I want to start this out with a simple question.
Do you remember where you were 25 years ago?
For me, I was a 5 year old kid, whose only
care in the world was what I was going to
do when I got home from school that day.
What show was I gonna watch once I got off the bus?Would I go over to my cousins house that day? Would I get to play her Sega?
Yeah, that's what all of us called the genesis when I was a kid.
My point is that nowhere in my 5 year old mind did it ever register that 1,700 miles away,
the western world was about to be introduced to a little black box called the Sega Saturn.
And nowhere in that same mind, was there even a thought, that that black box would have such a fundamental effect on my life 25 years later.
For many, the Saturn is nothing more than
another example of a failed console.
One of many from a company that has become ubiquitous with Sonic, and not much else.
And considering its rough start, that’s completely understandable.
It’s North American launch has become little
more than the opener for one of the greatest mic drops in gaming history.
The library of games available to western markets, has always been dwarfed by its Japanese counterpart.
And many of its western releases aren’t
much more than shovel ware or inferior ports from its competition.
The quad based 3D graphics
utilized by the console were rejected by gaming
developers of the time, and have since become
a footnote in gaming development history.
In almost every respect, any outsider would
be hard pressed to make the case for why anyone
would want to own it today, let alone play
any number of games on it. But with all that
But with all that said, just do a simple google or YouTube search for the Sega Saturn today, and you’ll be
flooded with a flurry of articles and videos. Why it failed, what games to collect,
It’s many hidden gems, unreleased prototypes, and the list goes on.
So how did this failed console, belittled by so many, and overshadowed by its forebearer and successor,
gain the notoriety it has today?
Well for that, we have to go
back.
See, Sega was in a position they were very fond of in May of 95.
Once again they would have the chance to beat their main rival, Nintendo, out of the gate in this new 32 bit generation.
But unlike the late 80’s, there
was a new competitor on the stage.
We can all look back now, and see that Sony was pushing the 32 bit generation,
and 3D graphics respectively, to a level that none of its competition could even touch.
The combination of triangular polygons, cd based media, and a wealth of third party developers,
pushed the playstation to the forefront of many a gamer’s mind.
This placed Sega in the position of relying on console exclusives,
which were almost exclusively
made in house by its many internal development teams.
But those very same exclusives, coupled
with Sega’s history of bringing the arcade
home and the consoles architecture itself,
are truly what has kept this console alive
in the hearts and minds of so many for so
long.
The 32 bit era was easily one of the greatest
for experimentation when it came to game design.
Old school gamers, who had long hoped to play
one for one copies of their arcade favorites
at home, were finally able to do so. A new
generation, not held down by the legend of
those very same arcades, were able to explore
new worlds and craft their own stories in
many an rpg or adventure game. That generation
has become so iconic to so many of us, because
it was the point where the purpose of gaming
shifted. It wasn’t enough to just get a
high score or a best time. What we wanted
were experiences, and the Saturn had plenty
of those to give to those lucky few who owned
one. We took to the skies of a ruined world
in Panzer Dragoon, perfected our drifting
skills in Sega Rally. We conquered kingdoms
in Dragon Force, took the field of battle
piloting metal clad behemoths. We fought off
invisible foes in the darkness of space, battled
fires in our attempts to save others, facing
off against unspeakable horrors in the depths
of the ocean. And we spent hours perfecting
our skills alone, all so that we could defeat
our friends when they came over. The list
of experiences that we saturn owners have
is not filled with playstation ports, but
rather stories exclusive to the hardware,
and its arcade perfection.
And had it not been for the many mistakes Sega and it’s
executives had made, there may have been countless
more stories to make it to our shores. For
those who have ever wondered why the Saturn
failed, it failed because of Sega themselves.
For while the words, “The Saturn is not
our future” have been ingrained in the annals
of history, the community that exists today
serves as testament, that those words were
wrong.
For 20 plus years, we, the die hard fans,
have kept it’s fire alive. While the Dreamcast
made it’s debut, we consistently booted
up the old workhouse. As Sega left the console
market, we created blogs dedicated to its
history. Trying our damndest to let others
live vicariously through our reviews and personal
stories. We enticed readers from across the
globe with its 2D prowess, and the beauty
of its forgotten 3D. We’ve banded together
across countless Facebook groups and Discord
servers. Sharing tips on how to collect, what
games to pick up, and introducing new games
to one another. Through podcasts, we’ve
forged bonds with others in the community,
who we would have never had the opportunity
to meet otherwise. And with the dawn of the
youtube era, we have made our greatest impact.
Countless channels, all with a face and a
voice behind them. These thousands of videos
across this platform have taught others how
to mod their consoles, what games they’ve
surely missed. How to install patches for
fan translated games. Walkthroughs, let’s
plays, deep dives, unreleased prototypes,
and our very own personal memories with the
machine. The medium of video has afforded
countless numbers of gamers the chance to
see what they and so many others had missed.
Whether they had chosen a different platform
during that era, they hadn’t been born yet,
or even those who had never heard of the console
all together.
And through those very outlets, we have shown
the world that a dedicated few have continued
to support the hardware and its many games.
The indie programmers, who have not only brought
us fan translations from the Saturn’s vast
Japanese library, but who have also pushed
Saturn emulation to its current state. Allowing
those without real hardware, the opportunity
to play the many great exclusives this console
has to offer. The creators of its numerous
ODE’s, mod chips, and the Pseudo Saturn
program. Companies like retro bit, who have
created modern controllers. The numerous artists
creating North American and PAL renditions
of games that never made it to those respective
regions. Proving 20 years later that these
games were desired by western audiences. There’s
even members creating brand new games for
the console a quarter of a century later.
The amount of dedication shown by this growing
community is mind boggling in absolutely every
respect.
So with all that said, we’ve come back to
the question. How did this failed console
gain the notoriety and status it has today?
The simple answer is simple, you.
Every time you search Sega Saturn, every time you write a post about it, every time you create a video
concerning it, you show the world that its
fire still blazes. We, this community, for
20 plus years, have shown through our dedication
to this little black box, the friendships
we’ve forged, and the memories that we’veve
shared with countless others across the globe,
that Bernie Stolar was wrong. For while the
Saturn may not have been Sega’s future...
The Saturn was our Future
The Saturn was our Future
Sam I ain't the foggiest  idea what you're using these for,
But the Saturn was our Future
The Saturn was our Future
The Saturn was our Future
Sorry Bernie, The Saturn was our Future
The Saturn was our Future
The Saturn was our Future
And it still is!
