News Roundup for the Week of Feb. 27

Check out the smaller stories that happened this week in the Saturn fandom:

Video shows off working SAROO

TZMWX posted a video Wednesday demonstrating a working SAROO, the cartridge with an SD card slot for playing games through the Saturn’s cart slot.

Sega Saturn SAROO test pic.twitter.com/52g7ihLVqA

— TZMWX (@TZMWXdiyer) March 1, 2023

It represents the first proof of concept for the project that began in 2013 and laid dormant until TPunix added new commits to the Github page last month.

In the video, TZMWX compares the load times between the SAROO and an ODE, the Phoebe, with the SAROO loading into a Sega Rally Championship race four seconds faster than the Phoebe.

He also posted a video demonstrating the cartridge’s expanded RAM in which he plays Samurai Shodown IV, a game that requires at least 1 MB in extra RAM to run.

1M EXRAM

Samurai Spirits – Amakusa Kourin (Japan) pic.twitter.com/BcWjgDAMQi

— TZMWX (@TZMWXdiyer) March 2, 2023

The SAROO is an open-source project that can be seen on its Github page.

Tomb Raider mod unearthed

Retro Dad and Modern Lad posted a video Wednesday showing off a mod for the Saturn version of Tomb Raider that few knew existed.

The mod was posted to the Tomb Raider forums in August 2015. It adds new dinosaurs to the game’s third level, The Lost Valley, as well as more ammunition and health packs to survive the additional enemies. You can download it here.

It was converted to work on the Saturn by a person named B122251 having originally been made for the PC in 2004 by GeckoKid. It’s likely the first level mod for the Saturn version of Tomb Raider — unknown to the larger Saturn community until now.

Soul Hackers 2 comes to Game Pass

Microsoft added Soul Hackers 2 to its Game Pass service Tuesday, making it easier for players to access last year’s sequel to an RPG released on the Saturn 25 years prior.

does anybody know where we can find 2 new games available tod- oh wait! pic.twitter.com/oY6G6QEeSX

— Xbox Game Pass (@XboxGamePass) February 28, 2023

Soul Hackers 2 can be played by Game Pass subscribers on both Xbox and Windows PC as well as through the cloud.

While Soul Hackers 2 was the first Shin Megami Tensei game in years to be released for the Xbox, it’s not the first one to hit Game Pass. After it released in August, it was followed two months later by SMT spinoff Persona 5 Royal, which was added to the Game Pass service immediately.

The original Soul Hackers released on the Saturn on Nov. 13, 1997, with a PS1 port coming in April 1999, both exclusive to Japan. An enhanced, localized Nintendo 3DS port launched in the West in 2013.