Top 50 Sega Saturn Import Games (version 1)

[geelw]

proving that there's more to life than 2D shooters, 2D platformers, 2D fighters (and 2D thinking, lol), here's my list of 50. discuss, add, subtract- but only if you've a better title to back it up with. NO titles released in u.s. of a. allowed, with 2 exceptions listed below with asterisks.
in no particular order, of course:

Assault Suits Leynos 2
Baroque
Samurai Showdown III
Cotton (series)
Dungeons & Dragons Collection
Metal Slug
Street Fighter Zero 3
Soul Hackers
Princess Crown
Elevator Action Returns
Super Tempo
Keio Yugekitai
Shining Force III (Parts II-III & Premium Disc)
Madoh Monogatari
Radiant Silvergun
Grandia (with Grandia Prelude)*
Sakura Wars (series)
Policenauts (Limited Edition)
Fantastic Pinball
Chaos Seed
Nanatsu Kaze no Shima Monogatari
Linkle Liver Story (Wrinkle River Story)
Nazomakaimura (Incredible Toons)
Bushidohretsuden (Samurai Showdown RPG)
Langrisser Tribute
Cyberbots (Regular or Limited Edition)
Quo Vadis 2
Dragon Force II
Sengoku Blade
Gun Griffon II
Shadows of the Tusk
Bulk Slash
Capcom Generations (series)
Shinheishusatsushi Taroumaru (Psychic Killer Taroumaru)
Shippu Mahou Daisakusen (Kingdom Grand Prix)
Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon
Willy Wombat
Twinkle Star Sprites
Phantasy Star Collection**
Purikura Daisakusen
Sokyugurentai
Devil Summoner
Batsugun
Black Matrix (Regular or Limited Edition)
Elan Doree
Tengai Makyo IV: The Apocalypse
Dezaemon 2 (Deza 2)
Wachenroder
Arcade Gears (Series)
Real Sound Kaze no Regret


*even though grandia came out in the u.s. on the playstation, the game is far better-looking on the saturn, and runs a bit smoother. PLUS, the japanese got grandia prelude, and we didn't.

**while all the phantasy star games were released here on different consoles (sms/genesis), the collection has many bonus materials unseen in the u.s.

(oh, and 2D fans, i HOPE you took the above comment with a BIG grain of sea or kosher salt- i had to get my dig in, because there ARE good 3D games on the system, and it's annoying to almost always see them ignored...)

well, get crackin' kids- there's a pop quiz on friday... :D

[ubersaurus]

That Shining Force premium disc is quality (that's the one with all the characters from the games in it, right?) Anyhow, that list NEEDS Castlevania SOTN on there somewhere...though it may not look as pretty as the PSX one, it has extra levels, and an extra character (Maria). I'd say that alone would warrant it on the list.

Besides, both SFzero3 and Sam Show 3 got released in the states, on the PSX/DC and Neo Geo, respectively.

[geelw]

That Shining Force premium disc is quality (that's the one with all the characters from the games in it, right?) Anyhow, that list NEEDS Castlevania SOTN on there somewhere...though it may not look as pretty as the PSX one, it has extra levels, and an extra character (Maria). I'd say that alone would warrant it on the list.

Besides, both SFzero3 and Sam Show 3 got released in the states, on the PSX/DC and Neo Geo, respectively.


1) i didn't include castlevania in the top 50 after much internal debate- it was originally a ps game, and i wanted to focus on as many titles as possible that weren't ports- it DOES show up on my 51-75 list- i'm still working on getting it up to 100...

2) good point... although samurai showdown 3 on the psx was TERRIBLE, and the neo-geo wasn't much of a mass market success as the saturn was. think of this as the "if i wanted to buy sega saturn imports, what games are good", or "what NEW gaming experiences haven't i tried yet?"

for example, grandia is up there because it IS much better on the original system it was programmed for, and the ps version didn't sell all that well (for some reason probably called "people didn't like it because it wasn't a final fantasy game", lol)

[Kid Fenris]

If you're going to include Grandia for entirely cosmetic reasons, you should thrown in X-Men vs. Street Fighter. Yes, the PSX version was released here, but it lacks the tag-battle feature from the arcade and Saturn versions.

And where's Cyberbots? It's an excellent 2D fighter with nice animation, appropriately heavy gameplay, and a rather fun one-player mode.

Add Cyberbots, X-Men vs. SF, the enjoyable mech shooter Bulk Slash, and the impressive dragon-based fighter Elan Doree. To make space, I'd drop Shienryu, Terra Phantastica (THIS is what Phantasy Earth turned into?), Slayers Royal 2, and Blue Seed. Magical School Lunar is better than Blue Seed.

[bargora]

Bulk Stash roolz, dood.

[geelw]

If you're going to include Grandia for entirely cosmetic reasons, you should thrown in X-Men vs. Street Fighter. Yes, the PSX version was released here, but it lacks the tag-battle feature from the arcade and Saturn versions.
Add Cyberbots, X-Men vs. SF, the enjoyable mech shooter Bulk Slash, and the impressive dragon-based fighter Elan Doree. To make space, I'd drop Shienryu, Terra Phantastica (THIS is what Phantasy Earth turned into?), Slayers Royal 2, and Blue Seed. Magical School Lunar is better than Blue Seed.

point taken, BUT i considered all the capcom fighters beforehand and street fighter zero 3 distills all of what they've done with the series down into one handy package. all the versus games are simply bread crumbs in a box of hamburger helper. i'll add cyberbots, because it was on my initial list, but i dropped it because i didn't want the list to heavily rely on one or two types of games from one or two different publishers.

i'll drop slayers for lunar, shienryu for bulk slash, and terra pahntasica for elan doree. tp WAS supposed to be a Phantasy Star game initially, but it turned into something totally different. i liked it, but in retrospect, it's basically a better looking dark wizard/tactics ogre type game... :hmm:

[Nomeaz1]

I would replace Fantastic Pinball with Necronomicon.

[YoshiM]

Boy I gotta get into import gaming. Some of these titles sound pretty good.

[Tetsu]

You've assembled quite a list here, geelw. But what's this? No Battle Garegga? Sure, it has a little slowdown, compared to the arcade version, but so does Do Donapachi, which is already on your list. And what about Soukygurentai? Didn't its Layer Section-ish gameplay give you goosebumps enough to put on the list? If you haven't completed the game, you've only seen half of it: much like playing through SotN without going through the Reverce castle. You can unlock a mode where the lock-on lasers work automatically, which makes Souky a completely different game (like the difficulty levels in Ikaruga, do, I'd say). Surely that kind of replay value in a shooter warrants inclusion in a top 50 list of Saturn games. Also, I was surprised the 'conspicuous by their absence' Darkstalkers games. Surely DS3 should be on this list, or at least worthy of an honorable mention?

[Kid Fenris]

Whoa. Soukyugurentai should definitely be on the list. To make space, I guess we could lose Magical School Lunar. It's not that great, even if it's better than other Saturn RPGs.

I think the Darkstalkers games fall under the "came out in America" restriction. Vampire Savior is better than DS3 on the PSX, but they're really just slightly different versions of the same game.

[Chunky]

is there anyone who can tag a genre on the games in this list?

[Bighab]

Hey Geelw where are the Langrisser games? I figured a strategy fan like yourself would have listed those :) Also I really Like Macross DYRL and the Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story 1-3 series(great with the twinsticks :D )

[Wavelflack]

Stellar Assault needs to be included. It really does.

[geelw]

lol! ACTUALLY, the list WAS 100 titles initially, but i thought it was overkill (which is why it's "version 1")- ch-ch changes coming.

points made:

yeah, in retrospect, magical school lunar is good, but i was "lunared out" by the time i borrowed and tried it, so it goes (again) into the lower 50.

necronomicon is also on the 51-100 list- kaze did a great job on it, BUT we got last gladiators, which was more or less the same game- except for that wacky intro and movies in the import. what a bald black monk walking through a monastery and reading an evil book has to do with pinball is beyond me, lol...

langrisser- GAH! that was a big mistake, as i was trying to not load up the list with so many strategy games- looking at my notes, i see that i put it down, but i didn't add it as i was typing the list, hee hee- it was about 4:30am, i think...

oh yeah- the gundam side story box is in the 51-100 list, as is the macross game.

sokygurentai? yah, yah- i actually confused it with shienryu, lol- so up it goes...

stellar assault- isn't it the same game as shadow squadron on the 32x? anyway, it's sort of rare and really expensive last time i checked, and if it IS the same game as shadow squadron, it's cheaper to buy a 32x (which ISN'T a system, by the way, it's an ADD-ON- it does NOTHING by itself, lol) and the game for about 30 or 40 bucks, rather than spend close to the 150 or 200 it currently fetches...

sooooo, i'll move a few games around, and put up a edited version shortly... :D

[geelw]

is there anyone who can tag a genre on the games in this list?

some of this stuff is pictured & briefly described here: www.classicgaming.com/japangaming , if you need any info on a game not on that page that's on this list, just PM me...

[Nomeaz1]

I would argue that Necronomicon is NOT the same game as Last Gladiators (which I love too), but hey its your list :hail:.

So how many of these games do you have geelw? The only reason that I ask is that the Japanese Saturn is my favorite system to collect for. So far I have 581 games, unfortunately I am still missing 4 from your list :bad-words: (Assault Suits Leynos 2, Dragon Force II, Elan Doree, Anearth Fantasy Stories).

Is Anearth Fantasy Stories really that good? Everything I have heard about the game has been mediocre at best. Also no Mahjong games made the list?

Anyway, this is a nice list. I would enjoy seeing you expand it to 100 games.

[maxlords]

No Tenchi Wo Kurau 2, No Battle Garrega...what is this world coming to?!?!?!?

[Wavelflack]

Stellar Assault isn't the same as the 32X game (which came out here as "Shadow Squadron"). It has the same ships and gameplay, but it's MUCH larger. I don't remember how many missions it had, but 12-14 sounds about right, compared to 32X 5 missions.


Is it really fetching $150-$200?

[Wavelflack]

"(which ISN'T a system, by the way, it's an ADD-ON- it does NOTHING by itself, lol)"

Well, that's a matter of opinion, and you're certainly entitled to bear an incorrect one. It's a system. The module requires a Genesis to be hooked to the bottom of it. The system IS a 32X module and a Genesis base. THAT is a 32X system, and Sega sold it as seperate pieces, assuming that many people already had the Genesis component of the system. As I pointed out before, the Neptune would have unified both components into a single casing. Would Neptune (1 piece) be a system, but 32X (2 pieces) be an "add-on"?

32X has it's own architecture, CPU, dev system, etc. It radically outperforms the Genesis on it's own. It's a system.


If you disagree that the 32X system was Genesis+ 32X module, then simply take a look at the advertising for the system. Do they ever show a 32X module sitting by itself? Nope. It's always nestled into a Genesis unit.

Oh, sure. The 32X unit by itself is unplayable, but so is everything else, if you remove the required supporting components. Does a SNES become "not a system" if you eliminate its AC adaptor?

[geelw]

:hmm: nonsense. if it doesn't work out of the box as a stand alone unit, it's not a system, separate architecture or not. OF COURSE sega wouldn't show the unit in ads by itself- that would be misleading the public, like saying a new memory upgrade, monitor, and 3D card are better by themselves than your current computer.

the sega 32x is a "system" like the sega genesis power base and the sega cd are "systems". they're ADD ONS, created by sega to extend the life of the genesis (and sell off excess master system stock, lol). the 32x was, is, and will be sega's second biggest "console" mistake in that they introduced it well aware that it wasn't going to last longer than a year or less. saturn development was going on in japan and most major developers were more interested in creating/exploring the CD-ROM format, not making more cartridge games.

in a way, sega should have left well enough alone- there were PLENTY of good/great mega drive and mega CD games coming out of japan during that time. one could argue that all the money spent on developing and promoting the 32x would have been better served if sega had instead published gen/MCD games like shadowrun, alien soldier, surging aura, record of lodoss war, eliminate down, and about a hundred others. the 32x was a "suit" machine, created to hook longtime segaphiles and lure new buyers into their whole "next level" campaign, away from the competition. and for some folks, it worked.

look at the overall 32x library. most of the games are from sega, companies contracted by sega, enhanced versions of popular selling (not necessarily good) genesis titles, and a few third party games. sure, there are some gems, but think about it: wouldn't the saturn have benefited better from launch titles like star wars arcade, (a better version of) doom (than the godawful 3DO port the saturn got much later), knuckles chaotix, metal head, and kolibri (which is more or less an enhanced version of crying/biohazard battle). sega dropped the 32x like a hot rock when the saturn took off, but they ended up confusing too many buyers initially by hyping the 32x like it was a long-term product. but hell, that's history for ya- somebody's gotta fall on their ass hard in public, or else it's just watching clouds go by...

yeesh- WAAAAAAAAAAY off topic here. now back to our list, lol!... :roll:

[geelw]

I would argue that Necronomicon is NOT the same game as Last Gladiators (which I love too), but hey its your list :hail:.

So how many of these games do you have geelw? The only reason that I ask is that the Japanese Saturn is my favorite system to collect for. So far I have 581 games, unfortunately I am still missing 4 from your list :bad-words: (Assault Suits Leynos 2, Dragon Force II, Elan Doree, Anearth Fantasy Stories).

Is Anearth Fantasy Stories really that good? Everything I have heard about the game has been mediocre at best. Also no Mahjong games made the list?

Anyway, this is a nice list. I would enjoy seeing you expand it to 100 games.

well, necronomicon IS in the top 100, lol- fantastic pinball just appealed to me a little bit more after comparing the 2 (3, actually, pinball grafitti got played as well). anearth got dropped as you can see- it's been a while since i had played it, and it's ok, but there are a lot of better RPGs. most have appeared on other systems,( like the GREAT linda cubed again, for example) and i wanted to avoid TOO much of that...hmmm. maybe i should have put the segata sanshiro game up there (har har)

i've only played two mah-jong games on the saturn, and both were hentai, which does NOTHING for me at all, lol... you can recommend some, and i'll go check them out. there's at least one yellow label game on the 51-100 list (dokoku...shoshite), but having not played enough of the "adult' games, i'm thinking about dropping it before someone more "experienced" tells me of a better one, lol...

i only have 200+ saturn games, but i have access to about 600 others- a guy i traded stuff with a while back occasionally loans me stuff to play for reference purposes. i'm pretty much out of room for games here, so i'm in a phase where i'll borrow stuff for certain systems, and collect only what i'm dying to have, lol...

[Wavelflack]

"the sega 32x is a "system" like the sega genesis power base and the sega cd are "systems"

Nope. PBC is simply an adaptor/converter and a chip to trigger the Genesis into Z-80 mode. It has no CPU, nor any other circuitry of it's own.

Sega CD is primarily a storage system, but it does have some exclusive features, such as the asic chip and PCM. It may or may not qualify as a system, as it had software specifically written for it and had it's own processing chips, etc (the aforementioned, as well as a faster MC68000). Turbo CD is nothing more than a peripheral, as it's only function was storage.

[Wavelflack]

"if it doesn't work out of the box as a stand alone unit, it's not a system"

Would you argue that Zelda: Majora's Mask is not a game? It requires a seperate component (ram pak), not included in "the box", to work.

[Atari7800]

:( i wasnt as impressed as i thought i would be with stellar assault. why doesnt it run in full screen? one could argue that its for a more panoramic view, but the game is set in space. its not like your seeing a lot more of something. there is no need for the black bars. its obvious the developer bought the rights cheap and did an average game with TONS of incomprehensible japanese dialogue and then did a meager production run which is why the game costs so much.

[Kid Fenris]

"if it doesn't work out of the box as a stand alone unit, it's not a system"

Would you argue that Zelda: Majora's Mask is not a game? It requires a seperate component (ram pak), not included in "the box", to work.

Yes, but we're not talking about games, are we? We're talking about systems, and geelw's definition makes more sense than any I've heard thus far. If a game unit cannot play software without the aid of another game unit, it can't be called a system in the conventional sense. Dub it an "add-on system" or "expansion system" if you must, but giving it the same designation as a SNES or Genesis or Dreamcast is needlessly confusing.

By the way, what was Shadowrun for the Sega-CD, anyway? I've heard that it was an enhanced port of the Genesis game, that it was programmed by Compile, that it was canceled days before its release date, and a lot of other rumors.

[Wavelflack]

Yeah, I hated the letterboxing and the "no inertia" flying dynamics, but once you get past those things, it's a lot of fun.


Another candidate: Bubble Symphony

[Wavelflack]

"Yes, but we're not talking about games, are we? We're talking about systems"

Exactly. I am applying his definition of inclusion to games. It's an analogy.

In other words, if you can exclude a "potential system" (32X) from your "system" category, based on the fact that not all of the necessary components are included in the same box, then you can exclude a "potential game" from the "games" category, based on the same criteria.

To the basics:
(system) 32X component must be mated with Genesis component to operate as a system. Genesis component is not included with the 32X box. 32X unit inoperable by itself. Conclusion: "32X is not a system"?

(game) Majora's Mask cartridge must be "mated" to the expansion/ram pak in order to even function. Ram pack is not included with the Majora's Mask box. Majora's Mask cart inoperable by itself. Conclusion: "Majora's Mask is not a game"?

[Kid Fenris]

The comparison between systems and games isn't entirely solid in this case, I think. There is no category of "peripheral games," and it's quite common to encounter games that demand certain requirements of their respective systems. The entire field of PC software operates on such a rule.

For systems, however, there exists a division of devices that play titles only with the help of other game decks. These items cannot function without their base units. Therefore, they are not "systems" in the same way that their stand-alone partners are.

God, this is the geekiest debate I've ever taken part in.

[geelw]

"if it doesn't work out of the box as a stand alone unit, it's not a system"

Would you argue that Zelda: Majora's Mask is not a game? It requires a seperate component (ram pak), not included in "the box", to work.

Yes, but we're not talking about games, are we? We're talking about systems, and geelw's definition makes more sense than any I've heard thus far. If a game unit cannot play software without the aid of another game unit, it can't be called a system in the conventional sense.

By the way, what was Shadowrun for the Sega-CD, anyway? I've heard that it was an enhanced port of the Genesis game, that it was programmed by Compile, that it was canceled days before its release date, and a lot of other rumors.

shadowrun for the mega-cd is a completely different game than either the snes or genesis versions. it takes place in tokyo, and from what little i've seen, compile reprogrammed the whole game. i need to either get another mega-cd or get mine repaired, as i really want to dive into this one for a while.

oh, and for the FINAL word on the 32x, let's hear it from the horse's mouth:

August 8, 1994

Dear Greg,

...I'm thrilled to hear that you're looking into the Genesis Super 32x! This little beauty brings you 32-bit game play into your living room in the form of an adaptor that fits into your Genesis(snip)...Watch for this smashing peripheral in the fall of 1994...

Best Wishes,

Melissa

Melissa PR
Consumer Service Representative
Sega Of America, Inc.

photocopy available upon request- i keep everything (almost)...

i was working at an electronics retailer, and got constant questions about the 32x from people who were confused about just what was coming out and when. i had been writing sega for about 2 years, mostly to take advantage of their free sms strategy sheets, and to submit letter artwork and unsolicited ideas of mega drive games to be localized to sega and sega visions (i'm in two issues). so once again, i sent off a letter and called consumer service (i think it was mid-july), and got one of the quickest responses (albeit in the form of a form letter), a portion of which is listed above. consumer service's phone guy said the 32x would enhance genesis games, by the way (which made my eyebrow stick to my hairline for about three days :hmm: )

anyway, i rest my case. hell, it's even on the box, if i'm not mistaken.

just so you don't think i'm picking on ya, wave- the nintendo sufami turbo (which plays carts made specifically for it), the super famicom satteliview unit (which had among other games, a 16-bit version of the original famicom/nes zelda, and a side story to chrono trigger called radical dreamers that never came out in any other form), and the N64 DD (which had new f-zero levels, and a zelda game that i think will be available for the game cube at some point) aren't systems either... you need something to stick them into to get those processors to process, capice?... :D

[le geek]

Wow great list... As someone who is getting "deeper" into Sega Saturn stuff, I have little to add.

Any chance of rating each game on where you need to be able to read Japanese? (ie no need, you'll enjoy it more if you can, and you really should read kanji, etc)?

I humbly like Race Drivin on the Saturn as it is a very nice port of the game.

Cheers,
le geek

[gameofyou]

If anyone's interested, I have made a Collector's Guide of sorts for the Saturn which you can download for free at:
http://www.SegaSaturnGuide.com

Also, most of the videos are now on Youtube (broken into 6 volumes). You can just do a search for "155 Sega Saturn" at Youtube.