Alien Trilogy: PSX or Saturn, which port reigns supreme?

[courtesi96]

Inquiring minds want to know!

[Tempest]

Oh lord. That's like asking which toe you want smashed off with a hammer...

I've never played the PSX version before, but the Saturn version isn't anything to write home about. I hear it only uses only one of the Saturn's processors, so take that for what it's worth.

Tempest

[Poofta!]

is this game worth playing on any platform? is the MAME rom decent?

[courtesi96]

is this game worth playing on any platform? is the MAME rom decent?

This was a FPS. the Mame version is a beat em up

[gepeto]

When it came out for the psx it was a pleasant surprise. I love that game and can play it today. It was an excellent fps. Great story and action. At a time where companies were ripping people off putting anything out there and charging 60 bucks this was a welcome surprise. I would say get the psx version. I haven't played the saturn version but there knock was it couldn't do 3d well and that game was a very early life release.

[digitalpress]

is this game worth playing on any platform? is the MAME rom decent?

Um? Oh nevermind.

The PSX version is superior. It's actually a pretty decent FPS-style (though it's not really an FPS) game. The Saturn version is "OK" but always remember that the PSX almost always beat out the Saturn on 3D processing. This is definitely one of those times.

Most importantly though, don't be one of the n00bs who confuse this with the arcade game. The home games only bear the name in resemblance.

[CDiablo]

General rule of thumb, and it was OBVIOUS when I was a kid, is PS multiplats look better than their Sat counterparts.

[Haoie]

You might also be interested in Alien Resurrection.

Insanely hard/frustrating, but decently scary and pretty good visuals.

[Steven]

Supposedly, (I've never played the PSX port), the PlayStation port is superior.

I liked the Saturn version BTW. Nothing special, but not bad.

[Kevincal]

The PS version is very good. I got it right around the time it came out. Can't say for the Saturn version, but good chance it doesn't look as good as the PS version.

[108Stars]

The PS1-version rocked by thetime of it´s release, it was really an outstanding FPS then.
While the Saturn-port is basically the same, it does suffer from somewhat worse graphics.
There is lots of glass to shoot in Alien Trilogy, and the Saturn version like many other games on the system suffered from not-having a transparency effect. On the PS1 this was standard, but on the Saturn it needed more experience with the hardware to get transparencies done. So all the glass in the Saturn version is rastered instead of being real transparent.
Also the FMV movies are a little more greasy on Saturn.

[roushimsx]

Alien Trilogy was a lot of fun, even though the engine wasn't much more advanced than Doom's (pretty much on par with Dark Forces'). My only gripe was that the episodes were out of order, but other than that it was surprisingly enjoyable (especially on the PS1).

Shame it took so long for the PC and Saturn versions to come out. By the time the PC one rolled out, Quake was in town and the Saturn version was just a general disappointment (though not as much of one as Doom).

[The 1 2 P]

You might also be interested in Alien Resurrection.

Insanely hard/frustrating, but decently scary and pretty good visuals.

I quit that game after I couldn't find a weapon to use in the beginning:confused:

[Wraith Storm]

My friend had Alien Trilogy for the Saturn when it first came out and we played it all the time. We loved it.

Upon it's release it was a pretty impressive game. Sure, the playstation version might have had a bit better graphics and effects, but there was certainly nothing wrong with the Saturn version.

[savageone]

The PSX version makes me go from 0 to motion sick in under 15 minutes, I have to give my vote to that version. Plus it works on PS2/PS3. :P Also, it's one of the few PS1 games I actually PREFER to play with the PS3 smoothing options turned on.

:puke:

[Bojay1997]

General rule of thumb, and it was OBVIOUS when I was a kid, is PS multiplats look better than their Sat counterparts.

This is really not a good rule of thumb. There are quite a few Saturn ports that are smoother and faster than their PSX counterparts. The one that really sticks out for me is In the Hunt for the Saturn which was one of my favorite arcade games of the era.

[gameofyou]

There are quite a few Saturn ports that are smoother and faster than their PSX counterparts.

I think that Pandemonium also got a superior Saturn release.

But anyway, I think the only difference between the PS & Saturn Alien Trilogy is that the Aliens looked better on the PS. This is actually one of the better FPS games on Saturn, but not as good as the Lobotomy trilogy.

[Rob2600]

This is really not a good rule of thumb. There are quite a few Saturn ports that are smoother and faster than their PSX counterparts. The one that really sticks out for me is In the Hunt for the Saturn


I think that Pandemonium also got a superior Saturn release.

Didn't Dead or Alive look better on the Saturn, as well?

[j_factor]

I thought In The Hunt was meant to be better on Playstation actually, but yeah, there are quite a few that are better on Saturn, and a very large number that are pretty indistinguishable.

Alien Trilogy, however, is better on Playstation. Not that it matters IMO, as it's not a very good game.

[kedawa]

The PSX version makes me go from 0 to motion sick in under 15 minutes, I have to give my vote to that version.

Same here. In fact, it's the only game I've ever played that actually made me nauseous.
The camera bob/tilt was just too much for me to handle.

[Spartacus]

I enjoyed watching a horror movie called "Feast" recently and began thinking afterwards at how easily a film could "tastefully" handle the subject of oral rape via comedy. I morosely lamented that some subjects would probably never be done in a video game. And then I remembered playing "Alien Trilogy" with all those horny face huggers and suddenly I smiled. Hell! I thought, it's been done already!

[Pete Rittwage]

Didn't Dead or Alive look better on the Saturn, as well?

Yes, much better.

[roushimsx]

Didn't Dead or Alive look better on the Saturn, as well?

That's a myth perpetuated by Saturn fanboys desperate to cling to the idea that the system had more superior multiplatform games than it did. You know, from the same people that try to claim that the Saturn version of Symphony of the Night is superior to the PS1 version or that Deep Fear has superior voice acting to Resident Evil (which, surprisingly, it does not).

The Saturn version looks great and is a nice adaptation of the Model 2 game, but the PS1 version is essentially an upgrade (and more or less a semi sequel). It has better graphics for the characters, runs smoother, has new backgrounds (still 2D like the Saturn version's), two additional characters and a shitton of costumes for each character (5/male, 13/female IIRC). Also, characters were rebalanced and tweaked a bit. That and I believe the PS1 version was known as, "Dead or Alive+", because then "Dead or Alive++" was released in arcades, it further expanded on the PS1 version.

IIRC the Saturn version didn't have the full moveset available from the Arcade, but I'll have to break it out and spend some time playing around with it to really hash that one out...something I'm not terribly likely to do due to the amount of time a fighting game can take up. I've got my hands full picking apart the evolution of Cave's snowboarding series that started with Steep Slope Sliders (which is still a damn blast to play).

That said, the Saturn version is still worth owning. You can pick it up for about $15 shipped pretty easily and it's pretty visually impressive for a Saturn game. Plus, how can you resist the urge to collect all of the Model 2 -> Saturn ports? You just can't!

Finally, Lobotomy's trilogy on Saturn is so well worth playing. Powerslave has aged wonderfully, their port of Duke 3D is extremely unique and well suited (certainly better adapted than Eurocom's attempt on N64), and the special levels in Quake rocked. Wonder if anyone ever rebuilt those for the PC version.


Same here. In fact, it's the only game I've ever played that actually made me nauseous.
The camera bob/tilt was just too much for me to handle.
All first person shooters should have awesomely nausea inducing bob and tilting. Duke Nukem 3D and Powerslave were so close to hitting the nausea target and Half Life on PS2 would have nailed it if they could have kept a steady framerate.

[Rob2600]

That's a myth perpetuated by Saturn fanboys desperate to cling to the idea that the system had more superior multiplatform games than it did. You know, from the same people that try to claim that the Saturn version of Symphony of the Night is superior to the PS1 version or that Deep Fear has superior voice acting to Resident Evil (which, surprisingly, it does not).

The Saturn version looks great and is a nice adaptation of the Model 2 game, but the PS1 version is essentially an upgrade (and more or less a semi sequel). It has better graphics for the characters, runs smoother, has new backgrounds (still 2D like the Saturn version's), two additional characters and a shitton of costumes for each character (5/male, 13/female IIRC). Also, characters were rebalanced and tweaked a bit. That and I believe the PS1 version was known as, "Dead or Alive+", because then "Dead or Alive++" was released in arcades, it further expanded on the PS1 version.

IIRC the Saturn version didn't have the full moveset available from the Arcade, but I'll have to break it out and spend some time playing around with it to really hash that one out

So the PlayStation version of Dead or Alive has more features, but what about graphics? I was told that the Saturn version runs in hi-res mode, while the PlayStation version doesn't. Is that true?

Either way, you're right though: the Saturn version looked pretty good back in 1997.

[nate1749]

The PSX version is the lesser of two sucky games.

[Steve W]

Here's something I want to know... After Alien vs. Predator came out on the Jaguar, it seemed like Alien Trilogy (from the commercials, anyway) was trying to build on the foundation of AvP and 'do it right' on the PS/Saturn. How does Alien Trilogy compare against AvP? I've always wondered.

[roushimsx]

So the PlayStation version of Dead or Alive has more features, but what about graphics? I was told that the Saturn version runs in hi-res mode, while the PlayStation version doesn't. Is that true?


I don't recall the Saturn version running in a higher resolution than the PS1 version, but I'll try to check that out in a little bit. Either way, the PS1 version looks and runs smoother.

Edit - Ok yea, it runs in 704x480i on Saturn, so it is in a higher resolution than the PS1 version (which I still need to double check to see exactly what it runs in). Makes snapping decent shots of it a pain in the ass. :\


Here's something I want to know... After Alien vs. Predator came out on the Jaguar, it seemed like Alien Trilogy (from the commercials, anyway) was trying to build on the foundation of AvP and 'do it right' on the PS/Saturn. How does Alien Trilogy compare against AvP? I've always wondered.

It was a nice evolution of the gameplay, though AvP still gets points for the varied view points. The engine in Alien Trilogy was a lot nicer and the level design was an equal improvement. Just looking up on the developer, it looks like Probe was also responsible for Alien 3 on the SNES, which I loved as well.

Rebellion's PC Alien vs Predator from 1999 blows 'em out of the water, though. :)

[Rob2600]

Edit - Ok yea, it runs in 704x480i on Saturn, so it is in a higher resolution than the PS1 version (which I still need to double check to see exactly what it runs in). Makes snapping decent shots of it a pain in the ass. :\

So the Saturn version of Dead or Alive runs at a higher resolution, but the PlayStation version features real-time shadows (the Saturn version features dithered ovals underneath each character). Which of those graphical features is more impressive? Which version looks better overall?

By the way, how can you tell what resolution a game runs in?

[gameofyou]

That's a myth perpetuated by Saturn fanboys desperate to cling to the idea that the system had more superior multiplatform games than it did.

Not true. But don't listen to me, listen to the leader of Team Ninja (the developers of the game):

"Kikizo: The version of Dead or Alive 1 in Dead or Alive Ultimate is based upon the Saturn version. Why did you base the remake on the Saturn game instead of the Model 2 original, the PS1 version, or Dead or Alive++ [which ran on Tecmo hardware]?

Itagaki: The quality of the Saturn game was the best, we think. It's my personal favourite. It was the first game I fully produced, as well, so it has great personal significance for me."

You can read the entire interview here: http://games.kikizo.com/features/itagaki_interview_feb05_p1.asp

[Haoie]

While we're here, did Alien Resurrection get any other versions/ports?

[108Stars]

Even if AT Saturn runs in a higher resolution, that is something you hardly notice when playing on a TV. It really doesn´t make up for the raster-transpareny that looks kind of cheapo for an FPS of the generation.
Later FPS on the other hand did usually look a bit better on Saturn than their PS1-counterparts; Duke 3D has cool new lighting effects, and Exhumed was pretty awesome for the time too.

On the PS1 I also liked Lifeforce Tenka from Psygnosis with it´s then fancy light effects and polygon-enemies. Alien Resurrection looks cool as well, but I too only played it half an hour and didn´t even find a weapon.^^

@Haoie
Alien Resurrection was in development for Dreamcast afair, but ultimately cancelled. The game just had no luck. Even the PS1-version had a rough ride from the first announcement until it was released; at first it was meant to be a 3rd person shooter.

[roushimsx]

So the Saturn version of Dead or Alive runs at a higher resolution, but the PlayStation version features real-time shadows (the Saturn version features dithered ovals underneath each character). Which of those graphical features is more impressive? Which version looks better overall?

The playstation version has more than realtime shadows. It also has more polygons per character and better shading on the models. The backgrounds and floor look cleaner, as well.

The easy/cheating way to check the resolution of a Saturn game is to fire it up in SSF and keep the window size at 1x. Snap a screenshot in fraps and cut 20 pixels off the vertical resolution for the title bar (you'll see what I mean at the bottom of the image when you snap the shots :)).

Edit: and for PS1 games, you can use Pete's Soft GPU plugin, set stretching to 1:1 and disable dithering. You'll have to crop down the snapshots that you take (which should be left justified). Dead or Alive's gameplay and menus seem to be 512x432 (apparently the same resolution that Chrono Cross' menus display in and that the HNG64 arcade games run in). Intro appears to be a 296x176 window on a 320x240 mat (nothing special there).


Itagaki: The quality of the Saturn game was the best, we think. It's my personal favourite. It was the first game I fully produced, as well, so it has great personal significance for me."

Right, it's better than the PS1 version because too-cool-for-school Itagaki finds it to be of personal significance. That's some real sound reasoning for pretty much everyone not named Itagaki. Sure. For what it's worth, he's the same dude that shit on Ninja Gaiden Sigma (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=189396) because he didn't produce it. In case that link doesn't work for you, just google, "Itagaki" "Sigma" (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Itagaki+Sigma&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=).

Try playing playing both games (Dead or Alive and Dead or Alive+) and then try telling me that the Saturn version is actually a better title for any reason other than: "Because it's based on a Model 2 game", "Because it's on the Saturn!" or "I like the Saturn version's music more", because those are pretty much the only reasons to prefer it.

[j_factor]

Try playing playing both games (Dead or Alive and Dead or Alive+) and then try telling me that the Saturn version is actually a better title for any reason other than: "Because it's based on a Model 2 game", "Because it's on the Saturn!" or "I like the Saturn version's music more", because those are pretty much the only reasons to prefer it.

How about because the Saturn controller is better for fighting games? ;)

[roushimsx]

How about because the Saturn controller is better for fighting games? ;)

Ok, you win :P
(And yes, I'm a strong advocate for forgetting that the original US pad ever existed)