There's something inherently lovable about the Saturn. That big gray slab with blue accents was so different to the 16 bit era. Even the high price made it feel special. The design language is like a Japanese car mixed with Japanese audio equipment. It's not cute like the N64, or sleek like the PSX. And that cartridge slot at the back feels kind of janky considering the arrival of disc based consoles, but there's also something endearing about the expandability built into it from the beginning (just like the Dreamcast) and all those attempts with CD and add-ons from the 16 bit era. There's even something poetic about it being a 2D arcade powerhouse, just as 3D was taking off. Truly a very complex and nuanced piece of hardware at a pivotal moment in history.
Yay Sega Lord X returns onscreen! One of the biggest pluses for me in that generation was how it took literally no time to save or load your game. The PlayStation was just awful in that regard as the memory cards are painfully slow. I believe even the N64 Memory Paks were faster.
Yeah, I used to hold it until I had to go to the toilet. The saves I mean. Saving with the ZX Spectrum on to tape was faster than the PlayStation. PS (postscript not playstation) I am currently unwell and am watching all your videos for the 28th time. Endlessly rewatchable. Thank you.
@@sweet_sukeban4022 They are completely different companies then and now. SEGA has driven progress, created cutting-edge slot machines, and has been a trendsetter in genres such as racing and fighting. It produced popular consoles and had many very popular gaming brands. Now it's just a publisher.
Just wanted to let you know, your videos pushed me into importing a Japanese saturn and getting a PSK cart and the joystick controller for nights I do not regret my purchase at all, I've had an absolute blast playing nights, guardian heroes and radiant silvergun and others and can't wait to share these games with my son when he gets older
Saame here! It's thanks in large part to this channel that I decided to import a Japanese Saturn, instead of going for the Dreamcast which *was* my first pick. It's really the broader library of Saturn games, with the beautiful sprite based games that sold me on the Saturn (still love the Dreamcast though)
When I first picked up my Saturn cheap from a yard sale, you were easily the most helpful and informative when it came to finding games. Thank you for helping me fall in love with the console.
@@BobbyHo2022 SEGA has $18 Billion in Cash Flow and $34 Billion in Equity, ALL that has to be done is to raise $2.5 Billion in Capital. Which is EASY especially on the part of our Various partners.
@@segaunited3855 Sega Sammy's net worth is 3.6 billion on yahoo finance. Nintendo's net worth is 50 billion. No way Segas networth that high when they were going bankrupt in the dreamcast era.
Thanks for mentioning the cart slot issues. Going back to the 90s I was constantly using the Funcoland extended warranty to swap out units as my use of official memory cards, ST keys, action replays, non-official memory cards, RAM carts and the netlink would wear down slots to unusability in just a month or two. I've gone through 30+ Saturns over the years with about half of them having worn out the slots. Now I leave carts permanently in the slot.
Some badly made carts (3rd party) were the problem, they would push the pins too far and eventually they wouldn't close back up properly. The actual slot isn't that bad without using these.
@@wyterabitt2149 Even on ideally made (first party) cartridges if there's enough usage of it those slots can get wonky over time, the pins were designed in a fragile state and I suspect the cartridge slot reliability was an afterthought for Sega, Regarding improperly made cartridges being the primary culprit, while not solely responsible they're responsible for most of the damage for sure, and even back in the day I noticed how much thicker the PCB was on say a game shark than an official Sega memory card. But in the late 90s or early 2000s once the Saturn was effectively dead on the US marketplace it was possible to buy a used Saturn with a one year warranty for around 50.00, this caused me to go through units in just a matter of months. As Saturns became harder to come by and Funcoland no longer carried them I started stocking up and using the "leave a cartridge in the slot of the system" method. I now have a lot of the different Saturn models and units specifically for say RAM cart games, and so on with peripherals but at the time I was a poor high school student who was buying all of this stuff with part time job money while experimenting with cheap used games and shiny imports so I needed to use the cartridges like game sharks, action replays and st keys that were available to me on the market at the time.
@Dan I never had to replace a Saturn once. You either didn't know how to insert the cart effectively or used the worse carts like he said in the video. I always had the Action Replay. The way to get it to work is you insert the cart then pull up slightly otherwise it the cart wouldn't register. Obviously the cart slot or the carts are not lined up correctly by default.
The Saturn also had the disadvantage of being discontinued too soon, while most impressive PS1 games started coming out just as the Saturn was left behind. Some homebrew efforts show what this system could have done, going even beyond the N64 4 player split-screen, with transparencies, dynamic lights and light beams all at the same time with great performance.
@@skycloud4802 I've often thought that Sega was some sort of front for a criminal enterprise, and their real purpose was to lose money for some nefarious reason. Like in The Producers.
The other issue is that Sega of America dropped the ball on it refusing to get behind in 1994. And by 1996 when its Best Tools were FINALLY available and when Many developers like Lobotomy Software had Finally figured out its Hardware, Isao Okawa and Bernie Stolar stepped in to Pull the Plug never giving it a chance to evolve or see it be FULLY Utilized.
Alternative fact: the cartridge slot located behind the cd-rom was originally intended for the later release of (but never happened) "Sega 64x", an expansion pak add on similar to the "Sega 32x".
Great video. The Saturn was a 2D powerhouse, we could have easily had Marvel vs Capcom 1, KOF 98 and Garou Mark of the Wolves on the Saturn if the developers tried with the 4MB RAM cart.
As someone who was very much a teen during the years of the Saturn I look back and think of how short sighted I, and apparently the industry, was in the push to move on from 2D. The Saturn was an absolute BEAST when it came to 2D and I often wonder what we could have had (a proper 32 bit Sonic title for example) if we hadn't been so itchy to ditch 2D for 3D polys. Now I just cannot get into new games (too complicated, continuous DLC to dress up your character with zero impact to the game, lack of time to dedicate to a long and sometimes great story) and yearn for the simplicity of retro sprite based games and the occasional early 3D title.
@@MasaCheez Dev's did pass up 2D, I was mad at that at the time. Today I think it was better that way, since we would of never gotten to see early 3D if that just went from 2D game to a Dreamcast. That said we still should of gotten some more 2D games like a SOTN style Ninja Gaiden or Contra for example.
It's pretty odd how we often have our favorite system of choice because of the great memories we had with it. I have a ton of great memories playing lots of great games on the PS1 but still the Sega Genesis is my favorite system of all time. Heck if I had to pick a decade it would be the 90s, it's the golden age of gaming for me.
I had a Sega Saturn when I was a kid man the memories I remember this hockey game I was addicted to also rayman and virtual fighter crazy how time flies I’m 34 now
Even though the internal memory didn’t store all that much it definitely was a great idea by sega. The battery itself would usually last me about 3 years and I’d always backup my saves on a cart so that was never an issue.
I gave up on the Sega back in the day because of the Saturn. I have some experience with it but not much at all all the games I played on it all seemed clunky and slow. You have single handedly have changed my opinion of this great machine. I have since learned that my bad experience with it were because of the bad software released here in the States. You have showed me all amazing stuff the Saturn has that we just never got to experience. I now know how GREAT of a system it truly is. So thank you very much for your love of the Saturn and for sharing all of your knowledge.
Yes another sega Saturn video!!!! Love this system so much. Really wished I never sold my collection in 2004. Glad I got a system back and play it today
I basically gave most of my games to close to nothing away to buy an N64. Man that was stupid. I also sold my entire Genesis library to buy 2 Sega Saturn games. I was a dumb teenager.
There's a very easy fix for the loose cart. It's counterintuitive, but it works. Open cart port and loosen (a little) the screws on the cart slot that the cart inserts into. It totally works and makes reading the cart more consistent.
Perhaps the slot could be enlarged (probably at the loss of the dust flaps) if it's too small for 3rd party carts. I recently modified (mostly using pliers) a Super Famicom to play US SNES games. The end result is ugly but very functional.
Sega has always been one of those things a distant cousin had, but I never did, so I’ve always been intrigued by the consoles. You do a fantastic job of explaining their history and library without much bias at all.
You're the reason I started saturn collecting. I saw ads for it as a kid and never thought it was real. I lived in a rural area and we only had genesis
As a few people in the comments have mentioned, I bypassed two of these weaknesses by inserting a good Action Replay cart into my launch Saturn, then just leaving it in the slot for the last 12-13 years and NEVER removing it. No wear on the pins, tons of save space, bypasses region lock, replicates the effect of both the 1MB an 4MB RAM carts. I have had zero fails to load or save games in 12 years. Now if only I could find a Saturn arcade stick that could stand up to heavy shmup & fighter gameplay for 12 years!!!
Been playing my Saturn for years, and before that, was my buddies Saturn. Besides the power supply giving out 8 or so years ago, which I replaced with a pico psu for like..20 bucks? Been rock solid since, reading CDs like a champ still. Cartridge slot rarely gets exchanged from the Action Replay, so, most the negatives aren't a big deal in my experience at least. It's a soldier, love my Saturn!
I absolutely love the PAL plastic cases. I've never had an issue with them breaking, most of mine are near mint, admittedly I bought many of them from new and have been well looked after, but even with second hand purchases, I've never come across one that's cracked or broken in any way. In my experience, they're more robust than the original Mega Drive cases that they are based on. I only wish the whole PAL library had these boxes, instead of those awful cardboard and plastic amalgamations (or abominations) that were available for the first year and a half of the life of the Saturn. There are games that have both, Sega Rally, VF2, Daytona CCE, Manx TT, Virtua Cop 2, so if you're after these titles, keep an eye out for those with the better plastic cases.
In the UK the only type of PAL cases were the cardboard/plastic ones, I was very confused by your initial statement about them being good with breaking! As a design I think the ones in the UK are far better, for practicality it's a not good as the main source of collection for me.
@@wyterabitt2149 in the UK we had 2 types of commonly used cases for Saturn games, the first was the cardboard & plastic variation, the second was made entirely of plastic, basically the same as a Mega Drive case but made for a CD instead of a cartridge. SLX claimed that these suffer from breaking, but in my experience they are the best cases of all systems I own, and I own 28 different systems.
@@skycloud4802UK PS1 cases are very prone to cracking/fracturing, it's taken me a long time to put all my PS1 collection into near mint cases, they do exist. LOL
I already had the Saturn experience before I found your channel when you were around 10000 subscribers. If your channel has influenced me, a SNES kid in the 1990's, it has made me realize how much I missed on the Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega/Mega CD, 32X, and Sega Master System/Mark III. Since your recent Sega CD awards video, I've realized how much I missed on the Sega CD, and have been playing it like crazy.
When I first start my retro collection, the first system I picked up was Sega Saturn. I was pleasantly surprised how good the library is. When I was a kid, I missed this console in favor of a PlayStation. I now wish I had both.
Thank you so much for being here with your content as I recover from Covid and a Bad back. It goes a long way to help me ignore it and get some entertainment.
@@MasaCheez Man. It is brutal. They tell you to rest for the Covid but to not lay down to long for the back but move. Also, coughing stuff up and coughing in general is excruciating on my back. It has to be the worst combo to have at once. Glad you made it through.
@@gametourny4ever627 haha thanks and yeah I was fortunate enough to have mostly recovered from the back stuff just prior to having COVID. Thankfully I also had a mild case (my 2nd time around) but holy hell if I had the coughing at the same time as when my back was originally injured? That would have been a nightmare. Only way it could have been worse is with broken ribs! Hang on tight man. You've got this!💪
I really, really wanted a Saturn as a kid but never got one. We had a Genesis though and I remember spending a long time looking at the new Saturn games at the rental store anytime I went to get a game. That period of time where the Saturn was hyped everywhere in stores must have been short-lived, but I remember it vividly and it defines the mid-90s for me. I'm glad Saturn emulation finally caught up and made these games playable, it was a long wait.
Who else looked up the Saturn out of pure memories and found this video first? Glad I clicked. Thanks for bringing back the dreams and memories. Daytona USA was a staple
I always wanted a Saturn and during lockdown found your channel. It helped me pull that trigger and got a Japanese Saturn. It’s what I always wanted staring at game boxes in EB games for years
The internal memory was definitely a plus back then, but I'll have to agree, this feature has aged horribly. My Saturn won't keep its memory even with a fresh battery, so I decided to just get the original Sega memory card, which has a lot more storage as a bonus; luckily most people in Brazil never had any Saturn cartridges, so the slot on mine is pretty much brand new. The CD drive is a bit flaky after years of reading bootlegs (it's a bit of a meme in Brazil that the existence of original games for PS2 and most consoles prior are a myth since nearly no one had the means to afford original games), but it still works 99% of the time after a bit of cleaning with compressed air.
@@wrena79 My healthy Saturn takes any burned CD but my picky Saturn is happiest with Ritek Pro (Professional Archival Grade) CDR. They have ATIP code 97m26s66f. Burn in Windows with IMGBurn. It’s free.
I would add as a positive the incredible and unique music and atmosphere of its games. There are experiences on the Saturn unlike any on any other console. There's so much beauty, both dark and enchanting, and bright, arcadey, blue blue skies moments.
Great video, Segaman. Saturn is the kind of system that always sounded like a myth to me, always hearing about it while playing in my PSX, but I really never saw anyone with it. Maybe, in a close future, I will give a shot
It depends what you like. If you like 2D fighters it's possibly the greatest system of all time, certainly the best 32 bit generation system for 2D fighters (and some fun 3D fighters). Now that the RPG and adventure library is more and more translated...it's also an incredible console for RPGs and Strategy RPGs. Of course actual software is very expensive. PS1 has incredible RPGs too but there is a LOT of exclusive stuff on Saturn in that genre and some of it could only be played in the past few years by english speakers. There are just a lot of quirky great unique title for it...and the fact that 2D games aged better than 3D games of that time has it looking like the graphical powerhouse of its generation more every year. The 4MB ram expansion titles from Capcom are probably the most technically impressive looking games of the era now.
@@sweet_sukeban4022 I bought a Saturn in 97 as it was on the way out because I wanted to play Shining Force III and Panzer Dragoon Saga so bad, then ended up completely ignoring my PS1 the minute I got a Saturn because I loved the library so much more and I could get US game so cheap and still import new Japanese games for another couple years. I never wanted an N64 but I did like playing the Gamecube version of Ocarina of Time which was the only game I really wanted.
I bought a Saturn on Day 1. I owned a Sega Genesis with my Sega Master system adapter, Sega CD and Sega 32x. I was Sega's favorite type of consumer. I kept all of my systems. Sega systems, PS1 and 2, Dreamcast, N64, C64. Had them stored away at my parents house. And when I bought my house. I went to retrieve them. They were all missing from the closet in which they were stored. My parents took in a down and out family member. This family member called me saying he found my OG XBox in the room he was staying in and strangely dropped it off 2 days before I moved into my house. I knew something was up. I knew at that moment my systems were gone forever. Probably sold to a Gamestop for $50
Of all my retro consoles Saturn turned into my favorite over the last year, like all the old consoles their quirks or questionable design choices are what make them so special and nostalgic years later, but the perfect arcade ports, shumps and great sound quality make it so fun. Imagine if they didn't use quads¿ Hope my dream comes true someday and the modern NBA Jam TE mods make their way to the Saturn🤞
Your videos led me to pick up a Japanese Saturn along with a small collection of games. It comes later this week and I couldn't be more excited! Thanks for all the awesome content.
I got a Game Shark cartridge a while back, and can confirm the edge connectors are not beveled. I ended up sanding it the edge connector so it is now beveled. You can tell they made those cartridges as cheap as possible.
The music for the "WEAKNESS" sections is so dramatic I couldn't help but LMAFO but in a good way 🤣🤣🤣I half-expected Robert Stack to pop up and say, "Update!"
Just got a Saturn this year I have been using a satori to play roms off the console I have enjoy my time with the system and I have been lucky that my Japanese Saturn has had no hardware issues so far. Great video love the honestly with the real issues that the Saturn has nice to see some one talk about something they love with honestly.
Great video SegaLordX. I recently acquired my first Saturn (US model 1), and bought a Retrobit Japanese model controller based off your recommendation in another video. I was not disappointed! Really enjoying my time with the system thus far.
I grew up with nintendo. As an adult, I've slowly been grabbing systems i wish I'd got to try growing up. I'm finally picking myself up a Saturn and you channel's has me super excited to start collecting for it
I grew up with an uncle who was a passionate Saturn owner and had many great memories of games like Panzer Dragoon, Astal and Clockwork Knight. After the MODE was announced, I found your channel and watched all your Saturn content and worked for weeks with a friend to compile a complete library and have been loving Saturn ownership ever since! You definitely played a big role in reconnecting me to my childhood and memories I had with my family. Thanks! I will definitely be watching all your content to come, Saturn and otherwise.
Everything you said was spot on. My import library is crazy. Even through the Saturn gets a bad rap it is still a great system. I plan on leaving my systems to each of my Grandsons.
I’ve just picked up a Saturn just yesterday and can’t wait to jump back in, it was my first console that I bought back in 1996 with my own money so it holds a special place in my heart. I’ve watched your channel for ages now and it’s one of the main reasons why I jumped back in, the console is region free so cant wait to choose from the different libraries. Thanks very much for all the great content you produce on here
The strength is the game library. The Saturn is brilliant at throwing around 2D sprites, so if you're a fan of SHMUPs, Beat-Em Ups, or fighting games, it's such a fantastic system when compared to the PS1 or N64.
My brother likes to collect for the Saturn. He's a Chilean living in Japan so the amount of good games he gets is quite great. He always tells me how awesome the console is and that I should get one (I have a Genesis collection). I have never played a single Saturn game in my life, not even on an emulator but as a SEGA fan I think there will be a day when I start collecting for this console
Great work as always SLX. I've personally been a collector of the Saturn for twenty years now "since I was sophomore in highschool". You did a great job covering nearly all the strength and weakness of the system expect for one issue, disc rot. I know many will not face this issue given how collectors treat their games/systems now, however it will occur eventually. I had few Sega sports games meet their end at the end of disc rot. I did the pinhole test "holding a disc up to light" & the where everywhere. Not even my PC could recognize said disc. Honestly it was most likely due to me storing them in a CD binder instead of jewel cases, however I just wanted to bring that up. Also from personal experience I've noticed that Japanese games/disc have a better build quality to the over western releases. Well enough of me rambling on, keep up the good work SLX and most of all keep on pumping out that Sega content!
Two great points about disc rot and the quality of Japanese discs. I have no definitive proof but it does seem like they are nicer quality. I also think maybe Japanese people take care of their discs better?
@@DaveB038 I think it has to do with the over production quality of the disc. I have long box ps1 games that work just fine. However as I mentioned the few Sega sports games no longer are readable by any kind of disc drive. To address your second point, it would seem the Japanese seem to take better care of their personal belongings. I know this after picking up Sharp Twin famicom last year, and was stunned by it's condition along with carts w/boxes & manuals.
This comment is super late but legit your help with me importing Saturn titles have been invaluable… Yes the community is better cause your work here on UA-cam
I obtained a saturn at the tail end of its life. At my local store, picked up Dragon Force, Albert Odyssey, Guardian Heroes, and Magic Knight Rayearth from the Working Designs website (yes, remember they used to sell games on their page?) I had no idea these games would end up being so sought after. I actually traded my psx for the saturn with a friend who hated it. It was all good because I ended up getting a psOne for 49.99 not too long after haha. Thank you friend. I had an amazing childhood thanks to you.
Love some Sega Lord X Saturn content. Given that only myself and my best friend owned and supported a Saturn during our high school years, and given that it also remains my favourite console of all time, I can really connect with your Saturn content and views. It’s great to see so many trying it today, but it’s also equally frustrating to see people wax lyrical over it who didn’t give it a second look in 1995 - it’s also galling to see “retro collectors” who didn’t own the system in its day, talk down some of the Saturns games as they can’t appreciate the system because they see everything through modern eyes. PS: kudos for using Empire as the backing music for section 1 - my favourite track from Panzer Dragoon!
Your channel was the primary reason, and main educational resource, behind me getting into the Saturn. It was the last console I added to my collection, but my V-Saturn now sits proudly on my AV tower. I grabbed several physical copies of games after seeing them in your videos (such as Layer Section, the Dark Stalkers games, etc.), but I finally caved and got myself a Satiator. Some of the remaining games out there were just too damn expensive to justify buying.
Sega lord x dude I finally got to see your beautiful face ! Thanks again for another good video , you and my retro life have the most nostalgic dripping videos , it feels like I step back into the 90’s every time I watch your videos
I can tell ya right now, the thing that absolutely killed the chances of me buying a Saturn at launch was no backwards compatibility. I remember being SO SO SO excited for the Saturn when I saw that Cart slot towards the back! I thought for sure it would also play Genesis games! But when I found out that it would not be backwards compatible, that was it. I lost literally all interest in buying it. I just couldn't wrap my head around the logic of having an effing cart slot that couldn't play Genesis games! I thought to myself WHY WHY WHY??? It just didn't make sense to me back then. I didn't end up buying one til I saw it on clearance for like 50 bucks back when it was failing in the U.S. If they had the good sense to let it play Genesis games I would have 100% bought it on launch day!
@@BobbyHo2022 Lol that didn't help, but if I liked it I would've bought it anyway. The 300 dollar price tag didn't stop me from buying a PS1 that's for sure.
@@skins4thewin i honestly had one friend whom owned a saturn and seemed to have everything. Everyone else a PS1. Such a weird time. Before we all had Genesis or SNes. Sega really dropped the ball.
@@BobbyHo2022 Yeah they kinda did, should have gotten some of those excellent releases that they only got in Japan. I mean they honestly kinda dropped the ball when designing the system to begin with, making it far more complex than it needed to be. Made it difficult to develop for and made the system pricey to manufacture. At the same time they messed up even worse with the 32X. The thing had potential but it was too late to market & should have been a standalone system not an add-on. If anything it should have came as part of the Sega CD, perhaps with just one of its RICOH CPU's instead of two. Most devs didn't even use the 2nd CPU when developing their games for the 32x. The enhances color capabilities would have made a huge difference for it's games. Would have also liked to see some of Sega's Super Scaler Arcade titles for it, as the system had a scaler chip built in. Such wasted opportunity... Although I think they did get it right with the Dreamcast. That was an amazing system! Had it at launch & was a faithful fan thru it's whole life cycle, which was way too short!
@@skins4thewin left the best stuff in Japan, not all of us had access to imports... then released the amazing Dreamcast only to find out consumer mistrust and a DVD player made it too late.
My Brazilian state is one of the few (or maybe the only one) that uses 220v. This remembered me of all the nightmares in the 90s hahaha. Mega Drive, SNES, Saturn, Dreamcast and even later consoles like Nintendo DS or 3DS needed adapters so we wouldn't fry them. I remember once traveling from Santa Catarina to Paraná and not needing a power adapter to hook up my Mega-Drive, I was in awe.
I was 14 when I saved every single cent I made in 1995 to buy this beast with my own money. And it was AWESOME,but I also HAD to sell my Sega Genesis collection to boost up my savings... definitely was an amazing experience. Thanks again SLX for highlighting this special console in my childhood.
@@nightowl8363 that is true and I see a lot of Sega UA-camrs use Nights gameplay footage and music to draw viewers in yet most don’t give it the respect it truly deserves. It was innovative, creative and (on another dominant 32 bit platform of the era) may have been a Mario killer.
@@Netkinetic Ya, ive always wanted to try it myself. I never owned a Saturn, only a few weeks ago i tried my first Saturn game (Guardi an Heroes) and its pretty awesome✌👍
About 4 months back I finally got me actual Sega official RAM and backup save carts. I'd been using one of the late 90s era Action Replay 4 in one carts for years but it was stating to be become more and more of a problem getting it to read. I've not had near the issues with the actual carts in my model 1 that I did with that Action Replay. Once I did that along with putting in a region free BIOS and the FRAM upgrade, It has been awesome and much less of a frustration! Good stuff!
Fantastic video as always, SEGA Saturn is still my go to (and favourite) retro console, period. Unfortunately my original Modded PAL Saturn has finally died on me - Surviving a Playstation, PS2, Xbox and an Xbox 360, before finally biting the dust. It's been with me since '96 and seen over 500 original games and given me more entertainment than anything else I have ever owned. I will definitely be getting her all fixed up, despite owning an Japanese system.
what else ... as a strength or weakness for the Saturn? weakness: Sometimes my Saturns won't read a disk unless I power them on before shutting the lid. strength: BLAZING the torch of bringing the arcade experience home!!
When I was a high school/college kid and had time to play Saturn constantly I liked the cheap battery as opposed to messing with/buying memory cards on my PS1. Now that I only have time to break out my real hardward 1 or 2 times a year I hate it because it means I'm replacing battery pretty much any time I get into a big session with real hardware. My two late manufacture consoles I bought new for $50 at Wal Mart in early '98 are just about the last possessions I'd ever sell.
The Saturn has always fascinated me even till this day. I was a Playstation (1) owner and have always wondered how the Saturn ports of 2D cross gen games faired much better than on PS.
Dude, randomly the thought of the Sega Saturn popped into my head last night as I was trying to sleep. It's the one console I never had (I owned literally every console except for this one!). Thanks for all the info!!
I got a Saturn in 98 when the Blockbuster I worked for cleared out our Saturn stock. I actually managed to get new copies of Magic Knight Rayearth, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Shining Force III, House of the Dead, and Burning Rangers. SEGA NEEDS TO do a Saturn mini. There are so many amazing games on there, including all the games that never got western releases. Dragon Force is still one of my favorite games of all time. I couldn't stop playing X-Men vs Street Fighter when I first imported it; I played it so much I burned out my first Saturn's cartridge slot hot swapping a GameShark and the 4MB RAM cart and had to get a replacement. Vampire Savior and Pocket Fighter were two others I couldn't stop playing. Sonic Jam is still the best Sonic compilation of all time and that 3D Sonic world was amazing. Honestly I don't know if I'd pick a Saturn or N64 or PS1 cuz each one has games I couldn't imagine going without, but the Saturn is absolutely one of my favorite consoles of all time.
@Sega Lord X, is it me or has the buzz around the Saturn on UA-cam been easily quiet of late? I really appreciate all the coverage you provide. I also urge anyone who is genuinely interested to take the plunge. The Saturn was a sleeper hit that Sega missed great opportunities on making it popular in regions outside of Japan. It is a must experience and own in my book. This info is invaluable.
Great video man I'm a relatively new Saturn owner and I'm getting ready to order an original 4mb ram cart to replace a non beveled pseudokai I previously purchased, thanks I just hope it's not too late since I started to notice that it takes more than one insertion in order to be recognize, damn
I do not do giveaways on UA-cam. If you get a reply to your comment saying contact them because you’ve won something, ITS A SCAM. This is not me.
Yea I was getting messages like that from review tech usa,his comments was getting spammers in it too
Hate these, seems like there on almost every YT channel now
Wait, does this mean I can't have your Saturn Library?!
Those bots are ruining UA-cam
@@Thor-Orion 😂😂
There's something inherently lovable about the Saturn. That big gray slab with blue accents was so different to the 16 bit era. Even the high price made it feel special. The design language is like a Japanese car mixed with Japanese audio equipment. It's not cute like the N64, or sleek like the PSX. And that cartridge slot at the back feels kind of janky considering the arrival of disc based consoles, but there's also something endearing about the expandability built into it from the beginning (just like the Dreamcast) and all those attempts with CD and add-ons from the 16 bit era. There's even something poetic about it being a 2D arcade powerhouse, just as 3D was taking off. Truly a very complex and nuanced piece of hardware at a pivotal moment in history.
Yay Sega Lord X returns onscreen!
One of the biggest pluses for me in that generation was how it took literally no time to save or load your game. The PlayStation was just awful in that regard as the memory cards are painfully slow. I believe even the N64 Memory Paks were faster.
Yeah, I used to hold it until I had to go to the toilet. The saves I mean.
Saving with the ZX Spectrum on to tape was faster than the PlayStation.
PS (postscript not playstation) I am currently unwell and am watching all your videos for the 28th time. Endlessly rewatchable. Thank you.
@@t7plus it is small world @gameSack !!!! What is the next video ??
Are you gonna make funny video reedits of him like you did to Nintega ? 🤡
I’d like you see @gamesack and @segalordx do a collaboration video, I think it’ll be great!
@@dangunheadachron1603 huh?
I've said it once and I'll say it again. I just love your content. Thanks a ton for your time and info you provide.
Appreciate the comment.
Me too !!!
Agreed!
@@SegaLordX We know EVERYTHING there is to know about Saturn, Its Trade Secrets,Documentation, EVERYTHING. Even how its Anti Piracy works.
Me three 😎
Thanks to fans like you, SEGA will never be forgotten.
Segas still around making games wtf?
@@sweet_sukeban4022 They are completely different companies then and now. SEGA has driven progress, created cutting-edge slot machines, and has been a trendsetter in genres such as racing and fighting. It produced popular consoles and had many very popular gaming brands.
Now it's just a publisher.
@@tarasVgame I take it you WANT the SEGA Hardware brand back, if I'm not mistaken.
Gay as
Just wanted to let you know, your videos pushed me into importing a Japanese saturn and getting a PSK cart and the joystick controller for nights
I do not regret my purchase at all, I've had an absolute blast playing nights, guardian heroes and radiant silvergun and others and can't wait to share these games with my son when he gets older
Saame here! It's thanks in large part to this channel that I decided to import a Japanese Saturn, instead of going for the Dreamcast which *was* my first pick. It's really the broader library of Saturn games, with the beautiful sprite based games that sold me on the Saturn (still love the Dreamcast though)
When I first picked up my Saturn cheap from a yard sale, you were easily the most helpful and informative when it came to finding games. Thank you for helping me fall in love with the console.
Glad I could help!
I was all about Sega. From the genesis to the Dreamcast, I loved the consoles. My heart broke when they announced the end of console development.
Our Goal is to BRING them BACK. Stronger and BETTER than before.
How? They are broke
Sony destroyed sega low diff lmao
@@BobbyHo2022 SEGA has $18 Billion in Cash Flow and $34 Billion in Equity, ALL that has to be done is to raise $2.5 Billion in Capital. Which is EASY especially on the part of our Various partners.
@@segaunited3855 Sega Sammy's net worth is 3.6 billion on yahoo finance. Nintendo's net worth is 50 billion. No way Segas networth that high when they were going bankrupt in the dreamcast era.
Capcom 2D fighting games on Saturn have hardly aged a day on Saturn at all.
Hello I hear your the android sent by cyber life
street fighter alpha 3 with saturn controller is the best street fighter gets in my opinion
Thanks for mentioning the cart slot issues. Going back to the 90s I was constantly using the Funcoland extended warranty to swap out units as my use of official memory cards, ST keys, action replays, non-official memory cards, RAM carts and the netlink would wear down slots to unusability in just a month or two. I've gone through 30+ Saturns over the years with about half of them having worn out the slots. Now I leave carts permanently in the slot.
Some badly made carts (3rd party) were the problem, they would push the pins too far and eventually they wouldn't close back up properly.
The actual slot isn't that bad without using these.
@@wyterabitt2149 Even on ideally made (first party) cartridges if there's enough usage of it those slots can get wonky over time, the pins were designed in a fragile state and I suspect the cartridge slot reliability was an afterthought for Sega, Regarding improperly made cartridges being the primary culprit, while not solely responsible they're responsible for most of the damage for sure, and even back in the day I noticed how much thicker the PCB was on say a game shark than an official Sega memory card. But in the late 90s or early 2000s once the Saturn was effectively dead on the US marketplace it was possible to buy a used Saturn with a one year warranty for around 50.00, this caused me to go through units in just a matter of months. As Saturns became harder to come by and Funcoland no longer carried them I started stocking up and using the "leave a cartridge in the slot of the system" method. I now have a lot of the different Saturn models and units specifically for say RAM cart games, and so on with peripherals but at the time I was a poor high school student who was buying all of this stuff with part time job money while experimenting with cheap used games and shiny imports so I needed to use the cartridges like game sharks, action replays and st keys that were available to me on the market at the time.
@Dan I never had to replace a Saturn once. You either didn't know how to insert the cart effectively or used the worse carts like he said in the video. I always had the Action Replay. The way to get it to work is you insert the cart then pull up slightly otherwise it the cart wouldn't register. Obviously the cart slot or the carts are not lined up correctly by default.
The Saturn also had the disadvantage of being discontinued too soon, while most impressive PS1 games started coming out just as the Saturn was left behind. Some homebrew efforts show what this system could have done, going even beyond the N64 4 player split-screen, with transparencies, dynamic lights and light beams all at the same time with great performance.
Sega was always too early with their hardware; the Dreamcast launch was no different.
@@ronindebeatrice it's frustrating because I feel Sega gave up way too early with both consoles.
@@skycloud4802 I've often thought that Sega was some sort of front for a criminal enterprise, and their real purpose was to lose money for some nefarious reason. Like in The Producers.
I get the same feeling for dreamcast whose potential was just beginning to be barely scratched in it's final days.
The other issue is that Sega of America dropped the ball on it refusing to get behind in 1994. And by 1996 when its Best Tools were FINALLY available and when Many developers like Lobotomy Software had Finally figured out its Hardware, Isao Okawa and Bernie Stolar stepped in to Pull the Plug never giving it a chance to evolve or see it be FULLY Utilized.
Alternative fact: the cartridge slot located behind the cd-rom was originally intended for the later release of (but never happened) "Sega 64x", an expansion pak add on similar to the "Sega 32x".
Great video. The Saturn was a 2D powerhouse, we could have easily had Marvel vs Capcom 1, KOF 98 and Garou Mark of the Wolves on the Saturn if the developers tried with the 4MB RAM cart.
As someone who was very much a teen during the years of the Saturn I look back and think of how short sighted I, and apparently the industry, was in the push to move on from 2D. The Saturn was an absolute BEAST when it came to 2D and I often wonder what we could have had (a proper 32 bit Sonic title for example) if we hadn't been so itchy to ditch 2D for 3D polys. Now I just cannot get into new games (too complicated, continuous DLC to dress up your character with zero impact to the game, lack of time to dedicate to a long and sometimes great story) and yearn for the simplicity of retro sprite based games and the occasional early 3D title.
@@MasaCheez Dev's did pass up 2D, I was mad at that at the time. Today I think it was better that way, since we would of never gotten to see early 3D if that just went from 2D game to a Dreamcast. That said we still should of gotten some more 2D games like a SOTN style Ninja Gaiden or Contra for example.
Saturn had 3D Mapping Abilities that SURPASSED PS1.
Garou, and KOF 98 maybe, because they were on MVS, but MVC1 made CPS-2 struggle really badly at times. Don't think the Saturn could have handled it.
@@chopperbyrne Saturn was perfectly capable of handling ANY CPS-2 Port.
It's pretty odd how we often have our favorite system of choice because of the great memories we had with it. I have a ton of great memories playing lots of great games on the PS1 but still the Sega Genesis is my favorite system of all time. Heck if I had to pick a decade it would be the 90s, it's the golden age of gaming for me.
Yep the Genesis graphics look terrible by todays standards its mostly nostalgia that gives it value
I had a Sega Saturn when I was a kid man the memories I remember this hockey game I was addicted to also rayman and virtual fighter crazy how time flies I’m 34 now
Even though the internal memory didn’t store all that much it definitely was a great idea by sega. The battery itself would usually last me about 3 years and I’d always backup my saves on a cart so that was never an issue.
I gave up on the Sega back in the day because of the Saturn. I have some experience with it but not much at all all the games I played on it all seemed clunky and slow. You have single handedly have changed my opinion of this great machine. I have since learned that my bad experience with it were because of the bad software released here in the States. You have showed me all amazing stuff the Saturn has that we just never got to experience. I now know how GREAT of a system it truly is. So thank you very much for your love of the Saturn and for sharing all of your knowledge.
The Saturn's Analog controller is fucking HIGH quality.
Weakness: they didn't make more new games of some really successful ips from the Genesis
Yeah I guess that’s why I do love sega so much even to this day, they’re ability to produce arcade style games so well.
The wide breadth and depth of arcade titles available on Sega Saturn is one of the chief appeals of the home entertainment system
- Pablo Escobar
I miss them a lot. I wish they never stopped at the Dreamcast.
Yes another sega Saturn video!!!! Love this system so much. Really wished I never sold my collection in 2004. Glad I got a system back and play it today
I basically gave most of my games to close to nothing away to buy an N64. Man that was stupid. I also sold my entire Genesis library to buy 2 Sega Saturn games. I was a dumb teenager.
There's a very easy fix for the loose cart. It's counterintuitive, but it works.
Open cart port and loosen (a little) the screws on the cart slot that the cart inserts into. It totally works and makes reading the cart more consistent.
Perhaps the slot could be enlarged (probably at the loss of the dust flaps) if it's too small for 3rd party carts. I recently modified (mostly using pliers) a Super Famicom to play US SNES games. The end result is ugly but very functional.
Sega has always been one of those things a distant cousin had, but I never did, so I’ve always been intrigued by the consoles. You do a fantastic job of explaining their history and library without much bias at all.
Recent subscriber, been loving going through your old content last night and today!
Thank you. Appreciate the comment.
You're the reason I started saturn collecting. I saw ads for it as a kid and never thought it was real. I lived in a rural area and we only had genesis
As a few people in the comments have mentioned, I bypassed two of these weaknesses by inserting a good Action Replay cart into my launch Saturn, then just leaving it in the slot for the last 12-13 years and NEVER removing it. No wear on the pins, tons of save space, bypasses region lock, replicates the effect of both the 1MB an 4MB RAM carts. I have had zero fails to load or save games in 12 years. Now if only I could find a Saturn arcade stick that could stand up to heavy shmup & fighter gameplay for 12 years!!!
Been playing my Saturn for years, and before that, was my buddies Saturn. Besides the power supply giving out 8 or so years ago, which I replaced with a pico psu for like..20 bucks? Been rock solid since, reading CDs like a champ still. Cartridge slot rarely gets exchanged from the Action Replay, so, most the negatives aren't a big deal in my experience at least. It's a soldier, love my Saturn!
I absolutely love the PAL plastic cases. I've never had an issue with them breaking, most of mine are near mint, admittedly I bought many of them from new and have been well looked after, but even with second hand purchases, I've never come across one that's cracked or broken in any way. In my experience, they're more robust than the original Mega Drive cases that they are based on.
I only wish the whole PAL library had these boxes, instead of those awful cardboard and plastic amalgamations (or abominations) that were available for the first year and a half of the life of the Saturn. There are games that have both, Sega Rally, VF2, Daytona CCE, Manx TT, Virtua Cop 2, so if you're after these titles, keep an eye out for those with the better plastic cases.
I think he's referring to the us cases they were like Fabrige eggs and would crack or break so easily.
In the UK the only type of PAL cases were the cardboard/plastic ones, I was very confused by your initial statement about them being good with breaking!
As a design I think the ones in the UK are far better, for practicality it's a not good as the main source of collection for me.
Do the cases were as bad as PS1 cases then? Not a single PlayStation One case has survived my household.
@@wyterabitt2149 in the UK we had 2 types of commonly used cases for Saturn games, the first was the cardboard & plastic variation, the second was made entirely of plastic, basically the same as a Mega Drive case but made for a CD instead of a cartridge.
SLX claimed that these suffer from breaking, but in my experience they are the best cases of all systems I own, and I own 28 different systems.
@@skycloud4802UK PS1 cases are very prone to cracking/fracturing, it's taken me a long time to put all my PS1 collection into near mint cases, they do exist. LOL
I already had the Saturn experience before I found your channel when you were around 10000 subscribers. If your channel has influenced me, a SNES kid in the 1990's, it has made me realize how much I missed on the Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega/Mega CD, 32X, and Sega Master System/Mark III.
Since your recent Sega CD awards video, I've realized how much I missed on the Sega CD, and have been playing it like crazy.
When I first start my retro collection, the first system I picked up was Sega Saturn. I was pleasantly surprised how good the library is. When I was a kid, I missed this console in favor of a PlayStation. I now wish I had both.
Thank you so much for being here with your content as I recover from Covid and a Bad back. It goes a long way to help me ignore it and get some entertainment.
Just had a similar experience with hurting my back at the gym and then reinjuring it only to then get COVID lol. It's be a month hahaha.
@@MasaCheez Man. It is brutal. They tell you to rest for the Covid but to not lay down to long for the back but move. Also, coughing stuff up and coughing in general is excruciating on my back. It has to be the worst combo to have at once. Glad you made it through.
@@gametourny4ever627 haha thanks and yeah I was fortunate enough to have mostly recovered from the back stuff just prior to having COVID. Thankfully I also had a mild case (my 2nd time around) but holy hell if I had the coughing at the same time as when my back was originally injured? That would have been a nightmare. Only way it could have been worse is with broken ribs! Hang on tight man. You've got this!💪
@@MasaCheez Thanks Man! Gonna power through. Thanks for the encouragement!
I really, really wanted a Saturn as a kid but never got one. We had a Genesis though and I remember spending a long time looking at the new Saturn games at the rental store anytime I went to get a game. That period of time where the Saturn was hyped everywhere in stores must have been short-lived, but I remember it vividly and it defines the mid-90s for me. I'm glad Saturn emulation finally caught up and made these games playable, it was a long wait.
Who else looked up the Saturn out of pure memories and found this video first? Glad I clicked. Thanks for bringing back the dreams and memories. Daytona USA was a staple
Awesome video! I LOVE MY SATURN!!!!!!
Me too!
I want a Saturn mini sooooo bad. Great video
I always wanted a Saturn and during lockdown found your channel. It helped me pull that trigger and got a Japanese Saturn. It’s what I always wanted staring at game boxes in EB games for years
The internal memory was definitely a plus back then, but I'll have to agree, this feature has aged horribly. My Saturn won't keep its memory even with a fresh battery, so I decided to just get the original Sega memory card, which has a lot more storage as a bonus; luckily most people in Brazil never had any Saturn cartridges, so the slot on mine is pretty much brand new. The CD drive is a bit flaky after years of reading bootlegs (it's a bit of a meme in Brazil that the existence of original games for PS2 and most consoles prior are a myth since nearly no one had the means to afford original games), but it still works 99% of the time after a bit of cleaning with compressed air.
I miss taking my memory card and games to my friend's on sleepovers. That was my PS2 one though...
I've never even seen a TecToy Saturn in my front, believe it or not
Slightly off topic but can I ask what program & cd combo you use to burn saturn games?
Luckily mine didnt die when i had my saturn. Always thought it was a great feature because no system at the time had internal memory.
@@wrena79 My healthy Saturn takes any burned CD but my picky Saturn is happiest with Ritek Pro (Professional Archival Grade) CDR. They have ATIP code 97m26s66f. Burn in Windows with IMGBurn. It’s free.
I would add as a positive the incredible and unique music and atmosphere of its games. There are experiences on the Saturn unlike any on any other console. There's so much beauty, both dark and enchanting, and bright, arcadey, blue blue skies moments.
that "blue sky sega" feeling from the 90s will always be like HOME to me, in terms of the world videogames...
dude you are single handedly responsible for me becoming obsessed with Saturn. it's awesome and i really wish I'd had it as a kid.
You’re definitely my go to channel for all my Sega nostalgia. Saturn is still my Second favorite console of all time, first being the Master System.
Great video, Segaman. Saturn is the kind of system that always sounded like a myth to me, always hearing about it while playing in my PSX, but I really never saw anyone with it. Maybe, in a close future, I will give a shot
It depends what you like. If you like 2D fighters it's possibly the greatest system of all time, certainly the best 32 bit generation system for 2D fighters (and some fun 3D fighters). Now that the RPG and adventure library is more and more translated...it's also an incredible console for RPGs and Strategy RPGs. Of course actual software is very expensive. PS1 has incredible RPGs too but there is a LOT of exclusive stuff on Saturn in that genre and some of it could only be played in the past few years by english speakers. There are just a lot of quirky great unique title for it...and the fact that 2D games aged better than 3D games of that time has it looking like the graphical powerhouse of its generation more every year. The 4MB ram expansion titles from Capcom are probably the most technically impressive looking games of the era now.
I was one of the ones that chose it over the n64 and ps1. Didnt regret it for a second. I was in arcade heaven.
@@sweet_sukeban4022 I bought a Saturn in 97 as it was on the way out because I wanted to play Shining Force III and Panzer Dragoon Saga so bad, then ended up completely ignoring my PS1 the minute I got a Saturn because I loved the library so much more and I could get US game so cheap and still import new Japanese games for another couple years. I never wanted an N64 but I did like playing the Gamecube version of Ocarina of Time which was the only game I really wanted.
I bought a Saturn on Day 1. I owned a Sega Genesis with my Sega Master system adapter, Sega CD and Sega 32x. I was Sega's favorite type of consumer.
I kept all of my systems. Sega systems, PS1 and 2, Dreamcast, N64, C64. Had them stored away at my parents house. And when I bought my house. I went to retrieve them. They were all missing from the closet in which they were stored. My parents took in a down and out family member. This family member called me saying he found my OG XBox in the room he was staying in and strangely dropped it off 2 days before I moved into my house. I knew something was up. I knew at that moment my systems were gone forever. Probably sold to a Gamestop for $50
Best sega channel.
Hands down
Thank you both.
Of all my retro consoles Saturn turned into my favorite over the last year, like all the old consoles their quirks or questionable design choices are what make them so special and nostalgic years later, but the perfect arcade ports, shumps and great sound quality make it so fun. Imagine if they didn't use quads¿ Hope my dream comes true someday and the modern NBA Jam TE mods make their way to the Saturn🤞
I fondly remember playing MegaMan x4 for the first time on Sega Saturn. Blew my mind.
Your videos led me to pick up a Japanese Saturn along with a small collection of games. It comes later this week and I couldn't be more excited! Thanks for all the awesome content.
I got a Game Shark cartridge a while back, and can confirm the edge connectors are not beveled. I ended up sanding it the edge connector so it is now beveled. You can tell they made those cartridges as cheap as possible.
Early Game Sharks were awful.
The music for the "WEAKNESS" sections is so dramatic I couldn't help but LMAFO but in a good way 🤣🤣🤣I half-expected Robert Stack to pop up and say, "Update!"
Just got a Saturn this year I have been using a satori to play roms off the console I have enjoy my time with the system and I have been lucky that my Japanese Saturn has had no hardware issues so far. Great video love the honestly with the real issues that the Saturn has nice to see some one talk about something they love with honestly.
What is a satori?
Great video SegaLordX. I recently acquired my first Saturn (US model 1), and bought a Retrobit Japanese model controller based off your recommendation in another video. I was not disappointed! Really enjoying my time with the system thus far.
I am glad you mentioned the Satiator. I feel it doesn’t get recommended enough and it is such a great and easy to use device.
I grew up with nintendo. As an adult, I've slowly been grabbing systems i wish I'd got to try growing up. I'm finally picking myself up a Saturn and you channel's has me super excited to start collecting for it
I grew up with an uncle who was a passionate Saturn owner and had many great memories of games like Panzer Dragoon, Astal and Clockwork Knight. After the MODE was announced, I found your channel and watched all your Saturn content and worked for weeks with a friend to compile a complete library and have been loving Saturn ownership ever since! You definitely played a big role in reconnecting me to my childhood and memories I had with my family. Thanks! I will definitely be watching all your content to come, Saturn and otherwise.
MODE?
Everything you said was spot on. My import library is crazy. Even through the Saturn gets a bad rap it is still a great system. I plan on leaving my systems to each of my Grandsons.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks, will do!
I still watch your videos every time they release man, keep up the good work!
I appreciate that! Thanks, dude.
I’ve just picked up a Saturn just yesterday and can’t wait to jump back in, it was my first console that I bought back in 1996 with my own money so it holds a special place in my heart. I’ve watched your channel for ages now and it’s one of the main reasons why I jumped back in, the console is region free so cant wait to choose from the different libraries.
Thanks very much for all the great content you produce on here
Hope you enjoy it!
Awesome video! I hope you do some more Dreamcast videos again too!
Love this channel it shines a light on an amazing time in gaming Saturn forever
Nice Vid. The Saturn is my all time favorite. If I could only have one system for the rest of my life Saturn would win hands down.
💯
The strength is the game library. The Saturn is brilliant at throwing around 2D sprites, so if you're a fan of SHMUPs, Beat-Em Ups, or fighting games, it's such a fantastic system when compared to the PS1 or N64.
My Sega Saturn is the only console I have inside my house. Everything else is in the shed. Haha love it
your narration style is impeccable - i could listen to you all day lol
My brother likes to collect for the Saturn. He's a Chilean living in Japan so the amount of good games he gets is quite great. He always tells me how awesome the console is and that I should get one (I have a Genesis collection). I have never played a single Saturn game in my life, not even on an emulator but as a SEGA fan I think there will be a day when I start collecting for this console
ive really been thinking about investing in a saturn recently… i think this will help
I love the use of the NiGHTs soundtrack in the background, Such an amazing game
Never played a Saturn but always wanted to. Was thinking of getting one but I love physical media.
Great work as always SLX. I've personally been a collector of the Saturn for twenty years now "since I was sophomore in highschool". You did a great job covering nearly all the strength and weakness of the system expect for one issue, disc rot.
I know many will not face this issue given how collectors treat their games/systems now, however it will occur eventually. I had few Sega sports games meet their end at the end of disc rot. I did the pinhole test "holding a disc up to light" & the where everywhere. Not even my PC could recognize said disc.
Honestly it was most likely due to me storing them in a CD binder instead of jewel cases, however I just wanted to bring that up. Also from personal experience I've noticed that Japanese games/disc have a better build quality to the over western releases.
Well enough of me rambling on, keep up the good work SLX and most of all keep on pumping out that Sega content!
Two great points about disc rot and the quality of Japanese discs. I have no definitive proof but it does seem like they are nicer quality. I also think maybe Japanese people take care of their discs better?
@@DaveB038 I think it has to do with the over production quality of the disc. I have long box ps1 games that work just fine. However as I mentioned the few Sega sports games no longer are readable by any kind of disc drive.
To address your second point, it would seem the Japanese seem to take better care of their personal belongings. I know this after picking up Sharp Twin famicom last year, and was stunned by it's condition along with carts w/boxes & manuals.
This comment is super late but legit your help with me importing Saturn titles have been invaluable…
Yes the community is better cause your work here on UA-cam
I obtained a saturn at the tail end of its life. At my local store, picked up Dragon Force, Albert Odyssey, Guardian Heroes, and Magic Knight Rayearth from the Working Designs website (yes, remember they used to sell games on their page?) I had no idea these games would end up being so sought after.
I actually traded my psx for the saturn with a friend who hated it. It was all good because I ended up getting a psOne for 49.99 not too long after haha.
Thank you friend. I had an amazing childhood thanks to you.
Love some Sega Lord X Saturn content. Given that only myself and my best friend owned and supported a Saturn during our high school years, and given that it also remains my favourite console of all time, I can really connect with your Saturn content and views.
It’s great to see so many trying it today, but it’s also equally frustrating to see people wax lyrical over it who didn’t give it a second look in 1995 - it’s also galling to see “retro collectors” who didn’t own the system in its day, talk down some of the Saturns games as they can’t appreciate the system because they see everything through modern eyes.
PS: kudos for using Empire as the backing music for section 1 - my favourite track from Panzer Dragoon!
Sega Lord X I’m From The 80s And All Sega Consoles Hold A Special Place In My Heart Just As You Do Your HP MP And XP Grows Each Video Much Respect
the video quality reminds me of the classic game room reviews from 2006
great throwback
Dude, I could watch your videos all day long. Thank you for your hard work!
Saturn is a very interesting planet, also it’s moons like Titan
I’ve been watching your channel for over a year now.
Keep it up.
Love your channel🤙
Awesome! Thank you!
Glad you mentioned Three Dirty Dwarves. I grew up on that game. Loved it.
Your channel was the primary reason, and main educational resource, behind me getting into the Saturn. It was the last console I added to my collection, but my V-Saturn now sits proudly on my AV tower. I grabbed several physical copies of games after seeing them in your videos (such as Layer Section, the Dark Stalkers games, etc.), but I finally caved and got myself a Satiator. Some of the remaining games out there were just too damn expensive to justify buying.
Sega lord x dude I finally got to see your beautiful face ! Thanks again for another good video , you and my retro life have the most nostalgic dripping videos , it feels like I step back into the 90’s every time I watch your videos
I grew up with the Playstation and N64 but had friends with the Saturn and even the 3DO...bewilderment indeed!!
I can tell ya right now, the thing that absolutely killed the chances of me buying a Saturn at launch was no backwards compatibility. I remember being SO SO SO excited for the Saturn when I saw that Cart slot towards the back! I thought for sure it would also play Genesis games! But when I found out that it would not be backwards compatible, that was it. I lost literally all interest in buying it.
I just couldn't wrap my head around the logic of having an effing cart slot that couldn't play Genesis games! I thought to myself WHY WHY WHY??? It just didn't make sense to me back then. I didn't end up buying one til I saw it on clearance for like 50 bucks back when it was failing in the U.S. If they had the good sense to let it play Genesis games I would have 100% bought it on launch day!
U know what stopped me? The 399.99 price tag. Lol
@@BobbyHo2022 Lol that didn't help, but if I liked it I would've bought it anyway. The 300 dollar price tag didn't stop me from buying a PS1 that's for sure.
@@skins4thewin i honestly had one friend whom owned a saturn and seemed to have everything. Everyone else a PS1. Such a weird time. Before we all had Genesis or SNes. Sega really dropped the ball.
@@BobbyHo2022 Yeah they kinda did, should have gotten some of those excellent releases that they only got in Japan.
I mean they honestly kinda dropped the ball when designing the system to begin with, making it far more complex than it needed to be. Made it difficult to develop for and made the system pricey to manufacture.
At the same time they messed up even worse with the 32X. The thing had potential but it was too late to market & should have been a standalone system not an add-on.
If anything it should have came as part of the Sega CD, perhaps with just one of its RICOH CPU's instead of two. Most devs didn't even use the 2nd CPU when developing their games for the 32x.
The enhances color capabilities would have made a huge difference for it's games. Would have also liked to see some of Sega's Super Scaler Arcade titles for it, as the system had a scaler chip built in.
Such wasted opportunity... Although I think they did get it right with the Dreamcast. That was an amazing system! Had it at launch & was a faithful fan thru it's whole life cycle, which was way too short!
@@skins4thewin left the best stuff in Japan, not all of us had access to imports... then released the amazing Dreamcast only to find out consumer mistrust and a DVD player made it too late.
My Brazilian state is one of the few (or maybe the only one) that uses 220v.
This remembered me of all the nightmares in the 90s hahaha. Mega Drive, SNES, Saturn, Dreamcast and even later consoles like Nintendo DS or 3DS needed adapters so we wouldn't fry them.
I remember once traveling from Santa Catarina to Paraná and not needing a power adapter to hook up my Mega-Drive, I was in awe.
I was 14 when I saved every single cent I made in 1995 to buy this beast with my own money. And it was AWESOME,but I also HAD to sell my Sega Genesis collection to boost up my savings... definitely was an amazing experience. Thanks again SLX for highlighting this special console in my childhood.
I’m kicking myself now a days for never owning a Sega Saturn
As the opening video and music throughout indicate, Nights Into Dreams is a great game. Wish it were more appreciated on this channel IMHO.
He used to use the character in his intro.
@@nightowl8363 that is true and I see a lot of Sega UA-camrs use Nights gameplay footage and music to draw viewers in yet most don’t give it the respect it truly deserves. It was innovative, creative and (on another dominant 32 bit platform of the era) may have been a Mario killer.
@@Netkinetic Ya, ive always wanted to try it myself.
I never owned a Saturn, only a few weeks ago i tried my first Saturn game (Guardi an Heroes) and its pretty awesome✌👍
Cybershell talks about rare Dreamcast variants, now Sega Lord X giving another great run down on the Saturn. Today has been a good day.
Glad to contribute to that.
About 4 months back I finally got me actual Sega official RAM and backup save carts. I'd been using one of the late 90s era Action Replay 4 in one carts for years but it was stating to be become more and more of a problem getting it to read. I've not had near the issues with the actual carts in my model 1 that I did with that Action Replay. Once I did that along with putting in a region free BIOS and the FRAM upgrade, It has been awesome and much less of a frustration! Good stuff!
I love my Saturns and Tink 5x. The tink can be a bit expensive, but it gives you the ability to enjoy so many retro systems in 1 purchase
Fantastic video as always, SEGA Saturn is still my go to (and favourite) retro console, period.
Unfortunately my original Modded PAL Saturn has finally died on me - Surviving a Playstation, PS2, Xbox and an Xbox 360, before finally biting the dust. It's been with me since '96 and seen over 500 original games and given me more entertainment than anything else I have ever owned.
I will definitely be getting her all fixed up, despite owning an Japanese system.
Dude. I love your videos. Keep um coming! Thank you everything you do.
what else ... as a strength or weakness for the Saturn?
weakness: Sometimes my Saturns won't read a disk unless I power them on before shutting the lid.
strength: BLAZING the torch of bringing the arcade experience home!!
Good choice using music for NiGHTS! Really sets the mood!
I remember buying a Japanese Saturn just to play King of fighter 95 with the ram cart. Good times 😊😊😊
When I was a high school/college kid and had time to play Saturn constantly I liked the cheap battery as opposed to messing with/buying memory cards on my PS1. Now that I only have time to break out my real hardward 1 or 2 times a year I hate it because it means I'm replacing battery pretty much any time I get into a big session with real hardware. My two late manufacture consoles I bought new for $50 at Wal Mart in early '98 are just about the last possessions I'd ever sell.
The Saturn has always fascinated me even till this day.
I was a Playstation (1) owner and have always wondered how the Saturn ports of 2D cross gen games faired much better than on PS.
Symphony of the night would like to have a word with you.
@@Psych0technic That, and some excluded. 🤣
Dude, randomly the thought of the Sega Saturn popped into my head last night as I was trying to sleep. It's the one console I never had (I owned literally every console except for this one!). Thanks for all the info!!
I got a Saturn in 98 when the Blockbuster I worked for cleared out our Saturn stock. I actually managed to get new copies of Magic Knight Rayearth, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Shining Force III, House of the Dead, and Burning Rangers. SEGA NEEDS TO do a Saturn mini. There are so many amazing games on there, including all the games that never got western releases. Dragon Force is still one of my favorite games of all time. I couldn't stop playing X-Men vs Street Fighter when I first imported it; I played it so much I burned out my first Saturn's cartridge slot hot swapping a GameShark and the 4MB RAM cart and had to get a replacement. Vampire Savior and Pocket Fighter were two others I couldn't stop playing. Sonic Jam is still the best Sonic compilation of all time and that 3D Sonic world was amazing. Honestly I don't know if I'd pick a Saturn or N64 or PS1 cuz each one has games I couldn't imagine going without, but the Saturn is absolutely one of my favorite consoles of all time.
@Sega Lord X, is it me or has the buzz around the Saturn on UA-cam been easily quiet of late? I really appreciate all the coverage you provide. I also urge anyone who is genuinely interested to take the plunge. The Saturn was a sleeper hit that Sega missed great opportunities on making it popular in regions outside of Japan. It is a must experience and own in my book. This info is invaluable.
In PAL regions, we eventually ditched the cardboard covered cases and went for plastic clamshell types.
Great video man I'm a relatively new Saturn owner and I'm getting ready to order an original 4mb ram cart to replace a non beveled pseudokai I previously purchased, thanks I just hope it's not too late since I started to notice that it takes more than one insertion in order to be recognize, damn
nights into dreams soundtrack interludes you threw in there gave me a blast of nostalgia i wasn't expecting.
Had to use it.
@@SegaLordX nice touch!