Thursday, August 30, 2012
Video Arcade @ Minnesota State Fair
My overview of the dieing arcade scene at Minnesota State Fair at this magnitude . The United States arcade scene is dead! I felt I was in the Smithsonian Museum a little bit.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Top 80 Saturn games
80. Soviet Strike
The fourth Strike game, and also the first to be made for 5th generation consoles. This has the same great gameplay of the earlier games with the improvements to graphics and music that you'd expect, and a little more emphasis on story, told with new FMV cut scenes. Soviet Strike was initially a PS1 port, but unlike most ports to Saturn this version was actually improved, with some new graphical elements added like improved lighting.
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79 Rayman
Those afraid that the old 2D style platformers would die out under a mass of new 3D games had their fears put to rest with this great early platformer. Rayman has some truly fantastic, sumptuous backgrounds and art design, with the Rayman character himself being quite a likeable, well designed hero. The levels are well thought out, and kept fresh by the fact that you gain new moves as you progress through the game. Hard as hell though!
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78 Manx TT Superbike
Manx TT was just one of the many good arcade racers Sega were churning out back in the mid 90s and ended up being ported to the Saturn pretty well, with nice graphics and a good frame rate. Those who are familiar with Sega's arcade games will know the score here, you race around the tracks (this time on a bike) aiming to hit each check point before the timer runs out, if that happens its instant game over. Sadly, what makes a great arcade game doesn't always translate to the home though, which is why Manx TT has dropped places a bit, it really should've had some extra modes and tracks added to it as its a little short on longevity overall for its period.
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77 Decathlete/Athlete Kings
A very accurate port of Sega's arcade game, Decathlete is your general Track N' Field style game, with updated 3D graphics and some more in depth rules.
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76 Die Hard Arcade/Dynamite Deka
A very fun, brainless 3D beat-em-up where you run around the stages punching out the bad guys and picking up and using a plethora of different objects scattered around the ground. The fighting system is very fluid, and feels very solid, giving the game very high pick up and play value.
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75 Guardian Force
Multi-directional scrolling shmup where you play as a tank. Guardian Force is very much a welcome diversion from the hoards of spaceship shooters on the Saturn, apart from the change of theme, and scenery, you have the unique ability to turn the turrets around independently to fire in one direction whilst moving in another. The usual elements of a good shmup still apply, loads of action, great boss fights, 2-player co-op, and some exciting set pieces.
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74 Bubble Symphony
At last, after years of hiatus came the long awaited true sequel to Bubble Bobble. Bubble Symphony did not disappoint, it carries on the excellent simplistic gameplay of the original, whilst adding some small yet notable new elements, such as multiple endings, the choice of what paths and levels you want to play, and the dragons gaining new charge-up abilities. Taito also gave the presentation the kind of overhaul you'd expect, and even infused the game with huge levels of fan service, with many of the stages and bosses based off of classic games from the companies history.
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73 Sim City 2000
Sim City returns with masses, and masses of more stuff, and a new futuristic style. As usual the game becomes totally engrossing for anyone who puts the time in, and the hours burn away in no time. The Saturn version is very good, but as is the case with a lot of these strategy games it loses a few points due to the lack of mouse.
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72 Enemy Zero
This stars the character from an older game from Warp "D", and has similar interactive FMV based puzzle adventure gameplay, but this time with specific 1st person shooter style sections. The horror vibe is very well played, with occasional gore and a very real sense of dread throughout, but the rigid controls and slow paced gameplay may not be for everyone.
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71 Gungriffon
Gungriffon is a 1st person mission based mech game. Unlike a lot of the mech games of the time it mainly emphasises fast action, shooting based gameplay. It has you piloting a fairly manoeuvrable mech that can jump high up into the air raining death on those below, generally creating carnage and blowing stuff up (though later levels do require more careful strategy). Its a little bit short, but is a fun game, and runs very well with smooth movement, decent draw distance and a good frame rate.
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70 Last Bronx
A weapons based 3D fighting game (think Soul Blade). Last Bronx goes with a more fast paced, action orientated style of gameplay, and as such is generally considered a little lightweight, but I find it to be a very fun, and accessible game, the graphics and style are also very impressive.
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69 Mega Man 8
The first of the main branch Mega Man games to appear on 32-bit, Mega Man 8 is a bit of a black sheep of the family, and is lacking in innovation, but is still a very solid effort. Mega Man 8 has all the hallmarks of the series, with some nice updated graphics, and a new emphasis on some unique abilities. The game is also best played on the Saturn, as it has improved graphics and some extra boss fights with series favourites Wood Man and Cut Man from Mega Man 2.
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68 Mech Warrior 2
When porting Mech Warrior to consoles the developers decided to make the game more arcade action based to cater to the console audience, I think it was probably a wise decision overall as the game works well as a console shooter. Here you have a set of objectives to complete, and basically have to pilot mech's around the levels blowing stuff up, there's a lot of options, including choice from a whole load of different mech's with different abilities, and there's two campaigns to play through too. The Storyline is also quite detailed, and in-depth, and sets the scene well.
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67 Need For Speed
Electronic Arts try their hand at the arcade racing genre with this speedier rendition of their Need For Speed series (the original game on 3DO was more of a realistic racer). Need For Speed manages to rival some of the big arcade ports of the time, with fast, smooth gameplay, that also manages to retain some of its predecessors attention to detail, with car models all having their own handling and feel.
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66 Elevator Action Returns
Elevator Action Returns looks simple at first, but don't let that dissuade you as its still a very fun game with more to it than it first seems. You run around levels shooting the enemies and disarming bombs, strategic thinking often helps, with leaving bombs on elevators to be delivered to enemies, and shooting out the lights both particularly helpful tactics to use. There's also a 2-player option, which is always a welcome addition to any game.
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65 Herc's Adventures
Here is a very fine adventure game from Lucasarts, it plays kind of like a cross between Zelda games, and Zombies Ate my Neighbours (its by the same company as Zombies). You travel around the world collecting a variety of different weapons and equipment, each time you successfully accomplish something, or acquire an important item new areas of the map are opened up for you (and your team mate if played in 2-player) to explore.
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64 Sega Worldwide Soccer 98'
This series truly set the bench mark for 32-bit football games at the time, and was the best choice out there on any console for a decent period. Worldwide Soccer excelled with its impressive graphics and in depth gameplay, for many at the time (at least in the UK) the series was even the killer app worth buying a Saturn for.
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63 Puyo Puyo Sun
The third game in the classic puyo series of puzzle games (previously released in the west as Dr Robotnick's Mean Bean Machine and Kirby's Ghost Trap). Sun doesn't really do anything that new for the series (group the blobs together in three of a colour), but the gameplay is as good as ever, and there's a nice graphical overhaul.
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62 Iron Storm
Part of the long running and popular Daisenryakou series of grid based strategy games. Iron Storm is one of the only games in the series to get a western release, but luckily its also one of the best examples. The game takes place during WWII, and allows for a lot of "what if" style outcomes, with the Germans, say, winning the battle of Britain, or the Japanese invading the United States.
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61 Virtua Cop
When Virtua Cop came out in the arcades in 1994 Lightgun games were a dying breed, years of no innovation in the genre had caused it to stagnate and lose favour with the videogame playing populace. Virtua Cop was a breath of fresh air, with its crisp 3D visuals, dynamic camera angles, points multipliers, and threat level indicators, it actually signaled a turnaround and re-popularising of the genre. The Saturn port of the game was first rate, and alongside Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter 2 really raised the bar for 3D Saturn games at the time, totally shocking a lot of people who'd previously thought the Saturn's 3D capabilities were only substandard. The only reason it appears lower down in this list is because I feel its superior sequel manages to trump it in most aspects.
60 Magic Carpet
Peter Molyneux's interesting, unique, and in some ways revolutionary shooter/strategy hybrid. In the game you fly around the map on a magic carpet killing monsters and collecting mana to store in your home castle, the more mana you have, the more spells you can cast, and as your castle becomes more built up, it even spawns its own AI guards to defend it. The strategy elements really compliment the action based gameplay, adding that compulsive "improve yourself" aspect to the proceedings. The Saturn version doesn't quite control as well as it did on the PC, but its still a good port.
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59 Magic Knight Rayearth
Magic Knight Rayearth is an action Adventure game with a very troubled history, the game was originally released in 1995 in Japan, but due to disputes between the localisation team, and Sega it didn't actually see release in the west until 1998. The game follows the usual Zelda adventuring style, but with a tag team system between three characters with different weapons, and much more emphasis on storyline and FMV's. Its a shame it was released so late, as though the school girl centred storyline is not for everyone, the game would've been a very solid, and likeable early Saturn release.
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58 Baku Baku Animal
Sega's take on the block falling puzzle genre has you matching up animals with their favoured foods. The combo system here is very well implemented, and 2-player matches are a lot of fun. I've decided to drop positions for Baku Baku mainly because its a very similar game to Puzzle Fighter II, which I feel is superior, but Baku Baku is still a valid purchase of its own as it still contains its own style, and a few of its own gameplay nuances.
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57 Dungeons and Dragons Collection
This is a collection of two of Capcom's arcade beat-em-ups that had previously been unreleased for home consoles, Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom, and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow of Mystara. The gameplay includes a lot of aspects not commonly seen in beat-em-ups, such as equipment collection, spellcasting, and experience points. These features, coupled with a very competent fighting engine and the classic Capcom art style make D&D Collection one of the best beat-em-ups ever made.
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56 Silhouette Mirage
As always Treasure provide yet another unique take on a staple genre here. Silhouette Mirage is a platformer with the unique aspect being the fact that you change between two colours depending on the direction you're facing, only enemies of the opposite colour take damage, whilst those of the same colour become weaker, this gameplay mechanic was re-used for their later game Ikaruga. Apart from the main gameplay mechanic you have all the usual hallmarks of a Treasure game, nice graphics, loads of style, impressive set pieces and memorable boss fights.
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55 Puzzle Bobble 3
Puzzle game where you shoot coloured balls to the top of the screen trying to match three at a time. Not a lot has changed with the series since its inception, there's some new modes, and bubble type's, but mainly Puzzle Bobble 3 is and incremental update, its still as good as ever though, and worth picking up if you don't already own one of the older games.
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54 Space Hulk
Hardcore strategy game based on the Games Workshop board game of the same name. You manoeuvre a team of armoured soldiers around the levels following set objectives, being careful to position each unit as tactically as possible to secure each area and control the constant influx of enemies. The story mode is excellent, with you slowly rising up the ranks as time goes on, but the training modes (which allow you to play through famous moments of the Warhammer history) are equally great, and generally more accessible to beginners.
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53 Real Bout Special
This belongs to the Fatal Fury series of games, SNK's oldest classic fighting series. Real Bout Special contains all the usual balance and finesse present in all of SNKs fighting games, but what makes it different to the plethora of other similar games on the Saturn is a system of multiple fighting planes, you can tactically jump between the background and foreground to avoid attacks and plan your next move, this changes the pacing and style of the fighting.
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52 Warcraft 2
Clearly inspired by the quintessential Command and Conquer, Warcraft 2 may not be quite as in depth as its inspiration, but unlike C&C it simply excels at being full to the brim of charm and humour. Like C&C the gameplay here is classic building forces and managing resources.
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51 Layer Section/Galactic Attack
Layer Section is a very polished vertical shooter with some well judged gameplay and excellent pacing. Apart from the usual shooting, and power-up collection, here you also have a homing laser which locks onto enemies below you and releases a barrage of shots. Anyone who's considering starting a collection of Saturn shmup's should absolutely start here, this manages to have one of those rare combinations for Saturn shooters, not only is it one of the best its also one of the cheapest and easiest to obtain.
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50 Croc
Unfortunately the Saturn didn't get many 3D platformer's, with Croc seemingly being the only game on the system which even comes close to attempting a full Mario 64 style world. But luckily, whilst the controls take some time to get used to (make sure to get the analogue controller for this one) Croc is a very respectable take on the genre, it contains some nice level designs, good graphics, and a surprising amount of charm.
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49 House of the Dead
After re-popularising the lightgun genre with Virtua Cop, Sega came up with yet another seminal game for the period with the House of the Dead. House of the Dead adds some real chills and tension to the genre, with you desperately trying to shoot the heads off the gruesome Zombies before they close in on you. The classic just loses a few points here because graphically its a little on the disappointing side, certainly not standing up to the excellent Virtua cop ports on the system.
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48 Albert Odyssey
Albert Odyssey is a turn based RPG in a similar vein to those you'd expect to see on the SNES (and indeed Albert Odyssey started off as SNES project but was moved to Saturn). Its plot involves a boy who's parents died when he was a baby that ended up being raised by Harpies (more like angels). The game doesn't hugely stand out compared to other RPG's on the system, but the gameplay is handled very well, the graphics are great, and the dialogue is well done and funny.
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47 Magical Drop 3
A frenetic puzzle game where you pull the coloured spheres down, and then fire them back up to make combos of three or more. For this sort of puzzle game, Magical Drop is actually unexpectedly fast and furious, I'd even go as far as to call it action packed! Tons of fun, and very under appreciated import.
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46 Sexy Parodius
Probably my favourite game of Konami's Parodius series (which is a wacky offshoot of its classic Gradius series). Here, apart from the improved graphics, more impressive weapons, and plethora of different characters, you've also got various mission objectives added to the levels, such as shooting down a set number of enemies, or collecting a set number of coins, whether or not you successfully complete these missions decides which branching path you'll take for the next level, which makes for some interesting gameplay. Don't let the title fool you into thinking there's going to be a lot of risque imagery though, the elements contained here are pretty harmless and tame.
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45 Theme Park
Theme Park has you creating and running your own theme park, building rides and taking careful control of your funds. The game is much more fun than it sounds, and is very accessible and addictive.
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44 Samurai Shodown 4
A big improvement and a huge return to form for the series after Samurai Shodown 3, Samurai Shodown 4 just felt like it was a better balanced, more polished, and more fun to play game. Samurai Shodown is a very fast, weapons based fighting game, there's some truly beautiful, sumptuous backgrounds here, and the character designs are first rate too.
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43 Death Tank Zwei
Whilst very crude looking, Death Tank is a fun party game for up to seven people simultaneously, it has you adjusting the trajectory and power or shots in real time (not turn based like Worms), trying to kill the other players. Everytime you kill a player you get money to spend on new weapons between matches, such as nukes, and powerups that allow your tank to fly. Games generally become very chaotic matches of team ups and broken alliances. Death Tanks is actually only given away as an extra with many of the Lobotomy programmed first person shooters, the easiest way to get it is to put on Duke Nukem whilst having a Quake save game on your Saturn internal memory.
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42 Super Puzzle Fighter II
As mentioned earlier, quite similar to Baku Baku, but here you have to match coloured "crash" gems with their respective coloured blocks, instead of animals. In my opinion this is the better game out of the two, as it has better presentation, more straightforward gameplay (its harder to keep in mind what animal eats what in Baku, although that difference could be seen as a strength for those interested in more complicated gameplay), and a few other minor new inclusions which raise it that little bit higher in quality.
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41 DoDonPachi
One of the more popular and well known of the bullet hell shooters. If anyone is unfamiliar with the sub genre, DoDonPachi is effectively like a traditional vertical scrolling shmup, but with elaborate bullet patterns swarming the entire screen at pretty much all times, to make up for the number of bullets, only a small section of your ship is actually vulnerable, shots pass through the rest of you doing no harm. A word of warning to those new to shmups though, these types of shooters are really aimed towards the hardcore fans.
40 Dark Savior
Pseudo sequel to the under-appreciated, cult classic Mega Drive game Landstalker (same developer and same gameplay, but different characters and style). Dark Savior is an isometric adventure game focusing on puzzles and platforming. Despite some great new additions, such as the moveable camera, and alternate levels (based on performance) Savior doesn't quite live up to its predecessor (there's not quite as much charm and polish), but it does still manage provide a very involving and interesting adventure nevertheless.
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39 Deep Fear
Deep Fear is a very good survival horror game inspired by Resident Evil. Its set in an underwater base that has been take over by a parasite that mutates the crew into monsters. The underwater theme helps to lend a claustrophobic, trapped feel to the atmosphere, the graphics are first rate, and the puzzles well thought out. In fact, this is exactly the sort of game Sega needed earlier on, unfortunately it arrived a little to make a big difference, and its lateness also adds to the rarity and cost. In regards to the huge price, is it worth it? truthfully I have to say definitely not to be honest, but if you find it at a reasonable price then make it a priority buy.
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38 Legend of Oasis/Story of Thor 2
Another sequel (in this case prequel really) to a great Mega Drive game. Beyond Oasis is a Zelda-esque top down adventure game, where you travel the lands fighting monsters, picking up new weapons and increasing your health. Like its predecessor Legend of Oasis has much more of an emphasis on the fighting aspect of gameplay than the Zelda games, with a plethora of different hand to hand combat moves available, there's also a bunch of unique elemental spirits to collect throughout the game, which help you fight, and give you access to abilities to solve the game's puzzles with. Its a great game, and would've been higher in the list if it wasn't occasionally a little confusing at times.
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37 Thunder Force V
Technosoft continue their consistently excellent series here with the fifth game (2-4 were all on the Mega Drive). The developers decided to go with a more 3D graphics style with this game and I have to say that I find it a little inconsistent, some sections look great, whilst others look a little bit dated. What hasn't dated however is the gameplay, which delivers everything you'd expect from a TF game (namely full of action, set-pieces, and clever weapon designs). TFV also introduces a new weapon, the Free Range, which is tricky at first but a joy to use after its been mastered. Just to add one other thing, there's a boss fight in this game that has you going up against the ship from the earlier games in the series, with a remixed TFIV track playing in the background, and I must say as a fan of the series this fight is actually one of my absolute favourite video gaming moments ever, its awesome.
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36 Twinkle Star Sprites
Here we have fantastically original and under appreciated hybrid of shmups and block style Vs puzzle games. Basically you shoot the oncoming enemies and send them to you opponents side of the screen, each time they're hit back they become faster and more dangerous. The Saturn version of this game has actually been improved over the Neo Geo original, with extra bits and pieces such as presentation improvements and an extra character, these were not carried over to the Dreamcast version, which makes this arguably the best of the ports out there.
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35 Dead or Alive
Whilst Virtua Fighter was always considered the deep fighter, Dead or Alive went for more of a fast, fun, and accessible style (it also included big bouncing boobs of course). The first game of the series was ported excellently to Saturn, and actually contains some of the absolute best graphics on the entire system, looking better, and with fewer compromises than even the PS1 version released a year later.
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34 Battle Garegga
This is a great, traditional style vertical shmup that's extremely action-packed, and throws very impressive amounts of action and enemies towards you at all times. The weapon system uses programmable options like those found in Musha which basically have a number of different preset actions that can be changed between on the fly depending on situation.
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33 Daytona CE
This'll probably be a bit of a fairly controversial decision. There were two Daytona games released on the Saturn, and the majority seem to prefer the original port. I, however, have decided to recommend the second one, Daytona CE (more accurately the Japanese version of Daytona CCE, which included the original music). In my opinion its the more complete package overall. I'm going to break down the differences to help people make their own decision though. Daytona is an arcade racing game of the checkpoint style, initially it was ported to the Saturn in a very bare bones manner, the graphics were fairly poor, and there were no real extra modes to speak of, it did however play pretty accurately to the arcade version. It was then updated as CCE, CCE has an extra 2 courses, bringing the track count up to a more respectable 5, the graphics have been improved in every way, and there's also a split screen option for two player, on the other hand, the handling isn't as accurate to the arcade as it was in the original port (though analogue support, and fiddling with the options does help), so purists tend to dislike it.
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32 Kings of Fighters 97'
SNK were one of the, if not the biggest competitors to Capcom in the fighting game business. Their games started off fairly derivative of Capcom's, but they quickly started to branch off and blaze their own trail in regards to both gameplay mechanics, and character designs. The King of Fighters series is perhaps their most well known, and well respected series, its main difference to other fighters of the time is its team based gameplay, instead of picking a fighter and playing you must pick a team of three, each of which have to fight one after the other. I've gone with KOF 97' mainly because I find the storyline to be more interesting and in depth than the others available on Saturn
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31 Metal Slug
At a time where 2D run n' guns were becoming few and far between, Nazca' Metal Slug series appeared out of nowhere to give fans something to cling to during the turbulent times. Metal Slug is your classic hardcore arcade game, it doesn't let up on the action for a second, with a constant barrage of enemies and explosions going off all over the screen at any given time, there's bosses, and vehicles to jump into, great music, and a 2-player co-op feature. Another area where Metal Slug really stands out is the presentation, the artwork is very stylised, and there's a lot of visual humour throughout the experience.
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30 Worms
Never before has so much charm been infused into so few pixels. From the outset Worms is a simple strategy game, you command a team of four and take turns in choosing and using a selection of different weapons each of which are useful for different situations. But the randomness of the terrain design, coupled with its destructibility and the diversity of the weapons lends a copious amount of on the spot strategic planning to the proceedings, making it one of the best, and deepest multiplayer games in videogame history.
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29 Guardian Heroes
Guardian Heroes is effectively a Final Fight clone with some minor rpg elements thrown into the mix, but Treasure did a very good job at increasing longevity by adding some important new features, branching pathways coupled with collectable characters (for use in the fun, but lightweight 6 player versus mode). These additions make the gameplay a touch more interesting, and create a real incentive to play through multiple times.
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28 Vampire Savior
Even to this day many people seem to think of the Darkstalkers series as simply Street Fighter with monsters. Certainly at first the most easily apparent difference between the two series' is the graphics, with fantastic, wacky, and generally over the top character designs and artwork being the style of Darkstalkers, but dig deeper and you find a number of gameplay elements which, whilst not causing the game to stray too far from the SF template, help to give it a feel of its own. Firstly the super gauge works very differently here, working more as a modifier of the special moves, and there's original elements such as dashes, and follow up attacks (jump on people when they're down), all of which increase the pacing in comparison to Street Fighter.
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27 Virtual On
A brilliant fighting game from Sega, Virtual On has you dashing around in the fully 3D world firing off barrages of shots, taking cover behind objects, and rushing in close for melee attacks. For a 5th generation 3D action game it all works unexpectedly fast and smooth, and is a very unique and exciting experience, even the two player split screen mode works very well. Definitely one of the 3D Saturn games fans at the time could be proud of.
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26 Batsugun
Often referred to as the first bullet hell shooter due to its use of elaborate bullet patterns and small ship hit boxes, Batsugun comes from Toaplan, the same company that made the excellent Fire Shark, Truxton, and Hellfire for 16-bit. Gameplay wise it fits somewhere between older, traditional vertical scrollers, and later bullet hell games like DoDonPachi, it also uses an interesting weapon system that involves gaining experience points through as you destroy the enemies throughout the levels.
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25 Mega Man X4
Mega Man X4 doesn't do anything hugely different to its forebears, but when the core gameplay is this good who cares? Capcom carried on with their excellent, action packed Mega Man platforming and shooting action, coupled with the newer adventuring aspects added to the SNES games, and improved the graphics and sound for the 32-Bit generation. The level designs here are as good as ever before, and its all just very playable and addictive.
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24 Command and Conquer
If any game is responsible for defining the real time strategy genre it has to be Command and Conquer, it perfectly expanded on its predecessor, Dune II, and really helped to popularise the genre. In the game you mine raw materials and create buildings, each of which give you access to more options and allow you to build up more units, it all very compulsive stuff, and the Saturn port, whilst not perfect without a mouse, still works very well.
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23 Shining the Holy Ark
Holy Ark is the direct sequel to the Mega Drive game Shining in the Darkness, and it represents a very different sort of JRPG to what was commonly seen during the 5th generation. Like its predecessor the majority of the game is played with a 1st person view, you walk around the towns and dungeons as though you yourself are the character, with your party appearing onscreen and turning to face you when they converse. Gameplay includes the usual stat based menus you'd expect, but there's also more emphasis on solving proper, well thought out puzzles, many of which require careful planning, and this is actually the area where Holy Art is most successful, because even if you removed everything else you'd still be left with solid gameplay, which is more than can be said for some JRPG's out there.
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22 Burning Rangers
This has to be one of the fastest, most action packed 3D games from the entire generation on any system. The gameplay has you running around huge buildings putting out fires and rescuing people, but its the fast pacing, agile moveset, and impressive boss fights which really stand out to create an adrenaline pumping experience. The game would've scored higher but there's a few points that hold it back somewhat, the game is very short at only 4 levels (though extra replay value is included by the level layout changing) and the graphics can be very ropey at times, however, thankfully these complaints don't go too far in souring the overall experience.
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21 Quake
This was the port nobody expected the Saturn to manage, but famed Saturn developers Lobotomy, the group who had cut their teeth with the impressive Saturn FPS Powerslave, and proved time and again their programming skills (bet on them making a few more appearances later in this list) managed to pull it off with consummate skill. Quake is a very grim, very atmospheric take on the Doom style corridor shooter, its pretty violent for its time, and is packed full of the sort of secrets which made Doom so fun to explore. As mentioned earlier the Saturn port plays and looks very good, its a little grainier than the PC version, and the frame rate dips at times, but overall its certainly a very respectable version of the game.
Hyper Duel
From the same company that made the classic Thunder Force series, Hyper Duel easily lives up to its pedigree (frenetic action and impressive set pieces) whilst offering a very different and original experience. Apart from going for a more mech-based Macross feel (you can transform between robot and ship), the game also deviates from the TF series by allowing you to collect extra supporting ships which independently fly around the screen helping you, their mortal nature tends to push you towards protecting them, providing covering fire so as to allow you to accumulate a small gang as you progress. Hyper Duel is also a phenomenal arcade port, every aspect of the game was actually improved during its transition to Saturn, graphics, music, and gameplay.
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20 Marvel Vs Street Fighter
Here's yet another reason for the Saturn's reputation for being a fighting game powerhouse. Marvel Vs Street Fighter sports a very different feel to many of the other Capcom games out there, its just a lot more over the top and hectic, and the ability to swap between two characters at any time in-game and do combination attacks lends a very different (and very fun) style to the gameplay. As usual this was a very accurate port of the arcade game (unlike the dire PS1 version which should be avoided at all cost) with all the features and animation pretty much intact.
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19 Soukyugurentai
Souky is yet another beautifully crafted scrolling shmup for Saturn. The weapon system is very well implemented, being somewhat similar to the one used in Layer Section, pressing the button fires, whilst holding it down locks onto enemies below you that are within range, letting it go sends homing missiles to all targets highlighted. Apart from the weapon system Souky is simply very well paced, and includes some awesome boss fights, but what really stands out is the truly commendable, and artistic design, which creates an atmosphere which is second to none.
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18 Virtua Cop 2
After many people did a double take after seeing the first Virtua Cop ("but I though Saturn couldn't do 3D?") Sega came back with this sequel, which looked even better than the last! Virtua Cop 2's main improvements over the original lightgun classic (apart from the graphics) have to be its faster, more intense pacing, and increased longevity (an important element where it comes to home ports), the game's inclusion of branching paths means its pretty much double the length of the original, and the introduction of the 3-shot multiplier (shoot someone three times in different places in quick succession to get a higher score) rewards replay and mastery.
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17 Dragon Force
Dragon Force is a very addictive game which balances both RPG and strategy element extremely well. The battles are huge in scope, and very impressive, allowing you to see the armies battle against each other on a unit by unit basis, while you, as the general throw around spells. The developers really did do an admirable job in all areas, the campaign is very long, and made even longer by the inclusion of multiple endings for each character, and they do a good job at keeping the story interesting, and involving.
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16 Saturn Bomberman
As far as I'm concerned this is actually the best Bomberman game ever made, and the best Bomberman ever likely to be made. Apart from the fact that it has what is, in my opinion the best selection of power-up's for balanced multiplayer, Saturn Bomberman also feels like Hudson went to town adding fan service, they even included the option to play as characters from their other, non-Bomberman series, such as Master Higgins from the Adventure Island series, and Bonk. There's options for up to 10-player simultaneous local play, and even the campaign mode (which includes 2-player co-op) is surprising well crafted, with good attention to detail and presentation.
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15 Duke Nukem 3D
Lobotomy do it again with this brilliant port of Duke Nukem. If there's anyone out there that isn't familiar with the game, Duke Nukem was one of the highest profile PC releases to come in the wake of Doom, the game contained loads of fast action, some neat new inclusions such as the jet pac, and most notably, interactive environments which, amongst other things contained loads of adult humour. This version is very accurate to the original, its very smooth, and (as far as I can see) uncensored too.
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14 Fighters Megamix
Sega's amalgamation of their Fighting Vipers, and Virtua Fighter series' (both some of the most respected home fighting series' for that period) created yet another brilliant game, and easily one of the best value for money deals of the time with its huge character roster. Fighters Megamix feels more like FV in gameplay than VF, emphasising faster, more action packed gameplay, the graphics are also more akin to FV, gearing more towards lighting effects than VF's high resolution.
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13 Wipeout XL
A very good port of the PS1 classic. Wipeout has to be one of those series' which really shines with the attention to style and detail, having a very distinct look of its own. The gameplay is some of the deepest out there, with much skill and perseverance required for the harder levels, and the tracks themselves are well designed and respectable in number too.
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12 Shining Force III
Shining Force III does its classic predecessors justice and provides a fantastic strategy rpg experience. The plot is strong and constantly moving forward, the graphics clear, crisp, and expressive, and the strategy elements deep, and very well thought out. This is actually the 1st part of a 3 part series, the 2nd two parts were never released in English, but fortunately you do get some level of closure upon finishing so the game can be played and enjoyed for its own merits.
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11 Tomb Raider
One of the 1st truly defining titles of the 3D generation, Tomb Raider astonished with its well realised environment, and clever interlocking puzzles. Presentation wise the game was also 1st rate, with excellent, moody music, and impressive (by 1996 standards) graphics. The control system was rigid (similar to Prince or Persia) but precise, and tension was ever present, with sudden attacks from bears or even dinosaurs a fairly regular occurrence. The game's impact was immense at the time.
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10 Powerslave/Exhumed
This had to be the best FPS released during the early post Doom period, but reviewers of the time proved their collective stupidity and general susceptibility to hype by overlooking it completely in favour of Duke Nukem and Quake. Not only is Powerslave just as impressive graphically, and just as smooth and action packed, it takes a much more adventure inspired direction, with multiple endings and a plethora of new moves given to you as you progress through the game. Each of the new moves you acquire allow you to explore previously unreachable areas of the levels (a la Metroid), sometimes out of necessity, sometimes to find hidden permanent health upgrades. The longevity is also pretty huge as even after completion there are secrets to unlock by searching out all the "team dolls"
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9 Radiant Silvergun
Treasure showed all the old stalwarts how to make a shmup with this extremely imaginative take on the genre. Radiant Silvergun is packed full of ideas, you're given 7 weapons immediately from the start, and the levels are designed in a way which means that there's usually a right weapon to use for each situation, each weapon also gains experience and levels up in a similar way to what you'd see in an RPG, and many of the boss fights are very cleverly and carefully designed. Radiant Silvergun really is a refreshing take on the genre for anyone under the impression that they've seen it all done before.
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8 Resident Evil
Its unfortunate that Resident Evil didn't come out a little earlier on Saturn than it did, it was one of the games which really pushed the PS1 to the forefront in public popularity, representing the grown up image that Sony wanted to convey extremely well. With a mixture of fiendish puzzles, creepy horror themes, and masses of tension the like of which had never been seen before, Resident Evil carved its place in videogame history. Capcom really must be commended for a very good job here, the port is graphically very close to the PS1 version, and there's even a few extras, such as a battle mode and new outfits.
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7 Street Fighter Alpha 3
This is the Street Fighter game for fans of the series, Capcom built on top of the sumptuous, detailed graphics of the previous Alpha's and added a huge wealth of options, playable characters, and gameplay modes, effectively following a "everything but the kitchen sink" ethos. They also showed all the experience and knowledge of the Saturn they had stockpiled over the years as this is virtually arcade perfect (no exaggeration), even surpassing the Dreamcast version!
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6 Nights
The simplest ideas are often the most elegant, and Nights is no exception. The gameplay has you flying through hoops in succession whilst collecting orbs, aiming for fast times and high rankings. Whilst simple, that doesn't stop Nights from being a very unique, and fun game, with a lot of originality, and Sega really excelled themselves with the presentation here, with the endearing theme, and music creating a very memorable gaming experience.
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5 Panzer Dragoon Zwei
For anyone unfamiliar with the main branch Panzer Dragoon games, they're rail shooters reminiscent to (though arriving before) Star Fox 64. You control a dragon which moves forwards automatically whilst you aim and shoot enemies, or target lock multiple foes and release a barrage of homing lasers. This sequel to the original Panzer Dragoon (a Saturn launch title) was an absolutely astronomical improvement. All areas of the game have been worked on, happily controls and movement are now far more responsive and less scripted than the original, and analogue support is now available (an especially important feature for this style of game). The depth and longevity have also had a huge boost due to the implementation of a couple of interesting new features, in Zwei, your dragon actually changes and evolves differently as the game goes on based on your performance, and alternate routes can also be taken. Sega did an extremely good job with the graphics here as well, with some very impressive effects.
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4 Sega Rally
One of the first racing games to use different course surfaces with different properties, Sega Rally really was one of the big pioneers of the genre. The Saturn port of Sega Rally was a resounding success, much, much better than the previous port of Daytona had been, with much more solid, detailed graphics, a better draw distance, and some good extra modes (such as the 2-player split screen). Sega Rally may sound fairly short at only four tracks, but the game takes a lot of practice and mastery to complete.
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2 Virtua Fighter 2
Possibly the biggest footnote in what is pretty much the deepest fighting series out there. The gameplay and balance between each fighter here was clearly handled with careful thought, and the graphics and animation set the bar for what was expected of 3D graphics for both the arcades and the home. Longevity is huge as each character has a large selection of moves and unique style to work with.
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1 Panzer Dragoon Saga
Team Andromeda did a complete turnaround for the third Panzer Dragoon game, deciding to create a JRPG of epic scale instead of the usual rail shooter mechanics of the previous games. Detractors may well have thought this would be a mistake, being that the team had never worked on an RPG previously, but Panzer Dragoon Saga ended up a tour de force even on par with the PS1's Final Fantasy games. You get a real feeling of epic scope as you make your way through the barren landscapes of the game, the music is fantastic and helps add to the atmosphere, and the whole world is very ambitious and well realised. Unlike many of the JRPG's of the time, PDS had fully 3D worlds to explore, there's also full voice acting for the characters, along with the copious amounts of FMV seen in the highest profile RPG's of the era. Saga's Battle system also deserves special mention as its far more intriguing, and interesting than the usual battle systems of the era, in Saga you still have freedom of movement during battles, and danger level is based on your positioning, with a radar indicating the danger levels of each quadrant, this system keeps you on your feet at all times, and does a better job at holding interest. Panzer Dragoon Saga really is one of the best of the 32-bit RPG's, which truly makes it a shame that many will never play it due to the high price it goes for these days.
The fourth Strike game, and also the first to be made for 5th generation consoles. This has the same great gameplay of the earlier games with the improvements to graphics and music that you'd expect, and a little more emphasis on story, told with new FMV cut scenes. Soviet Strike was initially a PS1 port, but unlike most ports to Saturn this version was actually improved, with some new graphical elements added like improved lighting.
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79 Rayman
Those afraid that the old 2D style platformers would die out under a mass of new 3D games had their fears put to rest with this great early platformer. Rayman has some truly fantastic, sumptuous backgrounds and art design, with the Rayman character himself being quite a likeable, well designed hero. The levels are well thought out, and kept fresh by the fact that you gain new moves as you progress through the game. Hard as hell though!
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78 Manx TT Superbike
Manx TT was just one of the many good arcade racers Sega were churning out back in the mid 90s and ended up being ported to the Saturn pretty well, with nice graphics and a good frame rate. Those who are familiar with Sega's arcade games will know the score here, you race around the tracks (this time on a bike) aiming to hit each check point before the timer runs out, if that happens its instant game over. Sadly, what makes a great arcade game doesn't always translate to the home though, which is why Manx TT has dropped places a bit, it really should've had some extra modes and tracks added to it as its a little short on longevity overall for its period.
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77 Decathlete/Athlete Kings
A very accurate port of Sega's arcade game, Decathlete is your general Track N' Field style game, with updated 3D graphics and some more in depth rules.
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76 Die Hard Arcade/Dynamite Deka
A very fun, brainless 3D beat-em-up where you run around the stages punching out the bad guys and picking up and using a plethora of different objects scattered around the ground. The fighting system is very fluid, and feels very solid, giving the game very high pick up and play value.
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75 Guardian Force
Multi-directional scrolling shmup where you play as a tank. Guardian Force is very much a welcome diversion from the hoards of spaceship shooters on the Saturn, apart from the change of theme, and scenery, you have the unique ability to turn the turrets around independently to fire in one direction whilst moving in another. The usual elements of a good shmup still apply, loads of action, great boss fights, 2-player co-op, and some exciting set pieces.
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74 Bubble Symphony
At last, after years of hiatus came the long awaited true sequel to Bubble Bobble. Bubble Symphony did not disappoint, it carries on the excellent simplistic gameplay of the original, whilst adding some small yet notable new elements, such as multiple endings, the choice of what paths and levels you want to play, and the dragons gaining new charge-up abilities. Taito also gave the presentation the kind of overhaul you'd expect, and even infused the game with huge levels of fan service, with many of the stages and bosses based off of classic games from the companies history.
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73 Sim City 2000
Sim City returns with masses, and masses of more stuff, and a new futuristic style. As usual the game becomes totally engrossing for anyone who puts the time in, and the hours burn away in no time. The Saturn version is very good, but as is the case with a lot of these strategy games it loses a few points due to the lack of mouse.
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72 Enemy Zero
This stars the character from an older game from Warp "D", and has similar interactive FMV based puzzle adventure gameplay, but this time with specific 1st person shooter style sections. The horror vibe is very well played, with occasional gore and a very real sense of dread throughout, but the rigid controls and slow paced gameplay may not be for everyone.
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71 Gungriffon
Gungriffon is a 1st person mission based mech game. Unlike a lot of the mech games of the time it mainly emphasises fast action, shooting based gameplay. It has you piloting a fairly manoeuvrable mech that can jump high up into the air raining death on those below, generally creating carnage and blowing stuff up (though later levels do require more careful strategy). Its a little bit short, but is a fun game, and runs very well with smooth movement, decent draw distance and a good frame rate.
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70 Last Bronx
A weapons based 3D fighting game (think Soul Blade). Last Bronx goes with a more fast paced, action orientated style of gameplay, and as such is generally considered a little lightweight, but I find it to be a very fun, and accessible game, the graphics and style are also very impressive.
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69 Mega Man 8
The first of the main branch Mega Man games to appear on 32-bit, Mega Man 8 is a bit of a black sheep of the family, and is lacking in innovation, but is still a very solid effort. Mega Man 8 has all the hallmarks of the series, with some nice updated graphics, and a new emphasis on some unique abilities. The game is also best played on the Saturn, as it has improved graphics and some extra boss fights with series favourites Wood Man and Cut Man from Mega Man 2.
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68 Mech Warrior 2
When porting Mech Warrior to consoles the developers decided to make the game more arcade action based to cater to the console audience, I think it was probably a wise decision overall as the game works well as a console shooter. Here you have a set of objectives to complete, and basically have to pilot mech's around the levels blowing stuff up, there's a lot of options, including choice from a whole load of different mech's with different abilities, and there's two campaigns to play through too. The Storyline is also quite detailed, and in-depth, and sets the scene well.
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67 Need For Speed
Electronic Arts try their hand at the arcade racing genre with this speedier rendition of their Need For Speed series (the original game on 3DO was more of a realistic racer). Need For Speed manages to rival some of the big arcade ports of the time, with fast, smooth gameplay, that also manages to retain some of its predecessors attention to detail, with car models all having their own handling and feel.
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66 Elevator Action Returns
Elevator Action Returns looks simple at first, but don't let that dissuade you as its still a very fun game with more to it than it first seems. You run around levels shooting the enemies and disarming bombs, strategic thinking often helps, with leaving bombs on elevators to be delivered to enemies, and shooting out the lights both particularly helpful tactics to use. There's also a 2-player option, which is always a welcome addition to any game.
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65 Herc's Adventures
Here is a very fine adventure game from Lucasarts, it plays kind of like a cross between Zelda games, and Zombies Ate my Neighbours (its by the same company as Zombies). You travel around the world collecting a variety of different weapons and equipment, each time you successfully accomplish something, or acquire an important item new areas of the map are opened up for you (and your team mate if played in 2-player) to explore.
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64 Sega Worldwide Soccer 98'
This series truly set the bench mark for 32-bit football games at the time, and was the best choice out there on any console for a decent period. Worldwide Soccer excelled with its impressive graphics and in depth gameplay, for many at the time (at least in the UK) the series was even the killer app worth buying a Saturn for.
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63 Puyo Puyo Sun
The third game in the classic puyo series of puzzle games (previously released in the west as Dr Robotnick's Mean Bean Machine and Kirby's Ghost Trap). Sun doesn't really do anything that new for the series (group the blobs together in three of a colour), but the gameplay is as good as ever, and there's a nice graphical overhaul.
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62 Iron Storm
Part of the long running and popular Daisenryakou series of grid based strategy games. Iron Storm is one of the only games in the series to get a western release, but luckily its also one of the best examples. The game takes place during WWII, and allows for a lot of "what if" style outcomes, with the Germans, say, winning the battle of Britain, or the Japanese invading the United States.
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61 Virtua Cop
When Virtua Cop came out in the arcades in 1994 Lightgun games were a dying breed, years of no innovation in the genre had caused it to stagnate and lose favour with the videogame playing populace. Virtua Cop was a breath of fresh air, with its crisp 3D visuals, dynamic camera angles, points multipliers, and threat level indicators, it actually signaled a turnaround and re-popularising of the genre. The Saturn port of the game was first rate, and alongside Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter 2 really raised the bar for 3D Saturn games at the time, totally shocking a lot of people who'd previously thought the Saturn's 3D capabilities were only substandard. The only reason it appears lower down in this list is because I feel its superior sequel manages to trump it in most aspects.
60 Magic Carpet
Peter Molyneux's interesting, unique, and in some ways revolutionary shooter/strategy hybrid. In the game you fly around the map on a magic carpet killing monsters and collecting mana to store in your home castle, the more mana you have, the more spells you can cast, and as your castle becomes more built up, it even spawns its own AI guards to defend it. The strategy elements really compliment the action based gameplay, adding that compulsive "improve yourself" aspect to the proceedings. The Saturn version doesn't quite control as well as it did on the PC, but its still a good port.
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59 Magic Knight Rayearth
Magic Knight Rayearth is an action Adventure game with a very troubled history, the game was originally released in 1995 in Japan, but due to disputes between the localisation team, and Sega it didn't actually see release in the west until 1998. The game follows the usual Zelda adventuring style, but with a tag team system between three characters with different weapons, and much more emphasis on storyline and FMV's. Its a shame it was released so late, as though the school girl centred storyline is not for everyone, the game would've been a very solid, and likeable early Saturn release.
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58 Baku Baku Animal
Sega's take on the block falling puzzle genre has you matching up animals with their favoured foods. The combo system here is very well implemented, and 2-player matches are a lot of fun. I've decided to drop positions for Baku Baku mainly because its a very similar game to Puzzle Fighter II, which I feel is superior, but Baku Baku is still a valid purchase of its own as it still contains its own style, and a few of its own gameplay nuances.
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57 Dungeons and Dragons Collection
This is a collection of two of Capcom's arcade beat-em-ups that had previously been unreleased for home consoles, Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom, and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow of Mystara. The gameplay includes a lot of aspects not commonly seen in beat-em-ups, such as equipment collection, spellcasting, and experience points. These features, coupled with a very competent fighting engine and the classic Capcom art style make D&D Collection one of the best beat-em-ups ever made.
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56 Silhouette Mirage
As always Treasure provide yet another unique take on a staple genre here. Silhouette Mirage is a platformer with the unique aspect being the fact that you change between two colours depending on the direction you're facing, only enemies of the opposite colour take damage, whilst those of the same colour become weaker, this gameplay mechanic was re-used for their later game Ikaruga. Apart from the main gameplay mechanic you have all the usual hallmarks of a Treasure game, nice graphics, loads of style, impressive set pieces and memorable boss fights.
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55 Puzzle Bobble 3
Puzzle game where you shoot coloured balls to the top of the screen trying to match three at a time. Not a lot has changed with the series since its inception, there's some new modes, and bubble type's, but mainly Puzzle Bobble 3 is and incremental update, its still as good as ever though, and worth picking up if you don't already own one of the older games.
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54 Space Hulk
Hardcore strategy game based on the Games Workshop board game of the same name. You manoeuvre a team of armoured soldiers around the levels following set objectives, being careful to position each unit as tactically as possible to secure each area and control the constant influx of enemies. The story mode is excellent, with you slowly rising up the ranks as time goes on, but the training modes (which allow you to play through famous moments of the Warhammer history) are equally great, and generally more accessible to beginners.
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53 Real Bout Special
This belongs to the Fatal Fury series of games, SNK's oldest classic fighting series. Real Bout Special contains all the usual balance and finesse present in all of SNKs fighting games, but what makes it different to the plethora of other similar games on the Saturn is a system of multiple fighting planes, you can tactically jump between the background and foreground to avoid attacks and plan your next move, this changes the pacing and style of the fighting.
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52 Warcraft 2
Clearly inspired by the quintessential Command and Conquer, Warcraft 2 may not be quite as in depth as its inspiration, but unlike C&C it simply excels at being full to the brim of charm and humour. Like C&C the gameplay here is classic building forces and managing resources.
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51 Layer Section/Galactic Attack
Layer Section is a very polished vertical shooter with some well judged gameplay and excellent pacing. Apart from the usual shooting, and power-up collection, here you also have a homing laser which locks onto enemies below you and releases a barrage of shots. Anyone who's considering starting a collection of Saturn shmup's should absolutely start here, this manages to have one of those rare combinations for Saturn shooters, not only is it one of the best its also one of the cheapest and easiest to obtain.
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50 Croc
Unfortunately the Saturn didn't get many 3D platformer's, with Croc seemingly being the only game on the system which even comes close to attempting a full Mario 64 style world. But luckily, whilst the controls take some time to get used to (make sure to get the analogue controller for this one) Croc is a very respectable take on the genre, it contains some nice level designs, good graphics, and a surprising amount of charm.
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49 House of the Dead
After re-popularising the lightgun genre with Virtua Cop, Sega came up with yet another seminal game for the period with the House of the Dead. House of the Dead adds some real chills and tension to the genre, with you desperately trying to shoot the heads off the gruesome Zombies before they close in on you. The classic just loses a few points here because graphically its a little on the disappointing side, certainly not standing up to the excellent Virtua cop ports on the system.
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48 Albert Odyssey
Albert Odyssey is a turn based RPG in a similar vein to those you'd expect to see on the SNES (and indeed Albert Odyssey started off as SNES project but was moved to Saturn). Its plot involves a boy who's parents died when he was a baby that ended up being raised by Harpies (more like angels). The game doesn't hugely stand out compared to other RPG's on the system, but the gameplay is handled very well, the graphics are great, and the dialogue is well done and funny.
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47 Magical Drop 3
A frenetic puzzle game where you pull the coloured spheres down, and then fire them back up to make combos of three or more. For this sort of puzzle game, Magical Drop is actually unexpectedly fast and furious, I'd even go as far as to call it action packed! Tons of fun, and very under appreciated import.
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46 Sexy Parodius
Probably my favourite game of Konami's Parodius series (which is a wacky offshoot of its classic Gradius series). Here, apart from the improved graphics, more impressive weapons, and plethora of different characters, you've also got various mission objectives added to the levels, such as shooting down a set number of enemies, or collecting a set number of coins, whether or not you successfully complete these missions decides which branching path you'll take for the next level, which makes for some interesting gameplay. Don't let the title fool you into thinking there's going to be a lot of risque imagery though, the elements contained here are pretty harmless and tame.
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45 Theme Park
Theme Park has you creating and running your own theme park, building rides and taking careful control of your funds. The game is much more fun than it sounds, and is very accessible and addictive.
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44 Samurai Shodown 4
A big improvement and a huge return to form for the series after Samurai Shodown 3, Samurai Shodown 4 just felt like it was a better balanced, more polished, and more fun to play game. Samurai Shodown is a very fast, weapons based fighting game, there's some truly beautiful, sumptuous backgrounds here, and the character designs are first rate too.
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43 Death Tank Zwei
Whilst very crude looking, Death Tank is a fun party game for up to seven people simultaneously, it has you adjusting the trajectory and power or shots in real time (not turn based like Worms), trying to kill the other players. Everytime you kill a player you get money to spend on new weapons between matches, such as nukes, and powerups that allow your tank to fly. Games generally become very chaotic matches of team ups and broken alliances. Death Tanks is actually only given away as an extra with many of the Lobotomy programmed first person shooters, the easiest way to get it is to put on Duke Nukem whilst having a Quake save game on your Saturn internal memory.
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42 Super Puzzle Fighter II
As mentioned earlier, quite similar to Baku Baku, but here you have to match coloured "crash" gems with their respective coloured blocks, instead of animals. In my opinion this is the better game out of the two, as it has better presentation, more straightforward gameplay (its harder to keep in mind what animal eats what in Baku, although that difference could be seen as a strength for those interested in more complicated gameplay), and a few other minor new inclusions which raise it that little bit higher in quality.
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41 DoDonPachi
One of the more popular and well known of the bullet hell shooters. If anyone is unfamiliar with the sub genre, DoDonPachi is effectively like a traditional vertical scrolling shmup, but with elaborate bullet patterns swarming the entire screen at pretty much all times, to make up for the number of bullets, only a small section of your ship is actually vulnerable, shots pass through the rest of you doing no harm. A word of warning to those new to shmups though, these types of shooters are really aimed towards the hardcore fans.
40 Dark Savior
Pseudo sequel to the under-appreciated, cult classic Mega Drive game Landstalker (same developer and same gameplay, but different characters and style). Dark Savior is an isometric adventure game focusing on puzzles and platforming. Despite some great new additions, such as the moveable camera, and alternate levels (based on performance) Savior doesn't quite live up to its predecessor (there's not quite as much charm and polish), but it does still manage provide a very involving and interesting adventure nevertheless.
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39 Deep Fear
Deep Fear is a very good survival horror game inspired by Resident Evil. Its set in an underwater base that has been take over by a parasite that mutates the crew into monsters. The underwater theme helps to lend a claustrophobic, trapped feel to the atmosphere, the graphics are first rate, and the puzzles well thought out. In fact, this is exactly the sort of game Sega needed earlier on, unfortunately it arrived a little to make a big difference, and its lateness also adds to the rarity and cost. In regards to the huge price, is it worth it? truthfully I have to say definitely not to be honest, but if you find it at a reasonable price then make it a priority buy.
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38 Legend of Oasis/Story of Thor 2
Another sequel (in this case prequel really) to a great Mega Drive game. Beyond Oasis is a Zelda-esque top down adventure game, where you travel the lands fighting monsters, picking up new weapons and increasing your health. Like its predecessor Legend of Oasis has much more of an emphasis on the fighting aspect of gameplay than the Zelda games, with a plethora of different hand to hand combat moves available, there's also a bunch of unique elemental spirits to collect throughout the game, which help you fight, and give you access to abilities to solve the game's puzzles with. Its a great game, and would've been higher in the list if it wasn't occasionally a little confusing at times.
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37 Thunder Force V
Technosoft continue their consistently excellent series here with the fifth game (2-4 were all on the Mega Drive). The developers decided to go with a more 3D graphics style with this game and I have to say that I find it a little inconsistent, some sections look great, whilst others look a little bit dated. What hasn't dated however is the gameplay, which delivers everything you'd expect from a TF game (namely full of action, set-pieces, and clever weapon designs). TFV also introduces a new weapon, the Free Range, which is tricky at first but a joy to use after its been mastered. Just to add one other thing, there's a boss fight in this game that has you going up against the ship from the earlier games in the series, with a remixed TFIV track playing in the background, and I must say as a fan of the series this fight is actually one of my absolute favourite video gaming moments ever, its awesome.
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36 Twinkle Star Sprites
Here we have fantastically original and under appreciated hybrid of shmups and block style Vs puzzle games. Basically you shoot the oncoming enemies and send them to you opponents side of the screen, each time they're hit back they become faster and more dangerous. The Saturn version of this game has actually been improved over the Neo Geo original, with extra bits and pieces such as presentation improvements and an extra character, these were not carried over to the Dreamcast version, which makes this arguably the best of the ports out there.
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35 Dead or Alive
Whilst Virtua Fighter was always considered the deep fighter, Dead or Alive went for more of a fast, fun, and accessible style (it also included big bouncing boobs of course). The first game of the series was ported excellently to Saturn, and actually contains some of the absolute best graphics on the entire system, looking better, and with fewer compromises than even the PS1 version released a year later.
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34 Battle Garegga
This is a great, traditional style vertical shmup that's extremely action-packed, and throws very impressive amounts of action and enemies towards you at all times. The weapon system uses programmable options like those found in Musha which basically have a number of different preset actions that can be changed between on the fly depending on situation.
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33 Daytona CE
This'll probably be a bit of a fairly controversial decision. There were two Daytona games released on the Saturn, and the majority seem to prefer the original port. I, however, have decided to recommend the second one, Daytona CE (more accurately the Japanese version of Daytona CCE, which included the original music). In my opinion its the more complete package overall. I'm going to break down the differences to help people make their own decision though. Daytona is an arcade racing game of the checkpoint style, initially it was ported to the Saturn in a very bare bones manner, the graphics were fairly poor, and there were no real extra modes to speak of, it did however play pretty accurately to the arcade version. It was then updated as CCE, CCE has an extra 2 courses, bringing the track count up to a more respectable 5, the graphics have been improved in every way, and there's also a split screen option for two player, on the other hand, the handling isn't as accurate to the arcade as it was in the original port (though analogue support, and fiddling with the options does help), so purists tend to dislike it.
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32 Kings of Fighters 97'
SNK were one of the, if not the biggest competitors to Capcom in the fighting game business. Their games started off fairly derivative of Capcom's, but they quickly started to branch off and blaze their own trail in regards to both gameplay mechanics, and character designs. The King of Fighters series is perhaps their most well known, and well respected series, its main difference to other fighters of the time is its team based gameplay, instead of picking a fighter and playing you must pick a team of three, each of which have to fight one after the other. I've gone with KOF 97' mainly because I find the storyline to be more interesting and in depth than the others available on Saturn
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31 Metal Slug
At a time where 2D run n' guns were becoming few and far between, Nazca' Metal Slug series appeared out of nowhere to give fans something to cling to during the turbulent times. Metal Slug is your classic hardcore arcade game, it doesn't let up on the action for a second, with a constant barrage of enemies and explosions going off all over the screen at any given time, there's bosses, and vehicles to jump into, great music, and a 2-player co-op feature. Another area where Metal Slug really stands out is the presentation, the artwork is very stylised, and there's a lot of visual humour throughout the experience.
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30 Worms
Never before has so much charm been infused into so few pixels. From the outset Worms is a simple strategy game, you command a team of four and take turns in choosing and using a selection of different weapons each of which are useful for different situations. But the randomness of the terrain design, coupled with its destructibility and the diversity of the weapons lends a copious amount of on the spot strategic planning to the proceedings, making it one of the best, and deepest multiplayer games in videogame history.
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29 Guardian Heroes
Guardian Heroes is effectively a Final Fight clone with some minor rpg elements thrown into the mix, but Treasure did a very good job at increasing longevity by adding some important new features, branching pathways coupled with collectable characters (for use in the fun, but lightweight 6 player versus mode). These additions make the gameplay a touch more interesting, and create a real incentive to play through multiple times.
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28 Vampire Savior
Even to this day many people seem to think of the Darkstalkers series as simply Street Fighter with monsters. Certainly at first the most easily apparent difference between the two series' is the graphics, with fantastic, wacky, and generally over the top character designs and artwork being the style of Darkstalkers, but dig deeper and you find a number of gameplay elements which, whilst not causing the game to stray too far from the SF template, help to give it a feel of its own. Firstly the super gauge works very differently here, working more as a modifier of the special moves, and there's original elements such as dashes, and follow up attacks (jump on people when they're down), all of which increase the pacing in comparison to Street Fighter.
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27 Virtual On
A brilliant fighting game from Sega, Virtual On has you dashing around in the fully 3D world firing off barrages of shots, taking cover behind objects, and rushing in close for melee attacks. For a 5th generation 3D action game it all works unexpectedly fast and smooth, and is a very unique and exciting experience, even the two player split screen mode works very well. Definitely one of the 3D Saturn games fans at the time could be proud of.
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26 Batsugun
Often referred to as the first bullet hell shooter due to its use of elaborate bullet patterns and small ship hit boxes, Batsugun comes from Toaplan, the same company that made the excellent Fire Shark, Truxton, and Hellfire for 16-bit. Gameplay wise it fits somewhere between older, traditional vertical scrollers, and later bullet hell games like DoDonPachi, it also uses an interesting weapon system that involves gaining experience points through as you destroy the enemies throughout the levels.
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25 Mega Man X4
Mega Man X4 doesn't do anything hugely different to its forebears, but when the core gameplay is this good who cares? Capcom carried on with their excellent, action packed Mega Man platforming and shooting action, coupled with the newer adventuring aspects added to the SNES games, and improved the graphics and sound for the 32-Bit generation. The level designs here are as good as ever before, and its all just very playable and addictive.
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24 Command and Conquer
If any game is responsible for defining the real time strategy genre it has to be Command and Conquer, it perfectly expanded on its predecessor, Dune II, and really helped to popularise the genre. In the game you mine raw materials and create buildings, each of which give you access to more options and allow you to build up more units, it all very compulsive stuff, and the Saturn port, whilst not perfect without a mouse, still works very well.
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23 Shining the Holy Ark
Holy Ark is the direct sequel to the Mega Drive game Shining in the Darkness, and it represents a very different sort of JRPG to what was commonly seen during the 5th generation. Like its predecessor the majority of the game is played with a 1st person view, you walk around the towns and dungeons as though you yourself are the character, with your party appearing onscreen and turning to face you when they converse. Gameplay includes the usual stat based menus you'd expect, but there's also more emphasis on solving proper, well thought out puzzles, many of which require careful planning, and this is actually the area where Holy Art is most successful, because even if you removed everything else you'd still be left with solid gameplay, which is more than can be said for some JRPG's out there.
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22 Burning Rangers
This has to be one of the fastest, most action packed 3D games from the entire generation on any system. The gameplay has you running around huge buildings putting out fires and rescuing people, but its the fast pacing, agile moveset, and impressive boss fights which really stand out to create an adrenaline pumping experience. The game would've scored higher but there's a few points that hold it back somewhat, the game is very short at only 4 levels (though extra replay value is included by the level layout changing) and the graphics can be very ropey at times, however, thankfully these complaints don't go too far in souring the overall experience.
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21 Quake
This was the port nobody expected the Saturn to manage, but famed Saturn developers Lobotomy, the group who had cut their teeth with the impressive Saturn FPS Powerslave, and proved time and again their programming skills (bet on them making a few more appearances later in this list) managed to pull it off with consummate skill. Quake is a very grim, very atmospheric take on the Doom style corridor shooter, its pretty violent for its time, and is packed full of the sort of secrets which made Doom so fun to explore. As mentioned earlier the Saturn port plays and looks very good, its a little grainier than the PC version, and the frame rate dips at times, but overall its certainly a very respectable version of the game.
Hyper Duel
From the same company that made the classic Thunder Force series, Hyper Duel easily lives up to its pedigree (frenetic action and impressive set pieces) whilst offering a very different and original experience. Apart from going for a more mech-based Macross feel (you can transform between robot and ship), the game also deviates from the TF series by allowing you to collect extra supporting ships which independently fly around the screen helping you, their mortal nature tends to push you towards protecting them, providing covering fire so as to allow you to accumulate a small gang as you progress. Hyper Duel is also a phenomenal arcade port, every aspect of the game was actually improved during its transition to Saturn, graphics, music, and gameplay.
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20 Marvel Vs Street Fighter
Here's yet another reason for the Saturn's reputation for being a fighting game powerhouse. Marvel Vs Street Fighter sports a very different feel to many of the other Capcom games out there, its just a lot more over the top and hectic, and the ability to swap between two characters at any time in-game and do combination attacks lends a very different (and very fun) style to the gameplay. As usual this was a very accurate port of the arcade game (unlike the dire PS1 version which should be avoided at all cost) with all the features and animation pretty much intact.
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19 Soukyugurentai
Souky is yet another beautifully crafted scrolling shmup for Saturn. The weapon system is very well implemented, being somewhat similar to the one used in Layer Section, pressing the button fires, whilst holding it down locks onto enemies below you that are within range, letting it go sends homing missiles to all targets highlighted. Apart from the weapon system Souky is simply very well paced, and includes some awesome boss fights, but what really stands out is the truly commendable, and artistic design, which creates an atmosphere which is second to none.
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18 Virtua Cop 2
After many people did a double take after seeing the first Virtua Cop ("but I though Saturn couldn't do 3D?") Sega came back with this sequel, which looked even better than the last! Virtua Cop 2's main improvements over the original lightgun classic (apart from the graphics) have to be its faster, more intense pacing, and increased longevity (an important element where it comes to home ports), the game's inclusion of branching paths means its pretty much double the length of the original, and the introduction of the 3-shot multiplier (shoot someone three times in different places in quick succession to get a higher score) rewards replay and mastery.
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17 Dragon Force
Dragon Force is a very addictive game which balances both RPG and strategy element extremely well. The battles are huge in scope, and very impressive, allowing you to see the armies battle against each other on a unit by unit basis, while you, as the general throw around spells. The developers really did do an admirable job in all areas, the campaign is very long, and made even longer by the inclusion of multiple endings for each character, and they do a good job at keeping the story interesting, and involving.
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16 Saturn Bomberman
As far as I'm concerned this is actually the best Bomberman game ever made, and the best Bomberman ever likely to be made. Apart from the fact that it has what is, in my opinion the best selection of power-up's for balanced multiplayer, Saturn Bomberman also feels like Hudson went to town adding fan service, they even included the option to play as characters from their other, non-Bomberman series, such as Master Higgins from the Adventure Island series, and Bonk. There's options for up to 10-player simultaneous local play, and even the campaign mode (which includes 2-player co-op) is surprising well crafted, with good attention to detail and presentation.
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15 Duke Nukem 3D
Lobotomy do it again with this brilliant port of Duke Nukem. If there's anyone out there that isn't familiar with the game, Duke Nukem was one of the highest profile PC releases to come in the wake of Doom, the game contained loads of fast action, some neat new inclusions such as the jet pac, and most notably, interactive environments which, amongst other things contained loads of adult humour. This version is very accurate to the original, its very smooth, and (as far as I can see) uncensored too.
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14 Fighters Megamix
Sega's amalgamation of their Fighting Vipers, and Virtua Fighter series' (both some of the most respected home fighting series' for that period) created yet another brilliant game, and easily one of the best value for money deals of the time with its huge character roster. Fighters Megamix feels more like FV in gameplay than VF, emphasising faster, more action packed gameplay, the graphics are also more akin to FV, gearing more towards lighting effects than VF's high resolution.
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13 Wipeout XL
A very good port of the PS1 classic. Wipeout has to be one of those series' which really shines with the attention to style and detail, having a very distinct look of its own. The gameplay is some of the deepest out there, with much skill and perseverance required for the harder levels, and the tracks themselves are well designed and respectable in number too.
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12 Shining Force III
Shining Force III does its classic predecessors justice and provides a fantastic strategy rpg experience. The plot is strong and constantly moving forward, the graphics clear, crisp, and expressive, and the strategy elements deep, and very well thought out. This is actually the 1st part of a 3 part series, the 2nd two parts were never released in English, but fortunately you do get some level of closure upon finishing so the game can be played and enjoyed for its own merits.
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11 Tomb Raider
One of the 1st truly defining titles of the 3D generation, Tomb Raider astonished with its well realised environment, and clever interlocking puzzles. Presentation wise the game was also 1st rate, with excellent, moody music, and impressive (by 1996 standards) graphics. The control system was rigid (similar to Prince or Persia) but precise, and tension was ever present, with sudden attacks from bears or even dinosaurs a fairly regular occurrence. The game's impact was immense at the time.
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10 Powerslave/Exhumed
This had to be the best FPS released during the early post Doom period, but reviewers of the time proved their collective stupidity and general susceptibility to hype by overlooking it completely in favour of Duke Nukem and Quake. Not only is Powerslave just as impressive graphically, and just as smooth and action packed, it takes a much more adventure inspired direction, with multiple endings and a plethora of new moves given to you as you progress through the game. Each of the new moves you acquire allow you to explore previously unreachable areas of the levels (a la Metroid), sometimes out of necessity, sometimes to find hidden permanent health upgrades. The longevity is also pretty huge as even after completion there are secrets to unlock by searching out all the "team dolls"
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9 Radiant Silvergun
Treasure showed all the old stalwarts how to make a shmup with this extremely imaginative take on the genre. Radiant Silvergun is packed full of ideas, you're given 7 weapons immediately from the start, and the levels are designed in a way which means that there's usually a right weapon to use for each situation, each weapon also gains experience and levels up in a similar way to what you'd see in an RPG, and many of the boss fights are very cleverly and carefully designed. Radiant Silvergun really is a refreshing take on the genre for anyone under the impression that they've seen it all done before.
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8 Resident Evil
Its unfortunate that Resident Evil didn't come out a little earlier on Saturn than it did, it was one of the games which really pushed the PS1 to the forefront in public popularity, representing the grown up image that Sony wanted to convey extremely well. With a mixture of fiendish puzzles, creepy horror themes, and masses of tension the like of which had never been seen before, Resident Evil carved its place in videogame history. Capcom really must be commended for a very good job here, the port is graphically very close to the PS1 version, and there's even a few extras, such as a battle mode and new outfits.
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7 Street Fighter Alpha 3
This is the Street Fighter game for fans of the series, Capcom built on top of the sumptuous, detailed graphics of the previous Alpha's and added a huge wealth of options, playable characters, and gameplay modes, effectively following a "everything but the kitchen sink" ethos. They also showed all the experience and knowledge of the Saturn they had stockpiled over the years as this is virtually arcade perfect (no exaggeration), even surpassing the Dreamcast version!
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6 Nights
The simplest ideas are often the most elegant, and Nights is no exception. The gameplay has you flying through hoops in succession whilst collecting orbs, aiming for fast times and high rankings. Whilst simple, that doesn't stop Nights from being a very unique, and fun game, with a lot of originality, and Sega really excelled themselves with the presentation here, with the endearing theme, and music creating a very memorable gaming experience.
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5 Panzer Dragoon Zwei
For anyone unfamiliar with the main branch Panzer Dragoon games, they're rail shooters reminiscent to (though arriving before) Star Fox 64. You control a dragon which moves forwards automatically whilst you aim and shoot enemies, or target lock multiple foes and release a barrage of homing lasers. This sequel to the original Panzer Dragoon (a Saturn launch title) was an absolutely astronomical improvement. All areas of the game have been worked on, happily controls and movement are now far more responsive and less scripted than the original, and analogue support is now available (an especially important feature for this style of game). The depth and longevity have also had a huge boost due to the implementation of a couple of interesting new features, in Zwei, your dragon actually changes and evolves differently as the game goes on based on your performance, and alternate routes can also be taken. Sega did an extremely good job with the graphics here as well, with some very impressive effects.
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4 Sega Rally
One of the first racing games to use different course surfaces with different properties, Sega Rally really was one of the big pioneers of the genre. The Saturn port of Sega Rally was a resounding success, much, much better than the previous port of Daytona had been, with much more solid, detailed graphics, a better draw distance, and some good extra modes (such as the 2-player split screen). Sega Rally may sound fairly short at only four tracks, but the game takes a lot of practice and mastery to complete.
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2 Virtua Fighter 2
Possibly the biggest footnote in what is pretty much the deepest fighting series out there. The gameplay and balance between each fighter here was clearly handled with careful thought, and the graphics and animation set the bar for what was expected of 3D graphics for both the arcades and the home. Longevity is huge as each character has a large selection of moves and unique style to work with.
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1 Panzer Dragoon Saga
Team Andromeda did a complete turnaround for the third Panzer Dragoon game, deciding to create a JRPG of epic scale instead of the usual rail shooter mechanics of the previous games. Detractors may well have thought this would be a mistake, being that the team had never worked on an RPG previously, but Panzer Dragoon Saga ended up a tour de force even on par with the PS1's Final Fantasy games. You get a real feeling of epic scope as you make your way through the barren landscapes of the game, the music is fantastic and helps add to the atmosphere, and the whole world is very ambitious and well realised. Unlike many of the JRPG's of the time, PDS had fully 3D worlds to explore, there's also full voice acting for the characters, along with the copious amounts of FMV seen in the highest profile RPG's of the era. Saga's Battle system also deserves special mention as its far more intriguing, and interesting than the usual battle systems of the era, in Saga you still have freedom of movement during battles, and danger level is based on your positioning, with a radar indicating the danger levels of each quadrant, this system keeps you on your feet at all times, and does a better job at holding interest. Panzer Dragoon Saga really is one of the best of the 32-bit RPG's, which truly makes it a shame that many will never play it due to the high price it goes for these days.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Disable Linux suspend options RECOMMENDED
I warn everybody to edit their options to disable it.
Mine runs Linux Mint 13. I had no cursor on my desktop. My down button hit Suspend by mistake. It wouldn't turn on correctly for an hour. went back to turn it on 40 minutes later and for once the screen appeared. I lucked out. This works for Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora thus far.
Terminal:
gksudo gedit /usr/share/polkit-1/actions/org.freedesktop.upower.policy
I replaced
< allow_active>yes< /allow_active>
with
< allow_active>no
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disable suspend in Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Cent OS, Scientific Linux
Terminal:
gconftool-2 --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory
-s -t bool /apps/gnome-power-manager/can_suspend false
Mine runs Linux Mint 13. I had no cursor on my desktop. My down button hit Suspend by mistake. It wouldn't turn on correctly for an hour. went back to turn it on 40 minutes later and for once the screen appeared. I lucked out. This works for Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora thus far.
Terminal:
gksudo gedit /usr/share/polkit-1/actions/org.freedesktop.upower.policy
I replaced
< allow_active>yes< /allow_active>
with
< allow_active>no
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disable suspend in Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Cent OS, Scientific Linux
Terminal:
gconftool-2 --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory
-s -t bool /apps/gnome-power-manager/can_suspend false
Friday, August 24, 2012
SHMUPS X - Bought Dodonpachi Daioujou
After Ibara, you'd think that would be my last PS2 SHMUP. Think again!
Ibara was a pretty good SHMUP, but Dodonpachi Daioujou would be even
harder just like DoDonPachi for Sega Saturn.
Top 10
1 Dodonpachi 3.538
2 Ikaruga 2.692
3 Radiant Silvergun 2.551
4 Gradius V 2.064
5 Battle Garegga 1.833
6 Dodonpachi Daioujou 1.795
7 ESPGaluda 1.667
8 Armed Police Batrider 1.423
8 Mushihimesama 1.423
10 Batsugun / Batsugun Special Version 1.103
41 Ibara / Ibara Black Label 0.372
It plays in the modchipped Playstation 2
Ibara was a pretty good SHMUP, but Dodonpachi Daioujou would be even
harder just like DoDonPachi for Sega Saturn.
Top 10
1 Dodonpachi 3.538
2 Ikaruga 2.692
3 Radiant Silvergun 2.551
4 Gradius V 2.064
5 Battle Garegga 1.833
6 Dodonpachi Daioujou 1.795
7 ESPGaluda 1.667
8 Armed Police Batrider 1.423
8 Mushihimesama 1.423
10 Batsugun / Batsugun Special Version 1.103
41 Ibara / Ibara Black Label 0.372
It plays in the modchipped Playstation 2
Import your Nintendo Magazine
I hate this stupid Nintendo Power magazine going
out of business being bad hype. Guess what? You can import your
magizine from the United Kingdom. The Official Nintendo Magazine is still published. There is also Nintendo Gamer.
My personal story was I collected Game Informer (GameStop publication), the largest of all videogame magazines, and I stopped paying for it due to IGN, Gamespot, and Game Informer.com. The reviews were above average compared to game sites, because these were payed talent who had Batchor of Liberal Arts degrees so article organization was decent. I really enjoyed the retro sections inside it, because IT SOUND BETTER THAN GAMESPOT RETRO BLOGS (no offense). Game Informer did four page stories on Panzer Dragoon Saga, Valkyrie Profile, Radiant Silvergun and rare 32-bit videogames. On top of that the magizine had quizes and Tokyo Game Show & E3 coverage. That's why it is the best selling game magazine you know.
My personal story was I collected Game Informer (GameStop publication), the largest of all videogame magazines, and I stopped paying for it due to IGN, Gamespot, and Game Informer.com. The reviews were above average compared to game sites, because these were payed talent who had Batchor of Liberal Arts degrees so article organization was decent. I really enjoyed the retro sections inside it, because IT SOUND BETTER THAN GAMESPOT RETRO BLOGS (no offense). Game Informer did four page stories on Panzer Dragoon Saga, Valkyrie Profile, Radiant Silvergun and rare 32-bit videogames. On top of that the magizine had quizes and Tokyo Game Show & E3 coverage. That's why it is the best selling game magazine you know.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Best places in US for photos
Asheville, N.C. 
"GMA" viewer Alan Ostmann of Candler, N.C., nominated Asheville, a small city tucked in the Appalachian Mountains rich with art, architecture and outstanding scenery.
"I live just outside of Asheville, N.C., [bordering] the Pisgah National Forest in possibly the oldest mountains on the planet," Ostmann wrote in his submission. "Four miles from my home is the Blue Ridge Parkway. The forest and parkway allow some of the most spectacular views I have seen anywhere in the world. I hike and bike the area daily and am always amazed at the beauty nature can reveal to us."
Tessa Lemke
2.
| Aspen, Colo. |
Aspen is an authentic mountain town best known for its world-class skiing in winter months and as an outdoor playground for mountain biking, rafting, fly fishing, rock climbing, hiking and more in warmer months.
Tessa Lemke of Carbondale, Colo., submitted a photo of the magnificent Pyramid Peak, part of the summits of the Maroon Bells, a short drive from Aspen, which gave us our inspiration.
"Every drive into Aspen has this beautiful view -- ever changing from red rock to snow-covered," she wrote. "To me it doesn't look real ... like something from 'The Lord of the Rings.' Breathtaking!!"
Courtesy Gary Acabbo
3.
| Cape Cod, Mass. |
Cape Cod has long been a favorite summer vacation destination made popular by the Kennedy clan and others. The 400-square-mile peninsula is filled with beaches and caters to tourists, but the cape's natural beauty is what compelled Gary Accabo of New Haven, Conn., to nominate the area.
"I have visited Provincetown, Cape Cod every summer since 1977. Race Point is the most gorgeous part of the National Sea Shore. To be there in the evening to experience a sunset is one of the most breathtaking visions to witness. Its beauty is forever etched in my mind," Accabo wrote.
Terri Rose
4.
| Destin, Fla. |
Dramatic sunsets, miles and miles of seashore and sugar-white sand all make Destin, Fla., the "Most Beautiful Place in America" for "GMA" viewer Terri Rose of Niceville, Fla. When Rose submitted her description of the seaside town, nestled in Florida's northern panhandle, we knew we had to find that spot.
Dolly Albers
5.
| Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole, Wyo. |
The stunning view of the Grand Teton mountain range has kept viewer Dolly Albers of Peoria, Ill., coming again and again to this spectacular spot.
"Just sit ... and look out at those mountains anytime of the day or night. No place in America is more beautiful," Albers wrote. "[We] went there for our 25th [wedding] anniversary, again for our 40th, and last year for our 55th! We're been there in the winter to ski, spring to see the wild flowers, summer to hike and raft, fall to see the color changes. I close my eyes and see that view -- what more could you want?"
Lisa Basham
6.
| Lanikai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii |
Lanikai Beach is a strip of paradise hidden on the island of Oahu.
"How could this not be the most beautiful place in America?" wrote Lisa Basham of Kailua, Hawaii. "Bright, white, soft sand and clear, blue, warm water. This is the perfect beach to have a romantic picnic or get married. You can also have a great time with friends snorkeling, stand-up paddle boarding, or kayaking out to the beach on the Mokulua Islands."
Courest Lisa Gecelosky
7.
| Newport, R.I. |
Viewer Lisa Gecelosky of Bernville, Pa., told us about Newport's wharfs, historic mansions, and famed Cliff Walk along the eastern shore, which caught our eye and landed this destination a spot on our list. The New England coastal town boasts spectacular scenery and a vibrant downtown area that makes it a perennial tourist favorite.
Kathleen Rockwell
8.
| Point Reyes, Calif. |
Outside San Francisco, Point Reyes National Seashore is a don't-miss destination. The park protects over 71,000 acres of wildlife and coastland, but is also a place to take in the great outdoors with hiking, camping, horseback riding and more. The view along this famed peninsula inspired Kathleen Rockwell of Oviedo, Fla., to send "GMA" this photo.
"I found the most [beautiful] place in America so far to be in California. I visited there in January this year with my husband ... We drove over there to the top of the mountain and got out and walked around. The view looking at the Pacific Ocean from there was breathtaking -- you felt like you were in heaven," she wrote. "It was the most beautiful site I have ever seen that it made me cry ... seriously."
Robert Fruggiero
9.
| Sedona, Ariz. |
Sedona's natural beauty takes your breath away. The Red Rocks inspire such awe that we had to name it one of our Most Beautiful Places in America.
"The Red Rock Country in and around Sedona, Ariz., is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I have ever visited in the U.S.," Robert Fruggiero wrote to "GMA." "This picture was taken from up on Bell Rock … during a yearlong cross-country RV trip."
Jim Madole
10.
| Sleeping Bear Dunes, Mich. |
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, tucked in the northwest corner of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, is one of the nation's best-kept secrets. That's why "GMA" viewer Jim Madole of Grand Rapids, Mich., nominated the spot.
"It is peaceful and serene, a place for gazing out into the world, night or day, and realizing that the universe is truly a magical, majestic mystery, and humans are just a very small part of it all," he wrote in his submission. "Here at Sleeping Bear, I sit in awe and wonder at the perfection of Mother Nature."
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