The link to part 1 is in the description. Let me know if you want to see more of this series. I think it's a good one due to recommending games that are either only in Japan, or cheaper in Japan. Kinda satisfies a collecting video on 2 fronts. I'm open to recommendations as well!
yes please amigo! with the sheer quantity and quality of the Saturn japanese library,this could be a 10,15 part video ahaah! thanks to you,i have already around 50 saturn games whom 15 i had no idea existed,but thanks to you ,i bought!
Sega Lord X I had a quick question I hope you can answer. I have had a Framemeister for a couple years now and was wondering if I was getting the best settings for the Saturn I could. I believe in one of your past videos you said you used one, and I was just wondering what settings you use for the Saturn? Thanks
@@robertharris8775 If I may, you are fine with the Framemeister if the Saturn is connected via RGB, OSSC is a newer solution and slightly faster, you sacrifice some features the Framemeister has, like Zooming in.
This is great, I was waiting for something like this as I just have a saturn for the Castlevania SOTN Japan game, with this I can use my converter more often! thank You SLX!
Yes if you can please do more. I'm not a collector I just want to play these games and it's just nuts how high the prices have gone and I haven't found quality emulation yet.
As a life long fan of sega and owner of all their consoles, lover of sega arcade games , I can safely say this is the best channel on UA-cam for anything sega related. Always honest too. Thanks mate
3D section of Sonic Jam. For my money, still the best example of 3D Sonic. Basically, should have been the first area for Sonic and compares to what Bob-Bomb Battlefield was for Mario 64. I love it and still play through it now and then
Yourself and Top Hat gaming have been keeping me highly interested while I wait for more content from Gaming Historian and My Life in Gaming (mainly the technical stuff is what I want them to cover). Also, hoping Classic Gaming Quarterly does something interesting.
@@godzilla7391 His wife has a channel, Lady something or other, I think they figured out her tits drew more views than his tophat ever could, so shes raking in the $$ and doing the vids. I will say I enjoyed his videos alot, hers are great too, but they have def embraced the "sex sells" mantra.
I bought my Saturn in Japan 2 years ago. It was my first experience with the Saturn and I love this machine way more than the PS1. I need to get more of the cap on flighting games that run better than on the ps1.
What really matters is gameplay, and House of the Dead for Saturn does a great job of replicating the action of the coin-op. The 3D graphics could be better, but those are only aesthetics.
I want to mention a couple of little quirks, the first involving a game you showed here but discussed in part one. If you have a white Japanese Saturn, you're going to need a second print of Outrun. It and the first printing of Space Harrier won't run on that system. I do not know how to tell the difference with Outrun, but a knowledgeable seller will gladly charge you about $40 extra if he knows what he's got. Make sure it is specified to work on a white Saturn. For Space Harrier, the serial number will be GS-9108P-00902A as opposed to GS-9108P-00902. Be patient and look for listings with a clear shot of the serial number around the ring of the disc. It will require patience and luck but it won't cost you extra. The American compilation will not work at all, though the Japanese After Burner II is not affected and will play fine without jumping through any hoops. Die Hard Arcade and Dynamite Deka have a little quirk as well, as demonstrated in your video. If you play either game in an American Saturn, you will get English in the QTEs. If you play either game in a Japanese Saturn, you will get Japanese in the QTEs as well as Japanese subtitles. I was pretty annoyed by that, as I have Die Hard Arcade and expected to be able to read the QTEs. It makes it a bit harder if you can't tell what action is required. Great video, which goes without saying at this point. You *will* catch me later!
I just want to add on to what Rasdock was saying about Sega Ages: OutRun and Space Harrier, because this incomplete information keeps getting spread. Although it's basically correct. There are 16 numbered mainboard revisions for the Saturn and who knows how many total hardware variations there are - and the majority of them are inside white Saturns. In my experience only the late model white Saturns don't boot OutRun or play Space Harrier at an unplayable framerate. I suggest burning a first revision copy of these games and making sure you actually need the second revision before trying to track it down. My results are almost not worth mentioning because the sample size is too small, but out of 5 white consoles, only 1 of them would not play Outrun. It was a very late model unit with a late model JVC drive in it.
yxlplig It’s been a while since I’ve used my Saturn, so remind me how burned copies work. Do they work straight out, or do they need an Action Replay or something else?
@@Rasdock you need an action replay that has been modded to pseudo Saturn. If you're doing it for the first time, you will need to do the disc swap method. Look on UA-cam
I'm glad you did this video, as I'm just about to hunt for a Japanese copy of Darius Gaiden. My Saturn Import library is looking pretty good, thanks in part to what I learn from your great channel. Please do a third part to this series, and on another note as tough as it will be, you should do a Mega Drive/Genesis Awards.
Finally got around to playing Bulk Slash this evening. Spot on comments man. Once you get your head around the controls it becomes alot of fun! I had a lot of fun with this game! Thanks for the recommendation!
Cyberbots Limited Edition, complete in the long cardboard box is one of my most favorite game I own. Especially for the price. They don’t make special edition games like they used to. An excellent showpiece and a MUST for Saturn collectors.
Bulk Slash is definitely a fun game and has a ton of replay-ability. And the story can be easily understood as there are a few sources for reading about what is going on.
Too much money to translate the voices and text(trust me in late 1996/early 1997 they weren’t gonna use the Japanese voices back then, they were gonna hire either no name voice actors, some group from Central Park Media, or that one old dubbing group from Southern California)
I LOVE how you took some real consideration in creating this list and didn't just name check a bunch of $150 to $500 dollar usual suspects regardless if they are fun and interesting or not. I was expecting something very typical and you suprised me. Well done man!
Oh heck yeah, Mega Man X4! Glad to know it's good on Saturn, looks like it runs as smoothly as it does on PC and PS1. Die Hard Arcade is also powerful, definitely one of Sega's best games.
It's awesome, and is better than the PS1 version for sure. Extra graphical effects, faster saving, loading. On my negative would be a few small mesh effects Capcom was too lazy to do right in 2D. Overall still better than the PS1 though!
I definitely collect for the Japanese Saturn over the American Saturn. Some examples in my collection: Guardian Heroes: $30 compared to $100+ Layer Section: $40 compared to $60+ Virtual On: $20 compared to $80+
Another great video SLX, excellent suggestions! Sidenote: recommendation for a Saturn vs. PS1 comparison episode - MAGIC CARPET. A personal favorite of mine (played thru the whole game and there are a boat load of levels) Not a praised mainstream game and that's why the suggestion. Savitor
I love this series!! In part three would like to see:Fighters Megamix, GunGriffon 2, PanzerDragoon, Burning Fest 120%, Gunbird, Detana Twinbee Deluxe pack, Groove on Fight and The Game Paradise. Thanks.
I highly recommend getting the Japanese version of most sega Saturn games even if you cant speak Japanese most games other then some RPGs are really easy to understand gameplay wise and it's way cheaper.
and if you don't speak Japanese those JRPG and others will be the good motivation to study. :) Sakura Taisen was one of the reasons why I studied the Japanese.
I owned a mojority of these games twice in my lifetime. My first Saturn import library consisted of most of the games you shown including Radiant Silvergun. I bought that game in 1999 it was $55. My second import was Real Bout Special and from there it grew. I had DoDonpachi, Thunderforce V for both Saturn and PSX. I owned Vampire Savior and SFZ3 which was cheap at $50. We ordered form places like Tronix, NCSX, and Buy Rite games which used to do C.O.D....I miss Buy Rite and I even moved to the cirty of Raleigh to have my game fix. Sadly in 2000 right before I moved to Raleigh my Satrun and PSX import collection was stolen. I just left for a trip to Raleigh and I had happned to take my asian Dreamcast with me to a friends house. When I returned home all my games were gone. After that I moved and bought back a lot of my collection from 2000 to 2002. When I got married and had my second child I sold my Japanese Grey Saturn and all my games for $800 to get a car. One day I will own a Saturn again but for now I live thru your videos
If you play dynamite deka on a USA or pal system it will translate the japan text for button presses and ofc if played on a japan saturn it is in japanese :)
I genuinely miss the golden age of gaming. What passes for games today are all but FPS and half-assed "HD" remakes of so-so games that require some form of online connection (complete BS). I personally would gladly welcome a non-gimped 16 or 32bit system with proper sprite scaling and rotation, near unlimited counts on those sprites and maybe even unlimited background layers. All that running at a modern resolution, 1080p should be sufficient, with a proper sound chip would be great. Not to say I'm hating on 3D or the modern systems. I just think that gaming is far too expensive and time consuming (unless it's a great RPG or a "metroid-vania") to justify it's own existence.
To your point, I legit can’t play Doom (the 1993 original) on Switch because Bethesda decided they wanted it to be always online, even in single player. The Switch has insanely week WiFi defection, at least compared to my other handhelds. If I’m not sitting right by my router the game is completely useless. Waste of money.
J Kemp It’s the same with the Need For Speed games. Even in single player, gotta have a connection. Hell, one of them specifically says ‘if you don’t want to use the online features, don’t update’, don’t care about online so, didn’t update. After install, brings me to title screen which loops indefinitely to telling me there’s no connection and to continue, press X. It’s rather disgusting to me that some pompous company is so afraid of their shite game getting copied that they gimp entire franchises for DRM. Also, what use is a handheld game if you gotta be within feet of an access point? How the hell would one manage to play in the back seat of a car hurtling down the road?! SMH, if I’d know that gaming was gonna be like this, I would have just kept the SNES, PS1, Genesis, TG-16, PS2 and NES.
Weird. I have a recurring dreams that Sega makes a hardware comeback and releases just such a system, along with an amazing proper 2D Sonic game and such, with me excitedly rushing to buy it on day one. However, in my dreams, the system always fails to catch on and dies early. Let's face it, it would never be more than a niche thing. Oh well, at least modern single players gaming is making a comeback with one of the best years in recent memory.
Prizrak2084 You’re probably right about that. There’s probably not enough of us that would be able to support a system such as that. The really scary part about your dream is the SEGA factor. We all know how they are with hardware releases (except for the Genesis mini, which I hear is pretty awesome). Maybe NEC will be the video game savior?
The only import Saturn games I don't own are games that go well over $200. Never got Bulk Slash since I'm not willing to pay $100 or more for it. I'm not able to burn Saturn games so that's not an option for any of these games. Thankfully I got most of the games I wanted back when they first came out. Plus I don't collect games simply to collect them.
Auctions pop up for Bulk Slash a few times a year that go for $60 or $70, so you can get it cheaper. I understand having a cut off price, though. It's a good thing to have to keep your spending in check.
@@SegaLordX I'm in the same boat as Kellin, I want to add Bulk Slash to my collection but that price makes me turn away, I'm hoping I see it next year at some retro convention, since when I'm spending that big I feel I need to actually see the whole package and disc myself, online buy is a bit risky with all that. I do own that cyberbots collection though, damn awesome it is.
I imported a sweet saturn set this past week so waiting for that to get here, but this video has definitely helped add games to my wishlist! at some point I'll pick up the pseudo saturn kai cart to deal with the ram cart games that don't come with one, US games for my wife that doesn't read much Japanese, or those games that are likely forever out of my reach without sailing the high seas like panzer dragoon saga!
I'm really glad you mentioned House of the Dead. One of the first types of games I wanted when I got my Saturn recently was light gun games and even though Virtua Cop 1 and 2 can be had in America for a reasonable amount House of the Dead is decidedly a hard pass in the States. It's unacceptable for me to spend $300+ on a game like that, I leave that kind of spending to the hardcore collectors that probably have a shelf full of Neo Geo AES carts. The Japanese version of HotD is far far more affordable and is a no brainer for light gun fans like myself. The fact that its still in English makes it even more appealing.
After having a vacation to Italy in 1997, I saw Die Hard Arcade there, but it was japanese, I couldnt read anything, the only thing I could read was "SEGA" in the demo and I thought "YES!". Naive as I have been I thought they will bring it on Saturn. Pretty amazed I was when I found a copy of Die Hard Arcade in a video-rent-store. I asked if they sell it and they called the owner. He said "100 bucks" (remember, used!), but I wanted it extremely. Now I did not have the money in my pocket, I had to go home (it was not close to my home, I had to go with bicycle a while) and pickup my money. Then I had to return, grabbed it for 100 bucks and man, I was soooo happy. After that, we played the shit out of it. Playing it like 3 or 4 times in a row was normal. Besides Streets of Rage 2, Turtles (Mega Drive) and Final Fight CD the greatest experience in coop-fighting-games.
It's a brutal side effect of RGB. I barely notice the meshes when using composite or s-video on a CRT. The effort to make the picture as sharp as possible brought with it some trade offs.
I still have Sonic jam u.s. version. And what's funny is around that time I used to run into the theater area in the 3d zone just to watch the Sonic CD video opening. Since there was no UA-cam back then, that was the only way to watch it, if you didn't own a Sega CD. The times... Lol
i am thankful that i managed to get into one of the gdemu guy's rhea 10 minute rhea sales and secured myself a rhea.. since the saturn has some timeless stuff
Ha ha ha. Man that hurts me. I spent $350 for Hyper Duel about a year ago. Believe it or not, that was a REALLY good price at the time. It was going for almost $600 then.
Another solid vid, I'll be adding Real Bout Fatal Fury and Dynamite Deka to my shopping list. I played Die Hard Arcade all the time in well the arcade, but didn't realize the Japanese version was so playable.
I still played the hell out of HOTD on Saturn. Great light gun game regardless. I remember unlocking red blood the hard hard HARD way. I think you had to beat the game without dying or get a million points or something like that. I just remember it being insanely hard.
Nice video. I love my Saturn and I love my imports for this system. Great fighters and Sh'mups from Japan back in the day that I still play frequently. Who know that a little platform game with a dude that pisses on his enemies would be worth so much. I'm glad I have a copy of Super Tempo.
One day I shall own all Three Episodes of Shining Force 3, in English on self booting discs... Chapter One was one of my greatest gaming experiences ever! Then we never got the other 2/3rds. Criminal!
Great list and your prices are pretty accurate for Ebay. if anyone has the chance to come here to japan for a visit you can get all the games at the right places for even less.
You ever heard of a Saturn game called Willy Wombat? It a Japanese exclusive platformer with English voice acting. And it was developed by Hudson Soft and Westone Bit Entertainment.
Great vid as usual! So essentially this is about what good games that where brought over o the west are cheaper to get the japanese counterpart of, at the moment before their prices too get inflated... This is why I don't blame people for buying ODEs like Rhea or Satiator or buying repros, as long as they support an eventual rerelease of the game on current systems. For example I just finished World of Illusion the first time emulated on my 3DS since I needed to test how well it runs before going for a coop run, and even if I got the rom from the internet, having bought the Mega Drive Mini, I don't see a problem with doing that. I could've easily grabbed the rom from the mini too, of course. I honestly don't understand why some collectors complain about prices increasing while they also talk down on people buying repros or emulating, they should be happy people do this, because the prices would be even more inflated if people didn't. I do get complaining about pirating without supporting the devs when you actually have the possibility like buying a rerelease or whatever. Actually, any smart collector would tell people to just go emulate and buy repros as much as possible. The only people who would tell you not to do this are retrohoarders/scalpers, that is people who buy retrogames as an investment to sell later at a higher price. Those people can go to hell.
I used to own The House of the Dead and the light gun. It's real crazy to see it on ebay for 450-600 usd right now.... I had a lot of Saturn games. I wanna check the values but that might be too depressing.
The majority of people I know will rarely drop crazy money on a single game. That market is specialized and reserved for those with money to burn. I try and keep it realistic.
Too bad so much of the Saturn's thunder was stolen once emulation picked up speed. The 2D arcade ports were great by contemporary standards, but often still compromised. I spent a ton importing Metal Slug, which arrived one week before the Neo-Geo original was emulated. I compared the two meticulously side by side and noticed the Saturn version dropped a lot of animation. I'd rather have all the in-game animation than any superfluous 'extra' modes. Arcade ports aren't really worth it these days, which only leaves the exclusives.
Was that around the time it came out for the Saturn or some time later? I also imported Metal Slug back in the day. I think I got it in the fall of '97. I don't recall when Neo Geo emulation became possible. I was just comparing a few Saturn games to their arcade counterparts several weeks ago, though not extensively like you did and I did notice some frame differences. And I agree that I'd rather have all the animations. I did enjoy the Saturn port at the time. I also compared the Saturn version of Groove on Fight, my first RAM-cart game back in the day, to the ST-V arcade version and could see a lot of frame cuts in that one, some of which were surprising. I also agree that the Saturn's many arcade ports, 2D especially, are better played in other forms these days, so that hurts the Saturn a bit. I've been playing a lot of King of Fighter '97 lately, and the loading time gets to be a pain as, even though it's not bad, it adds up. It was great to have when it was new though.
Great video! I am still missing some of these games, so I'll make sure to try them out. I am seriously thinking about collecting japanese Saturn library because it's just so much cheaper. I only know basic japanese but hey, I learned english through RPG games so why not japanese?
About what you said for "Sonic Jam" @ 11:49... I have reason to believe that the real reason for Sonic being disliked nowadays isn't because of the quality of certain games in the series, but rather due to the fact that he's an anthropomorphic animal character instead of a human character like Mario.
Great new intro! I suppose you can only use it on Sega related stuff, or will you forge ahead proudly, letting all know who’s house they’re in? I should *pipe down and watch the video! (*I wonder where that expression came from?)
great games for sure. THe saturn was the first console I imported for because of the reasons mentioned here. It was easy saved tons of money and many games didn't make it here
Hey bro just wanted to let you know from one creator to another I really enjoy your content. I've tried to influence as many of my youtube friends as possible to check you out. Fun question for you....what is your top 5 or 10 games in order from any sega console? In another words you have all the sega consoles ever made to list one top 5 or 10 list. Lastly do you own a Pioneer Laseractive. I'm a big Sega fan and that was probably my most important purchase in the past 20 years.
House of the Dead has a story behind its bad textures. I can't remember where I read or heard it but at least most of the textures were only suppose to be temporary but when the game was shown to higher up and developer said of course the textures need to be replaced they were told 'no, it's fine, send it out'
I know it's not going to happen but I'd love for Cyberbots to get a revival, though I don't trust Capcom's current fighting game division. Neat fact about Jin Saotome is that in Cyberbots he's voiced by the same person who does Amuro Rey in the Gundam franchise.
Beats of Rage Dreamcast Episode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SekVD... D&D Rise of Warduke: gamejolt.com/games/rise-of-wa... Golden Axe Genesis: gamejolt.com/games/golden-axe... Masters of the Universe: gamejolt.com/games/he-man/19434 Marvel First Alliance: gamejolt.com/games/marvel-fir... Power Rangers Beats of Power SE: gamejolt.com/games/power-rang... Legend of the Double Dragon: mahcneto.itch.io/legend-of-th...
It's what's referred to as "Satakore", but yes, the red label. I've only seen the standard version a couple of times in person, but I do not remember it having a manual glued to the case. I ended up with the Satakore version by chance. It was on sale years ago and I scored it cheap.
It’s true, they’re great. Anyone interested should just remember you need a 1MB Ram cart and a Japanese Saturn. Most games will play fine on a NA system + Action Replay cart, but games like Metal Slug won’t play very well that way. Lots of glitches and slowdown with the Action Replay, for some reason.
@@jkemp6791 ... only if you have a "faulty" action replay OR a not so perfect connection between cart and the saturn - as I heard. But also heard that Metal Slug exist in different versions so who knows.
It was a really beautiful use of the VDP2. Only games like Panzer Dragoon II used similar functionality. I think it really made the Saturn capable of some great engines.
@@SegaLordX Yeah, there were certain geniuses who knew how to program for both GPU's and CPU's.. but just so I have the info correct, this is using both GPU's but not CPU's, yes? The Saturn was actually a monster for the time and I don't care what anyone says, in a good coder's hands it was definitely more powerful than the PS1.. for example, SOTN should have easily been superior to the PSX version. So that, was bad, rushed coding.
This list is mostly composed of import games which are identical to domestic releases. It's not really a "must own" list but more like a "import bargain" list. Since prices fluctuate with time, it's won't be relevant in a few years. A list of the best exclusive imports (plus the few games that have additional content or superior music, etc. in the Japanese version), regardless of price, would be much better. Not that I'm advocating for piracy, but everybody playing Saturn fan translations have to do it on some kind of modified hardware, flashcarts, emulators, etc. anyway, so import prices don't really matter. Me personally, I try to buy most decent Sega games released today. It's a much better way to keep the Sega brand going in my opinion. But I get that people like to have shelves full of those shiny jewel cases. For me it's more important that people play the best of the best of retro Sega games. By the way, the Japanese version of Silhouette Mirage has just been translated. It's a great Treasure title and the Saturn version is the definitive version (the ps version had its difficulty altered by Working Designs and it's needlessly frustrating and unbalanced).
From the description: "We continue my recommendations for must own Sega Saturn imports. This episode is aimed squarely at those of you who want to buy physical Sega Saturn games, and the imports you should look into. Some of these do have releases in other territories, but still get a nod for their reduced prices."
The link to part 1 is in the description. Let me know if you want to see more of this series. I think it's a good one due to recommending games that are either only in Japan, or cheaper in Japan. Kinda satisfies a collecting video on 2 fronts. I'm open to recommendations as well!
yes please amigo! with the sheer quantity and quality of the Saturn japanese library,this could be a 10,15 part video ahaah! thanks to you,i have already around 50 saturn games whom 15 i had no idea existed,but thanks to you ,i bought!
Sega Lord X I had a quick question I hope you can answer. I have had a Framemeister for a couple years now and was wondering if I was getting the best settings for the Saturn I could. I believe in one of your past videos you said you used one, and I was just wondering what settings you use for the Saturn? Thanks
@@robertharris8775 If I may, you are fine with the Framemeister if the Saturn is connected via RGB, OSSC is a newer solution and slightly faster, you sacrifice some features the Framemeister has, like Zooming in.
This is great, I was waiting for something like this as I just have a saturn for the Castlevania SOTN Japan game, with this I can use my converter more often! thank You SLX!
Yes if you can please do more. I'm not a collector I just want to play these games and it's just nuts how high the prices have gone and I haven't found quality emulation yet.
You’ve done more to promote the Saturn than sega ever did, keep up the good work
LOL. Well. He's had years to do it, and they didn't launch on him early.
Pete John amen
Seriously. I was a big Nintendo and SEGA kid growing up, and I never even saw a single SEGA Saturn commercial.
@@stabinghobo57 Agreed. Never even heard of it back in 95-98 and I was 24-27 years old and into video games since I was a kid. Piss poor marketing.
As a life long fan of sega and owner of all their consoles, lover of sega arcade games , I can safely say this is the best channel on UA-cam for anything sega related. Always honest too. Thanks mate
I never even thought about getting a Japanese copy of Sonic Jam! Definitely added to my eBay wish list.
Also, Bulk Slash looks awesome!
You operate a fantastic channel that deserves far more subscribers than it actually has.
3D section of Sonic Jam. For my money, still the best example of 3D Sonic. Basically, should have been the first area for Sonic and compares to what Bob-Bomb Battlefield was for Mario 64. I love it and still play through it now and then
Can't believe how good the Saturn could have been in the US
Yourself and Top Hat gaming have been keeping me highly interested while I wait for more content from Gaming Historian and My Life in Gaming (mainly the technical stuff is what I want them to cover). Also, hoping Classic Gaming Quarterly does something interesting.
Did Top Hat Gaming Man stop doing videos? I haven't seen a notification of any of his new videos lately, unless my algorithm is messed up.
@@godzilla7391 His wife has a channel, Lady something or other, I think they figured out her tits drew more views than his tophat ever could, so shes raking in the $$ and doing the vids. I will say I enjoyed his videos alot, hers are great too, but they have def embraced the "sex sells" mantra.
I bought my Saturn in Japan 2 years ago. It was my first experience with the Saturn and I love this machine way more than the PS1. I need to get more of the cap on flighting games that run better than on the ps1.
Oi! Good on ya for the Symbiote knowledge. Klyntar baby!
I live in Japan so I'm considering getting one. Do you think it's worth it? Can I play it on a modern HD TV?
Yes! I love Bulkslash!! So many games that were missed here in the west! Importing literally doubles to triples the saturns library.
I really want to get bulk slash but its price scares me lol, one day I'm just going to treat myself.
What really matters is gameplay, and House of the Dead for Saturn does a great job of replicating the action of the coin-op. The 3D graphics could be better, but those are only aesthetics.
I want to mention a couple of little quirks, the first involving a game you showed here but discussed in part one. If you have a white Japanese Saturn, you're going to need a second print of Outrun. It and the first printing of Space Harrier won't run on that system. I do not know how to tell the difference with Outrun, but a knowledgeable seller will gladly charge you about $40 extra if he knows what he's got. Make sure it is specified to work on a white Saturn. For Space Harrier, the serial number will be GS-9108P-00902A as opposed to GS-9108P-00902. Be patient and look for listings with a clear shot of the serial number around the ring of the disc. It will require patience and luck but it won't cost you extra. The American compilation will not work at all, though the Japanese After Burner II is not affected and will play fine without jumping through any hoops.
Die Hard Arcade and Dynamite Deka have a little quirk as well, as demonstrated in your video. If you play either game in an American Saturn, you will get English in the QTEs. If you play either game in a Japanese Saturn, you will get Japanese in the QTEs as well as Japanese subtitles. I was pretty annoyed by that, as I have Die Hard Arcade and expected to be able to read the QTEs. It makes it a bit harder if you can't tell what action is required.
Great video, which goes without saying at this point. You *will* catch me later!
Hmm that's interesting I never knew about that. Sound advice.
I just want to add on to what Rasdock was saying about Sega Ages: OutRun and Space Harrier, because this incomplete information keeps getting spread. Although it's basically correct. There are 16 numbered mainboard revisions for the Saturn and who knows how many total hardware variations there are - and the majority of them are inside white Saturns. In my experience only the late model white Saturns don't boot OutRun or play Space Harrier at an unplayable framerate. I suggest burning a first revision copy of these games and making sure you actually need the second revision before trying to track it down.
My results are almost not worth mentioning because the sample size is too small, but out of 5 white consoles, only 1 of them would not play Outrun. It was a very late model unit with a late model JVC drive in it.
yxlplig It’s been a while since I’ve used my Saturn, so remind me how burned copies work. Do they work straight out, or do they need an Action Replay or something else?
@@Rasdock you need an action replay that has been modded to pseudo Saturn. If you're doing it for the first time, you will need to do the disc swap method. Look on UA-cam
Yes, Die Hard
Arcade is very difficult to play on the Japanese Saturn because of those command issues. pretty weird that it does that
I'm glad you did this video, as I'm just about to hunt for a Japanese copy of Darius Gaiden. My Saturn Import library is looking pretty good, thanks in part to what I learn from your great channel. Please do a third part to this series, and on another note as tough as it will be, you should do a Mega Drive/Genesis Awards.
I can’t believe it took me this long to find out about your channel. I have been binge watching for three days straight!! Love it. 👍
Finally got around to playing Bulk Slash this evening. Spot on comments man. Once you get your head around the controls it becomes alot of fun! I had a lot of fun with this game! Thanks for the recommendation!
Cyberbots Limited Edition, complete in the long cardboard box is one of my most favorite game I own. Especially for the price. They don’t make special edition games like they used to. An excellent showpiece and a MUST for Saturn collectors.
Bulk Slash is definitely a fun game and has a ton of replay-ability. And the story can be easily understood as there are a few sources for reading about what is going on.
Bulk slash really is one of those "why the hell wasn't this released in the US (and Europe)" kind of games
It's one of my favorite Saturn games, it's so cool. There was nothing else quite like it.
Too much money to translate the voices and text(trust me in late 1996/early 1997 they weren’t gonna use the Japanese voices back then, they were gonna hire either no name voice actors, some group from Central Park Media, or that one old dubbing group from Southern California)
I LOVE how you took some real consideration in creating this list and didn't just name check a bunch of $150 to $500 dollar usual suspects regardless if they are fun and interesting or not. I was expecting something very typical and you suprised me. Well done man!
Great video. I'm an avid gamer and have owned a Japanese Sega Saturn since it's release. Still collect games for it to this day!
2d fighters are such a joy when they are done well.
Oh heck yeah, Mega Man X4! Glad to know it's good on Saturn, looks like it runs as smoothly as it does on PC and PS1. Die Hard Arcade is also powerful, definitely one of Sega's best games.
It's awesome, and is better than the PS1 version for sure.
Extra graphical effects, faster saving, loading. On my negative would be a few small mesh effects Capcom was too lazy to do right in 2D. Overall still better than the PS1 though!
Love this series, this is great stuff - I've really loved getting into import Saturn games the last few years, having missed them all back in the day!
I definitely collect for the Japanese Saturn over the American Saturn. Some examples in my collection:
Guardian Heroes: $30 compared to $100+
Layer Section: $40 compared to $60+
Virtual On: $20 compared to $80+
Another great video SLX, excellent suggestions!
Sidenote: recommendation for a Saturn vs. PS1 comparison episode - MAGIC CARPET. A personal favorite of mine (played thru the whole game and there are a boat load of levels) Not a praised mainstream game and that's why the suggestion.
Savitor
This video will cost me about 500 bucks... Thanks Sega Lord X
Love your work man
I love this series!! In part three would like to see:Fighters Megamix, GunGriffon 2, PanzerDragoon, Burning Fest 120%, Gunbird, Detana Twinbee Deluxe pack, Groove on Fight and The Game Paradise. Thanks.
I can literally watch this type of content endlessly :)
Just got my JoJos bizarre adventure import for dreamcast. Loving it.
Your and the last gamer are my favourite sega channels. No gimmicks just pure love for sega. Keep it up
I highly recommend getting the Japanese version of most sega Saturn games even if you cant speak Japanese most games other then some RPGs are really easy to understand gameplay wise and it's way cheaper.
and if you don't speak Japanese those JRPG and others will be the good motivation to study. :) Sakura Taisen was one of the reasons why I studied the Japanese.
I owned a mojority of these games twice in my lifetime. My first Saturn import library consisted of most of the games you shown including Radiant Silvergun. I bought that game in 1999 it was $55. My second import was Real Bout Special and from there it grew. I had DoDonpachi, Thunderforce V for both Saturn and PSX. I owned Vampire Savior and SFZ3 which was cheap at $50. We ordered form places like Tronix, NCSX, and Buy Rite games which used to do C.O.D....I miss Buy Rite and I even moved to the cirty of Raleigh to have my game fix. Sadly in 2000 right before I moved to Raleigh my Satrun and PSX import collection was stolen. I just left for a trip to Raleigh and I had happned to take my asian Dreamcast with me to a friends house. When I returned home all my games were gone. After that I moved and bought back a lot of my collection from 2000 to 2002. When I got married and had my second child I sold my Japanese Grey Saturn and all my games for $800 to get a car. One day I will own a Saturn again but for now I live thru your videos
If you play dynamite deka on a USA or pal system it will translate the japan text for button presses and ofc if played on a japan saturn it is in japanese :)
I genuinely miss the golden age of gaming. What passes for games today are all but FPS and half-assed "HD" remakes of so-so games that require some form of online connection (complete BS). I personally would gladly welcome a non-gimped 16 or 32bit system with proper sprite scaling and rotation, near unlimited counts on those sprites and maybe even unlimited background layers. All that running at a modern resolution, 1080p should be sufficient, with a proper sound chip would be great.
Not to say I'm hating on 3D or the modern systems. I just think that gaming is far too expensive and time consuming (unless it's a great RPG or a "metroid-vania") to justify it's own existence.
To your point, I legit can’t play Doom (the 1993 original) on Switch because Bethesda decided they wanted it to be always online, even in single player. The Switch has insanely week WiFi defection, at least compared to my other handhelds. If I’m not sitting right by my router the game is completely useless. Waste of money.
J Kemp It’s the same with the Need For Speed games. Even in single player, gotta have a connection. Hell, one of them specifically says ‘if you don’t want to use the online features, don’t update’, don’t care about online so, didn’t update. After install, brings me to title screen which loops indefinitely to telling me there’s no connection and to continue, press X. It’s rather disgusting to me that some pompous company is so afraid of their shite game getting copied that they gimp entire franchises for DRM. Also, what use is a handheld game if you gotta be within feet of an access point? How the hell would one manage to play in the back seat of a car hurtling down the road?! SMH, if I’d know that gaming was gonna be like this, I would have just kept the SNES, PS1, Genesis, TG-16, PS2 and NES.
MrVolksbeetle - Couldn’t agree with you more if I tried!
Weird. I have a recurring dreams that Sega makes a hardware comeback and releases just such a system, along with an amazing proper 2D Sonic game and such, with me excitedly rushing to buy it on day one. However, in my dreams, the system always fails to catch on and dies early. Let's face it, it would never be more than a niche thing. Oh well, at least modern single players gaming is making a comeback with one of the best years in recent memory.
Prizrak2084 You’re probably right about that. There’s probably not enough of us that would be able to support a system such as that. The really scary part about your dream is the SEGA factor. We all know how they are with hardware releases (except for the Genesis mini, which I hear is pretty awesome). Maybe NEC will be the video game savior?
The only import Saturn games I don't own are games that go well over $200. Never got Bulk Slash since I'm not willing to pay $100 or more for it. I'm not able to burn Saturn games so that's not an option for any of these games. Thankfully I got most of the games I wanted back when they first came out. Plus I don't collect games simply to collect them.
Auctions pop up for Bulk Slash a few times a year that go for $60 or $70, so you can get it cheaper. I understand having a cut off price, though. It's a good thing to have to keep your spending in check.
@@SegaLordX I'm in the same boat as Kellin, I want to add Bulk Slash to my collection but that price makes me turn away, I'm hoping I see it next year at some retro convention, since when I'm spending that big I feel I need to actually see the whole package and disc myself, online buy is a bit risky with all that. I do own that cyberbots collection though, damn awesome it is.
Another great video and great list! I hope to get Bulk Slash one day. Looks so cool.
I also want that game, but it is costly.
I imported a sweet saturn set this past week so waiting for that to get here, but this video has definitely helped add games to my wishlist! at some point I'll pick up the pseudo saturn kai cart to deal with the ram cart games that don't come with one, US games for my wife that doesn't read much Japanese, or those games that are likely forever out of my reach without sailing the high seas like panzer dragoon saga!
SLX.. You really do live up to Your namesake! Keep up the great work!!
Keep up the great content buddy!
Sega Lord X is awesome dude. keep up the good content. You, SNES drunk and ThorHighHeels are the best retro reviewers. Must Subs for collectors
I'm really glad you mentioned House of the Dead. One of the first types of games I wanted when I got my Saturn recently was light gun games and even though Virtua Cop 1 and 2 can be had in America for a reasonable amount House of the Dead is decidedly a hard pass in the States. It's unacceptable for me to spend $300+ on a game like that, I leave that kind of spending to the hardcore collectors that probably have a shelf full of Neo Geo AES carts. The Japanese version of HotD is far far more affordable and is a no brainer for light gun fans like myself. The fact that its still in English makes it even more appealing.
Bulk Slash's soundtrack is incredible
It really is. Many of these tracks stand on their own.
If only we knew what US game prices would become in 2022.....Great video SLX, always love your content!
After having a vacation to Italy in 1997, I saw Die Hard Arcade there, but it was japanese, I couldnt read anything, the only thing I could read was "SEGA" in the demo and I thought "YES!". Naive as I have been I thought they will bring it on Saturn. Pretty amazed I was when I found a copy of Die Hard Arcade in a video-rent-store. I asked if they sell it and they called the owner. He said "100 bucks" (remember, used!), but I wanted it extremely. Now I did not have the money in my pocket, I had to go home (it was not close to my home, I had to go with bicycle a while) and pickup my money. Then I had to return, grabbed it for 100 bucks and man, I was soooo happy. After that, we played the shit out of it. Playing it like 3 or 4 times in a row was normal. Besides Streets of Rage 2, Turtles (Mega Drive) and Final Fight CD the greatest experience in coop-fighting-games.
Regarding THOTD.
You can't change the blood color to red in the JP version...
This was no problem in the US and EU/PAL version.
Bulk Slash is everything.
Now that people are catching wise to how good it is, it's definitely shot up in price.
Definitely check out the English patch. It really good. They even dub the voices which is very rare in patches
And it's great that they informed on the option to avoid that part and still play the patch.
i didn't even notice mesh transparencies until i started watching your channel.
It's a brutal side effect of RGB. I barely notice the meshes when using composite or s-video on a CRT. The effort to make the picture as sharp as possible brought with it some trade offs.
I still have Sonic jam u.s. version. And what's funny is around that time I used to run into the theater area in the 3d zone just to watch the Sonic CD video opening. Since there was no UA-cam back then, that was the only way to watch it, if you didn't own a Sega CD.
The times... Lol
I love your passion for Sega history. Keep doing the good work.
Bulk slash is so good !!! Thanks for bringing this game to my attention. Keep up the good work you do the Saturn and its many fans proud.
This series is awesome and a great Video Idea! Thanx a Lot for your Content. So many great Infos, keep going!
i am thankful that i managed to get into one of the gdemu guy's rhea 10 minute rhea sales and secured myself a rhea.. since the saturn has some timeless stuff
Never heard of Bulk Slash. Really beautiful game.
all of these used to cost 1000 yen or less back in those days. Heck even the Hyper Duel cost me 1995 yen second hand.
Those were the days. I'm going the emulation route nowadays so I can afford the ones I couldn't get back in the day.
Ha ha ha. Man that hurts me. I spent $350 for Hyper Duel about a year ago. Believe it or not, that was a REALLY good price at the time. It was going for almost $600 then.
Great video as always. Always nice to see some Saturn love. I was hoping to discover a new game today, but it appears we have similar taste.
Cyber bots is such a fun game. A perfect casual 2D fighter. Darius Gaiden is also tons of fun, but you should point out it is Hard!
Another solid vid, I'll be adding Real Bout Fatal Fury and Dynamite Deka to my shopping list. I played Die Hard Arcade all the time in well the arcade, but didn't realize the Japanese version was so playable.
House of the Dead HAD to have been ported by a different team. I mean, look at the flawless execution of Virtua Cop 2 in comparison.
Yeah, it was done my Tantalus and on a shoe string budget and time constraints. Not a great showing for sure.
I still played the hell out of HOTD on Saturn. Great light gun game regardless. I remember unlocking red blood the hard hard HARD way. I think you had to beat the game without dying or get a million points or something like that. I just remember it being insanely hard.
Nice video. I love my Saturn and I love my imports for this system. Great fighters and Sh'mups from Japan back in the day that I still play frequently. Who know that a little platform game with a dude that pisses on his enemies would be worth so much. I'm glad I have a copy of Super Tempo.
One day I shall own all Three Episodes of Shining Force 3, in English on self booting discs... Chapter One was one of my greatest gaming experiences ever! Then we never got the other 2/3rds. Criminal!
Great list and your prices are pretty accurate for Ebay. if anyone has the chance to come here to japan for a visit you can get all the games at the right places for even less.
Thanks for another awesome Saturn video. Keep stuff like this coming.
You ever heard of a Saturn game called Willy Wombat? It a Japanese exclusive platformer with English voice acting.
And it was developed by Hudson Soft and Westone Bit Entertainment.
Great video. Treasure made a handful of great imports. Sonic Wings another fantastic import.
I need a pan and a paper to write all these awesome stuff!
Great vid as usual! So essentially this is about what good games that where brought over o the west are cheaper to get the japanese counterpart of, at the moment before their prices too get inflated... This is why I don't blame people for buying ODEs like Rhea or Satiator or buying repros, as long as they support an eventual rerelease of the game on current systems.
For example I just finished World of Illusion the first time emulated on my 3DS since I needed to test how well it runs before going for a coop run, and even if I got the rom from the internet, having bought the Mega Drive Mini, I don't see a problem with doing that. I could've easily grabbed the rom from the mini too, of course.
I honestly don't understand why some collectors complain about prices increasing while they also talk down on people buying repros or emulating, they should be happy people do this, because the prices would be even more inflated if people didn't. I do get complaining about pirating without supporting the devs when you actually have the possibility like buying a rerelease or whatever.
Actually, any smart collector would tell people to just go emulate and buy repros as much as possible. The only people who would tell you not to do this are retrohoarders/scalpers, that is people who buy retrogames as an investment to sell later at a higher price. Those people can go to hell.
...which will never happen, sadly.
I used to own The House of the Dead and the light gun. It's real crazy to see it on ebay for 450-600 usd right now.... I had a lot of Saturn games. I wanna check the values but that might be too depressing.
I play Magical Drop on the Neo Geo and it's a fun and simple puzzle game. As long as the game is fluid the platform doesn't matter.
Like the fact you only consider affordable games :-) Great work!
The majority of people I know will rarely drop crazy money on a single game. That market is specialized and reserved for those with money to burn. I try and keep it realistic.
that 3d sonic world look sooo good. the saturn could have worked out so much better
I love your videos on saturn. It makes me want to own one.
I just got the Japanese versions of, Shining Wisdom, Shining the Holy Ark, Magic Knight Rayearth, Myst, and Grandia for the princely sum of £19.
Too bad so much of the Saturn's thunder was stolen once emulation picked up speed. The 2D arcade ports were great by contemporary standards, but often still compromised. I spent a ton importing Metal Slug, which arrived one week before the Neo-Geo original was emulated. I compared the two meticulously side by side and noticed the Saturn version dropped a lot of animation. I'd rather have all the in-game animation than any superfluous 'extra' modes. Arcade ports aren't really worth it these days, which only leaves the exclusives.
Was that around the time it came out for the Saturn or some time later? I also imported Metal Slug back in the day. I think I got it in the fall of '97. I don't recall when Neo Geo emulation became possible. I was just comparing a few Saturn games to their arcade counterparts several weeks ago, though not extensively like you did and I did notice some frame differences. And I agree that I'd rather have all the animations. I did enjoy the Saturn port at the time. I also compared the Saturn version of Groove on Fight, my first RAM-cart game back in the day, to the ST-V arcade version and could see a lot of frame cuts in that one, some of which were surprising. I also agree that the Saturn's many arcade ports, 2D especially, are better played in other forms these days, so that hurts the Saturn a bit. I've been playing a lot of King of Fighter '97 lately, and the loading time gets to be a pain as, even though it's not bad, it adds up. It was great to have when it was new though.
I love Cyberbots, such an awesome game. Great list of games, please do another video like this if you can.
Great video! I am still missing some of these games, so I'll make sure to try them out. I am seriously thinking about collecting japanese Saturn library because it's just so much cheaper. I only know basic japanese but hey, I learned english through RPG games so why not japanese?
Japanese looks like a tough language to me, especially the kanji. Anyone taking on that challenge has my respect for sure 👍👍
Funny, watching this video , and seeing how prices have tripled. 😔
About what you said for "Sonic Jam" @ 11:49... I have reason to believe that the real reason for Sonic being disliked nowadays isn't because of the quality of certain games in the series, but rather due to the fact that he's an anthropomorphic animal character instead of a human character like Mario.
Great new intro! I suppose you can only use it on Sega related stuff, or will you forge ahead proudly, letting all know who’s house they’re in?
I should *pipe down and watch the video! (*I wonder where that expression came from?)
8:54 wish the game had made use of the 4mb ram expansion and maybe more time in development so the Saturn port would have been better.
great games for sure. THe saturn was the first console I imported for because of the reasons mentioned here. It was easy saved tons of money and many games didn't make it here
Hey bro just wanted to let you know from one creator to another I really enjoy your content. I've tried to influence as many of my youtube friends as possible to check you out. Fun question for you....what is your top 5 or 10 games in order from any sega console? In another words you have all the sega consoles ever made to list one top 5 or 10 list. Lastly do you own a Pioneer Laseractive. I'm a big Sega fan and that was probably my most important purchase in the past 20 years.
Thank you so much for your videos. Such great content !
Thanks! :)
A new title for 2020, “games to add to your MODE”. If the thing ever ships 😭
House of the Dead has a story behind its bad textures. I can't remember where I read or heard it but at least most of the textures were only suppose to be temporary but when the game was shown to higher up and developer said of course the textures need to be replaced they were told 'no, it's fine, send it out'
I know it's not going to happen but I'd love for Cyberbots to get a revival, though I don't trust Capcom's current fighting game division. Neat fact about Jin Saotome is that in Cyberbots he's voiced by the same person who does Amuro Rey in the Gundam franchise.
Some great choices mate👍🏻
Beats of Rage Dreamcast Episode:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SekVD...
D&D Rise of Warduke:
gamejolt.com/games/rise-of-wa...
Golden Axe Genesis:
gamejolt.com/games/golden-axe...
Masters of the Universe:
gamejolt.com/games/he-man/19434
Marvel First Alliance:
gamejolt.com/games/marvel-fir...
Power Rangers Beats of Power SE:
gamejolt.com/games/power-rang...
Legend of the Double Dragon:
mahcneto.itch.io/legend-of-th...
House of Death is also on PC.
Pretty much every game here is worth owning, and that's why the Saturn is awesome.
Hey SLX, I want Bulk Slash but I was told that every copy has the manual adhered to the case with cheap glue. Is that true?
No. The Sega Saturn Collection version I have is in a standard jewel case with separate manual.
Is that the de facto Greatest Hits version with the red label? If so, did you go for the GH because of the glue on the original?
It's what's referred to as "Satakore", but yes, the red label. I've only seen the standard version a couple of times in person, but I do not remember it having a manual glued to the case. I ended up with the Satakore version by chance. It was on sale years ago and I scored it cheap.
My friend had the original new and it did have the manual glued to the case. I’ve heard this is commonplace but not something that was intended.
a bit off topic but im surprised not to hear virtual on mentioned on your channel much
Those Neo Geo ports look and play really damn good on the Saturn, good job by SNK
It’s true, they’re great. Anyone interested should just remember you need a 1MB Ram cart and a Japanese Saturn. Most games will play fine on a NA system + Action Replay cart, but games like Metal Slug won’t play very well that way. Lots of glitches and slowdown with the Action Replay, for some reason.
@@jkemp6791 ... only if you have a "faulty" action replay OR a not so perfect connection between cart and the saturn - as I heard. But also heard that Metal Slug exist in different versions so who knows.
Bulk slash shows how good the 3d draw distance could be when someone knew how to code.
It was a really beautiful use of the VDP2. Only games like Panzer Dragoon II used similar functionality. I think it really made the Saturn capable of some great engines.
@@SegaLordX Yeah, there were certain geniuses who knew how to program for both GPU's and CPU's.. but just so I have the info correct, this is using both GPU's but not CPU's, yes? The Saturn was actually a monster for the time and I don't care what anyone says, in a good coder's hands it was definitely more powerful than the PS1.. for example, SOTN should have easily been superior to the PSX version. So that, was bad, rushed coding.
Why did you make the "openBOR Games You Need to Play" private? I just finished watching it and liked it.
I need to quit watching these videos man. I going broke. 😂 🤣.
Picking up these cheap Japan games. Very excited to play.
You are a culture enriching person
I still have sonic jam and the house of the dead, am missing the booklet
This list is mostly composed of import games which are identical to domestic releases. It's not really a "must own" list but more like a "import bargain" list. Since prices fluctuate with time, it's won't be relevant in a few years. A list of the best exclusive imports (plus the few games that have additional content or superior music, etc. in the Japanese version), regardless of price, would be much better. Not that I'm advocating for piracy, but everybody playing Saturn fan translations have to do it on some kind of modified hardware, flashcarts, emulators, etc. anyway, so import prices don't really matter. Me personally, I try to buy most decent Sega games released today. It's a much better way to keep the Sega brand going in my opinion. But I get that people like to have shelves full of those shiny jewel cases. For me it's more important that people play the best of the best of retro Sega games. By the way, the Japanese version of Silhouette Mirage has just been translated. It's a great Treasure title and the Saturn version is the definitive version (the ps version had its difficulty altered by Working Designs and it's needlessly frustrating and unbalanced).
From the description:
"We continue my recommendations for must own Sega Saturn imports. This episode is aimed squarely at those of you who want to buy physical Sega Saturn games, and the imports you should look into. Some of these do have releases in other territories, but still get a nod for their reduced prices."
Thats cool
solid titles