Since it’s rushed American release, the
Sega Saturn has been a misunderstood system.
However, as each year passes it seems more
and more folks have really begun to appreciate
the hardware.
Whether you are into 90’s style arcade classics
or hardcore sprite-based games, the Saturn
library is deep and filled with some fantastic
gaming experiences.
So on today’s episode of 5 Games, I present
5 Great, Sega Saturn Games.
Darius Gaiden is a shmup developed by Taito
and does a great job showcasing the awesome
sprite capabilities of the Sega Saturn.
The game is simply stunning with beautiful
hand drawn visuals, detailed backgrounds,
and a screen brimming with action at nearly
all times.
The gameplay itself is classic Darius, with
the tried and true Silver Hawk returning to
take on an alien army with a distinct oceanic
flair.
Power ups allow you to upgrade your main shot,
and secondary shot, while a massive bomb forms
a black hole sucking in all enemy projectiles
and most smaller enemies.
The controls are responsive making Darius
Gaiden really easy to get into.
Darius Gaiden is also hard as nails, and I
have yet to graduate from the easy mode.
Still, if you like old school shmups that
demand you not only dodge bullets, but also
shoot down enemies, it doesn’t get much
better than this.
The classic shield, smooth frame rate, unique
soundtrack blending dance and techno with
80’s synth and a touch of opera, and the
fact this was released in America, are icing
on the cake.
The Sega Saturn was made for games like Darius
Gaiden, and I highly recommend it.
The Sega Saturn also marked the awkward time
when Sega had no idea how to bring Sonic into
the third dimension.
In my opinion, Sonic R does an admirable job
capturing the spirit of Sonic, blending together
platforming and racing into a fun little game.
These days, Sonic R is probably most famous
for it’s soundtrack.
Each song has is bright and poppy feel to
it, and do a great job capturing the energy
of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Additionally, each song has a vocal track,
with british singer TJ Davis belting out some
truly memorable lyrics.
The music isn’t for everyone, and you can
listen to the soundtrack with the vocals turned
off, but I can’t help but love it.
The gameplay is also controversial for some.
The controls are somewhat slippery, and don’t
really feel like a traditional kart racer,
nor does it feel like a platformer.
There is a learning curve for sure, but the
reward is some really awesome track designs.
Seriously, these five courses manage to feel
like intricate 3D platforming levels with
plenty of hidden secrets to find and objectives
to complete, and genuine race tracks, all
at the same time.
It really is remarkable.
Sonic R is rather beautiful.
The frame rate is fairly smooth and the texture
work is some of the best on the system.
The backgrounds even fade in, helping to hide
some of the pop-up inherent to this generation
of 3D games.
While Sonic R isn’t for everyone, it is
still on of my favorites on the Saturn, and
an interesting footnote in the history of
Sonic.
Astal is an early Saturn game developed by
Sega, and I get the feeling this is where
Sega thought gaming was headed when they developed
the Saturn hardware.
The visuals are absolutely gorgeous with the
backgrounds having a painting like quality
to them, and the rest of the sprite work not
far behind.
The gameplay is also strong.
Our hero Astal has a variety of moves at his
disposal.
He can grab onto enemies and launch them into
other enemies, he can jump and pound them
with his fists, and finally, suck in air,
and then exhale like a projectile weapon.
He also has a bird friend that can bring you
fruit to replenish your life bar, and even
attack enemies himself.
When I first played Astal, I liked the game,
but wasn’t blown away.
However, every time I revisit the game I appreciate
it a little more.
The level design works well with Astal’s
walking, running, and jumping, making platforming
quite fun.
Additionally, enemy placement is top notch,
and works well with Astal’s arsenal of attacks.
It really is a well-crafted game.
Rounding out the package is a terrific soundtrack.
Each piece is whimsical and fits the action
on the screen perfectly, with a new age, yet
classical vibe.
Again, if you’re looking for a game that
screams Saturn, look no further than Astal.
Digital Pinball: Last Gladiators is a digital
pinball game from Kaze.
Of all the retro digital pinball games I’ve
played over the years, Last Gladiators is
easily my favorite.
The game is incredibly accessible for novice
pinball players like myself.
Everything is clearly laid out, with on-screen
queues telling you what to aim for to unlock
modes, and on screen queues telling you what
the different mode are.
There is even a help screen explaining what
everything on the playfield is called, and
detailed explanations of what everything does.
My appreciation for pinball, both digital
and real life, is all thanks to the care Kaze
put into Digital Pinball: Last Gladiators.
However, more important than friendly help
screens is the gameplay.
The pinball itself moves around in a realistic
and predictable way, and the flipper physics
feel terrific.
The four tables themselves are arguably basic,
but I do appreciate how everything fits into
a single semi-realistic view, and each and
every item on the table is crisp and clear.
It won’t take long before you figure out
how to enable multi-ball and start racking
up massive jackpots.
Last Gladiators is also technically impressive.
The high-res 480i visuals are stunning, and
it’s amazing to think this level of fidelity
can be found on a home console released in
1994.
And of course, the rock soundtrack is amazing,
with a heavy emphasis on guitar and really
adds to the overall experience.
If you’re looking for something different
for the Saturn, give Digital Pinball: Last
Gladiators a try, you might be surprised.
Jumping back to the third dimension, we have
Sega Rally Championship.
This is without a doubt my favorite game on
the system, and one of the very best racing
games of all time.
The greatness starts with the controls.
Even with the limitations of the d-pad, drifting
around turns feels buttery smooth and the
immediacy of your input, and the car reacting,
is something many modern racing games still
don’t get right.
Next, the track designs are fantastic.
An unrivaled level of care was put into every
single turn, straightaway, and elevation change,
making for some of the funnest driving sequences
one can find.
This is necessary to, as Sega Rally Championship
has just three tracks, plus a hidden one if
you come in first place after the first three.
There is also a third unlockable car.
Yeah, Sega Rally doesn’t have much content,
but it really doesn’t matter.
Beating the game on the normal difficulty
is incredibly challenging, and when you have
tracks this good, and controls this smooth,
replaying the game over and over isn’t tedious,
but an absolute blast.
Sega’s trademark 90’s style is everywhere
as well.
The graphics are bright and colorful, and
while the low polygon count and pop-up didn’t
light the world on fire when this was new,
the overall style has aged remarkably well
and I find the graphics quite appealing.
Sega Rally’s audio is also over the top.
The replays in particular have an abundance
of weird vocals, making you actually want
to watch the replays.
I just can’t say enough about Sega Rally
Championship.
While Astal and Darius Gaiden capture the
2D magic of the Saturn, Sega Rally perfectly
captures Sega’s arcade prowess.
Without a doubt, this is a must-own.
So there you have it, 5 great games for the
Sega Saturn.
Now, this is not a definitive list, nor is
it intended to be a best-of, and the Saturn
has far far more than 5 great games, so be
sure to leave a comment and let me know which
Saturn games, you enjoy.
