Spotlight
Shining Wisdom #BestOfSaturn
The first Shining game to hit the Saturn, this game started life on the MegaDrive / Genesis – and the visuals show. Still, a nice action RPG with Metroidvania sensibilities…
Articles by Peter Malek
Spotlight
Spotlight
Virtual On #BestOfSaturn
Virtual On is a one-on-one mech game. Faithfully ported to the Saturn from the arcades, the game is best controlled with SEGA’s fantastic Twin Sticks for the authentic arcade experience….
SHIRO Shorts!
SHIRO! Shorts: Heads of Saturn
SHIRO! Shorts is a series of tiny articles focusing on various aspects of the Saturn Universe. SEGA’s North American ads during the Genesis era were edgy and routinely featured various…
Spotlight
Steam-Heart’s #BestOfSaturn
Combining two genres the Saturn is famous for, Steam-Heart’s is a Japan-only shmup featuring various erotic scenes as the game progresses. The world has fallen prey to a virus infecting…
Spotlight
Clockwork Knight #BestOfSaturn
Pepperauchu was SEGA’s first mascot for the Saturn! Play as the titular Clockwork Knight and attempt to rescue Princess Chelsea in this platforming adventure. Solid gameplay, a surprisingly good soundtrack,…
Spotlight
Psychic Assassin Taromarou #BestOfSaturn
Psychic Assassin Taromarou is an intense 2D action game which sees the player battle hordes of fantastic creatures in feudal Japan. Quick, gorgeous, and for up to 2 players, this…
Editorial
Saturn Link-up Play
Let’s Play Together! Reflecting SEGA’s build-anything, arcade-rich 90s heritage, the Saturn boasts a plethora of hardware expansion options that enhance the end-user experience. Complimenting a healthy number of mainstream accessories…
Spotlight
Tryrush Deppy #BestOfSaturn
Tryrush Deppy is an odd side-scroller featuring a cartoon cab trying to make his way in the world. Take control of the little yellow cab and work your way through…
Editorial
Shining Force 3 Begins
When Time Grows Short… 1998 would be remembered as one of the most fertile years for revolutionary gaming experiences… but not, at first glance, for western Saturn fans. With SEGA’s…
Episode
S5E2: Horri-bad Halloween Games
Happy Halloween from all of us here at the SEGA Saturn, Shiro! podcast! 2020 has been a horrible, crazy year, so why not spend the episode talking about horrible, crazy…
Episode
S5E1: Horizontal Shmups
The SEGA Saturn, Shiro! podcast is back, and roaring to open our fifth season! Join the crew on our Season 5 Episode 1 cast for a deep dive into the horizontal…
Editorial
Something Happened in Atlanta in 1996…
The US city of Atlanta played host to the 1996 summer Olympic games, a quadrennial event showcasing the pinnacle of human achievement in a variety of sporting events. This traditional…
Editorial
Secrets of the Floppy Disk Drive
Published July 2020; updated August 2023, June 2024 Show me Door #3! The Floppy Disk Drive remains one of the more obscure, misunderstood, and underdeveloped pieces of SEGA Saturn hardware…
Editorial
Saturn Arrives in the Old World
… and quickly becomes Old News. The story of the Saturn’s launch in Europe isn’t nearly as dramatic as its American counterpart – there were no ‘$299’-style surprises – yet…
Episode
S4E7: SEGA Saturn 25th US Anniversary
The SEGA Saturn, Shiro! podcast is back, in time for the 25th Anniversary of the American Saturn! Can you believe that it’s been a quarter century since we’ve all been playing…
Editorial
Saturn Lands in America!
… and skids off the runway 11 May, 1995 marked the opening day of a brand new, annual industry event – the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3. Here, companies big…
Episode
S4E6: Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo
SEGA Saturn, Shiro! is in the house, and excited to present our latest podcast episode: S4E6, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo! Join us as we cover the latest Saturn news, including updates on forthcoming…
Editorial
Grid Runner
Living off the Grid B-sides. In the days of records and cassettes, these were the lesser, lower-end, ‘secondary’ tracks of an artist’s album. The idea was to have the best…
Episode
S4E4: Sakura Wars Translation Team Interview
SEGA Saturn, Shiro! Is back, and excited to present our latest podcast episode: S4E4, Sakura Wars Translation Team Interview. Join us as we chat with NoahSteam, TrekkiesUnite118, Bowl of Lentils, Crouching Mouse,…
Editorial
The Congo Conundrum
We are now a quarter century past the launch and all-too-brief lifespan of our beloved SEGA Saturn. That’s long enough that, shockingly, there is a cross-section of Saturn fans that…
Editorial
Magic Knight Rayearth: One Last Hurrah
The Glory Days 1998 was simultaneously a grim and a glorious year for the Saturn’s fortunes. In Japan, the machine was going strong with just over 200 titles released during…
Editorial
Exploring the Japanese Saturn Launch
25 years ago, our favorite Japanese gaming giant launched what would end up being its’ most successful console in its’ native market, and it did so with five titles available…
Episode
S4E2: Head for Saturn with Ken Loh
SEGA Saturn, Shiro! presents our latest podcast episode: S4E2, Head for Saturn with Ken Loh. Lots of content in this podcast which features a chat with Mr. Ken Loh. Ken designed the…
Editorial
D – Kenji Eno’s Breakthrough Horror-fest
Initially released in Japan in May 1995 and subsequently in the West, D is renegade studio WARP’s breakout title that put them and their maverick boss Kenji Eno on the…
Community
PRGE 2019 Round-up
Greetings, fellow Saturn aficionados! A quick report on the 2019 edition of the Portland Retro Gaming Expo (PRGE) which took place this October 18-20 at the Oregon Convention Center in…
Episode
S4E1: Realtime Stories with Mr. David Warhol
SEGA Saturn, Shiro! is proud to present our latest podcast episode and the premiere of our fourth season: S4E1, Realtime Stories with Mr. David Warhol. Headlining the podcast is an exclusive interview…
Editorial
Bug! The Green Machine
In the lead-up to the May 1995 release of the Saturn in North America, it became clear that there would be no Sonic game to push sales of the new…
Episode
S3E8: Panzer Dragoon Retrospective
SEGA Saturn, Shiro! is proud to present our latest podcast: S3E8, Panzer Dragoon Retrospective. Headlining the podcast is an exclusive interview with Mr. Benjamin Anseaume, producer of the upcoming Panzer…
Editorial
Panzer Dragoon: The Beginning
Panzer Dragoon. if ever there was a series that was synonymous with the Saturn experience, this is it. Keil Fluge and the dragon begin the journey to the Tower. Panzer…
Editorial
Resident Evil
In 1996 Capcom released what would go to be one of the most influential games of the entire 32-bit generation: Resident Evil. The title garnered immediate praise from critics and…
Community
SaturnDay Game Night!
Playing with others on the Saturn Ah, multiplayer. The staple of today’s gaming. It’s no thought at all to jump online and take on (or work with) players across the…
Editorial
Shanghai: Triple Threat
SEGA Saturn, Shiro! prides itself on providing our fans with coverage of not only the Saturn’s greatest and most memorable, but also the obscure and little-known – especially if the…
News
Retro-bit Controller Review
Packaging: I commend Retro-bit for doing an EXCELLENT job of following the SEGA templates from back in the day. The Saturn boxes are somewhat larger than the original boxes but…
Editorial
The Lost Art of the Video Game Manual
As a youngster, my parents didn’t approve of video games – I got the classic ‘games will rot your brain’ dose of parental sensibility. Getting a Nintendo NES or a…
Editorial
SEGA Ages in the West
Over in Japan, SEGA released a long and successful series of games for the Saturn under their retro SEGA AGES label: these were titles from SEGA’s rich back-catalogue of both…