Must have Saturn imports?

[Mac-Abre]

I always told myself I was never going to get into imports, but I won this auction and got some sort of import cart... thing. I love shmups and I know that Radiant Silvergun is a must have, so... here I am. I figure if I\'m going to open this door, I might as well walk on through.

I\'m not interested in games that arcade ROMS exist for, unless something on the Saturn version makes it superior to the arcade version.

Other than that, what titles should I look for?

Oh, also... I guess I should ask. I got the Multi-Game Adaptor from Trend Master, SS-239. Any good?

[InsaneDavid]

Never heard of that adapter myself, if you're going to use a cart you should lean toward the EMS Action Replay 4M Plus Backup as it has the best compatibility and will work with all the games. (even if not initially, a small mod can be done to the cart) Then again, I recommend hardmodding with a US/JPN switch, but since you've already got a Saturn and you're not asking about US/JPN hardmodding (doesn't let you play backups, warez kiddies must DIE!) but instead about Japanese games, here you go...

If you like shooters, even though you can play the games on MAME and they've recently been released on the PS2 as part of Capcom Classics Collection, you might want to get Capcom Generation 1. It's dirt cheap and contains 1942, 1943, and 1943 Kai. All three play great in horizontal mode but if you can rotate your TV they have a perfect vertical mode as well.

Daytona USA Circuit Edition has a better control engine than it's US counterpart and Sega Rally Championship is more complete than the US release. For fighting games Fighting Vipers features Pepsiman of Japanese advertising fame who was not included in the US release. Asuka 120% Burning Fest. Limited is without a doubt the best in the long running series of all-girl fighters, and there's a very well designed game in there.

I'd also recommend Sky Target, it's like a cross between AfterBurner and Panzer Dragoon. I'm sure people will chime in with more expensive selections but that should get you going. I have a few import Saturn games from time to time in my Buying and Selling thread...

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=66944

[fishsandwich]

I'd also recommend Sky Target which never had a US release, it's like a cross between AfterBurner and Panzer Dragoon.

Great choices, all... but Sky Target had a domestic release. I have it at home. Played it to death.

http://www.gametronik.com/site/rubriques/saturn/Jeux/Sky%20Target/Sky%20Target.jpg

You like shooters? There's a TON for the Saturn. I like...

Batsugun
Battle Garega
Kingdom Grand Prix
Night Striker S (old-school 3-D like Afterburner)
Steam Hearts

[fishsandwich]

whoops double post

[InsaneDavid]

I'd also recommend Sky Target which never had a US release, it's like a cross between AfterBurner and Panzer Dragoon.

Great choices, all... but Sky Target had a domestic release. I have it at home. Played it to death.

Ack, still like the Japanese case art more, stuck closer to the arcade machines - I think THAT was what was Japanese only although they did show up in the states. Also edited my first post so I don't get constantly reminded. LOL

[GaijinPunch]

There's actually a whole thread dedicated to this topic, somewhere in here. Anyways, follow my sig for a plethora of information on the subject.

[fishsandwich]

There's actually a whole thread dedicated to this topic, somewhere in here. Anyways, follow my sig for a plethora of information on the subject.


Yes go to GajinPunch's website and look up Saturn... you can spend hours there.


Ready for some shooters? Here's the entire list for 2-D shooters for the Saturn plus some other stuff. I've placed an "X" by games that has a Stateside release. I think I got all of them...

PURE shooters (vertical or horizontal, sprite or polygonal graphics on a 2-D plane)

1942 (Capcom Generations 1)
1943 (Capcom Generations 1)
1943+ (Capcom Generations 1)
Batsugun (THE BEST SHOOTER ON THE SATURN?)
Battle Garegga (ALSO TOPS)
Blast Wind
Bokan To Ippatsu Doronboo Kanpekiban (aka Time Bokan)
Chariot (Arcade Gears: Wonder 3)
Choaniki (aka Super Big Brother) (WEIRD)
Cotton 2
Cotton Boomerang
Darius 2
Darius Gaiden
Defender (Arcades Greatest Hits: Williams) X
Defender II (Arcades Greatest Hits: Williams) X
Detana Twinbee Yahho! Deluxe Pack
Dezaemon 2 (aka shooter maker, contains 3 complete shooters)
DoDonPachi (AWESOME)
DonPachi
Fantasy Zone
Galactic Attack (aka Layer Section) X
Game Tengoku (aka The Game Paradise)
Gradius (Gardius Deluxe Pack)
Gradius 2 (Gardius Deluxe Pack)
Gekirindan (UNDERRATED)
Guardian Force (WAY UNDERRATED)
Gun Frontier (Arcade Gears)
Gunbird
Hyper Duel (OVERRATED)
Image Fight (Image Fight & X-Multiply dual pack)
In The Hunt X
Jikkyou Osyaberi Parodius (aka Parodius: Forever With Me)
Keio Yugekitai (aka Keio Flying Squadron 2 in UK, some platform elements)
Kingdom Grand Prix
Konami Antiques MSX Collection
Kyukyoku Tiger 2 Plus
Layer Section 2
Life Force (Salamander Deluxe Pack)
Metal Black
Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Z Gundam
Parodius (aka Parodius Da!) (Gokujyo Parodius-Da! Deluxe Pack)
Parodius 2 (aka Gokujko Parodius) (Gokujyo Parodius-Da! Deluxe Pack)
Planet Joker (AWFUL)
Radiant Silvergun
Salamander (Salamander Deluxe Pack)
Salamander 2 (Salamander Deluxe Pack)
Sengoku Blaede (ENORMOUS TITS)
Sexy Parodius
Shienryu (REALLY NICE)
Sinistar (Arcades Greatest Hits: Williams) X
Skull Fang
Sol Divide
Sonic Wings Special (remixed and merged versions of Sonic Wings 1,2, and 3) (LOVE THIS ONE TOO)
Soukyugurentai (VERY GOOD)
Star Jacker (Sega Ages Memorial 2)
Steam Hearts (SLIGHTLY RAUNCHY)
Strikers 1945
Strikers 1945 II (EXCELLENT)
Super Dimensional Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?
Terra Cresta 3-D (DREADFUL)
Thunderforce 1 (Thunderforce Gold Pack 1)
Thunderforce 2 (Thunderforce Gold Pack 1)
Thunderforce 3 (Thunderforce Gold Pack 1)
Thunderforce 4 (Thunderforce Gold Pack 2)
Thunderforce Arcade (remixed Thunderforce 3) (Thunderforce Gold Pack 2)
Thunderforce V
Vulgas (Capcom Generations 3)
X-Multiply (Image Fight & X-Multiply dual pack)

*** Konami Antiques MSX Collection contains PORTS of classic shooters for the old Japanese MSX computer, a platform similar in capabilities to the Colecovision. They are essentially Saturn ports of MSX ports of arcade games. Gradius, Gradius 2, Salamander, and Parodius 1 appear in arcade-perfect form on other Saturn compilations.

Gofers Ambition
Gradius
Gradius 2
Salamander
Parodius
Time Pilot
Sky Jaguar
Super Cobra




QUASI-3D SHOOTERS (with limited movement)

Afterburner II (on US Sega Ages CD or Japanese stand-alone disk) X
G-Vector (HARD)
Galaxy Force II
Night Striker S (FUN FUN FUN)
Panzer Dragoon X
Panzer Dragoon Zwei X
Sky Target X
Solar Eclipse X
Space Harrier (on US Sega Ages CD or Japanese stand-alone disk) X




FULL 3-D SHOOTERS

Black Dawn X
Black Fire X
Darklight Conflict X
Independence Day X
Shockwave Assault X
Star Fighter X
Stellar Assault SS (SEQUEL TO 32X GAME SHADOW SQUADRON, VERY GOOD, VERY HARD TO FIND)
Thunderstrike 2 X
Wing Arms X




MECH 3-D SHOOTERS

A.M.O.K. X
Bulk Slash (ESPECIALLY GOOD!)
Ghen War X
Gun Griffon X
Gun Griffon 2
Krazy Ivan
Mechwarrior 2
Mobile Suit Gundam Gaiden #1
Mobile Suit Gundam Gaiden #2
Mobile Suit Gundam Gaiden #3
Robotica X
Virtua On: Cyber Troopers (quasi shooter/fighter) X
Virtua On: Cyber Troopers Netlink Edition (quasi shooter/fighter) X




FIRST-PERSON SHOOTERS (Generally Ground Based)

Alien Trilogy X
Battlezone (Arcades Greatest Hits: Atari) X
Battlesport X
Congo The Movie: The Lost City Of Zinj X
Doom X (Japanese version purported to be better)
Duke Nukem 3D
Enemy Zero (graphic adventure with FPS segments) X
Hexen X
Machine Head X
Magic Carpet X
Powerslave X
Quake X
Shellshock X
Space Hulk: Vengence Of The Blood Angels X
Tunnel B-1X

A couple more FPS have been discovered, but I have no idea what they are at the moment.




CLASSIC SHOOTERS (generally one screen, no scrolling)

Asteroids (Arcades Greatest Hits: Atari) X
Centipede (Arcades Greatest Hits: Atari) X
Missile Command (Arcades Greatest Hits: Atari) X
Robotron (Arcades Greatest Hits: Midway) X
Space Invaders
Tempest (Arcades Greatest Hits: Atari) X
Tempest 2000 X




QUASI-SHOOTERS (many can be viewed as platform, action, or combat/racing games, but they are more firepower-intensive than most. The inclusion of some of these games may be questionable.)

Assault Suit Leynos 2
Burning Rangers X
Chaos Control Remix
Commando (Capcom Generations 4)
Contra: Legacy of War X
Crime Wave X
Crusader: No Remorse X
Gunsmoke (Capcom Generations 4)
Loaded X
Mass Destruction X (WAY UNDERRATED)
Mercs (Capcom Generations 4)
Metal Slug
Prikura Daisakusen
Soviet Strike X
Steamgear Mash
Tukai Slot Shooting
Vatlva
Wolf Fang SS

[AB Positive]

dont forget the fighters. If you like fighting games, saturn imports become your new best friend. Although KoF 95 -requires- a hardmod, since it needs its own cart in the cart slot.

-AB+

[devilman]

dont forget the fighters. If you like fighting games, saturn imports become your new best friend. Although KoF 95 -requires- a hardmod, since it needs its own cart in the cart slot.

-AB+

Did KOF 95 not come out in the US then? I'm just curious as there was a Pal version.

[fishsandwich]

Did KOF 95 not come out in the US then? I'm just curious as there was a Pal version.

Nope, no KOF for the Saturn in the USA. There were several good games that made it to the PAL territories that never made it here. Wipeout 2097 is a biggie, as is Deep Fear. There was a Bitmap brothers games I believe as well as a decent kart racer and some pinball simulators. And Parodius. How could I forget that one? A shitty DBZ game I think, too. Krazy Ivan as well. That FMV Frankenstein with Tim Curry game was never released for the Saturn in the States (though it made it to the PC) and the point and click Jewels of the Oracle never made it here, either. I want that one.

[Steven]

Did KOF 95 not come out in the US then? I'm just curious as there was a Pal version.

Nope, no KOF for the Saturn in the USA. There were several good games that made it to the PAL territories that never made it here. Wipeout 2097 is a biggie, as is Deep Fear. There was a Bitmap brothers games I believe as well as a decent kart racer

The Bitmap Brothers game is Z -- a C&C type game. Got good reviews all around.

Formula Karts I'm pretty sure is the game you're referring to -- decent indeed. Nothing spectacular, but decent, and worth plopping $10 down for if you're into racing games.

The best PAL-exclusive Saturn game I've played: SWAGMAN. Last I checked however (2005) it went for a pretty penny on eBay (40 range)

Not sure about today.

If you like Herc's Adventures Swagman is for you. Of course there's the cheap $5 common PS1 US version, but c'mon now... ;)

[fishsandwich]

Did KOF 95 not come out in the US then? I'm just curious as there was a Pal version.

Nope, no KOF for the Saturn in the USA. There were several good games that made it to the PAL territories that never made it here. Wipeout 2097 is a biggie, as is Deep Fear. There was a Bitmap brothers games I believe as well as a decent kart racer

The Bitmap Brothers game is Z -- a C&C type game. Got good reviews all around.

Formula Karts I'm pretty sure is the game you're referring to -- decent indeed. Nothing spectacular, but decent, and worth plopping $10 down for if you're into racing games.

The best PAL-exclusive Saturn game I've played: SWAGMAN. Last I checked however (2005) it went for a pretty penny on eBay (40 range)

Not sure about today.

If you like Herc's Adventures Swagman is for you. Of course there's the cheap $5 common PS1 US version, but c'mon now... ;)

Z... that's the one. I knew it was something ridiculously simple. I have it at home but haven't played it yet. Same for a pretty decent-looking PAL game called Whizz or something like that.

I forgot all about Swagman... I think you wrote a very good review of that in your import column. I have the PSone game but I'd still like to have the Saturn version. Are the two version identical?

[Spartacus]

I picked up the "cheap common" PS1 Swagman after reading Steven's review for the Saturn. Haven't gotten a chance to play it yet, but it looks pretty fun.
I didn't know Z got a PAL Saturn release. I played a PC demo of it years ago and found the full PC version in a discount bin last summer. Reminds me of Starcraft, but with a sarcastic sense of humor. Those Bit map Brothers games never disappoint me!
So, do these PAL Saturn games work on US TV's?

[Steven]

Fish, yup I did write a Swagman piece in my import column. I never played the PS1 version though. I can only imagine they're pretty similar. I don't remember any of my PAL Saturn friends telling me that the Saturn version was superior to the PS1 version or vice versa.

[fishsandwich]

So, do these PAL Saturn games work on US TV's?

I never had a problem playing PAL games on my NTSC console with a convertor cartridge until it (the cartridge) went kaput on me. I need to pull it out and see if sitting in a box for a few years has helped its negative attitude towards helping me play PAL imports.

:smash: