Posts

Reviewing the Sega Saturn

-
Image
With the release of the 5th generation of consoles, video games leaped into a new dimension. 3D games were now fully possible, and 2D games were viewed as technically regressive, often being lampooned as such in much of the gaming press. Not fully committing to that trend, Sega released the Sega Saturn as a console capable of great 2D graphics but only middling 3D. Of the three major consoles in that generation, the Sega Saturn was the lowest seller, and it is widely considered the weakest of the three. Anecdotally, I didn't see many people playing or owning the Saturn, nor did I see its games sold in any stores. Personally, I had both a PS1 and an N64, so I never played a Saturn game before starting this review series. Now that I have played over 30 Sega Saturn games, culminating in choosing a top 10 list that was honestly harder to fill than any other console before it, I feel I am qualified enough to review the console as a whole. Biggest Strengths: 2D Graphics: The Sega Satu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saturn REVIEWS: The Top 10 Saturn Games

-
Image
Now that I have completed my Sega Saturn reviews series (reviewing around 30 games and playing over 50 games), I am ready to make my own Top 10 games list. My top 10 is widely different from Retro Sanctuary's list, with only three games being in common between the two lists. Generally, I consider any console that has 10 great games to be one worth owning. Based on my reviews of many Saturn games, I actually struggled to compile a top 10 list for the console, not for an abundance of options. Still, this list contains 10 games that are worth playing even today. Ironically, my list probably doesn't reflect the kinds of games the Saturn is most famous for, since I am not a big fan of the content-light Arcade ports that Sega pushed the hardest for the console. Also, since many of the Saturn's "best" games were never ported West, this list may actually miss some games that would otherwise get in. The list is presented in alphabetical order, but Panz...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saturn REVIEWS Report: 10-1

-
Image
Finally, we are down to the supposedly top 10 Sega Saturn games. At least, this is the top 10 according to the Retro Sanctuary list I have been using all this time. Since I already played enough Saturn games to make my own top 10 list, I cannot say that I agree with this selection, but that's going to be the subject of my own top 10 list. To be fair to Retro Sanctuary's selection, the games here are important from a historical perspective regarding the console as a whole. There are two major Arcade ports of famous Sega games ( Virtua Fighter 2 and Sega Rally) , two games in the mythical Panzer Dragoon series, and the obligatory Japan-only 2D games (a fighting game and a Shmup). Then there is NiGHTS Into Dreams , the biggest-selling game on the console. Yet, the inclusion of three 3D games, all of which have significantly superior ports in other consoles, significantly devalues this list. Especially when you consider the fact that pushes Shining Force III from the top 10. W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saturn REVIEWS: Panzer Dragoon Saga

-
Image
Few games in the Sega Saturn library have the almost mythical reputation of Panzer Dragoon Saga , an ambitious RPG game that arrived in the latter stages of the console's life and consequently didn't get as much attention as it deserved. Typically, an original copy of the game sells for over a thousand dollars these days. When you start the game, you immediately figure out that Team Andromeda had huge ambitions for it. Filling four discs and featuring fully voiced dialogue, the game aimed to be a cinematic masterpiece. Additionally, the world that the team crafted over the two previous Rail Shooter Panzer Dragoon games was to be expanded upon with this one, even featuring an invented language in the opening scenes. The result is probably one of the most ambitious games in the 5th generation of consoles, and while some aspects didn't age gracefully, that wasn't enough to hide the masterpiece this game was made to be. 1: Panzer Dragoon Saga: Year: 1998. Genre: RPG. Publ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saturn REVIEWS: Panzer Dragoon II Zwei

-
Image
The Panzer Dragoon series is considered the most legendary and most technically impressive series on the Sega Saturn. Starting with the first game, which was just remade for modern consoles, I didn't get the appeal, although I respect the technical artistry of the past. The first game simply didn't play well, in addition to having a significantly aged graphical look. Not having much hope for the supposedly superior sequel, I was then pleasantly surprised that it truly deserves its esteemed reputation. It outclasses the first game in every category, and it is still fun to play now. 4: Panzer Dragoon II Zwei: Year: 1996. Genre: Rail Shooter. Publisher: Sega. Developer: Team Andromeda (Sega).
Post a Comment
Read more

Saturn REVIEWS: NiGHTS into Dream

-
Image
It is frankly surprising that Sega did not launch the Saturn with a Sonic the Hedgehog game. It becomes scandalous when you realize that the only Sonic game made for the console was outsourced to another company that naturally botched the job. The reason that Sega did not bother developing a game for their biggest mascot is that the Sonic Team was making NiGHTS into Dreams , a game that would then go on to be a commercial and critical success. Yet, in hindsight, while Sonic heralded the unlikely success of the Genesis, NiGHTS had no such effect on the fortunes of the Saturn. More importantly to this review, I don't think the game was ever a true killer game for the Saturn. 5: NiGHTS into Dream: Year: 1996. Genre: Action. Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sonic Team
Post a Comment
Read more

Studio Ghibli Thoughts: The Cat Returns

-
Image
  The Cat Returns is an anomaly among Studio Ghibli films for being the only “sequel” to a previous movie, being a successor of sorts to Whisper of the Heart . True, other than starring a secondary character in that movie, the Baron statue coming to life, it isn’t exactly a direct successor, but it does have more than a surface connection to that movie other than the fact this is yet another Ghibli movie not directed by the studio’s main directors, with Hiroyuki Morita directing a Ghibli movie for the first and last time. Although it isn’t mentioned in the movie itself, it is important to know that the story was written by the author of Whisper of the Heart as if it were written by Shizuku Tsukishima, the main character of that movie, who wanted to become an author. It's important because of some similar themes of the main girl trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs. Haru Yoshioka is a very ordinary, but slightly lost, high school girl who saves a magical cat from ...
Post a Comment
Read more