US Saturn Release #007 - Bug!
Played on a real American Sega Saturn with the Fenrir ODE
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
Played on a real American Sega Saturn with the Fenrir ODE
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