Sega Saturn Games Ranked
Nothing here!
27 Games
It's worth noting first that Rayman rewards mastery. The best way to play Rayman is to run a level all the way through, noting at each death why you died and how you can undo a death there, and then once you complete the level, reboot and try again with as little deaths as possible, saving after every satisfying runthrough. It sounds kind of tedious (and it is) but I cannot express just how exciting it is to finally champion a hard ass level on one life. There's just something wonderful about learning each obstacle and chaining all your gained knowledge together for one perfect run. Yes, Rayman is not a game you speed through in an afternoon, but rather a game you're supposed to sit with and think through for weeks.
I completely understand the mixed reception it's gotten as of now. Rayman is often frustrating and occasionally unfair. Being forced to find every electoon cage just to beat the game is annoying. But personally, I can't for the life of me call this a bad game. Despite frustrating segments, the cartoony visuals keep you smiling and laughing and the wonderfully atmospheric music always sooths you out of the rage (after all, this is not a game to be challenged with rage clouding your judgements and your playing ability).
Rayman is by no means perfect, and certainly has plenty of glaring flaws, but I loved every minute of it. Even if I'm still in the early Saturn releases (still going through games that were supposed to be launch titles), I can confidently say this is one of the Saturn's best games, and I'm sure this will remain one of my personal favorites.
9/10
I completely understand the mixed reception it's gotten as of now. Rayman is often frustrating and occasionally unfair. Being forced to find every electoon cage just to beat the game is annoying. But personally, I can't for the life of me call this a bad game. Despite frustrating segments, the cartoony visuals keep you smiling and laughing and the wonderfully atmospheric music always sooths you out of the rage (after all, this is not a game to be challenged with rage clouding your judgements and your playing ability).
Rayman is by no means perfect, and certainly has plenty of glaring flaws, but I loved every minute of it. Even if I'm still in the early Saturn releases (still going through games that were supposed to be launch titles), I can confidently say this is one of the Saturn's best games, and I'm sure this will remain one of my personal favorites.
9/10
1
As of writing this I have yet to beat episode 5, though I have gotten close. I'm completely new to this game so I still have some learning to do. Though, with this experience I can say confidently that this is something incredible. This is a phenomenal arcade rail shooter, feeling like an evolution of After Burner, which I enjoy a lot but have a hard time actually playing. This was more comfortable yet also equally as challenging when you get farther in.
I really commend this game for its difficulty balance. the first 3 stages are easy conistantly up the challenge, giving you more opprotunities to learn how the game works and develop your skill for the jump in difficulty with episode 4. It's tough and really disorienting at a first play, but you very quickly develop strategies, understanding when to use your single shots and when to use your lock ons. Hell, the fact that there's points to use the single shots over lock ons really shows that this is a well thought-out game.
Even though restarting an entire level can be a hassle when you get so close to the end, it really isn't that frustrating because this game is just that fun, just that thrilling to go through, and each time I go through it again I find myself performing better than the last time.
Like many of my favorite video games, Panzer Dragoon is tough but fair. With its toughness is excitement, and with failure comes a strong desire to try again. It's addictive and never a bore. This is a must-have Saturn title, definitely the launch's killer app (saying a lot against the already wonderful Daytona USA)
9/10
I really commend this game for its difficulty balance. the first 3 stages are easy conistantly up the challenge, giving you more opprotunities to learn how the game works and develop your skill for the jump in difficulty with episode 4. It's tough and really disorienting at a first play, but you very quickly develop strategies, understanding when to use your single shots and when to use your lock ons. Hell, the fact that there's points to use the single shots over lock ons really shows that this is a well thought-out game.
Even though restarting an entire level can be a hassle when you get so close to the end, it really isn't that frustrating because this game is just that fun, just that thrilling to go through, and each time I go through it again I find myself performing better than the last time.
Like many of my favorite video games, Panzer Dragoon is tough but fair. With its toughness is excitement, and with failure comes a strong desire to try again. It's addictive and never a bore. This is a must-have Saturn title, definitely the launch's killer app (saying a lot against the already wonderful Daytona USA)
9/10
2
Daytona USA is just so fucking fun, man. I don't have a whole lot to really add to that, honestly. It just feels perfect whenever I play it and even though I eat shit all the time on the harder turns, I'm constantly motivated to try it again because the whole thing is just so much fun. Nailing a tough turn and blasting through at top speed is truly a feeling you can struggle to capture in modern racers.
Though, I won't act like this is some perfect port. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to notice that this port is a severe graphical downgrade. Usually it's not that big of a deal because it generally plays like the arcade cabinet, but sometimes it does effect the playing experience with lag and lower frame-rates. Also, I just kind of think the pop-in is ugly. However, that's about it when it comes to big flaws.
The soundtrack is also surprisingly better than the arcade game. Since the game is on a disc, it can do these songs more naturally compared to the arcade game which had to deliver its vocals through a string of samples. The arcade game's samples are charming, but I do think this is better overall.
This is a must-have, must-play Sega Saturn title. It has its evident failings, but at its heart, it's a wonderful arcade port that you'll gladly sink hours into. This is a perfect boredom killer. Never a dull moment.
8/10
Though, I won't act like this is some perfect port. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to notice that this port is a severe graphical downgrade. Usually it's not that big of a deal because it generally plays like the arcade cabinet, but sometimes it does effect the playing experience with lag and lower frame-rates. Also, I just kind of think the pop-in is ugly. However, that's about it when it comes to big flaws.
The soundtrack is also surprisingly better than the arcade game. Since the game is on a disc, it can do these songs more naturally compared to the arcade game which had to deliver its vocals through a string of samples. The arcade game's samples are charming, but I do think this is better overall.
This is a must-have, must-play Sega Saturn title. It has its evident failings, but at its heart, it's a wonderful arcade port that you'll gladly sink hours into. This is a perfect boredom killer. Never a dull moment.
8/10
3
It's truly unfortunate that this game so overlooked nowadays. I mean, I kind of understand it to an extent. There's some poorly designed segments later on. The digitized graphics are a serious step down compared to Shinobi 3, and you could do so much more with the Saturn for a shinobi game with Shinobi 3 as context. It plays completely differently to Revenge of Shinobi and Shinobi 3. I think that's the main reason this game isn't remembered as fondly. Saturn owners would have expected a game that played more like the genesis titles and looked as impressive, and that's not what they got. Indeed, this game does pale in comparison. However, standing on its own, this is a great action game.
This game focuses more on your sword rather than your shuriken, and thankfully the swordplay has plenty of depth. You have quite a lot of different options, like double jump screw attacks, 2 different air swings, deflecting projectiles back at your opponents, blocking, dash attacks, you name it. It's not exactly like the genesis games, but there's still the focus on tempering your own skills against tough opponents and levels.
Unfortunately there definitely are bad levels. I stopped playing at stage 7, which has you jumping from boat to boat against ninjas that can easily knock you in the drink. It's usually fine because you can block, but sometimes a ninja would pop up mid-jump and knock you in after a big jump, and I think that's just horrible.
Though, I did enjoy pretty much every other level. The cave level was a little annoying to get used to but the level sprinkles you with blue orbs (10 give you an extra life) so its a little balanced out. Additionally it's followed up by a super fun elevator section.
So I guess to sum it up, no, this is not nearly as good as the genesis shinobi games, but that doesn't mean this is a bad action game. I really enjoyed my time with it, and will continue to play it in the future. Definitely grab this one if you can (try to play the European version, Shinobi X, if you can. It has a soundtrack more in style with revenge of shinobi).
7/10
This game focuses more on your sword rather than your shuriken, and thankfully the swordplay has plenty of depth. You have quite a lot of different options, like double jump screw attacks, 2 different air swings, deflecting projectiles back at your opponents, blocking, dash attacks, you name it. It's not exactly like the genesis games, but there's still the focus on tempering your own skills against tough opponents and levels.
Unfortunately there definitely are bad levels. I stopped playing at stage 7, which has you jumping from boat to boat against ninjas that can easily knock you in the drink. It's usually fine because you can block, but sometimes a ninja would pop up mid-jump and knock you in after a big jump, and I think that's just horrible.
Though, I did enjoy pretty much every other level. The cave level was a little annoying to get used to but the level sprinkles you with blue orbs (10 give you an extra life) so its a little balanced out. Additionally it's followed up by a super fun elevator section.
So I guess to sum it up, no, this is not nearly as good as the genesis shinobi games, but that doesn't mean this is a bad action game. I really enjoyed my time with it, and will continue to play it in the future. Definitely grab this one if you can (try to play the European version, Shinobi X, if you can. It has a soundtrack more in style with revenge of shinobi).
7/10
4
Astal's pros are definitely evident upon starting it up. The art style is gorgeous and the music is wonderful. Even if the controls don't feel perfect and some of the later parts of the game feel oddly difficult and frustrating, the graphics and music mix for a wonderfully calming vibe. It's a game that really shows the wonderful 2D power the Saturn had, a power which seemingly went overlooked at the time due to the push for 3D experiences.
But the game isn't perfect. As stated, the controls are not perfect. I think they're great for the most part, but having run be a double tap was really jarring, and led to plenty of deaths. It's annoying because the problem could have been easily fixed by mapping another face button to run.
Additionally, the latter half of the game gets surprisingly tough. Part of this is due to a certain boss fight where you have to control your bird ally solo. Getting used to a completely unique control sequence that only exists here is annoying, and it's not fun at all. The levels afterwards aren't horrible, but they are definitely flawed and less fun compared to the starter levels.
On the bright side, you have bird mechanics throughout that help you a lot. the bird can grab health items, attack enemies, or perform area-specific functions. Since you only get 3 health points, you'll probably end up just using the health option (minus for the bosses). Additionally, you can play the japanese version, which gives you 5 health points and allows you to start with a lot more lives. I try to play through games on the American versions, but plenty of games were made harder purely due to rentals being legal. If there's an official version of a game that's not frustrating, I'll gladly play/recommend that one. So, if you can, play the Japanese version.
7/10
Also the English dub is laughably poor.
But the game isn't perfect. As stated, the controls are not perfect. I think they're great for the most part, but having run be a double tap was really jarring, and led to plenty of deaths. It's annoying because the problem could have been easily fixed by mapping another face button to run.
Additionally, the latter half of the game gets surprisingly tough. Part of this is due to a certain boss fight where you have to control your bird ally solo. Getting used to a completely unique control sequence that only exists here is annoying, and it's not fun at all. The levels afterwards aren't horrible, but they are definitely flawed and less fun compared to the starter levels.
On the bright side, you have bird mechanics throughout that help you a lot. the bird can grab health items, attack enemies, or perform area-specific functions. Since you only get 3 health points, you'll probably end up just using the health option (minus for the bosses). Additionally, you can play the japanese version, which gives you 5 health points and allows you to start with a lot more lives. I try to play through games on the American versions, but plenty of games were made harder purely due to rentals being legal. If there's an official version of a game that's not frustrating, I'll gladly play/recommend that one. So, if you can, play the Japanese version.
7/10
Also the English dub is laughably poor.
5
For a simulation/strategy PC port on the Sega Saturn, Theme Park is rather exceptional. The developers were able to cram a mouse controlled game onto the Saturn without it feeling gimped in any way. They were able to present good looking graphics and great performance when others struggled. The strategy vs. sandbox ratio can be altered to your liking, and the financial strategy is actually really fun.
That ratio is probably the most important part to me. You can dive into a full simulation and use every bit of your brain on either treating or exploiting your little visitors or you can dump that all behind and just make the theme park you want to see. You can even split the difference and have a much more forgiving strategy game with enough of the sandbox elements to keep your creative juices flowing. Even having a difficulty select is much appreciated. Even when I struggled to understand certain things, I had fun with it because I knew I could change anything at any time to make the experience more palatable for whatever I desired.
I think the biggest thing is that this is a PC port that runs really well on Saturn, which is really worth noting after Sim City 2000's sluggish performance (great game just not fully optimized for the Saturn). I was starting to feel like these PC ports were just not going to work perfectly for the Saturn, but this is setting that notion in the opposite direction. Definitely give the game a shot. It's not as creatively in depth as something like Roller Coaster Tycoon, but it would be a bit foolish to expect something like that in 1995 on a Saturn. This is the kind of game you'll eventually lose hours in, and I certainly will once I get the hang of it.
7/10
That ratio is probably the most important part to me. You can dive into a full simulation and use every bit of your brain on either treating or exploiting your little visitors or you can dump that all behind and just make the theme park you want to see. You can even split the difference and have a much more forgiving strategy game with enough of the sandbox elements to keep your creative juices flowing. Even having a difficulty select is much appreciated. Even when I struggled to understand certain things, I had fun with it because I knew I could change anything at any time to make the experience more palatable for whatever I desired.
I think the biggest thing is that this is a PC port that runs really well on Saturn, which is really worth noting after Sim City 2000's sluggish performance (great game just not fully optimized for the Saturn). I was starting to feel like these PC ports were just not going to work perfectly for the Saturn, but this is setting that notion in the opposite direction. Definitely give the game a shot. It's not as creatively in depth as something like Roller Coaster Tycoon, but it would be a bit foolish to expect something like that in 1995 on a Saturn. This is the kind of game you'll eventually lose hours in, and I certainly will once I get the hang of it.
7/10
6
Clockwork Knight is a platformer that does most things very well. The controls are responsive, the actual physics of your character are comfortable to work with, levels are designed well enough to not be frustrating and each contains enough to stand out. However, Clockwork Knight also lacks challenge, and is extremely short. That's not bad, per say, but it prevents this game from really reaching the heights of action platforming you see in Castlevania, Mega Man, and Mario.
The benefit of those issues is that this game is super easy to jump into and it's super comfortable to run through. Nothing feels unfair but for someone like me, nothing feels exciting either.
I really enjoyed the visuals. This game demonstrates early that the Sega Saturn was well suited for 2D games. This takes a lot of what Donkey Kong Country did and runs with it in 32 bits. more colors, fully polygonal boss fights and levels, and no slowdown. It's not the kind of game that immediately stuns you with its visuals, but definitely shows off the Saturn's 2D potential.
Despite my gripes about difficulty and length, I do appreciate how everything is designed. There really are no bad levels. The whole thing of playing as a toy is used rather well in designing both how stages look and how they play (for example, the kitchen level is like an ice level, with extra polished kitchen counters, and the sink provides as a rising-falling water hazard level).
Clockwork Knight is certainly creative and well designed for pretty much anybody to jump into, but as someone who loves platformers and has played many of them, this doesn't really compare to most others. This is definitely a game I recommend playing, and it's very good, but I wouldn't expect anything amazing.
7/10
The benefit of those issues is that this game is super easy to jump into and it's super comfortable to run through. Nothing feels unfair but for someone like me, nothing feels exciting either.
I really enjoyed the visuals. This game demonstrates early that the Sega Saturn was well suited for 2D games. This takes a lot of what Donkey Kong Country did and runs with it in 32 bits. more colors, fully polygonal boss fights and levels, and no slowdown. It's not the kind of game that immediately stuns you with its visuals, but definitely shows off the Saturn's 2D potential.
Despite my gripes about difficulty and length, I do appreciate how everything is designed. There really are no bad levels. The whole thing of playing as a toy is used rather well in designing both how stages look and how they play (for example, the kitchen level is like an ice level, with extra polished kitchen counters, and the sink provides as a rising-falling water hazard level).
Clockwork Knight is certainly creative and well designed for pretty much anybody to jump into, but as someone who loves platformers and has played many of them, this doesn't really compare to most others. This is definitely a game I recommend playing, and it's very good, but I wouldn't expect anything amazing.
7/10
7
Dark Legend is the first pretty good 2D fighter on the Saturn. The game isn't nearly as good as, say, the many Capcom fighters that would eventually come to the Saturn (ignoring Street Fighter: The Movie), but it's nothing bad at all. Its worst fault is being a little bland. Most of the characters felt kind of void of any unique traits, mostly slotting into a certain mirror in Street Fighter. That's not necessarily all bad though, as it helps you get into Dark Legend if you have familiarity with Street Fighter 2.
I liked the focus on weaponry through. The weapons having their own life bars was pretty interesting, but I never got to a point where it actually mattered in any way. The only time i saw the whole thing deplete was actually for the opponent, and it didn't seem to do too much harm for them (probably just less reach and/or less damage). I'd say it only really matters if you get to the 3rd round.
I didn't play through all the characters prior to writing this. Rather, I went through the arcade mode and switched off when I got a game over. Through 4 game overs, I played 3 characters: Shi Jin, who's pretty much just Ryu, Lin Chong, who was a pretty fun but also a tad boring ranged stick fighter, and Hu San Niang, who is kinda comparable to Chun Li, though I ended up having the most fun with her, just taking her all the way to the end despite game overs. I will say though, there are characters in here that look like a lot of fun. The Ruan Xiao brothers all looked pretty entertaining, though they all share the same stage in arcade mode which is kind of lame even if it makes sense since they're brothers. Mostly though, Gong Shun Sheng looked really fun. He's this tiny old guy who has this big spirit character who does most of the moves. While I didn't try him out on my own, he stood out amongst the rest. Next time I play this game I'm definitely going to play as him.
It's not nearly as good as the fighters that will later arrive on Saturn, but Dark Legend is still pretty good. You might not get as much time out of this as, say, Street Fighter Alpha 2, but I guarantee you'll find something to enjoy here.
7/10
I liked the focus on weaponry through. The weapons having their own life bars was pretty interesting, but I never got to a point where it actually mattered in any way. The only time i saw the whole thing deplete was actually for the opponent, and it didn't seem to do too much harm for them (probably just less reach and/or less damage). I'd say it only really matters if you get to the 3rd round.
I didn't play through all the characters prior to writing this. Rather, I went through the arcade mode and switched off when I got a game over. Through 4 game overs, I played 3 characters: Shi Jin, who's pretty much just Ryu, Lin Chong, who was a pretty fun but also a tad boring ranged stick fighter, and Hu San Niang, who is kinda comparable to Chun Li, though I ended up having the most fun with her, just taking her all the way to the end despite game overs. I will say though, there are characters in here that look like a lot of fun. The Ruan Xiao brothers all looked pretty entertaining, though they all share the same stage in arcade mode which is kind of lame even if it makes sense since they're brothers. Mostly though, Gong Shun Sheng looked really fun. He's this tiny old guy who has this big spirit character who does most of the moves. While I didn't try him out on my own, he stood out amongst the rest. Next time I play this game I'm definitely going to play as him.
It's not nearly as good as the fighters that will later arrive on Saturn, but Dark Legend is still pretty good. You might not get as much time out of this as, say, Street Fighter Alpha 2, but I guarantee you'll find something to enjoy here.
7/10
8
If you just look at YouTube playthroughs of this game, it'll look like utter trash, but I think if you sit down and try it, you'll like it. It's extremely loud and in your face, but that's something I grew to like about it. It felt so insane that it was amusing throughout. Sadly though, it's kind of mindless. You can just hold down the fire button and drive forward, veering around to dodge and collect health pickups, and you should be fine (granted that you don't get halted for too long, as there is a somewhat strict timer on these chases).
I think the biggest problem with this game is that it seriously overstays its welcome if you play in one sitting. Around the 1 hour mark I was getting legitimately tired from playing it. The game doesn't get worse as it continues, but pretty much the entire game plays the same with very little variety, and the formula itself is not interesting enough to go for longer than an hour. Please, if you happen to play this, use some save states, or use the in-game passwords. Don't go through all at once because you'll regret it.
It's mindless and excruciatingly loud, but there's a charm to it. Don't expect anything too amazing, but you'll likely find it at least interesting. This is definitely a game I'm willing to replay, though not in one burst.
6/10
I think the biggest problem with this game is that it seriously overstays its welcome if you play in one sitting. Around the 1 hour mark I was getting legitimately tired from playing it. The game doesn't get worse as it continues, but pretty much the entire game plays the same with very little variety, and the formula itself is not interesting enough to go for longer than an hour. Please, if you happen to play this, use some save states, or use the in-game passwords. Don't go through all at once because you'll regret it.
It's mindless and excruciatingly loud, but there's a charm to it. Don't expect anything too amazing, but you'll likely find it at least interesting. This is definitely a game I'm willing to replay, though not in one burst.
6/10
9
Unlike NHL All-Star Hockey, this game feels functional. Only problem is that I'm still bad at it. Whereas I couldn't get anything to happen in All-Star Hockey, I was able to comfortably play offense and defense well. Batting and pitching needed an instruction manual brushup, but I was able to get the hang of it and enjoy myself. The only problem I have is with fielding. The game does the logical thing and picks the player that's closest to the ball, but the game would occasionally switch to another player for some reason. I think part of it was just me not fully understanding how it's working, but it just didn't feel right. At the very least, throwing to the bases felt right.
I also had trouble directing my runners around the diamond. You have options to direct specific players forward or back a base and options to direct everyone at once, but I couldn't get the hang of it. The controls are reasonable but I just could not memorize what button does what. I can tell you that it definitely works though.
I also loved the commentary. Sometimes the commentator would be slow on a call but for the most part is was a lot of fun to listen to. The commentator won't just call out the basics (outs, balls, home runs, etc) but will also call out the specific MLB players and even give some flare to some (i.e. Ken Griffey Jr.). I noticed that the commentator will also call out when a pitcher is getting worn out so you can go into your bullpen.
I think if you're a big baseball guy (I'm not super knowledgeable about everything baseball but I do love the sport) you'll love this. I'm not big on baseball video games (unless Mario's on it) but I have enough passion for the sport to find them decently fun. I'll be keeping this one on my Saturn (unless one of the other baseball titles happens to be better).
6/10
I also had trouble directing my runners around the diamond. You have options to direct specific players forward or back a base and options to direct everyone at once, but I couldn't get the hang of it. The controls are reasonable but I just could not memorize what button does what. I can tell you that it definitely works though.
I also loved the commentary. Sometimes the commentator would be slow on a call but for the most part is was a lot of fun to listen to. The commentator won't just call out the basics (outs, balls, home runs, etc) but will also call out the specific MLB players and even give some flare to some (i.e. Ken Griffey Jr.). I noticed that the commentator will also call out when a pitcher is getting worn out so you can go into your bullpen.
I think if you're a big baseball guy (I'm not super knowledgeable about everything baseball but I do love the sport) you'll love this. I'm not big on baseball video games (unless Mario's on it) but I have enough passion for the sport to find them decently fun. I'll be keeping this one on my Saturn (unless one of the other baseball titles happens to be better).
6/10
10
Sim City 2000 is pretty damn fun. I think this has a really great balance of management and creativity. The management is present and isn't too complicated or overwhelming for me to ease myself into, and there's always plenty of room for me to do what I want with the tools I have.
The only problem with Sim City 2000 is that the port isn't exactly perfect. Then again, when you consider what the team had to port and what they had to work with, it makes sense. For added context, the Saturn has 2 processors and around this time, most people could only work with 1 of the 2. Apparently is was hard to reliably work with both this early on. As a result, the game runs really really slow when you add more to your city. Also, the city itself takes up the entirety of the internal memory. Annoying for me since I don't have a RAM cart, but at least the space is going towards a good game that I have fun with.
I'm still impressed they fit so much onto this game given the constraints of Saturn development early on. The game chugs, sure, but it's working with quite a lot considering how many different variables exist for each individual tile and the many different things you can on each tile.
Another gripe I have, this game doesn't support the Saturn mouse. the controller works perfectly fine for this game, but having mouse support for these many PC ports is definitely a want.
This is a pretty decent port of Sim City, but I get the feeling this isn't the greatest console to hold such a game. The existence of the PC original and the existing struggles the game has on Saturn leads me to be kind of weary on recommending this. If you have a RAM cart give it a go. Otherwise I'd put more thought into grabbing this one.
6/10
The only problem with Sim City 2000 is that the port isn't exactly perfect. Then again, when you consider what the team had to port and what they had to work with, it makes sense. For added context, the Saturn has 2 processors and around this time, most people could only work with 1 of the 2. Apparently is was hard to reliably work with both this early on. As a result, the game runs really really slow when you add more to your city. Also, the city itself takes up the entirety of the internal memory. Annoying for me since I don't have a RAM cart, but at least the space is going towards a good game that I have fun with.
I'm still impressed they fit so much onto this game given the constraints of Saturn development early on. The game chugs, sure, but it's working with quite a lot considering how many different variables exist for each individual tile and the many different things you can on each tile.
Another gripe I have, this game doesn't support the Saturn mouse. the controller works perfectly fine for this game, but having mouse support for these many PC ports is definitely a want.
This is a pretty decent port of Sim City, but I get the feeling this isn't the greatest console to hold such a game. The existence of the PC original and the existing struggles the game has on Saturn leads me to be kind of weary on recommending this. If you have a RAM cart give it a go. Otherwise I'd put more thought into grabbing this one.
6/10
11
There's really not much I can say about this game. It's a pool sim, and a functionally sound one at that. It is by no means graphically or sonically impressive, but I don't know why you'd be looking for something that "proves the Saturn's strength" in a pool simulation.
There's lots of little modes you can try out that are pretty entertaining. I'm not used to playing pool games so I started off just whackin' the ball around in training mode, getting more acclimated to how it all works. Then I jumped into the story mode for a bit until I got stuck on Diamond. I had a tough time with him but it was always pretty fun. It helps that the cutscenes are so bad they're laughably good.
So, throughout my admittedly short trial run, I had a good time. It wasn't anything stellar or mind-blowing, but it clearly wasn't meant to be. It's unimpressive for the Saturn, practically being a genesis game (and this was also dropped on the genesis), but that's not gonna be a deal breaker if the core gameplay has something fun in it. If you run into the opportunity to pick this game up at a low price, I'd go for it. It's sure to give you a good half hour to an hour of good fun, a great Saturn time-killer.
6/10
There's lots of little modes you can try out that are pretty entertaining. I'm not used to playing pool games so I started off just whackin' the ball around in training mode, getting more acclimated to how it all works. Then I jumped into the story mode for a bit until I got stuck on Diamond. I had a tough time with him but it was always pretty fun. It helps that the cutscenes are so bad they're laughably good.
So, throughout my admittedly short trial run, I had a good time. It wasn't anything stellar or mind-blowing, but it clearly wasn't meant to be. It's unimpressive for the Saturn, practically being a genesis game (and this was also dropped on the genesis), but that's not gonna be a deal breaker if the core gameplay has something fun in it. If you run into the opportunity to pick this game up at a low price, I'd go for it. It's sure to give you a good half hour to an hour of good fun, a great Saturn time-killer.
6/10
12
It's sad really. Cyber Speedway feels like it's so close to being a really good and worthwhile Saturn title, but it just isn't quite all there.
Cyber Speedway is quite obviously an F-Zero clone. Now, I don't want to say "clone" as if that's immediately a bad thing. If you're making a racing title, F-Zero is not a bad game to ape a bit. It's just kind of a hard game to stand alongside. I think it's mostly a result of boring tracks. Some of the starter courses in standard mode were pretty okay, the first one in particular did a good job of acclimating me to the honestly satisfying boost controls. However as you keep going a lot of the courses go for a rather narrow, claustrophobic approach. F-Zero did this too, but I think that game did it a lot more gracefully, because it felt like that game had more up its sleave for uniquely challenging tracks. Here, it feels like "narrow races" is the only thing that's here for real challenge, so a lot of tracks kinda mesh together in my head into a grey mush of nothingness.
Thankfully, the controls for racing are pretty good. As I mentioned, I do like how boosting works for tighter turns. It all felt natural to work with. Even on the blandest of tracks it's still a little fun to race around. Though, that's about all I can really say for positives.
The presentation in this game is laughably poor. Poor to a point that it doesn't feel like a finished product. Cutscenes are essentially 1 background with 1 poorly drawn character placed on top with maybe some voice changers thrown in for aliens. Thankfully that means the cutscenes can be very funny, but they're also very boring at their worst. Thankfully you can skip all of them if you really want. I did appreciate my helper telling me what engines, brakes, and steering types I could use, but at the same time it feels like directly telling me what to go with was kind of trivializing an interesting system. The customization could have been a lot more fun if I wasn't told exactly what was best.
Lastly and honestly the thing of least note here, I don't really like the music. It just wasn't for me. That's about it.
You can't be hurt by it if you find it out in the wild for cheap, but I really don't recommend looking for this game. It's not anything amazing, just kind of an average title with a couple moments of fun here and there. Sadly easily skippable.
6/10
Cyber Speedway is quite obviously an F-Zero clone. Now, I don't want to say "clone" as if that's immediately a bad thing. If you're making a racing title, F-Zero is not a bad game to ape a bit. It's just kind of a hard game to stand alongside. I think it's mostly a result of boring tracks. Some of the starter courses in standard mode were pretty okay, the first one in particular did a good job of acclimating me to the honestly satisfying boost controls. However as you keep going a lot of the courses go for a rather narrow, claustrophobic approach. F-Zero did this too, but I think that game did it a lot more gracefully, because it felt like that game had more up its sleave for uniquely challenging tracks. Here, it feels like "narrow races" is the only thing that's here for real challenge, so a lot of tracks kinda mesh together in my head into a grey mush of nothingness.
Thankfully, the controls for racing are pretty good. As I mentioned, I do like how boosting works for tighter turns. It all felt natural to work with. Even on the blandest of tracks it's still a little fun to race around. Though, that's about all I can really say for positives.
The presentation in this game is laughably poor. Poor to a point that it doesn't feel like a finished product. Cutscenes are essentially 1 background with 1 poorly drawn character placed on top with maybe some voice changers thrown in for aliens. Thankfully that means the cutscenes can be very funny, but they're also very boring at their worst. Thankfully you can skip all of them if you really want. I did appreciate my helper telling me what engines, brakes, and steering types I could use, but at the same time it feels like directly telling me what to go with was kind of trivializing an interesting system. The customization could have been a lot more fun if I wasn't told exactly what was best.
Lastly and honestly the thing of least note here, I don't really like the music. It just wasn't for me. That's about it.
You can't be hurt by it if you find it out in the wild for cheap, but I really don't recommend looking for this game. It's not anything amazing, just kind of an average title with a couple moments of fun here and there. Sadly easily skippable.
6/10
13
o be honest, there's really not a lot to say here. Shanghai: Triple Threat is just a simple little puzzle board game. It's not exceptional in any way, it's just kind of ok. It can be fun, but not for a very long time. It's a good time waster but not much else.
While overall I enjoyed playing it for the brief time I did, there are some problems. Firstly, not a big fan of the music. It just kinda droned on and annoyed me more than anything. Secondly, throughout the various piece styles, there are always pieces that don't look quite like each other but do indeed match (which is awful for a game centered around matching tiles). I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the base game this is trying to emulate or not, or if this is a problem with this specific version. Thirdly, it can be difficult to tell what every tile is at a glance. Some can easily be obscured by tiles on a higher tier. Theoretically this could have been solved by making the whole board of pieces 3D, and have it possible to rotate the board for better viewing angles, but that's easier said than done. Either way, I think this is evidently the kind of game that's not supposed to be a big amazing hit, just a small little thing that's easy to port and will sell some good copies. They probably didn't want to over-complicate the coding process.
I could also add that this is definitely a game you should play with the Sega Saturn shuttle mouse if you can, but moving the curser around with the regular controller is no issue. It just could be much smoother and faster with the mouse.
So it's nothing horrible at all, but it's noting special at all either. It's a good cheap pick-up but don't expect to get that much time and investment with it.
6/10
While overall I enjoyed playing it for the brief time I did, there are some problems. Firstly, not a big fan of the music. It just kinda droned on and annoyed me more than anything. Secondly, throughout the various piece styles, there are always pieces that don't look quite like each other but do indeed match (which is awful for a game centered around matching tiles). I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the base game this is trying to emulate or not, or if this is a problem with this specific version. Thirdly, it can be difficult to tell what every tile is at a glance. Some can easily be obscured by tiles on a higher tier. Theoretically this could have been solved by making the whole board of pieces 3D, and have it possible to rotate the board for better viewing angles, but that's easier said than done. Either way, I think this is evidently the kind of game that's not supposed to be a big amazing hit, just a small little thing that's easy to port and will sell some good copies. They probably didn't want to over-complicate the coding process.
I could also add that this is definitely a game you should play with the Sega Saturn shuttle mouse if you can, but moving the curser around with the regular controller is no issue. It just could be much smoother and faster with the mouse.
So it's nothing horrible at all, but it's noting special at all either. It's a good cheap pick-up but don't expect to get that much time and investment with it.
6/10
14
I could easily write this off as a poor doom clone, but there's definitely something in here that is done right. The controls are surprisingly great and the gameplay itself has plenty of opportunity for strategy, but the loop of gameplay itself is very flawed in the sense that it gets boring really quick.
Most of it is you walking around randomly generated levels finding a key and a door to get to the next one, shooting a lot of the same enemies and waking corridors that look the same. There's a couple of little stage varieties like dark stages or levels where you have to take down certain targets to progress, but it really doesn't change enough for the game to suddenly become fun.
Additionally, the game tends to slow down a lot and has a relatively small draw-distance even in lighten stages. However, the low draw distance can make the game more atmospheric when you're struggling. It becomes a bit of a tense survival game, which is admirable.
So it's kind of mixed. There's plenty here to admire and plenty to potentially make this entertaining for you, but for me, there's not enough for this to be really enjoyable at all. It would be worth picking up if it's cheap, but otherwise you can skip it. It's very meh.
6/10
Most of it is you walking around randomly generated levels finding a key and a door to get to the next one, shooting a lot of the same enemies and waking corridors that look the same. There's a couple of little stage varieties like dark stages or levels where you have to take down certain targets to progress, but it really doesn't change enough for the game to suddenly become fun.
Additionally, the game tends to slow down a lot and has a relatively small draw-distance even in lighten stages. However, the low draw distance can make the game more atmospheric when you're struggling. It becomes a bit of a tense survival game, which is admirable.
So it's kind of mixed. There's plenty here to admire and plenty to potentially make this entertaining for you, but for me, there's not enough for this to be really enjoyable at all. It would be worth picking up if it's cheap, but otherwise you can skip it. It's very meh.
6/10
15
Again, not a sports guy. I can't comment much on sport-specific intricacies and I won't be very drawn by default. Regardless, I think this is a pretty ok game. Pretty much everything I expected to be present worked (comfortable passing and shooting, along with decent character changing). This game is really easy to jump into and learn as you play. I set the opponents to easy and picked a short game to try everything out, and I got the hang of it quickly. For Soccer fans, this is just Soccer, in a good way.
Keep in mind there's other things I haven't played with like manual goalies and possible offensive and defensive strategies / positions (I'm probably talking out of my ass here). There's whole tournament modes here you can pick at over time. This is definitely a good Soccer game to pick up if you're in the market for a soccer Saturn game. For people like me who are not as interested, it's acceptable to skip, however there's really no harm in giving it a go. It's a pretty fun game if you ease yourself into it, it's just not going to blow you away.
6/10
Keep in mind there's other things I haven't played with like manual goalies and possible offensive and defensive strategies / positions (I'm probably talking out of my ass here). There's whole tournament modes here you can pick at over time. This is definitely a good Soccer game to pick up if you're in the market for a soccer Saturn game. For people like me who are not as interested, it's acceptable to skip, however there's really no harm in giving it a go. It's a pretty fun game if you ease yourself into it, it's just not going to blow you away.
6/10
16
Myst knows how to truly immerse you quickly and efficiently. Even if you have a hard time getting into the puzzles and the general game loop, I think you'll appreciate how it feels.
On those puzzles though, they really vary in fun factor. Some of them are really easy, some are tricky nut actually fun to do and make you feel smart for accomplishing, and others make you drag out the ol' notebook. That's not necessarily bad but I wasn't exactly expecting it so I wasn't too happy about it.
This is a game you really need to play with the shuttle mouse (or on emulator with your regular PC mouse). Playing with the controller is just kind of slow and annoying for the most part, really draggin stuff out making you not want to go through some puzzles the intended way just due to how much playing with controller tanks it.
So I guess overall, Myst is an ok game for the Saturn, though, I don't really know why you would play this on Saturn and not on PC.
6/10
On those puzzles though, they really vary in fun factor. Some of them are really easy, some are tricky nut actually fun to do and make you feel smart for accomplishing, and others make you drag out the ol' notebook. That's not necessarily bad but I wasn't exactly expecting it so I wasn't too happy about it.
This is a game you really need to play with the shuttle mouse (or on emulator with your regular PC mouse). Playing with the controller is just kind of slow and annoying for the most part, really draggin stuff out making you not want to go through some puzzles the intended way just due to how much playing with controller tanks it.
So I guess overall, Myst is an ok game for the Saturn, though, I don't really know why you would play this on Saturn and not on PC.
6/10
17
This game is literally the same as the original Virtua Fighter port, only with better graphics. That's it. If you're gonna pick up Virtua Fighter on Saturn, get this one. If you already like 3D fighters, you'll dig it, but I personally don't care much for it.
5/10
5/10
18
As a port of the arcade version of Virtua Fighter, this is an incredible showcase for the Saturn. It really doesn't age wonderfully in the visuals department, but I hardly think that matters. My only critique on the visuals is that there's a lot of flickering polygons in the character models, and sometimes to the game maps go a little crazy when you jump around. It's like the game camera doesn't know how to properly display the playfield when you do that.
The gameplay itself feels really weird though, which is kind of sad. I think the game tried to be a lot more realistic, at least closer to real martial arts in comparison to something like Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter. I feel like that just made it harder for me to play it though. Stuff like manually turning around and lows not blocking mids like the games I'm used to playing. Also, I had a seriously hard time getting special moves and grabs out. I don't know if it's just me not being good or that this game functions differently input-wise to other fighters. I'm not excellent at fighting games but I have an ok time adapting and pulling off moves. Here, I could barely do anything.
It was very fristrating, but part of me feels like it's just me being bad at the game rather than the game just being poorly executed. I would have loved to train, but there really isn't a training mode here. You can try to train in the arcade mode, but I feel like the A.I. gets too hard too quickly. It even tries to cheese you by jumping around when the clock runs low, trying to time you out. Surely you can cheese it back, but I really don't know how to yet. You could also jump into the VS mode alone, fighting a static opponent, but that didn't help me out much either.
I'm being rather critical, but I understand that this was kind of a big deal at the time. I also understand that I'm struggling to enjoy it partly because I'm playing solo, when fighters are at their most fun when you're playing with friends. I'm sure if I was playing with friends, I would have bumped this up a couple points. But as it stands now, this didn't really do much for me for the time I played it.
5/10
I really think you should try it out. You might not like it but you might find more here than I did. Just be sure to play with somebody else if you can.
The gameplay itself feels really weird though, which is kind of sad. I think the game tried to be a lot more realistic, at least closer to real martial arts in comparison to something like Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter. I feel like that just made it harder for me to play it though. Stuff like manually turning around and lows not blocking mids like the games I'm used to playing. Also, I had a seriously hard time getting special moves and grabs out. I don't know if it's just me not being good or that this game functions differently input-wise to other fighters. I'm not excellent at fighting games but I have an ok time adapting and pulling off moves. Here, I could barely do anything.
It was very fristrating, but part of me feels like it's just me being bad at the game rather than the game just being poorly executed. I would have loved to train, but there really isn't a training mode here. You can try to train in the arcade mode, but I feel like the A.I. gets too hard too quickly. It even tries to cheese you by jumping around when the clock runs low, trying to time you out. Surely you can cheese it back, but I really don't know how to yet. You could also jump into the VS mode alone, fighting a static opponent, but that didn't help me out much either.
I'm being rather critical, but I understand that this was kind of a big deal at the time. I also understand that I'm struggling to enjoy it partly because I'm playing solo, when fighters are at their most fun when you're playing with friends. I'm sure if I was playing with friends, I would have bumped this up a couple points. But as it stands now, this didn't really do much for me for the time I played it.
5/10
I really think you should try it out. You might not like it but you might find more here than I did. Just be sure to play with somebody else if you can.
19
This is kinda tough to rate. Mostly because the game is really hard to get into as a result of how immensely and overwhelmingly complex this game is. A surprise to nobody, conquering all of China is pretty difficult to manage. There's just so much you could do and so many different variables you'd want to manage simultaneously.
I'd still say this game seems to be well designed for a strategy game. Pretty much everyone I've ever seen put in the amount of time necessary to get decent at the game has really enjoyed it. I think if you're really willing to put in the time, it'll eventually be worth it.
There are a handful of downsides for me to note. The graphics in this game are pretty poor, and I think that's because they're mostly ported over from the 3DO port rather than customized specifically for the Saturn and it's hardware differences from the 3DO. Additionally, the game takes up pretty much the entirety of the Saturn's internal memory. For someone like me, who only has the internal memory and no ram carts, that was really really annoying to deal with, so I just played on PC.
Take a chance with it if you really like strategy games, just know it's going to take a while for you to fully understand everything. Have patience and read the really really long instruction manual. Personally, I don't really have any desire to play this anymore. It's not really my thing, but I respect it.
5/10
I'd still say this game seems to be well designed for a strategy game. Pretty much everyone I've ever seen put in the amount of time necessary to get decent at the game has really enjoyed it. I think if you're really willing to put in the time, it'll eventually be worth it.
There are a handful of downsides for me to note. The graphics in this game are pretty poor, and I think that's because they're mostly ported over from the 3DO port rather than customized specifically for the Saturn and it's hardware differences from the 3DO. Additionally, the game takes up pretty much the entirety of the Saturn's internal memory. For someone like me, who only has the internal memory and no ram carts, that was really really annoying to deal with, so I just played on PC.
Take a chance with it if you really like strategy games, just know it's going to take a while for you to fully understand everything. Have patience and read the really really long instruction manual. Personally, I don't really have any desire to play this anymore. It's not really my thing, but I respect it.
5/10
20
Not a sports guy. If you're looking at the lower score and questioning it, it's because this is not my kind of thing, not that this is a bad golf game. From the little I played today, I can confidently say that there's plenty here to get attached to if you're a big golf guy. It's also relatively inviting for beginners like myself, so it's easy to jump into.
My only major critique is that this game is very unattractive visuals-wise. I'm certain the Saturn can produce better visuals for a golf game than this. Maybe this also being a 3DO game means that they tried to directly port visuals and gameplay to the Saturn to cut down on time, but I haven't looked at 3DO footage so I don't know.
I will say, the most entertaining part was the cutscenes/FMVs. If you have an ODE or a computer that can run Saturn emulation well, I recommend grabbing a ROM of this and just watching them. It's really entertaining.
So if you're into golf, I say give it a shot. If you're like me and don't really gravitate towards sports titles often, it's reasonable to skip. My score likely will not reflect your score, so give it a go if it really interests you.
5/10
My only major critique is that this game is very unattractive visuals-wise. I'm certain the Saturn can produce better visuals for a golf game than this. Maybe this also being a 3DO game means that they tried to directly port visuals and gameplay to the Saturn to cut down on time, but I haven't looked at 3DO footage so I don't know.
I will say, the most entertaining part was the cutscenes/FMVs. If you have an ODE or a computer that can run Saturn emulation well, I recommend grabbing a ROM of this and just watching them. It's really entertaining.
So if you're into golf, I say give it a shot. If you're like me and don't really gravitate towards sports titles often, it's reasonable to skip. My score likely will not reflect your score, so give it a go if it really interests you.
5/10
21
I have no idea what to say for this one. On one hand, it plays a lot like the later Street Fighter 2 revisions with a lot of the same characters, so people used to Street Fighter 2 will have an easy time adapting to this, and because those later revisions are good, this controls fine.
but on the other hand, I played this for like half an hour and had absolutely no fun. I tried out the story mode which forces you to play a guile and I just got my shit rocked by Balrog. I got better and better and understood the game more, sure, but it was like 5 hits and I'm down.
The graphics also look terrible, and that's not just because it's real people photographed and digitized. The arcade version of this game looks far better than this and this still uses a lot of the same sprites. However they're all way lower quality with less frames of animation and it really makes the Saturn look bad. Doesn't help that the backgrounds and UI look pretty bad too.
So if you're used to Street Fighter 2, you might get a kick out of it, though I wouldn't jump to saying that you will definitely have fun. You'll probably just see it as a "so bad it's good" kind of experience with your friends. If you're new to Street Fighter and are solo, stay away. I'd recommend jumping into 3rd Strike or the alpha series instead (and after all, the Saturn got ports of the alpha games).
5/10
but on the other hand, I played this for like half an hour and had absolutely no fun. I tried out the story mode which forces you to play a guile and I just got my shit rocked by Balrog. I got better and better and understood the game more, sure, but it was like 5 hits and I'm down.
The graphics also look terrible, and that's not just because it's real people photographed and digitized. The arcade version of this game looks far better than this and this still uses a lot of the same sprites. However they're all way lower quality with less frames of animation and it really makes the Saturn look bad. Doesn't help that the backgrounds and UI look pretty bad too.
So if you're used to Street Fighter 2, you might get a kick out of it, though I wouldn't jump to saying that you will definitely have fun. You'll probably just see it as a "so bad it's good" kind of experience with your friends. If you're new to Street Fighter and are solo, stay away. I'd recommend jumping into 3rd Strike or the alpha series instead (and after all, the Saturn got ports of the alpha games).
5/10
22
Bug is kind of a hard game for me to rank because of how your experience can change with practice. I've played Bug a couple times recently, and I've gotten a lot better at the game, so I hardly feel frustrated with it anymore. Then again, that obviously does not remove the terrible level designs and bullshit segments. However even if I'm not getting mad at all, I'm not having lots of fun, either. It's just kind of mediocre when you get good. On the opposite end, it's horribly frustrating when played for the first time.
The most important thing for you to do is to play the Japanese version if you wish to play this game. The japanese version is much better balanced for newcomers, with Bug getting 5 lives on startup, infinite save reloads, more hit points, more checkpoints, and a better camera. That again does not obscure the level design and the terribly maintained difficulty curve, but it makes the whole thing less stressful.
Considering history, I shouldn't be too hard on Bug. This is possibly one of the first 3D platform games, and if not, at least one that came out before Super Mario 64. Standing at 3D platforming's beginnings can be difficult for development since there's not a lot of groundwork laid out for you considering what a 3D platformer should be. The developers make a lot of mistakes on that route but I can commend them for trying and succeeding in some cases. I admit, Worlds 2, 4, and 6 are pretty fun. It feels like the later in the game you get, the better the designers got at making levels (for the most part. World 5 has a lot of really frustrating segments you essentially have to memorize how to do without doing trial and error, draining your lives).
Dip into the first couple worlds on the Japanese version if you have a Fenrir or some other ODE for your Saturn (or if your computer is good enough for full speed Saturn emulation). Otherwise, I do not recommend you play this one.
4/10
The most important thing for you to do is to play the Japanese version if you wish to play this game. The japanese version is much better balanced for newcomers, with Bug getting 5 lives on startup, infinite save reloads, more hit points, more checkpoints, and a better camera. That again does not obscure the level design and the terribly maintained difficulty curve, but it makes the whole thing less stressful.
Considering history, I shouldn't be too hard on Bug. This is possibly one of the first 3D platform games, and if not, at least one that came out before Super Mario 64. Standing at 3D platforming's beginnings can be difficult for development since there's not a lot of groundwork laid out for you considering what a 3D platformer should be. The developers make a lot of mistakes on that route but I can commend them for trying and succeeding in some cases. I admit, Worlds 2, 4, and 6 are pretty fun. It feels like the later in the game you get, the better the designers got at making levels (for the most part. World 5 has a lot of really frustrating segments you essentially have to memorize how to do without doing trial and error, draining your lives).
Dip into the first couple worlds on the Japanese version if you have a Fenrir or some other ODE for your Saturn (or if your computer is good enough for full speed Saturn emulation). Otherwise, I do not recommend you play this one.
4/10
23
Quick small review. The game is a "who-dunnit" mystery adventure, and not a very interesting one. The visuals are decent for the time and certainly a step up from the Sega CD predecessor, but they're nothing special nowadays. The visuals plus the voice acting make for a very amusing "so bad it's funny" kinda experience, but it gets kind of boring as the story goes forward. Beyond the wacky ass ending, I don't think you'll be having any fun with this one, especially if you haven't played or at least watched a longplay of the Sega CD one. Easy skip, maybe pick it up if you find it cheap, but otherwise if you want a good puzzle FMV adventure for your Saturn, go for Myst instead. It's not exactly the same thing but it might scratch the same itch.
4/10
4/10
24
This is a unnecessarily complex helicopter action game. Like it's really hard to get into. I jumped into the training mode and got a general gist of how to control my helicopter and how to find, lock onto, and destroy targets, but I still kept getting shot at and downed quickly. It wasn't any better in the actual missions. I think it's just way to overwhelming for a newcomer like me, but at the same time I really feel like most of what's on display here for the controls could have been simplified a bit. Maybe make locking on automatic and limit the different types of weapons you can have. Maybe make the means of locating targets a lot simpler. Maybe stick less to any sort of realism and go crazier with your abilities. I don't know, just something that would make this feel more like an arcade game. At its current state, this is no fun. Part of that is because I'm no good, but I am not given anything worth latching onto that would make me want to learn this game.
4/10
4/10
25
I'm not knowledgeable about Hockey at all, but I can understand the basics. This game feels broken when you're playing it. I studied up on the controls through the help screen, but getting into the actual game, nothing felt right. About the only thing that felt like it consistently worked was switching players on the ice. Shooting and passing never did what I expected it to, so most of the game was spent just moving around and eventually getting pummeled by the opposite team. I could block my own goal but I couldn't get anything to work for the other players so it was essentially the stalemate from hell.
I'd avoid this one even if you're a hockey guy. It just doesn't feel like this game even works. Of course, having the real players, the real teams, and the real stats is cool for people who like hockey, but it doesn't feel like you can do anything with that information when you get into the game.
3/10
I'd avoid this one even if you're a hockey guy. It just doesn't feel like this game even works. Of course, having the real players, the real teams, and the real stats is cool for people who like hockey, but it doesn't feel like you can do anything with that information when you get into the game.
3/10
26
I played this game for 1 hour, which is definitely longer than anybody should be playing Virtual Hydlide. This game does practically everything wrong when it comes to action RPGs. Firstly, there's a clear over-emphasis on FMVs and digitized sprites which all look horrendous in-game. Second, the game absolutely chugs to a point where it's barely playable in literally every environment. Third, the combat is horrible in every way. It's hard to tell when you're close enough to attack an enemy and because you get put in a lot of tight corridors in the game, rotating yourself to attack your foes ends up getting the camera stuck in awkward positions where you can't quite see what you want to see. Even worse, your rotation speed is insanely slow, so it's easy for enemies to get pot shots at you while you're trying to rotate in the enemies direction. Forth, the controls are pretty awkward. Your player controls moreso like a tank rather than a person, so movement generally sucks. It's very easy to overshoot things both due to running speed and the horrendous framerate.
Evidently, the game runs into an infinite sum of problems that combine just right to make one of the worst playing games I've ever played, certainly the worst game I've played so far on the Saturn.
Onto specifics of my playthrough, I firstly appreciate that there's a unique world generator, but I have to admit it doesn't really matter much. You'll always get a compass pointing you directly to the next item/dungeon, so their locations don't really matter. Speaking of not mattering, I found out later on in my playthrough that you don't have to interact with any of the enemies because you only get points from them.
I stopped playing once I applied a cursed item by accident and it prevented me from putting on the spectacles which are required for the ruins level. Not necessarily a softlock, as I'm pretty sure there's a shop for me to purchase an item to remove the cursed item, but this shouldn't even be a problem in the first place. The idea of not knowing what an item is when you find it and it possibly being a cursed item you can't remove is immensely annoying.
Don't play this game. Just watch the GDQ run and have a laugh that way. Don't actually play it.
2/10
Evidently, the game runs into an infinite sum of problems that combine just right to make one of the worst playing games I've ever played, certainly the worst game I've played so far on the Saturn.
Onto specifics of my playthrough, I firstly appreciate that there's a unique world generator, but I have to admit it doesn't really matter much. You'll always get a compass pointing you directly to the next item/dungeon, so their locations don't really matter. Speaking of not mattering, I found out later on in my playthrough that you don't have to interact with any of the enemies because you only get points from them.
I stopped playing once I applied a cursed item by accident and it prevented me from putting on the spectacles which are required for the ruins level. Not necessarily a softlock, as I'm pretty sure there's a shop for me to purchase an item to remove the cursed item, but this shouldn't even be a problem in the first place. The idea of not knowing what an item is when you find it and it possibly being a cursed item you can't remove is immensely annoying.
Don't play this game. Just watch the GDQ run and have a laugh that way. Don't actually play it.
2/10
27