Editorial
Corpse Killer
The Perfect Halloween Game for those who have already played all the Good Halloween Games The 90s were a highly experimental time in gaming. The advanced power of 5th generation…
Articles by Peter Malek
Editorial
Best Of Saturn
Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster #BestOfSaturn
Released exclusively in Europe in 1997 as a port of the PC original, Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster is a point-and-click adventure. You take on the role of…
Editorial
The Case for Saturn Castlevania
1998 saw Konami undergo a Saturn renaissance of sorts, committing to release several of their bigger PlayStation hits onto SEGA’s machine – including the previous year’s blockbuster Castlevania: Symphony of…
Best Of Saturn
Virtua Fighter Remix #BestOfSaturn
Virtua Fighter Remix was an AM1 attempt to remake the Model 1 original on the ST-V Titan arcade board. This Saturn conversion hit worldwide in mid-1995. Gameplay remains unchanged from…
Best Of Saturn
Gunbird #BestOfSaturn
Gunbird is a Psykio arcade conversion released exclusively in Japan very late in 1995. One or two players choose from five characters and blast their way through this vertical scrolling…
Best Of Saturn
DonPachi #BestOfSaturn
Developed by Cave and hitting the Japanese Saturn courtesy of Atlus in early 1996, DonPachi is a bullet-hell shooter and the first game in the DonPachi series. Select one of…
Best Of Saturn
Johnny Bazookatone #BestOfSaturn
Early 1996 saw Johnny Bazookatone land on the Saturn. A tough little 2D platformer with some run-and-gun elements, it sports pre-rendered visuals that scream “made in the 1990s.” Johnny’s out…
Best Of Saturn
Quarterback Attack with Mike Ditka #BestOfSaturn
November 1995 was bountiful for Digital Pictures fans, as the firm released what would be their entire Saturn catalogue that month — including the peculiar Quarterback Attack. Essentially an FMV…
Best Of Saturn
Nippon Daihyou Team no Kantoku ni Narou! Sekaihatsu Soccer RPG #BestOfSaturn
In mid-1998, SEGA collaborated with Enix to bring you the delightful Soccer RPG: the crossover you never knew you needed. (Full title: Nippon Daihyou Team no Kantoku ni Narou! Sekaihatsu…
Best Of Saturn
Silhouette Mirage #BestOfSaturn
Silhouette Mirage appeared on Japanese Saturns in late 1997 courtesy of fabled software house Treasure. A fast-paced action platformer, the gimmick here is that the heroine possesses traits of both…
Best Of Saturn
Fantastep #BestOfSaturn
April 1997 saw the Japan-only release of Jaleco’s Fantastep, a 3D adventure game featuring 2D sprites. Heavy on the language barrier, the adventure is more of a point-and-click affair and…
Best Of Saturn
Crows: The Battle Action for Segasaturn #BestOfSaturn
Based on a manga (as so many Japanese Saturn titles are), Crows: The Battle Action for Segasaturn is a very late 1997 Japan-only delight. A beat-em-up featuring super-deformed characters, it…
Best Of Saturn
ThunderForce V #BestOfSaturn
Technosoft’s awesome ThunderForce series arrives to 32-bit gaming, with the fifth installment featuring all-new 3D visuals coupled with traditional 2D gameplay. Master your forward and rear shots and take advantage…
Best Of Saturn
Space Invaders #BestOfSaturn
Dating back to 1978 (!), Space Invaders is a simple game of timing as you try to shoot down a horde of invading aliens that are descending ever closer. The…
Best Of Saturn
Fantastic Pinball Kyuutenkai #BestOfSaturn
Developed by Technosoft and released in Japan in the summer of 1995, Fantastic Pinball Kyuutenkai is an anime-based pinball adventure. Select one of three heroes of Flipperland and play pinball…
Best Of Saturn
Strikers 1945 #BestOfSaturn
World War 2 has just ended, but the belligerents must unite against a mysterious new foe known only as C.A.D.Y. Strikers 1945 is the first of the series, receiving a…
Best Of Saturn
Iron Storm #BestOfSaturn
Iron Storm is a World War II battle simulation game that supports the Saturn mouse. Players command armies and participate in various clashes from WW2. The play field is a…
Best Of Saturn
Mortal Kombat Trilogy #BestOfSaturn
The Mortal Kombat craze had crested by the time Mortal Kombat Trilogy came out in 1997, and of course, the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions came out first. Fashionably late…
Best Of Saturn
Riglordsaga 2 #BestOfSaturn
A direct sequel to Mystaria/Blazing Heroes, Riglordsaga 2 never left Japan, sadly. Set years after the events of the original, you play as Mieu and must help a princess escape…
Best Of Saturn
Psychotron #BestOfSaturn
The Psychotron is a 1995 Japan-only port of a 1994 American PC FMV game. The in-game text and original English voices were translated / dubbed, meaning the language barrier is…
Best Of Saturn
Elevator Action Returns #BestOfSaturn
Elevator Action Returns is a game that should have been picked up for Western release. A Ving port of the Taito arcade original, this 2D run-and-gun gem appeared in 1997…
Best Of Saturn
Golden Axe: The Duel #BestOfSaturn
The three 16-bit Golden Axe games were the bee’s knees… so is Saturn Golden Axe: The Duel the cat’s meow? Switching to a 2D 1:1 fighting game, the game retains…
Best Of Saturn
The Lost Vikings: Norse #BestOfSaturn
Sequel to the 16-bit original, The Lost Vikings: Norse by Norsewest is a 2D action platformer featuring prerendered visuals. Here, the player controls three characters and needs to take advantage…
Best Of Saturn
Layer Section 2 (RayStorm) #BestOfSaturn
Playing like its predecessor but making the leap to quasi-3D, Layer Section 2 (a.k.a RayStorm) is the Japan-only sequel to Galactic Attack (a.k.a Layer Section 1 a.k.a. RayForce). The player…
Best Of Saturn
The King of Fighters ’96 #BestOfSaturn
Although only released in Japan, an English language option exists in this SNK port. Making use of the 1MB Cartridge, this is the 2nd of three KoF games on Saturn….
Best Of Saturn
I love Mickey Mouse / I love Donald Duck #BestOfSaturn
SEGA AGES I love Mickey Mouse / I love Donald Duck is a Japan-only SEGA AGES compendium of two Genesis / MegaDrive Disney games, Castle of Illusion and QuackShot. Reproduced…
Best Of Saturn
Bulk Slash #BestOfSaturn
Many of the Saturn’s best games remain locked away in Japan… until they receive the fan translation treatment! Bulk Slash is the hybrid arcade action mech dating simulator you never…
SHIRO! PODCAST
The SEGA Saturn, SHIRO! Podcast Re-Launches!!
We’re BACK!! We here at SHIRO! bring you the many worlds of SEGA Saturn in a bunch of different ways. Whether you tune in every Friday for The SHIRO! Show,…
Best Of Saturn
Doom #BestOfSaturn
Doom… A revolutionary game comes home on Saturn, however, at the insistence of John Carmack, the game is written primarily in software and the result is a low framerate, missing…
Best Of Saturn
Sky Target #BestOfSaturn
Sky Target is an arcade Model 2 experience with a Saturn port released in the first half of 1997. Converted by Appaloosa (Ecco series), the title is like a slow…
Best Of Saturn
Tilk: Girl from the Blue Sea #BestOfSaturn
Move over Fire Emblem! Tilk: Girl from the Blue Sea is a light-hearted tactical RPG that tells the tale of young Billy and his friends’ exploits on the sleepy tropical…
Best Of Saturn
Wing Arms #BestOfSaturn
A seldom-mentioned arcade-style flight game, Wing Arms is set in a fictional timeline shortly following the conclusion of WW2. Fly various planes through six missions that focus on dogfights as…
Best Of Saturn
Alien Trilogy #BestOfSaturn
Alien Trilogy hit the Saturn in mid-1996 to positive reviews. Based on the events of the first three Aliens films, the game is a first-person missions-based shooter. The game features…
Best Of Saturn
F1 Live Information #BestOfSaturn
1995 saw the release of the racing game F1 Live Information in Japan, which was localized as F1 Challenge and released the following year in the West. Licensed by FOCA,…
Best Of Saturn
Sentimental Graffiti #BestOfSaturn
An NEC production, Sentimental Graffiti is a 1998 Japan-only dating sim. As a young man in high school, you receive a mysterious letter that states “I want to meet you”……