Sega Saturn was a misunderstood machine, whose exceptional handling of the two dimensions was underestimated at the time when the polygons were beginning to be the kings of the mambo. Welcome to space, welcome to the sixth planet of the solar system, welcome … To the 20 best Sega Saturn games!

The war was bloody and so intense that it divided the planet into two camps. After long years of conflict in the streets, homes, and playgrounds, the end of the struggle began to glimpse on the horizon. A thick layer of smoke, which impeded vision, covered the battlefield. But little by little it was clearing and revealed a unique and clear winner: Super Nintendo was crowned as the best-selling console of the era of 16 bits, winning the game to Sega and it’s no less powerful Mega Drive.

But the end of the war brought with it a new hope: the fifth generation had just been born and with it the opportunity of the Japanese company to recover the lost ground. Although two failed experiments were required, Mega-CD and 32X, so that the company decided to make the leap to 32 bits (with the consequent millionaire losses and, more importantly, loss of user confidence). A jump of such magnitude, that in 1995 the Earth collided with the sixth planet of the Solar System: Sega Saturn had just been born.

And they tell the gossips that his birth was not without problems: after knowing the machinery that Sony prepared to enter combat, Sega ‘supposedly’ increased the number of processors that Saturn had two. The decision that would undoubtedly regret, since this, together with the console working with quadrilaterals (being the standard triangles) made it the worst nightmare of the programmers, very similar to what happened in the last generation with PlayStation 3.

This severely damaged the public image of the system, to the point that there was a mistaken belief that it was not capable of moving three-dimensional environments. But nothing could be further from reality: Saturn was capable of that and much more, although its main virtue lay in an exceptional handling of the two dimensions that many consoles of later generations already wanted. What’s more, it has recreational ports that earned the qualification of pixel-perfect: exact recreations of the original arcade game.

But to say that Saturn only lived on both dimensions would be a terrible deception: he proved capable of authentic graphic virgueries, although, unfortunately, only in the hands of certainly chosen studios capable of dealing with their complicated architecture. To show a button: Shenmue, the first game of the acclaimed trilogy? devised by the genius Yu Suzuki, it was an original title of Sega Saturn. In this video you can appreciate the spectacular look he wore (eye to the facial animations):

The quality they came to achieve is commendable, more typical of the 128-bit era. Although we all know that in the end, the adventures of Ryo Hazuki moved to Dreamcast, Saturn’s successor and last domestic video console that gave birth to the company of the blue hedgehog … But that’s a story for another day.

And in spite of everything, Saturn did not manage to sell what was expected, with the North American and European territories dominated by the PlayStation fever and, to a lesser extent, by Nintendo 64. Not even Segata Sanshiro himself, the hero of Sega, was able to avoid losses of almost 268 million dollars for the company. Luckily, for the memory, there are 20 games that fell deep in our hearts and that even today make us exclaim with pride: live Sega Saturn and the mother who bore her!

The Best Sega Saturn Games

1. Panzer Dragoon and Panzer Dragoon II Zwei

– Company: Team Andromeda

– Year: 1995 and 1996

We open with the saga most remembered by Saturn users: Panzer Dragoon. The first delivery was one of the launch games of the console, hence for all the initial contact with the machine was unforgettable: we were flying at full speed on the back of a damn dragon! But it was Panzer Dragoon II Zwei, second installment and story prequel, which managed to rise to stardom: the graphics section improved significantly, with really spectacular lighting effects. Also this time we not only limited ourselves to flying in one direction but at certain levels we could choose the route to follow and our dragon was able to descend from the skies to undertake races by land. As if this were not enough, depending on the performance in the phases the creature mutated, acquiring new look and abilities. After the delivery of Xbox the saga fell into oblivion, but luckily its creator has made Khaleesi and has given life to the dragons with the promising Crimson Dragon, spiritual successor and exclusive title of Xbox One.

2. Virtua Fighter 2

– Company: Sega AM2

– Year: 1996

The exit of Virtua Fighter 2 in arcade machines marked a milestone. Yu Suzuki, the genius behind the saga, left us speechless with a title ready to revolutionize everything seen until then. And what if he got it: it meant for the fighting games in 3D what Street Fighter II for 2D, so you can imagine the kind of material we have in hand. It had a graphics section of scandal, incomparable to anything that had been seen so far, with animations so achieved (thanks to the capture of movements) that little was missing for the punches and kicks to leave the screen. This was joined by a refresh rate of 60 FPS, which made the action enjoy a smoothness without equal. The version of Saturn, despite not being as spectacular as the arcade, was a real prodigy (especially if we take into account the complexity of the machine) and became the best-selling game in the system. One of the best games in history, period.

3. NiGHTS into Dreams

– Company: Sonic Team

– Year: 1996

As incomprehensible as it sounds, there was not a single Sonic game in the entire Sega Saturn games catalog that captured the essence of the wonderful Mega Drive titles. Luckily, and thanks to the good work of the same Sonic Team, we enjoyed NiGHTS into Dreams … an adventure that smells like hedgehog everywhere. It is a platform game set in dream worlds in which we control the androgynous Nights, a dreamlike entity that has the ability to fly. Thanks to this skill, the classical displacement of platforms in two dimensions with 3D environments is combined in a masterly way, a real joy to go. A sequel was released for Wii, entitled NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams that went through the market without pain or glory. And as a curiosity, there was a version with only two levels and the Christmas theme that gained great popularity because they gave it to the video game magazines of the time, what time those!

4. Sega Rally Championship

– Company: Sega AM3

– Year: 1996

Considered by many to be the best driving game in history (with permission from Gran Turismo ), what is undeniable is that Sega Rally Championship is one of the most devilishly fun racing arcades that has ever entered any console. At our disposal we have a Toyota Celica, a Lancia Delta and a Lancia Stratos with which to compete on three different levels represented as desert, forest and mountain, each with characteristics of the area that will put us in more than one predicament, such as irregularities in the terrain that will make our vehicle go through the air or puddles of mud that we will do well to avoid if we do not want to skid uncontrollably. But if something is really notorious Sega Rally Championship is to have the most motivating end of the game screen in history.

5. Guardian Heroes

– Company: Treasure

– Year: 1996

After living their own golden age in the arcade and 16-bit desktop consoles, the beat ’em up (yo-contra-el-barrio) entered a period of scarcity, both qualitative and quantitative, that lasts to this day. But before the decline began, Saturn received one of the greats of the genre, a game whose fun is comparable to the pain of our thumbs after a session, and which oozes classic flavor on all four sides. We talked about how it could not be otherwise Guardian Heroes , the legendary title developed by Treasure (the same that gave us Gunstar Heroes in Mega Drive ) that very much in line with the Dungeons & Dragons of recreational machines offered us multiple paths that led to drastic changes within history, RPG elements, five characters from which to choose very different from each other and a collection of combos and magic more typical of a fighting game. To all this we must add a spectacular graphics section, taking advantage of the good work of Saturn with the sprites, planting on the screen hordes of enemies without disheveled. The game also featured a sequel to Game Boy Advance that went largely unnoticed and a remastered HD version of XBLA exclusive.

6. Deep Fear

– Company: ISCO

– Year: 1998

Resident Evil was crowned as the king of terror on PlayStation, and although it also had a more than the worthy version for Saturn, at the end of the life of the console came a game ready to make him shade. And when we say “final” it is literally, because Deep Fear was the last title that was commercialized for the system throughout Europe. It is a survival horror that takes its influences clearly from the saga devised by Shinji Mikami, but that adds a good number of elements that make it unique: to start the game takes place in an underwater station; This means that sometimes the supply of oxygen is limited, offering really tense moments in which we face at the same time grotesque monsters and the chronometer. On the other hand, the control is quite affordable and allows to shoot at the same time we move our character (suck that Resident Evil !). Despite the fact that no sequel was made, a horror game called Cold Fear was launched on PlayStation 2, which, apart from the name, shared the aquatic ambiance with it. And you know what they say: in the ocean, no one can hear your screams …

7. Shining Force III

– Company: Camelot Software Planning

– Year: 1998

The case of the third chapter of the Shining saga is quite peculiar: the game is composed of three volumes, called Scenario 1, 2 and 3 respectively, but unfortunately, we only get to see the first one, being the rest exclusive of the country of the Rising Sun. Thus, we are left without knowing the authentic end of Synbios history and company. But that does not throw you back! It is a magnificent title that perfectly adapts the famous skirmishes of the deliveries of Mega Drive to the three dimensions. In this way, we find a game system similar to that seen in the Fire Emblem saga, with turn-based battles in which the strategy and the tactical role prevail. Special mention to the soundtrack orchestrated by Motoi Sakuraba, composer of great JRPG franchises like Valkyrie Profile or Golden Sun, among others.

8. Sonic R

– Company: Traveler’s Tales

– Year: 1997

Hand in hand with Traveler’s Tales, currently famous for being in charge of adapting the Lego universe to a video game format, came to Saturn which is probably the only title in the catalog that honors the reputation of the blue hedgehog. And it was that this was the closest we got to a 3-D Sonic game in the 32 bits, something the fans expected as May water and never received. Here the best-known characters in the series compete for the first place in Mario Kart races, with the difference that emphasis is placed on jumps and rings. By the way, there is a creepypasta(horror stories that have their origin in the network) quite popular in relation to one of the unlockable characters of the game, Tails Doll, which we have preferred not to talk about so as not to hurt the sensibility and because it brings bad fario. But if you happen to look for information about it, we recommend that you do it with the lights on and the doors closed, just in case.

9. Dragon Force

– Company: J-Force

– Year: 1997

A moment ago we praised the ability of Saturn to show a lot of pixels at the same time, and if there is a title that exceptionally reflects that quality, that is Dragon Force : up to 200 sprites come together on the screen, along with explosions and spells , without the machine showing any symptoms of slowing down, quite a feat. And is that this game with the name of the heavy metal group is an SRPG ( Strategy Role Playing Game ), in which unlike Shining Force and Fire Emblem, the strategy acquires a greater weight. In the role of one of the eight leaders of the continent, each with very different plot motivations, we command multitudinous armies in large-scale battles selecting formations, commands, and equipment for our units, as well as defending our territory so that it does not fall into enemy hands. And when things go wrong we can resort to the special abilities of our general, but beware! The enemy can also make use of these magic attacks capable of turning the battle around. A little gem that unfortunately with the passage of time has fallen into oblivion, but without a doubt, everyone who played it remembers with affection.

10. Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition

– Company: Sega AM3

– Year: 1996

Daytona USA did not debut well on Sega Saturn: the arcade port ran at a pitiful 20 FPS and was the victim of a strong popup effect that forced us to be more aware of the trees that materialized magically than of their own circuit. Luckily, and by the work of the same people in charge of the Saturn version of the Sega Rally Championship , a year later came to the stores this Championship Circuit Edition , which substantially improved the refresh rate, almost eliminated the popup(Goodbye to the trees in our noses!) And included a good number of additions, such as a more varied vehicle selection, two new circuits and two-player mode. If even got rid of the uncomfortable black bands that sadly characterize the games released in PAL territory! Come on, they could easily have called it Daytona USA: Definitive Edition. (Yes Tomb Raider, I look at you).

11. Burning Rangers

– Company: Sonic Team

– Year: 1998

After surprising us with the wonderful NiGHTS, the Sonic Team became involved in the creation of a game that would move away from everything they had done before. No quick hedgehogs, no flying buffoons, this time it was the turn of … Futuristic firemen. It is clear that these guys did not like to be pigeonholed. But in Burning Rangers , what a priori may seem a strange approach ends up becoming one of the most addictive experiences of the entire console: along four charged levels of action we must extinguish fires and save civilians in distress, using a computer futuristic that includes a jetpack to reach out of reach areas and a very useful voice navigation system that will help us move through the intricate hot labyrinths. In addition, once the main campaign is finished, we access a way in which the scenarios are generated randomly, making each game different from the previous one. All this is completed with one of the most colorful graphics sections of the entire catalog and a soundtrack with perfect rock themes to extinguish flames. One of the swan songs of the console, to which appearing in his last moments of life greatly damaged.

12. Radiant Silvergun

– Company: Treasure

– Year: 1998

In the hands of the great Treasure came exclusively to the Japanese Saturn Radiant Silvergun, port of the version for recreational machines that included high-quality anime scenes. And what a great game we lost, gentlemen! It is a shoot ’em up that today holds the status of cult work due to its desperate difficulty ( Dark Souls is a child’s game) and original mechanics, very different from what we were used to. gender. For example, forget about having to collect power ups to improve the weapons of the ship: here we have access throughout the course of the game to seven different types of shot, which can be improved as we progress in the levels. In addition, each weapon is designed to be essential in a type of situation, so knowing them all and mastering them is part of the challenge, giving a certain strategic touch to the fighting. In 2011 an HD reissue was released through XBLA, so we finally enjoyed this fantastic gem. In addition, Radiant Silvergun had a spiritual sequel to Dreamcast called Ikaruga that further increased the level of difficulty. As if we had not had enough …

13. Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter

– Company: Capcom

– Year: 1998

Following in the wake of the magnificent X-men: Children of the Atom, which confronted the most famous mutants of the House of Ideas, the forerunner of the first Marvel Vs. Capcom. Spider-Man, Ryu, Captain America, Chun-Li … Everyone is here ready to win victory with a web and Hadouken . And although we met him through a PlayStation version, it does not lag behind Saturn’s, exclusive of Japanese territory (damn!), which exploited the technical capabilities of the machine. Making use of the slot for cartridges that allowed to expand the RAM memory up to 4MB, we are facing a conversion of the arcade machine simply perfect, which maintains the battles by teams (excluded in PSX ) and all its intact pixels. One more proof of Saturn’sexceptional potential for recreational conversions.

14. Duke Nukem 3D

– Company: Lobotomy Software

– Year: 1997

The Earth, sometime in the 21st century. A race of aliens has invaded the planet and threatens to kill all its inhabitants. In the darkest hour, salvation comes from the hand of the most unexpected hero: Duke Nukem, THE MALE, adjusts his boots ready to crush alien skulls. That’s the premise of the great Duke Nukem 3D, one of the shooters that, along with Wolfenstein and Doom, was the cause of the rise of the genre in the 90. But Duke Nukem has something that others do not have, either by the charisma of its protagonist, its black humor or its multiple references to cult films, the game gained a niche inside of the industry as one of the best in history … and as one of the most controversial, due to its multiple subsidies tone scenes (like forgetting those strip clubs in which it was possible to leave the wage in lustful activities). After such a work of art, it is understandable that fans waited anxiously for Duke Nukem Forever, the continuation that, honoring its name, was made to beg for a whopping 15 years. Today, multiplayer games are still played to the Saturn version using the modem that was launched for the console outside of Europe.

15. Virtua Cop and Virtua Cop 2

– Company: Sega AM2

– Year: 1994 and 1996

The first Virtua Cop supposed a revolution and even today is considered a huge influence within the industry. Not in vain, we talked about the title that laid the foundations of shooters on rails with guns like Time Crisis, The House of the Dead and the spin-off of the Resident Evil saga, almost nothing. Soon after the release of the arcade version, the arcades were fuming, and at that time there was no better feeling than holding a gun (light) with our own hands to liquidate enemies. The conversion of Saturn captured perfectly the essence of the machine and the sequel, Virtua Cop 2, improved the graphics section, increased the speed of the game, making it more frantic and intense if possible, and presented on the screen a greater variety of enemies. Needless to say that although you could play perfectly with the Saturn controller, the best way to enjoy both titles was with the Virtua Gun, which was sold in a pack next to the second installment.

16. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

– Company: KCEN

– Year: 1998

Symphony of the Night went unnoticed in its release on PSX, but the passage of time has put it in the place it deserves: it is currently considered by fans as the best Castlevania in history and is “guilty” of coining the term ‘Metroidvania’ by mixing the classic style of the saga with RPG elements and the own development of the Metroid saga . But not only there were changes in the playable section, it was also the first title of the mythical vampire-hunting franchise starring entirely by a character who was not a member of the Belmont family: Alucard, son of Count Dracula himself, is in charge of carrying out this peculiar parricide. But instead of the legendary Vampire Killer, the whip capable of annihilating vampiric beings, our silver-haired protagonist has at his disposal an arsenal of swords and shields, powerful attacks of dark magic inherited through the blood and the ability to transform into a wolf, fog or bat. The game appeared in Saturn, once again, only in Japanese territory, is more an extension of the original title than a conversion, because it has new objects, the possibility of playing with María Renard and two new areas: the Damned Prison and the Gardens Subterranean. Unfortunately, it was made by another study and the development is marred with load times that happen more often than in the PlayStation version. Still, it is a game that every fan of the saga and adventures, in general, should throw the tooth.

17. The Story of Thor 2

– Company: Ancient

– Year: 1996

Sequel to The Story of Thor, one of the most memorable games of Mega Drive, this title is placed before the events that took place in the first delivery and revolves around the origin of the magical artifacts in the form of a bracelet that end up in hands of the hero and the villain. It is an Action RPG with a development very similar to the saga The Legend of Zelda, in which we explore, we fight in real time and we break the coconut with puzzles hidden inside dark gloomy dungeons. In addition, Leon, the protagonist, has to get the help of six spirits to help him along the adventure with powerful magic attacks, each represented by an element of nature. As you can read, little changes in respect to the first installment, and although this earned him numerous reviews, it is a fantastic adventure in every way. And is that if something works, why change it?

18. Last Bronx

– Company: Sega AM3

– Year: 1997

Before we enjoyed the magnificent Virtua Fighter 2, Saturn received another fantastic fighting game in which members of different bands of an alternative future were given cakes using white weapons, similar to what is seen in the Soul Calibur saga. It is also one of the first titles of the genre to use the method of motion capture, so as you can see in the video the animations of the characters enjoy great quality. This version also included a story mode not present in the recreational machine, narrated through animated scenes. As a curiosity, Last Bronx is one of the few in the genre in which the machine uses mocking moves when it gets a good combo. And we hate it for that.

19. Tomb Raider

– Company: Core Design

– Year: 1996

Did you know that the first Tomb Raider was initially designed for Saturn? But the version of PlayStation was the one that obtained greater popularity, causing that its two sequels were transferred directly to the gray one of Sony. Even so the game enjoyed great success in the Sega machine (due, in part, to being sold in a pack next to the console) and kept intact all the elements that made it a legendary game: huge three-dimensional stages , action in abundance (that T-Rex …), deranging puzzles and of course, the charm of one of the most famous heroines in the history of video games: Laura Cruz! Sorry … Lara Croft! And is that at first, the voluptuous archaeologist responded to that name. The only downside that we find the version of Saturn is that it is extremely dark, although perhaps it was something that the programmers deliberately implemented so that we were forced to use a flashlight while we played, in the purest Indiana Jones style.

20. Panzer Dragoon Saga

– Company: Team Andromeda

– Year: 1998

We say goodbye with the one considered by many as the best sega saturn games catalog, the third installment of the Dragon Horse riders’ franchise: Panzer Dragoon Saga. The title surprised both locals and strangers because far from repeating the rail-based shooter approach of the previous two games, it changed to a system more typical of an RPG. And the truth is that the change could not sit better, to the point that some people dare to consider it at the height of 32-bit legends like Final Fantasy VII. The story is set after what happened in the first Panzer Dragoon and puts us in the shoes of Edge, a young boy who unwittingly becomes the only hope of a world ravaged by the oldest of evils. Along the way, you will meet countless allies and enemies, including the charismatic and mysterious Azel. We can explore the terrain on foot or on the back of our winged beast, interact with NPCs, fight battles in real time and earn experience points to evolve our dragon. Come on, it is an adventure with capital letters, only tarnished by our country in the language of Shakespeare. Four discs of pure magic that served as the final trawl for Saturn.