Sega Saturn
Launch Years: NA: 1995, EU: 1995, JP: 1994
The Sega Saturn was a disaster for Sega. While Sega was moving forward with the next generation in Japan, the Genesis was still kicking in North America, and they weren't ready to move on just yet. The 32X, an addon meant to act as a sort of mid-gen upgrade for the Genesis, was intended to increase the life span of the Genesis. It did not achieve this.
The Saturn saw some success (especially early on in the generation) in Japan, but it never caught on in North America or Europe. Third party support was scarce, as the Saturn was very difficult to develop for (complex architecture, shitty dev kits); especially in comparison with Sony's new Playstation. Even though the Saturn was technically more capable than the Playstation, it was rarely fully realized by developers other than Sega. The Playstation was cheaper for developers and gamers, and many ports performed better on Playstation.
This review of V.R. Virtua Racing by PandaMonium features an interview with the devs, and provides an interesting insight on the arduous development cycle for the Sega Saturn. Check it out!
Due to the Saturn not selling very well in the States, all games for the Saturn, even dogshit ones, are stupid expensive. Most of the games that I have in my collection are Japanese imports because they are way cheaper and much more common. The Japanese market also got WAY more games than any other region. I run them on an American Saturn, with an action replay backup cartridge installed to soft-region-unlock my system.
In the table below, I'll mention if my copy of a game is a North American (NA) or Japanese (JP) copy. An asterisk* by the region will indicate that the game is exclusive to that region.
Predecessor: Genesis
Successor: Dreamcast
Games (13)
| Title | Genre | CIB? | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astal | 2D Platformer | Loose Disc | NA |
| Bust-A-Move 2 | Puzzle | Complete In Box | NA |
| Dark Savior | RPG | Loose Disc | NA |
| Nights Into Dreams (Not for Resale) | Arcade | Complete In Box | NA |
| Nights Into Dreams: Christmas Sampler | Arcade, Demo Disc | Partial Sleeve | NA |
| Puyo Puyo 2 | Puzzle | Complete In Box | JP* |
| Sega Rally: Championship | Arcade Racing | Complete In Box | JP |
| Sega Saturn de Hakken!! Tamagotchi Park | Virtual Pet | Complete In Box | JP* |
| Sonic R | On-foot Racing | Complete In Box | JP |
| Sotsugyou Album | Anime Girl Slideshow(wtf?) | Complete In Box | JP* |
| Vatlva | Vehicular Combat | Complete In Box | JP* |
| Virtua Cop | Light Gun Shooter | Complete In Box | JP |
| Virtua Cop 2 | Light Gun Shooter | Complete In Box | JP |
Accessories
| 3D Control Pad |
| Stunner Gun (x2) |
| 6-Player Multitap |
| Action Replay Cartridge |
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