Best Of Saturn
Sandwiched between the two mainline games, Lunar Magic School is a remake of the Game Gear original, releasing exclusively on Saturn in Japan in late 1997 with obvious audiovisual enhancements….
Best Of Saturn
A hugely important game in Saturn history, 1995’s Virtua Cop was the first of Christmas 1995’s “Big Three” arcade conversions meant to showcase that the Saturn had what it took…
Best Of Saturn
Enix published the graphic adventure Nanatsu Kaze no Shima Monogatari / Tale of the Island of the Seven Winds exclusively on Japanese Saturns in late 1997. With gorgeous hand-drawn visuals,…
Best Of Saturn
Konami’s Parodius saw Saturn release in Japan and in Europe in late 1995 — a planned North American release was ultimately cancelled. A side-scrolling shmup consisting of two older Parodius…
Best Of Saturn
Part of a long-running series of Genki-developed racers, Tokyo Highway Battle ’97 / Shutokou Drift ’97 is a racing game through the streets of Tokyo. Race in six different cars…
Best Of Saturn
First of Capcom’s “vs.” series, X-Men vs. Street Fighter released in Japan in late 1997 to critical acclaim. Utilizing the 4MB expansion cartridge, the game retains nearly all of the…
Best Of Saturn
The 1997 expansion pack to the first Tomb Raider, subtitled Unfinished Business, finally hit Saturn in 2023 courtesy of Retro Raider John. The Atlantis levels pick up from the conclusion…
Best Of Saturn
One of the most acclaimed traditional JRPG games, the SEGA CD remaster of Lunar 2: Eternal Blue hit the Saturn mid-1998 in Japan. While the Goddess Althena sleeps, a mysterious…
Best Of Saturn
Did you know that the folks who brought us Pebble Beach Golf Links developed another four golf games on Saturn?? Their 1997 Japan-only JunClassic C. C. & Rope Club is…
Best Of Saturn
Time Gal and Ninja Hayate is a double-pack of two mid-’80s Taito Laserdisc quick-time event arcade FMV games. Time Gal tells the story of Reika as she tries to stop…
Best Of Saturn
Valhollian hit the Saturn in 1998 courtesy of Datt Japan. A strategy RPG game in the vein of Shining Force III, you take the role of Rey Brightforce and fight…
Best Of Saturn
Best MMA game on Saturn? Step up to Savaki, a mid-1998 Japan-only hidden gem from one-hit wonder studio Cynus. Choose from 14 fighters, each with their own martial art ranging…
Best Of Saturn
An early 1996 Japan-only release, Konami’s Gradius Deluxe Pack features straight conversions of the mid-1980s arcade classics Gradius and Gradius 2. In these side-scrolling shmups, you take control of the…
Best Of Saturn
Sports titles were a huge reason for the success of the Genesis in America, so it was perplexing that the Saturn didn’t follow suit. The system was sorely lacking a…
Best Of Saturn
A bit of a hidden gem, Impact Racing sees you combat-race on large courses, with the condition of winning being not only crossing the finish line in first place, but…
Best Of Saturn
NBA Jam: Tournament Edition “pumped up the Jam” from the title’s first iteration, retaining its progenitor’s 2-on-2 over-the-top, exaggerated arcade-style basketball fun while adding player substitutions, in-game commentary by the…
Best Of Saturn
Compilation games were of varying quality on the Saturn, but Digital Eclipse’s Arcade’s Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1 is one of the best. Six classics: Missile Command, Tempest, Breakout,…
Best Of Saturn
The Psygnosis releases continued with Assault Rigs hitting the Saturn in late 1997, this time only in Japan. Again performing markedly worse compared to the PS1 original, the game features…
Best Of Saturn
SEGA briefly basked in the positive news that Psygnosis games — some of the flashiest early PlayStation exclusives from the Sony-owned studio — were all coming over to Saturn. Then…
Best Of Saturn
G Vector is a 3D, third-person shmup that reminds of games like Space Harrier and Panzer Dragoon. You are equipped with both a standard shot and a lock-on laser, and…
Best Of Saturn
This is the third week in a row showcasing a Saturn shmup, and this time it’s TechnoSoft’s Blast Wind. Released in Japan in January 1997, its limited print run means…
Best Of Saturn
Partly inspired by the ThunderForce series, Hyper Duel is a 1993 TechnoSoft arcade horizontal shmup that got a Japanese Saturn release in late 1996. Man one of the highly experimental…
Best Of Saturn
Based on the Cthulhu mythos created by HP Lovecraft, the 1995 PC and Mac point-and-click Prisoner of Ice got a Japan-only Saturn release at the very end of 1997. Presented…
Best Of Saturn
Based on a very long-running Japanese period drama, Hissatsu! is a side-scrolling action game very much in the vein of the Shinobi series. You and your associates travel from town…
Best Of Saturn
Ohh, what a game. Coming in at a massive eight CDs, the recently fan translation patched Phantasmagoria has you, as writer Adrienne Delaney, solve the mystery of the creepy old…
Best Of Saturn
A Japanese MYST-style point-and-click horror adventure, Horror Tour (Zeddas: Servant of Sheol for the PC and Mac English release) takes place in the maze-like Rodvydel Castle. The castle was taken…
Best Of Saturn
A red label title, the Japan-exclusive Haunted Casino is an odd mix of castle exploration and gambling. You arrive at the haunted casino and must find the gambling rooms —…
Best Of Saturn
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…
Best Of Saturn
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 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
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
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
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
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 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…