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Post by Team Andromeda on Apr 21, 2024 8:30:30 GMT
It's internet spin and the stuff that you should leave on System 16 along with SEGA Japan being anti USA. Sonic X was a mess from start to finish and the real reason it was dropped was that the game did not come up to standard and no amount of NiGHTS tools was ever going to fix and change that.
Like I said on system 16. SEGA should have dropped the Mega Drive in 1994 and focused on Saturn and I wouldn't have given Sonic Team any choice in the matter and they would have to make a Sonic game and then after you had done a major 3D Sonic game work on their dream project, but a major Sonic 3D was not going to be ready until 1996 even if Sonic Team were making it
I would have liked to saw SEGA remake Sonic CD for the Western launch of the Saturn just with all new 3D bonus sections, fancy 2D sprite effects and full screen Cinepak FMV.
SEGA America's handling of the 32-bit era was shocking. STI weren't up to speed and couldn't handle 32-bit production, The Multi Media Studio a complete waste of time and money, contrast to what a little tiny studio like CORE Design was doing in the UK. They put out a lovely 3D Helicopter sim and made one of the most influence 3D games of all time with their own tech and own tools and in 1995/6 Core Design was a very small studio with less than 10 staff working on the likes of Tomb Raider or Thunderhawk 2
While the muppets at STI couldn't handle 3D and looked to use NiGHTS debug tools and level editor. A total shambles and just embarrassing
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Post by Team Andromeda on Apr 20, 2024 7:21:35 GMT
It's a shame that Sonic Team was so protective of their source code and custom-built engine; I understand the sentiment, but you're working for a first party developer, and you're not even sharing the code to the benefit of your own company. Part of Sonic X was being built off of the Nights engine until the Team Sonic leadership threatened to quit. Thats just internet spin. Sonic X was mess from start to finish and the real reason it was canned was because the game was poor and no NiGHTS debugging tools was going to change that or make a game that never had a single level finished and fully playable (with all correct enemy placements) make a fall 96 date. And it also showed how little Bernie knew about SEGA Japan. SOJ never shared engines between their own AM teams never mind looking to allow a western team to handle their code. Not that a game that was over 2 years in development and being made by 'apparently' an elite In-House USA team should ever needed to look outside for engine tech, shameful and embarrassing for the STI team IMO The real sad part was having Sonic Adv moved up to DC production. I bet it was a real showcase for the Saturn and would have liked it we had a Saturn version and then a DC version at a later date, but I get why the call was made in 97 to move to DC production.
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Post by Team Andromeda on Apr 15, 2024 8:16:38 GMT
I really liked Jurassic Park on the Saturn, it looked really good too. It was just too hard for its own good, a lot like Bug
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Post by Team Andromeda on Apr 12, 2024 12:40:06 GMT
I fully approve of this list, especially xexex, maybe zanac x zanac as well eh? Metal slug 2, yeah 3 as well Pulstar and last resort, yeah. That said, ng:dev could have easily done Saturn games as well as neo geo and DC, would be cool as anything. Battle bakraid… a no brainer, a missed opportunity r type delta would have been cool as well Thanks mate. Yeah Xenex was amazing that 1st level background made my eyes pop out when I played that for the 1st time down the local chippy I could never work out why Pulstar, Last Resort and few more Neo Geo games weren't brought to the Saturn more so given they were on the Neo Geo and would have been a nice simple port using the 4-Meg cart or maybe even the 1- Meg. I think Battle Bakraid date of hitting the Arcades worked against it but it would been lovely to have that as one of the last ever Saturn titles. What might have been had SEGA not had to kill the Saturn off a little early and move towards the DC
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Post by Team Andromeda on Apr 12, 2024 6:15:03 GMT
Without going OTT and thinking what was possible on the Saturn even if it sold well in the West here's what I would have liked to have seen
Sonic Adv
Shenmue
GTA - The flat roads should have been easy for VDP2
Ghost In the Shell - Those flat floors and flat scrolling would have been perfect for VDP2
F1 - The game that TT were working on before it went on the be Sonic R
SOR IV - Should have been a 2D showcase for the system and used the multi Tap for 3 player mode
Golden Axe- Revenge Of Death Adder
AM#2 Drivers Megamix - After the wonderful Fighting Megamix I was so hoping the rumours of AM#2 doing the same for a racer with a mix of their cars and tracks had me hyped.
Water World - Gutted this was dropped when it was 'said' to be a showcase for the system
Tomb Raider 2
Xexex - To this day I have no idea when Konami never brought it to the Saturn
Metal Slug 2 - Using the 4 Meg Cart
Last Resort - Using the 1 Meg Cart
Pulstar - Using the 4 Meg Cart
Croc 2 - Given the wonderful work the team did on their 1st ever Saturn title. I would have liked to have seen what the team would have been able to do with the sequel on Saturn
Wing Commander 3 - Using the Mission Stick
Battle Bakraid
R- Type Delta & R- Types
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Post by Team Andromeda on Apr 9, 2024 7:42:23 GMT
I have the game and was surprised at how much better it was over the 3DO and PS versions and how much effort was put into the Satun version in terms of extra content. Not a big fan of the game myself mind
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Post by Team Andromeda on Mar 26, 2024 10:56:58 GMT
It's funny, I love Daytona, and one of the biggest draws for me getting a Saturn was knowing that almost everyone still considers the Saturn port the one to beat (apart from the PS3/360 remake, of course). And yet, however much I tried, I just couldn't get into this one. Usually I'm very forgiving of low framerates and wonky visuals if the base game is good enough, but here they managed to be enough to affect my enjoyment of the game. I don't always agree with Digital Foundry, but I think they were right that decent framerates are especially key in racing games. I also thought that the racing wheel implementation was poor, and really a wheel is the only way I can typically enjoy Daytona to the fullest. While I agree that Daytona was always a much more intensive game than Ridge Racer, at the end of the day Ridge Racer got the much more cohesive port of the two. And like people have said, even if WipeOut was instantly aged out of existence by its sequel, it was still a very strong early showing for the PlayStation, not to mention being key to Sony's success with the youth market of the time. Had Sega not made the hare-brained decision to bring the Saturn launch forward, we probably would have gotten a much stronger Daytona port that easily would have gone head to head with the two, particularly if Sega Rally followed in its wake in a much shorter space of time. Daytona Circuit Edition (the Japanese one) isn't spot on to the arcade, but I think it's closer than a lot of people give it credit for, and I personally see it as the Saturn "version" of Daytona, rather than a port. I generally find it much more pleasing to play overall, not to mention it has some of the best 3D visuals on the system. I was actually shocked at the frame rate and draw distance when I played it for the first time, having been playing the original Saturn port mere moments before. I think the Dreamcast version of Daytona might actually be my favourite overall - it looks beautiful, has the most content of any of the home versions, and plays very accurately to the arcade with a decent racing wheel and the correct control settings. The recent revival of its online multiplayer mode really rounds the whole thing out perfectly. If I ever feel like playing the pure arcade version, the PS3/360 version is then very handy. The SEGA America screw up that was the early Saturn launch had nothing to with Daytona GFX on Saturn. Daytona was already finished and completed and out on the Saturn by April in Japan. Daytona USA on the Saturn was simply the case of SEGA Japan rushing out software that wasn't finished like they did with Clockwork Knight , Victory Goal and Daytona. Still SEGA Japan did the same on the DC with games like Rally 2, Sonic Adv being rushed out . I don't agree with you on Daytona 2001 either . It's not a patch on the Arcade or AM2 Saturn version. The AI isn't the same at all and handling isn't right even with the wheel. It did look amazing mind and it was fun online, but it wasn't AM2 Daytona. It's sad to think how SEGA Japan weren't that hot for DC racers other than F355. Rally 2 should have been better and SEGA GT was a joke
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Post by Team Andromeda on Mar 20, 2024 5:44:44 GMT
I remember the pressure when SEGA 1st announced they was a delay to Saturn Daytona USA their stock price fell by like 15%, which was nuts, but still, Daytona USA needed to have been delayed again to get the graphics better, more so when it was always going to be compared to RR on the PS1. I will say this mind, SEGA Rally on the Saturn has far better car and tire physics than any of the GT games on the PS1. It's just a shame it was only on the player car. Watch a replay of SEGA Rally and the way the car tires react the to the different surfaces is unmatched for that era IMO Sega rally is special, no doubt the best arcade driving game of that era. Would not have complained about a few extra tracks, but what was there was perfect. I get the same feel from Daytona though, I think it stands up well, yeah, it’s got some 4th wall glitching going on, but so have a lot of games from that period including sega rally. A lot of games have improved graphically, but not necessarily in gameplay. This is something AM2 got right, even when rushed. I still get a lot of pleasure from Daytona, and bang for buck, I’ve had value out of the couple of quid it cost me. Deffo gets played more than circuit edition, after sega rally, my second most played Saturn driving game, I think it just edges into my top ten most played driving games of all time. It’s far from perfect, but it’s got it where it counts. In fact that would be an interesting topic, top ten racers, all systems. RR came out on the PS before Daytona USA and SEGA would have known it was going to be compared to it graphically and it didn't matter that Daytona USA was a more advanced coin up in terms of more tracks, more cars on track and also the ability for cars to be flipped ECT. Mags and people were just going to compare the Saturn Daytona graphics to RR On PS1 And Daytona USA was shocking in comparison and even more of a disappointment for me was the use of a windowed display even on a NTSC system. It really needed to be delayed for graphical improvements. All that said mind, it remains my fav version of Daytona USA to play even to this day. I love Rally but one of my fav racing games on the Saturn was Need For Speed, it's sad that it gets little credit.
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Post by Team Andromeda on Mar 19, 2024 17:20:58 GMT
The trouble was it didn't match or at least come close to RR graphics, despite coming out some 4 months latter. That was a killer moment and really AM#2 needed to delay the game to sort out graphical issues But it some ways it was the making of AM#2 on the Saturn, after the flack they took, they went nuts and pushed the Saturn to insane limits. Always a shame when developers are rushed under too much pressure. Yeah, ridge racer looked way better, but played almost like a demo. Gran tourismo 2 on the other hand.. a much later game, that really pushed the PS to its limit, but most importantly it played really well. Don’t get me wrong, quite a few average driving games on Saturn that feel like demos. Never a fanboy, just a gamer, credits where they’re due. I remember the pressure when SEGA 1st announced they was a delay to Saturn Daytona USA their stock price fell by like 15%, which was nuts, but still, Daytona USA needed to have been delayed again to get the graphics better, more so when it was always going to be compared to RR on the PS1. I will say this mind, SEGA Rally on the Saturn has far better car and tire physics than any of the GT games on the PS1. It's just a shame it was only on the player car. Watch a replay of SEGA Rally and the way the car tires react the to the different surfaces is unmatched for that era IMO
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Post by Team Andromeda on Mar 19, 2024 15:42:17 GMT
I think Daytona smashes ps ridge racer in terms of gameplay. Like sega rally, Daytona is arcade perfect gameplay wise. I’d rather stick Daytona on than most driving games of that era. The trouble was it didn't match or at least come close to RR graphics, despite coming out some 4 months latter. That was a killer moment and really AM#2 needed to delay the game to sort out graphical issues But it some ways it was the making of AM#2 on the Saturn, after the flack they took, they went nuts and pushed the Saturn to insane limits.
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Post by Team Andromeda on Feb 24, 2024 9:52:05 GMT
Yes, but you need to update the firmware which is a right pain in the ass with any retro-bit product IMO. I would have rather had the 3D Saturn pad shell myself But the product works brilliantly, more so after the update. Duke is so good on the Saturn. Lobotomy were something else Best port in that generation, though not really a direct port, different engine, it played better than the PS version, and imo looked better. Wish doom would have played and looked as good on Saturn. Well we can all thank Carmack for the crappy Saturn port. Listen to Jim he had the Saturn version running at 60 fps with better gfx. The pad is very nice all the same
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Post by Team Andromeda on Feb 24, 2024 7:40:35 GMT
I've got the new 3D Sega Saturn pad from Retro-bit and have been playing Quake and Duke on the Saturn. Lobotomy were GODS Looks cool, the twin analogue sticks are such a good idea. Compatible with twin stick games etc? When I first heard about this controller I pictured it as looking like the 3D Saturn pad, but I like the direction they’ve taken. Yes, but you need to update the firmware which is a right pain in the ass with any retro-bit product IMO. I would have rather had the 3D Saturn pad shell myself But the product works brilliantly, more so after the update. Duke is so good on the Saturn. Lobotomy were something else
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Post by Team Andromeda on Feb 23, 2024 7:35:51 GMT
I've got the new 3D Sega Saturn pad from Retro-bit and have been playing Quake and Duke on the Saturn.
Lobotomy were GODS
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Post by Team Andromeda on Jan 26, 2024 9:23:02 GMT
I hope everyone didn't stop buying Saturn games. It has been awhile for me but I got these from Japan recently: Cyber Doll Virtua Cop set with the Virtua Gun The Black gun looks so much better than the Pink and Blue crap we got in the West.
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Post by Team Andromeda on Jan 12, 2024 14:23:34 GMT
I've been playing Black Fire on the Saturn with the mission stick. Its really fun with the stick and the music in the game is utterly brilliant and also been playing Soviet Strike with the mission stick. I love that game and the FMV is fab for a Saturn game
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