Virtual On: Cyber Troopers (Saturn)
Another Sega coin-op smash ported to Saturn, Virtual On is an arena-based combat simulation where players control agile mecha and must take out their opponent using a variety of ranged and projectile weaponry. The arcade version used a twin-stick setup (and a twin-stick controller was released for the Saturn to mimic this) but it's still perfectly playable using the standard controller, even if some of the instinctive fluidity is lost. A brilliant two-player title, Virtual On spawned a series which has seen entries on the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2.
Hyper Duel (Saturn)
Technosoft is better known for its Thunder Force franchise but Hyper Duel is one of its most desirable games, thanks largely to the fact that the Saturn version is incredibly expensive to purchase these days. On the surface, this is a largely traditional side-scrolling shmup, but the ability to transform from robot to spaceship at the touch of a button adds some welcome variety. This Saturn conversion includes an all-new mode, as well as a CGI animated introduction sequence. Hyper Duel's rarity means that few people have played it, but it's one of the most appealing blasters of the 32-bit era and well worth tracking down, if you can spare the cash.
Assault Suit Leynos 2 (Saturn)
The original Assault Suit Leynos came out on the Mega Drive / Genesis in 1990 (it was released under the title Target Earth in North America) and offered a unique take on the traditional 'run-and-gun' genre by allowing players to unlock weapons and gear after each mission, with the selection of upgrades being directly related to their performance in the previous mission. Developer NCS followed up with Assault Suit Valken / Cybernator on the SNES, which upped the ante in terms of presentation but removed the upgrade system. Assault Suit Leynos 2, as the title suggests, reverts back to the setup seen in the Mega Drive game, but this time features incredible 2D visuals that make the game look and feel a lot like Valken / Cybernator. There's sadly no English localisation but it's easy enough to figure out what's going on if you give it enough time.
Keio Flying Squadron 2 (Saturn)
The original Keio Flying Squadron was one of the highlights of the Sega CD library, offering a Parodius-style 2D shmup experience which was filled with laughs, great music and plenty of challenge. Victor Entertainment returned to the franchise with this Sega Saturn release, which changed things up a little by introducing side-scrolling platform sections. While you could argue that Keio Flying Squadron 2 hardly reinvents the wheel, the quality of the gameplay and the sumptuous visuals make this a real treat, and the animated cutscenes – supplied by Studio Pierrot, which also handled the animation in the first game – is bursting with energy and character. Keio Flying Squadron 2 never received a release in North America, and both the Japanese and European versions fetch a pretty penny these days.
Dungeons & Dragons Collection (Saturn)
One of the last releases for the Saturn, Capcom's Dungeons & Dragons Collection is comprised of two games, spread across two discs: Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara. These were both released in arcades to critical acclaim, and fuse the popular Dungeons & Dragons licence with a side-scrolling fighter. There are RPG elements at play here, and the 4-MEG RAM cart allows for some incredible animation. The lengthy load times are an annoyance, and the maximum number of players is reduced from 4 to 2, but otherwise, this is a fantastic Saturn exclusive and regularly changes hands for high prices today. If you'd rather not spend all that cash, then Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara does very much the same job on modern systems.
DoDonPachi (Saturn)
Cave's second game – and the second game in the beloved DoDonPachi series – is a bullet-hell masterpiece which ranks as one of the most engaging shmups on the Sega Saturn. The combination of gorgeous 2D visuals, a rocking soundtrack and some of the most compelling and challenging action you'll find on any console is just brilliant, while the exclusive "Saturn" mode (which adds a new stage and boss fight), as well as the ability to tinker with the difficulty setting, makes this a solid choice for fans of the genre. Its forerunner, DonPachi, is also available on Saturn and is worth a look, too.
Policenauts (Saturn)
Hideo Kojima is famous today as the creator of Metal Gear and Death Stranding, but his time in the interactive entertainment industry stretches way back – and it's striking to see that he was trying to marry up the world of video games and movies even at the start of his career. 1988's Snatcher is hailed as a classic title, mixing Blade Runner with The Terminator, and 1994's Policenauts follows a similar approach. The game plays like a cross between a visual novel and a point-and-click adventure and is packed with well-rounded characters as well as an engagingly dark storyline. The Saturn version never made it out of Japan but there's a fan-made translation patch which allows English-speaking gamers to enjoy one of Kojima's most underrated masterpieces.
Metal Slug (Saturn)
SNK's Neo Geo run-and-gun masterpiece has to rank as one of gaming's most iconic action titles, and this Saturn port was one of the few to do the game justice in the '90s. The conversion makes use of the Saturn's 1-MEG RAM cartridge, which results in smooth animation when compared to the PlayStation version. Sadly, the Saturn port of Metal Slug never got released outside of its native Japan, making it an expensive collectable these days – although, it should be noted, not quite as expensive as the Neo Geo AES edition, which can fetch as much as $20,000 on the secondary market.
The King Of Fighters '97 (Saturn)
The final King of Fighters title to be ported to the Saturn, King of Fighters '97 retains the team-based fighting mechanics the franchise is famous for, but introduces 'Advanced' and 'Extra' modes. 'Advanced' fills the player's Power Gauge as they attack their opponent, while 'Extra' is based on the system seen in '94 and '95, where the gauge is filled by manually charging it up or defending against incoming attacks. The game also makes use of the 1-MEG RAM cart to present a more faithful conversion when compared to the Neo Geo original. A smash-hit in Japanese arcades, King of Fighters '97 is one of the highlights of the Saturn's one-on-one fighting game library.
Sakura Wars (Saturn)
This stunning combination of tactical role-playing, dating and visual novel was always going to be a hard sell for western players, so it's little wonder that Sakura Wars never made it outside of Japan. However, the series has since found favour in the west, so it's well worth resisting the game that started it all. A massive success in its homeland, Sakura Wars is now fully playable in English thanks to the efforts of fans, who released a translation patch in 2019. It's also pretty cheap on the secondary market, so there's no excuse not to give it a go – it's certainly worthy of the acclaim it has received in its homeland, and there's no game quite like it on the Saturn (outside of its 1998 sequel, Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die, of course).
When did Saturn release?
Saturn's release date was November 22nd, 1994 in Japan. It's release date in North America was May 11th, 1995, while European gamers had to wait until July 8th, 1995.
Were there any good games on Sega Saturn?
As our list shows, there are a great many amazing games on Saturn! While it didn't get the same kind of software support as the Sony PlayStation, the Saturn is home to some of the finest titles of its generation, including Radiant Silvergun, Panzer Dragoon Saga, SEGA Rally, Guardian Heroes, Shining Force III, Burning Rangers, X-Men vs. Street Fighter and many, many more.
Saturn's incredible 2D power meant that it was flooded with amazing one-on-one fighters and shmups, many of which were exclusive to Japan. If you really want to get the most out of the console, you'll want to get it modded so you can play Japanese games or purchase a Japanese system.
Why did Sega Saturn flop?
Simply put, the PlayStation was easier to develop for, had wider third-party support and could produce more convincing 3D visuals than the Saturn. Sega built Saturn as a 2D powerhouse, only adding a second video display processor to the console's proposed specification after Sony had revealed the capabilities of its own system. This made Saturn tricky to code for, but that's not to say the console wasn't capable of some amazing 3D graphics – just check out Panzer Dragoon Saga, Tomb Raider (which came to Saturn first, lest we forget) and Burning Rangers for proof.
As PlayStation began to pull away in terms of sales, developers abandoned Saturn to focus their energies on the more commercially successful platform. Without the support of the industry's biggest publishers, Saturn began to struggle, and Sega's own financial woes didn't help the situation – it lacked the funds to compete with Sony in terms of marketing and promotion.
Ultimately, Saturn only managed to sell 9.26 million units worldwide compared to PlayStation's 102.49 million and N64's 32.93 million, putting it in third place.
Is Sega Saturn better than PlayStation?
It all depends on what kind of games you like to play.
Saturn's 2D power meant that it got the best ports of arcade titles from the likes of Capcom and SNK, whereas the PlayStation versions were often missing characters, modes and animation, and had longer load times. Japanese company Treasure, famous for its amazing 2D titles, supported Saturn right until the end and created some of its best games – games which were almost always exclusive to Sega's console.
Obviously, if you loved Sega's arcade games back in the '90s then Saturn was the only place to experience them in the home.
On the downside, Saturn didn't get many RPGs in the West, and towards the end of this particular console war, PlayStation's superior 3D power made itself known via titles like Metal Gear Solid and Gran Turismo 2.
How many games are there for Sega Saturn?
Approximately 1053 games were officially released for Saturn across all territories.
What was the last Sega Saturn game?
The final game released for Saturn was Final Fight Revenge, which arrived in Japan on March 30th, 2000.
The final game released for Saturn in North America was Magic Knight Rayearth, which was released on 1st December 1998.
The final game released for Saturn in Europe was Deep Fear, which arrived on September 18th, 1998.
When was Saturn discontinued?
Sega pulled the plug on Saturn in 1998 in North America and Europe, shifting its focus to the upcoming Dreamcast. However, despite the Dreamcast launching in Japan in 1998, Sega of Japan didn't abandon Saturn until 2000, as the console sold better in its homeland than elsewhere in the world.
Comments 19
This brings back memories! Selling my Saturn remains my biggest gaming regret, so many great games!
It's a joke when some regard the Saturn as a failure. Yes maybe commercially but boy its got some incredible games. Luckily I own a lot on this list, Hyper Duel for example is one amazing shmup from the masters of Technosoft. Personally I will always prefer it over the PS1, just a cooler system. Even though I do love PS1.
I loved my Saturn despite all the detractors as well as the bad and biased coverage it recieved at the time.
Everyone that went on my saturn enjoyed it and said it had some great games for it. The only problem they said was that Playstation just looked better and had way more games for it. Which to be honest they wasnt wrong. Its just a shame we never got a fraction of what the Japanese market got.
In my opinion the Saturn was a underated and fantastic gaming console with some great games and to this day it is still one of my most fondly remembered gaming experiences.
If you're interested in starting a SEGA Saturn collection with these games, buying all 40 will set you back about $9,200 US / €8900 / £7500. You can save a little bit of money if you buy loose / disc-only (no cases) and only Japanese editions.
Anyway, since most of these games have never had an official re-release, emulation is the way to go.
BATSUGUN
BATTLE GAREGGA
VIRTUAL ON
GUARDIAN HEROES
HYPER DUEL
KING OF FIGHTERS
Omg
This site is bringing the fanboy out in me
NINJA APPROVED
I can’t get my head round Daytona champ edition made it in to this list. The 2 things they got right in the 1st conversion (music and playability) completely butchered in this game. This was so disappointing at the time
Grandia? A fantastic JRPG and with the translation available the Saturn is the best way to play that game and looks much better than the Playstation and so called HD ports.
I'd also argue the original Daytona over the updated one mainly because it has much better controls but it's good to see Sonic R getting some love, a somewhat misunderstood racing game but great fun.
Overall the Saturn is my favourite console and it has a fantastic library of games
@JJtheTexan I'd advise anyone who wants to play on real Saturn hardware to just get a Fenrir these days, collecting for it just isn't worth it outside a handful of games
@carlos82 great call. Looks like one could grab a working Saturn and ODE for around $250 total. Throw in an HDMI mod and you've got a fantastic kit.
MiSTer supports Saturn now, too
@Damo Do you think there is enough quality in the library + interests + lack of licencing issues for SEGA to do a Saturn Mini?
First of all: What a great new site! Really fond of the color scheme. The best thing is, you don't have to race and compete with other sites focusing on new games and can bail from a rich well of videogame history. And as long as there are new games and time doesn't stop, there are retro games. I hope for and wish you all a thriving future with this project.
Second: Maaan, this list really makes me wish for a Dreamcast mini.
Third: Will the PC also get some love here? I've admittedly always been more of a console gamer. But I absolutely think excluding the PC from a retro gaming focused website would be a huge omission.
I know this isn't meant to be an extensive list, and many more games could go on a list such as this. Good to see Metal Slug and KOF'97 make it here. I didn't expect to see KOF since there are many important fighting games on the system. KOF'97 was a major game for me. I went with friends to a comic book shop to check out Street Fighter 3, and I instantly fell in love with KOF'97 that was right next to it. When I got home, I immediately went online to find out if the game was coming to Saturn. I had to wait a couple of months. Fire Pro Wrestling S 6 Men Scramble was another major game for me on the system.
Also glad to see Virtual On here. That series was passed over by many. That game is another of my favorite gaming memories. I saw an ad on TV for it and thought it looked cool despite not even knowing what sort of game it was other than it featured robots. I took a chance on it and it became one of my favorite games of that generation and one of the games I played most on the system.
I have played Saturn only once in my life and it remains one of those interesting systems I would like to try some day. Thanks for the list!
I had no idea Traveller's Tales made Sonic R! Maybe they should work on a remaster if the Lego work ever dries up...
You've missed one of the very best: Albert Odyssey! Fantastic RPG that really captivated me as a teen.
To be fair that is a great list, though I would include the original Daytona as apart from its looks, it does play better amd Grandia should be on the list as well.
Ha, I've just realised it's a republished article, good to see my opinions haven't changed
Holy crap Shining Force 3 looks like Golden Sun which is one of my favorite rpgs. Finding out they are the same Devs as I type this.
With as many great games as Saturn has, it's amazing to me it couldn't achieve at least GameCube/OG Xbox levels of success — as in, probably enough to break even but not much else. I remember, as a kid, I really thought Saturn had no games. That's a failure in marketing. I was a Genesis kid, and they lost me. I regret it now, but at the same time, their Saturn output skewed towards a little bit older demographic than I was at the time (six years old in 1994). I would realize my fatal mistake after picking up a Dreamcast in either 2001 or 2002 and remembering that Sega, at least at the time, simply made the best games. I picked up a Saturn soon after. Thankfully, that meant I was able to pick up a lot of these title before their prices started going stratospheric, though I'm still actively collecting for the Saturn and Dreamcast now.
As a pretentious Sega Saturn snob, I have to say this is a pretty decent list compared to other ones you find online. There are games I would have added in place of others. If I could make 10 additional recommendations to anyone reading:
Dead or Alive
Legend of Oasis
Street Fighter Collection
Darius Gaiden
Galactic Attack / Layer Section
Astal
Last Bronx
Guardian Force
X-Men vs Street Fighter
Dragon Force II
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