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Post by Anthaemia. on May 14, 2017 18:32:43 GMT
With its unique air mechanic, Deep Fear arrived just at the right time to serve as a great replacement for Resident Evil 2 on the Saturn, though the original received a fantastic conversion despite a few minor flaws, remaining an absolute classic that I'd recommend over Sega's own take on the same genre any day of the week.
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Post by Anthaemia. on May 14, 2017 18:29:20 GMT
Galaxy Fight isn't a particularly bad game, but then you could say the same for Golden Axe: The Duel, as well. The version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 we Saturn owners received is more an upgrade to MK3 for the PlayStation rather than being based on the actual UMK3, yet it's far superior to the later MK Trilogy (in my opinion, at least). Of the three titles in this comparison, UMK3 wins for me... and yes, it earns a Flawless Victory!
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Post by Anthaemia. on May 10, 2017 17:02:05 GMT
I would have gone with the obvious choice (for me, at least) and chosen Virtua Fighter 3, but in retrospect I threw far more coins into Sega Rally 2 cabinets, so I've given that my vote instead!
P.S. What if you preferred VF3tb, SCUD Race Plus or Daytona USA 2: Power Edition over their initial versions?
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Post by Anthaemia. on May 8, 2017 23:24:14 GMT
This may seem a controversial choice, but if I had to go with the one game I return to the most then Virtual On wins, and I genuinely didn't expect that to happen! Incredibly, Virtua Fighter 2 is probably the least technically demanding of the three Saturn conversions being compared in this thread, as it lacks the additional polygonal demands of having walls and breakable armour introduced by Fighting Vipers or the complex stages of VO. Also, while it runs at half the frame rate of its Model 2B arcade counterpart, CRI's conversion of VO managed to retain most of the necessary graphical detail, plus it's the only game of its kind with NetLink support (not to mention its own custom Twin Stick controller). I've grown tired the others - VF2 in particular - somewhat because they can be thrown off balance thanks to button mashers, yet VO benefits from a more tactical approach and even encourages use of the limited scenery as a barrier. There aren't many extras beyond the option to switch between horizontal and vertical split screen offline multiplayer, though I don't mind... I frequently crank up the difficulty, turn off the timer and have lengthy mech deathmatches in Arcade Mode. By contrast, I rarely go back to VF2 or FV, finding that Fighters Megamix provides enough of a fix for both of these. When it comes to the Virtua Fighter series overall, my go-to installment long since became VF3. Really, who didn't see that coming?
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Post by Anthaemia. on May 4, 2017 12:53:17 GMT
Quake may be the more technically impressive of Lobotomy's two conversions, but it's clearly pushing the Saturn in ways that forced some compromises, while Duke Nukem 3D takes full advantage of the Slavedriver engine to offer significant benefits when compared to its PC original, so for that reason I've given my vote to the middle child of this short-lived company's software family. Besides, it's their only Saturn game to feature NetLink support (not that we got to enjoy such an aspect over here). Despite the glowing praise, I've never really thought much of Exhumed - it was responsible for putting its makers on the map, yet as a standalone experience, it's just not something I rated all that highly. Oh, and the fact "DN3D" also includes Death Tank Zwei absolutely did not influence my vote!
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Post by Anthaemia. on May 4, 2017 12:42:33 GMT
Now that I think about it, digitally removing Metal Sonic from that original cover art wouldn't have required much effort or changed the overall design too much, and I definitely with your comment about the final alternative being perhaps a little overly child-oriented. Then again, I suppose this game was Sega's direct answer to Mario Kart 64 (or Super Mario Kart R, as it was known while still in development), so maybe someone at one of the company's regional marketing departments felt it therefore required a softer aesthetic to more directly compete against Nintendo's earlier offering?
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Post by Anthaemia. on May 2, 2017 13:40:30 GMT
Wouldn't it have made sense to put Dead Or Alive up against another similar title, such as Goiken Muyou: Anarchy In The Nippon or even Virtua Fighter 2? Similarly, I'd have opened a poll where you can vote between Last Bronx and Fighting Vipers.
Of the two available selections, I'd definitely give the edge to AM3's stellar effort, which introduced not only weapons, but the ability to use walls tactically. Team Ninja's game isn't bad, though I've always considered it too indebted to VF2.
Saying that, Goiken Muyou was supposedly developed by several former AM2 staff who originally proposed this to Sega as a follow-up to VF2 before going it alone, receiving assistance from a handful of key players in the Japanese arcade scene.
As for the glitching in Last Bronx, I seem to recall one of the Saturn conversion programmers claiming this mainly happened when there was too much on-screen or character models got too close to the camera, which caused polygonal flickering...
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Post by Anthaemia. on Apr 29, 2017 16:33:38 GMT
I've not been able to find a picture showing how large those boxes are, though I seem to recall them being about 3-4 times the size of a normal case. They'd normally be displayed hanging from the ceiling of stores, and there were often quite a few on the walls of Sega's London headquarters, as seen in a few print articles.
As for that alternate PAL cover layout, Sonic 3D, Fighters Megamix and Shining The Holy Ark also used the same design, while Mass Destruction had a further unique approach that makes it stick out as part of any collection - the Photo CD Operating System is the only other example I can think of with its own exclusive approach to packaging.
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Post by Anthaemia. on Apr 27, 2017 21:06:21 GMT
Here's another slight cover variation on a later European Saturn game in oversized promo box form:
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Post by Anthaemia. on Apr 27, 2017 21:01:01 GMT
Omg I need to see these oversized box arts. Were they 3D or just flat? Those boxes were 3D, and due to them needing to be be printed long before the games they were promoting had even been finished, most included early cover art, such as this example: For those unaware, I recall it being mentioned that Sega removed the original illustration because they didn't want Metal Sonic prematurely revealing as one of the hidden characters in Sonic R! If only I could find the Formula 1 box that someone once uploaded here...
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Post by Anthaemia. on Apr 26, 2017 15:21:05 GMT
You would often find promotional posters like that around the offices at Sega Europe, along with those oversized cardboard variations of actual PAL game covers (including a few for titles that weren't actually released, such as Formula 1 and Fighting Force) sometimes hanging as display pieces in the handful of stores continuing to support the Saturn to any great amount.
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Post by Anthaemia. on Apr 18, 2017 15:48:26 GMT
First of all, that cover is simply one of the panels from a promotional leaflet, while the disc doesn't appear to include a LightScribe Data Control Ring, so it's likely a generic silver-faced CDR or maybe even an official review copy with a crude single colour label printed directly onto the surface. Whatever the case, it's highly unlikely to be a legitimate Sega product... The serial number is a dead giveaway!
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Post by Anthaemia. on Apr 17, 2017 19:00:09 GMT
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Post by Anthaemia. on Apr 2, 2017 14:37:06 GMT
I forget exactly where some of these player names are found, but SWWS '97 includes a few staff members from Sega of Europe (including Andy Mee), the SSM editorial crew and even some of the original Japanese developers, plus the US testing department within its fictional teams.
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Post by Anthaemia. on Mar 31, 2017 12:37:40 GMT
I've always considered SWWS '97 better to play than its immediate successor, though I'm curious to know if the FIFA licensed World Cup '98 France: Road To Win offered any improvement. On the subject of Japanese-only sequels, Sega's official website has a page for '98 on the PC. Looking at the screenshots, it appears to be a significantly upgraded version compared to the Saturn original with far better graphics, including snow as one of its new variable weather options... I'd love to get my hands on this! Also, there was something called WWS Championship that seems to have only been released for the PC in America - my guess is that it's simply a translation of the aforementioned '98 PC edition, but I really need to investigate this series further beyond the initial two installments issued on the Saturn in PAL territories (for the record, I never liked the earlier sprite-based title known as International Victory Goal over here).
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