Best Of Saturn
Panzer Dragoon #BestOfSaturnGold
It began on the wings of an armored blue dragon… the Panzer Dragoon series is perhaps the premier Saturn franchise, helping launch the system in the West with the first…
Articles by Peter Malek
Best Of Saturn
Best Of Saturn
Tokyo Shadow #BestOfSaturn
Taito’s 1996 release Tokyo Shadow is a cool mix of FMV and graphic adventure. You are Hide, and along with your girlfriend Kyoko, you are investigating a supernatural lightning strike…
Best Of Saturn
Exciting Slot Shooting #BestOfSaturn
Exciting Slot Shooting is a curious game, fusing top-down shooting with… a slot machine component! Looking like a Technicolor reverse Space Invaders, different colored monsters are released in waves from…
Best Of Saturn
X Japan Virtual Shock 001 #BestOfSaturn
Published by SEGA and released in late 1995, X Japan Virtual Shock 001 can best be described as an FMV walking simulator where the player takes on the role of…
Best Of Saturn
Deep Fear #BestOfSaturnSilver
Something mysterious has fallen from space and crashed into the Pacific, near the underwater military research facility the Big Table. As a member of the Emergency Rescue Service, you take…
Best Of Saturn
Nekketsu Oyako #BestOfSaturn
A 1995 side-scrolling beat-em-up courtesy of Technosoft, Nekketsu Oyako (roughly, Hot Blooded Family) is a colorful one- to two-player affair. Family matriarch and scientist Saeko has been captured — take…
Best Of Saturn
Simulation RPG Creator #BestOfSaturn
Fall 1998 saw the release of Simulation RPG Creator, a build-your-own-SRPG program that allowed aspiring gamers to develop their own Ogre Battle or Final Fantasy Tactics epic. The game is…
Best Of Saturn
Dezaemon 2 #BestOfSaturn
A late 1997 release, Athena’s Dezaemon 2 is a shmup-builder. Although it features some pre-built levels, the game’s focus is to allow players to put together the shmup of their…
Best Of Saturn
Vampire Savior #BestOfSaturn
Capcom’s Saturn development was among the very best, and one of their finest examples is Vampire Savior — an excellent port of their third Darkstalkers game. Released in Japan in…
Best Of Saturn
Dragon Force #BestOfSaturnGold
Developed by J-Force and by SEGA Japan and releasing worldwide in 1996, Dragon Force immediately became a juggernaut Saturn game, earning great contemporary reviews and awards and truly showcasing the…
Best Of Saturn
AnEarth Fantasy Stories #BestOfSaturn
MediaWorks’ 1995 PC Engine game AnEarth Fantasy Stories got a straightforward Saturn port in March 1997. A role-playing game focused more on exploration and puzzle solving than combat, it begins…
Best Of Saturn
Groove On Fight #BestOfSaturn
Atlus developed Groove On Fight for the ST-V Titan arcade board in 1997, which meant a near-flawless Saturn conversion followed suit. A 2D fighter featuring teams of two that can…
Best Of Saturn
Christmas NiGHTS #BestOfSaturnGold
Ho ho ho! SEGA was the ultimate innovating force in the business for many years, and what finer way to reward their loyal fans than to release a completely free,…
Best Of Saturn
Virtua Fighter 2 #BestOfSaturnGold
Virtua Fighter 2 — perennially on Saturn Top 5 all-time lists, this superb arcade conversion hit in late 1995 and helped redefine what the Saturn was capable of. Very aware…
Best Of Saturn
Godzilla: Shock on the Archipelago #BestOfSaturn
Developed by Scarab and published by SEGA exclusively in Japan in December 1995, Godzilla: Shock on the Archipelago is a real-time strategy game. You control the Japanese defense forces and…
Best Of Saturn
Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? #BestOfSaturn
The 1980s were a golden age for anime in Japan, with Super Dimension Fortress Macross standing amongst the greats with a tale of aliens attacking a futuristic Earth. The Saturn…
Best Of Saturn
Asuka 120% Burning Festival Limited #BestOfSaturn
A 1997 2D beat-em-up, Asuka 120% Burning Festival Limited is set at an all-girls school in Japan. Here, students represent various clubs and factions, and compete in a martial arts…
Best Of Saturn
Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus #BestOfSaturn
Shmup fans are well-catered to on the Saturn, having access to fresh titles as well as compilations of past-generation games. Enter Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus: Salamander (1987), LifeForce (the 1988…
Best Of Saturn
Sega Rally Championship #BestOfSaturnGold
Frequently rated amongst the Saturn’s greatest titles, 1995’s SEGA Rally Championship hit the system with a mission — to show the world that the Saturn can competently handle 3D graphics….
Review
Returning to Resident Evil in 2024
Long-time readers may be aware that my very first foray into the original Resident Evil occurred in 2019, with no prior experience. Playing through the game as Jill Valentine, I…
Best Of Saturn
CrimeWave #BestOfSaturn
Eidos’ first foray into Saturn development, 1996’s CrimeWave is a vehicular combat game viewed from an overhead perspective. The streets of Mekeo City are overrun with crime and it’s your…
Best Of Saturn
Aquazone Desktop Life #BestOfSaturn
Nowadays we take some types of games for granted as simple freeware or shareware, but in the Saturn’s heyday, they were full-fledged standalone releases. Aquazone could perhaps fall into this…
Best Of Saturn
Minnesota Fats Pool Legend #BestOfSaturn
Every legend needs a hero… and perhaps after Craig Stadler, the next biggest Saturn sports hero is Minnesota Fats himself! Minnesota Fats Pool Legend is a 1995 Data East release…
Best Of Saturn
The Legend of Oasis #BestOfSaturnSilver
An action-adventure with a good dose of Metroidvania sensibilities and a touch of RPG trappings, the Story of Thor 2/The Legend of Oasis landed as a 1996 sleeper hit. Join…
Best Of Saturn
Voice Fantasia #BestOfSaturn
1997’s Voice Fantasia is perhaps best described as a minigame-driven RPG-like hodgepodge title reliant on copious voice acting as its main draw. In the game, three crazy girls must use…
Best Of Saturn
K1 Fighting Illusion #BestOfSaturn
Developed in 1997 by Daft and published by Xing, K1 Fighting Illusion is a martial arts-type game and one of three K1-based Saturn titles in Japan. Select from 12 fighters…
Best Of Saturn
Transport Tycoon #BestOfSaturn
Transport Tycoon is a mid-’90s PC business sim that made its way over to the Saturn in Japan. Looking very much like Sim City 2000 with its isometric viewpoint, here…
Best Of Saturn
Virtua Cop 2 #BestOfSaturnGold
Virtua Cop 2 kicks off our sixth year of the #BestOfSaturn series in style — and introduces our all-new Gold and Silver hashtags! Once a month we will showcase a…
Best Of Saturn
Senken Kigyouden #BestOfSaturn
Senken Kigyouden — a.k.a. “Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan” in Chinese or “The Legend of Sword and Fairy” in English — is a 1999 Saturn conversion of a 1995 DOS…
Best Of Saturn
Choro Q Park #BestOfSaturn
Takara’s early 1998 release of Choro Q Park finally saw the Penny Racers brand hit the Saturn after multiple entries on the PlayStation and even a Nintendo 64 game. This…
Best Of Saturn
Zero 4 Champ Doozy-J Type-R #BestOfSaturn
Zero 4 Champ Doozy-J Type-R is a drag racing game with a story mode. Meet other characters, find/buy/update your car with new and improved parts, and go win those races!…
Best Of Saturn
Edo City Renaissance #BestOfSaturn
Ever wish that Sim City 2000 was Sim City 1600? Step up to Edo City Renaissance, a town management sim set during the Edo period in Japan. Speak with important…
Best Of Saturn
Willy Wombat #BestOfSaturn
A total curiosity, Hudson’s Willy Wombat materialized in mid-1997. A 3D-ish action adventure game, you control the wombat across various landscapes, collecting gems as you go. The best way to…
Best Of Saturn
Densha De Go! EX #BestOfSaturn
Proving yet again that gaming was a far more serious affair in Japan, Densha De Go! EX, a train conductor simulator arcade conversion, hit Japanese Saturns in late 1998. Playable…
Best Of Saturn
Taito Chase HQ Plus SCI #BestOfSaturn
Taito released the two-game compilation Chase HQ (1988) and Special Criminal Investigation (SCI, 1989) for Japanese Saturns in 1996. Fairly frills-free, these straightforward coin-op conversions have you chase criminal cars…