THE BOSSES

My Devil
A little funky looking devil fly who transforms into your shadow character. There's also a MY ANGEL but I've yet to encounter her.

Satan Volte
HUUUUUUUUUUGE bad ass who is only vulnerable around his head. Hitting anywhere else is futile.

Test Kun
He's baaaack! This time he comes in a blue stick figure, looking like a little kid's crayon scrawl. One of his Star Specials includes throwing 3 consecutive fireballs that connects for 30 hits.

THE OVERALL IMPRESSION
It's not for everyone. It's in the VS. mold. It's spazzy. It might seem a little shallow but there's more depth there, but it's definitely no SFA 2 or KoF 98.
But it's not supposed to be, and trying to compare those would be like comparing Radiant Silvergun to Cotton Boomerang. Two different animals.

Overall, I like Astra but I'm not as crazy about it as some other folks I know. Watching the game in action is like "DDAAAAAMMNNN!!! HOLY MOLY!"

Playing it is less impressive, IMHO. I guess I'm too used to my Hadoken motions... but hey, Astra is a unique fighter with godly visuals and fast gameplay and ultra flashy pyrotechnics. If it's your thing, you'll love it.

If not, you might be a little indifferent toward it.

Just a shame it's uncommon and goes for $75-$100. If you ever see it $50-$70, snatch it up in a heartbeat.

I actually prefer Groove on Fight, another obscure-ish Saturn brawler. It's 4 players, tag team style and it's downright strange and fun

[GaijinPunch]

Yo! I saw your post at the UGTZ... good idea.
I've not played too many obsucre games in the last few weeks, but I'll go from memory.

Magical Hoppers:
Publisher: Bandai:
Developer: Forgot
Graphics: Pretty lame. 2.5D for the most part. It's 100% Polygon based, but the game play is 2D. Quite jaggedy, and not so colrful.
Gameplay: Not bad, and for the price it costs ($5 at most) I think it's very much worth it. You generally just go back and forth, jumping, dodging the good guys and whatnot. It's got a bit of puzzle to it, but is mostly action.

[BenT]

Magical Hoppers = Pandemonium in the States.

[ManekiNeko]

Ew, Groove On Fight? I didn't care for that game at all. The game is beyond stiff... the animation is robotic and the gameplay lacks the grace and style of the Marvel vs. series. If you've already got Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter it's hard to imagine why you'd want to buy this.

My obscure Saturn pick of the day is Sokko Sekotai (sp?), known to English-speaking Saturn players as Sonic Council. It's the only fighting game I can think of that was designed with input from a video game magazine. After spending years criticizing games, the publication Gamest finally put their money where there mouth was and designed one of their own.

If you've played Rival Schools, the storyline in Sonic Council should be familiar to you. You play as one of a handful of super powered high school students and battle it out with your classmates. This continues until you reach the end of the game, where a beefy boss (who looks suspiciously like a character from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) is waiting to push your fighting skills to the limit.

The graphics are only OK... they're certainly not on the same level as a Capcom or SNK fighter, even with some interesting special effects such as a shockwave that eminates from the most powerful hits. The sound is equally unimpressive... the voices are well done but the background music is easily forgotten. What makes Sonic Council work is the gameplay, which is fun whether you're playing it alone or with friends. Also, the characters are well designed. There are a lot of females in the cast but they're more modest than most fighting game schoolgirls, never flashing their panties at you to keep your attention.

Overall, I'd give Sonic Council somewhere between a six and a seven. It's not the best fighting game you'll find on the Saturn, but given its unique origin it could have been a whole lot worse.

JR

P.S. Fantastic topic, by the way! I'm just starting to get back into Saturn import gaming myself.

[GaijinPunch]

Magical Hoppers = Pandemonium in the States.

Didn't know that. Both titles are pretty lame.

[BenT]

I like the Japanese name. It's descriptive. :)

[Steven]

My obscure Saturn pick of the day is Sokko Sekotai (sp?), known to English-speaking Saturn players as Sonic Council. It's the only fighting game I can think of that was designed with input from a video game magazine. After spending years criticizing games, the publication Gamest finally put their money where there mouth was and designed one of their own.

If you've played Rival Schools, the storyline in Sonic Council should be familiar to you. You play as one of a handful of super powered high school students and battle it out with your classmates. This continues until you reach the end of the game, where a beefy boss (who looks suspiciously like a character from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) is waiting to push your fighting skills to the limit.

The graphics are only OK... they're certainly not on the same level as a Capcom or SNK fighter, even with some interesting special effects such as a shockwave that eminates from the most powerful hits. The sound is equally unimpressive... the voices are well done but the background music is easily forgotten. What makes Sonic Council work is the gameplay, which is fun whether you're playing it alone or with friends. Also, the characters are well designed. There are a lot of females in the cast but they're more modest than most fighting game schoolgirls, never flashing their panties at you to keep your attention.

Overall, I'd give Sonic Council somewhere between a six and a seven. It's not the best fighting game you'll find on the Saturn, but given its unique origin it could have been a whole lot worse.

JR

P.S. Fantastic topic, by the way! I'm just starting to get back into Saturn import gaming myself.

Thanks for the input! I had saw a screenshot of a Banpresto fighter before but never knew its name. The screenshot certainly had me interested! Anyway, I just went on eBay to BIN a copy of SC for 48 shipped. It's pretty steep but this game appears pretty damn uncommon.

Thanks again. I think this is my kind of game...

[oesiii]

Let's roll on. In fact let's keep up with Konami. Their long-running "Puzzle Dama" series lived on in the Saturn... and so did another one of their series...

Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball S

This cute title features super deformed baseball players and an innovative batting and pitching format. You might know these games from the SNES or N64 platforms. Even a couple PS2 titles too.

This is my favorite import on the Saturn, It's also very popular on the Gameboy Advance and they're up to Powerful Pro Kun Baseball 6 on there, I'm glad I imported that one too The gameplay on these big-head baseball games is topnotch especially compared to other weaker EA or Acclaim GBA sports games. Heck I wouldn't mind learning a little Japanese to see what the RPG/player building part of the game is like

My version on the Saturn is JPPB '95, I wondering if it's different than your Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball S ? I wasn't sure if there were several versions out for the Saturn, I think I'll have to go check some import lists now.

[Steven]

oesiii,
There were two Powerful Pro games on Saturn.

95 (in 95)
S (in 97)

I haven't played S but from what I can see on screenshots, S looks more crisp and clean. Can you tell me how many teams and stadiums are in Jikkyou 95? In S, there are 14 teams and stadiums.

[oesiii]

Cool, thanks for the info, I'll have to hunt that S'97 one down. I have a couple of the SNES ports and I don't even own a SNES yet

I'll look up the number of teams and stadiums in the '95 version later on tonight when I get home.

[ManekiNeko]

Thanks for the input! I had saw a screenshot of a Banpresto fighter before but never knew its name. The screenshot certainly had me interested! Anyway, I just went on eBay to BIN a copy of SC for 48 shipped. It's pretty steep but this game appears pretty damn uncommon.

Thanks again. I think this is my kind of game...

Yeah, no problem! Just do me a favor and keep those obscure Saturn game reviews coming!
By the way, you'll find a variety of import Saturn game reviews on my web site. The layout is kind of plain at the moment but I'm in the process of completely overhauling it. The finished product will look much much better, as you can see from the Final Fight Revenge review (which uses a prototype version of the new layout).

http://grblitz.overclocked.org/lostring.htm

JR

[GaijinPunch]

Thanks for the input! I had saw a screenshot of a Banpresto fighter before but never knew its name. The screenshot certainly had me interested! Anyway, I just went on eBay to BIN a copy of SC for 48 shipped. It's pretty steep but this game appears pretty damn uncommon.

If you've got Astra Superstars, don't bother with Sonic Council, unless you're into collecting Saturn stuff. SC leaves a lot to be desired, and costs about half of Astra Superstars. AS is the only 2D fighter I like.

[oesiii]

In my Powerful Pro 95 version, there are 14 teams but it only seems like 12 stadiums. So now I have a great excuse to upgrade to the '97 version

[hu6800]

Word... I use to play Astra Superstars .. Now your talking old
when you mentioned groove on fight.
I played that game for hours, i like the little witch chick that
uses a pipe organ as a special attack.

some of the artwork looks the same as another game i have for the import
psx called "Hot blooded family"

You ever play..

Eve's Burst Era
Sengoku Ace
PoliceNaughts

the japanese made some really screwy games i tell ya.

[ManekiNeko]

Yeah, Hot Blooded Fighting Family is available for the Saturn as well. It's definitely nothing special, though... it's a side-scrolling beat 'em up by Technosoft (yeah, THAT Technosoft) that's a little wackier than your average Final Fight clone. The designers also added special moves for all the characters but it doesn't change the fact that the game is predictable and monotonous. You'd be much better off with Guardian Heroes, or even the Dungeons and Dragons collection by Capcom.

Right now, I'm playing Shienryu, by a company called Warashi. They should have named it "I Can't Believe It's Not Raiden II" because that's the first thing that comes to mind when you play it. I haven't seen this blatant a rip-off since the release of World Heroes over ten years ago. It's a good, solid game, but it'll give you a serious case of deja vu when you play it.

JR

[le geek]

Race Drivin' for Saturn is quite a nice port if you remember and like the old Atari arcade game. It plays and looks good and supports the Steering wheel. Beside being the arcade game, there are a few extra cars to unlock, and the arranged graphics mode is good for a laugh too.

Cheers,
Ben

[Steven]

Yeah, Hot Blooded Fighting Family is available for the Saturn as well. It's definitely nothing special, though... it's a side-scrolling beat 'em up by Technosoft (yeah, THAT Technosoft) that's a little wackier than your average Final Fight clone. The designers also added special moves for all the characters but it doesn't change the fact that the game is predictable and monotonous. You'd be much better off with Guardian Heroes, or even the Dungeons and Dragons collection by Capcom.

Right now, I'm playing Shienryu, by a company called Warashi. They should have named it "I Can't Believe It's Not Raiden II" because that's the first thing that comes to mind when you play it. I haven't seen this blatant a rip-off since the release of World Heroes over ten years ago. It's a good, solid game, but it'll give you a serious case of deja vu when you play it.

JR

Yeah, HBF (AKA Nekketsu Oyako) is definitely nothing special. The character size is actually on the small side, the animation choppy and the gameplay missing a certain magical flare. Still, I ain't getting rid of it.

Shienryu is good I think. Very good, just not in the league of Garegga or Souky.

[ManekiNeko]

It's my understanding that Shienryu was released for the Playstation in the United States. It was renamed Geki-Oh: Shooting King and given new features that its Saturn counterpart lacks.

JR