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Games you wished were on the Sega Saturn

PopetherevXXVIII

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Anybody else watch Sega Lord X on You Tube?
Currently my favorite channel, I've watched his Saturn Content multiple times.
Recently he made two videos, the thread subject and since we all love to talk Saturn here I thought I'd make yet another thread.

Firing up a Raspberry Pi with a USB Saturn Controller, or getting the Expensive PS2 Saturn Pad could certainly give us a taste of what could have been.

If you haven't seen the Sega Lord X vidoes here they are.

 
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Arcadia

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Thanks for the tip, interesting topic.
 

Arcadia

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Having watched the videos, none of those titles were big losses. Maybe Cool Riders, that looked cool. Also VF 3 and SF 3, but those found their way on a home platform anyway.
 

Allie

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Having watched the videos, none of those titles were big losses. Maybe Cool Riders, that looked cool. Also VF 3 and SF 3, but those found their way on a home platform anyway.

Cool Riders wasn't a game that appeared on my radar until years after its release, but this always seemed as if it would have been an ideal showcase for the Saturn's sprite-pushing capabilities, providing its conversion was faithful. Unfortunately, its timing couldn't have been worse, as the "Super Scaler" technique it relies on had already been replaced by Sega (and much of the gaming industry) fully embracing polygon-based 3D graphics. Also, what chance would a game like this have enjoyed if it reached the console market in 1996? Even with a split-screen mode and additional features, it's hardly the kind of project I can imagine any of Sega's internal development teams wanting to commit precious resources to, while an outsourced conversion would surely have proved more disappointing overall.

As for Street Fighter III, I still don't know whether Capcom actually planning on bringing this to the Saturn. Despite perfecting its CPS2 conversions with the 4MB RAM cartridge, I'm not sure that would have provided enough room for the many extra frames of animation that CPS3 offered. Besides, wouldn't it have made more sense for Capcom to first look at bringing over the original Marvel VS Capcom, Resident Evil 2 (which definitely was in development at Nextech) or perhaps Street Fighter EX? If only the company had continued supporting the Saturn even in its native Japan, where Final Fight Revenge absolutely did not deserve to become its final new game! Then again, if Sega had kept the Dreamcast back until 1999, maybe Saturn Virtua Fighter 3 may have seen the light of day, too?
 

Arcadia

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Also, what chance would a game like this have enjoyed if it reached the console market in 1996? Even with a split-screen mode and additional features, it's hardly the kind of project I can imagine any of Sega's internal development teams wanting to commit precious resources to, while an outsourced conversion would surely have proved more disappointing overall.

Right you are, perhaps it's only chance would have been as a double feature with another arcade game, like Super Hang-On, or better versions of Rad Mobile or OutRunners, or as part of the Sega Ages series.
 

Allie

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Cool Riders probably wasn't considered old enough to join the original Sega Ages range, but it's definitely worth Sega revisiting this now. Unfortunately, the licensed soundtrack might be a problem - I can't imagine Sega paying to renew that element for such an obscure title from its past.
 

la-li-lu-le-lo

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Some I think would've been cool: Hang On, Thunder Blade, Ridge Racer (any of them), System 16 or System 32 games, maybe Resident Evil 2. Hang On ended up on the DC, but it only ran at 480i or 480p; a Saturn version probably would’ve run at 240p.
 

PopetherevXXVIII

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For Resident Evil 2 Saturn there is a dude who spoke of that too.

 

Allie

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I've seen that video about Saturn RE2 before, though it's not free of mistakes...

For one, development was absolutely being handled by Nextech, with Capcom staff - mainly Hideki Kamiya and Shinji Mikami - acting in a supervisory role. As with the first game, it's quite likely that Sega also provided some technical assistance, since Nextech had strong ties to this company, too. Earlier in the Saturn's life, Nextech had been credited for work on two Sega Ages volumes, not to mention it fully produced Cyber Speedway for Sega along with being heavily involved with the first Sakura Taisen.

Years ago, I was in contact with someone who worked at Sega's European offices, and they were able to provide quite vivid recollections of certain games that never saw the light of day on Saturn. Between their memories and comments I've seen from another typically reliable source over at a fan forum, my belief is that Saturn RE2 was roughly 15% complete when Capcom ordered the plug be pulled, instead tasking Nextech to begin work on what became Code: Veronica for the Dreamcast. Also, this absolutely did not use the 4MB RAM cartridge, with much of the problem being CPU limitations.

Perhaps the biggest detail it seems most people are missing is whether Saturn RE2 would have been a conversion of the "1.5" scenario or its eventual retail counterpart. From what I can remember, the original Japanese announcement that Saturn wasn't going to receive its own version of RE2 came in February 1998, and it's no secret that the PlayStation was Capcom's lead platform, so it's not as if work on porting anything to the Saturn could take place until a finished source for RE2 existed.

Now, if my understanding of the RE2 timeline is correct, the last known monthly build of "1.5" submitted for Shinji Mikami's approval was produced in December 1996, and following a break for the holidays, this prototype was reviewed before it was decided the entire project should be taken back to the drawing board. I'm quite certain this specific version is what ended up being featured in video form on the Biohazard Complete Disc, even though it's a lot more polished than the circulating November '96 build.

Anyway, the real mystery of when exactly Nextech was working on its Saturn conversion of RE2, because Capcom wasn't yet at a place where it could give finished code and assets for this project, but the earliest retail build wasn't released until January '98 - just a month before the conference I mentioned previously. Saying that, if Saturn RE2 was only 15% done when Capcom ultimately cancelled this, maybe Nextech took delivery of complete files in late '97 and had just a few weeks, meaning they were using the retail scenario as a base?

I was really hoping to see some kind of Capcom reunion documentary with Mikami, Kamiya and other key Biohazard/Resident Evil team members discussing "1.5" for its RE2's 20th anniversary celebrations. However, outside the Elza Walker skin that was included in the remake as DLC, there wasn't really any other acknowledgement of this prototype - not even more footage or a playable build fixed up as an unlockable extra. Since then, Kamiya has taken to blocking non-Japanese people trying to reach out to him via Twitter, so unless that December '96 build leaks, I fear that the door has been closed on further information surfacing.

Of course, I have faith that Team IGAS and Loboto 3 will be able to faithfully approximate the essence of what Capcom originally intended for RE2, plus it's been suggested they may have access to elements that were present in the last-known "1.5" monthly build along with their own recreations, which come from years of experience, plus the community's wide research. As for Saturn RE2, I'm not holding my breath due to how little has ever surfaced through Nextech. Being a studio with a long reputation for handling outsourced projects, I reckon security would be high on its priority list if it wants to keep getting new contracts.
 

Star1

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I am a simple man, so I would be very happy with RE2, and a great port of Symphony of the night.
 
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Star1

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SotN on the Saturn is alright, aside from some technical issues. It's definitely playable.

Sure, but considering how good the Saturn is for 2D in general, it should have been amazing.
 

PopetherevXXVIII

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Oh no you don't not that game.

Both do not handle resolutions changes well.
 

KGRAMR

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It would have been pretty damn cool if Gazelle ported Genkai Chousen Distopia to the Sega Saturn as a budget title. It just sucks to know that it was left unreleased due to Toaplan facing bankruptcy in 1994. Although i believe either a Genesis or SNES conversion of GCD would have also been posible as well. This is from my YT channel, as i uploaded the unearthed gameplay footage by Twitter user @ulchan2 in case something happens to his account...
 

PopetherevXXVIII

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Criminal this never came out on anything.
Would have been perfect on the Saturn.



Also strikes me as odd Saturn didn't get Guilty Gear. It would have been late release and stayed in Japan but still.
 

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