Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Saturn)

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, and the PlayStation version was a critical smash when it launched in 1997. The Saturn port, published in Japan in 1998, was coded by a different team within Konami and introduces a bunch of new features that weren't present in the PlayStation edition. Maria Renard becomes a playable character, and two new areas – the Cursed Prison and the Underground Garden – are included. However, load times are longer and some of the visual effects – such as transparencies – aren't as impressive (Koji Igarashi, who worked on the game and would later oversee the entire Castlevania franchise, is said to have been disappointed by how the port turned out). Even so, this is an excellent game and well worth checking out if you're something of a Castlevania completist.

Batsugun (Saturn)

Toaplan is a legendary name in the world of shmups, and Batsugun holds a special place in the genre's history by being the final game from the esteemed Japanese developer. Notable for being one of the first 'bullet hell' shooters, Batsugun features a unique weapon levelling system which sees players gain experience points from taking out enemies; a similar mechanic would crop up in Treasure's Radiant Silvergun a few years later. Several of Batsugun's staff would go on to form Cave, another famous name in the world of Japanese shmups. This home port was handled by Gazelle (another company formed by former Toaplan employees) and Batsugun appears on the Astro City Mini V, a micro-console from Sega. It was also released on Switch and PS4.

Elevator Action Returns (Saturn)

The original Elevator Action remains something of an arcade classic, and was ported to a wide range of formats. It's a shame, then, that its far superior sequel is less well known; it takes the core concept of the first game and expands on it dramatically, introducing more complex levels, a broader selection of weapons and far more variety in the gameplay. For the longest time, this Saturn port – which is exclusive to Japan – was the only way to experience Elevator Action Returns in the home, but it has since been made available on the excellent Taito Legends 2 compilation (PlayStation 2, Windows, and Xbox) and, more recently, as a pre-installed game on the Taito Egret II Mini micro-console.

Princess Crown (Saturn)

Before George Kamitani formed Vanillaware – the studio behind the likes of Odin Sphere, Dragon's Crown and 13 Sentinels – he was employed by Capcom, and upon leaving that company, he founded his own independent outfit in order to create Princess Crown. The firm would later become part of Atlus, which would eventually publish the final game – a side-scrolling 2D action RPG with sumptuous visuals. Princess Crown boasts real-time combat which sees players charging up special moves, but it also has NPCs to interact with and a basic crafting system. Never localised into English, Princess Crown was later ported to the Sony PSP, and Dragon's Crown is considered to be its spiritual successor.

Sonic R (Saturn)

The idea of Sonic racing against other characters certainly doesn't seem groundbreaking, given the blue blur's penchant for speed – and, by the time Sonic R arrived in 1997, he'd already appeared in not one but two Game Gear racing titles – but this superb 3D speed-fest is nonetheless a remarkable experience. Developed by UK-based Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team, Sonic R might not be the 'full' Sonic experience Saturn fans were hoping for, but its focus on exploration lent it an 'adventure' feel and made it stand out from other mascot-based racers. Oh, and Richard Jacques' soundtrack is wonderful.

Panzer Dragoon II Zwei (Saturn)

The first Panzer Dragoon made waves thanks to its gorgeous 3D visuals and incredible world design, but this sequel is a better release on all counts. The scope is improved massively, with a stronger storyline and more accessible difficulty level, as well as a branching route system and some cool unlockables when you finally finish the adventure. The soundtrack is also incredible and would go on to inform the music used in future Panzer Dragoon titles, including Panzer Dragoon Saga and Panzer Dragoon Orta. It's also more visually impressive than its predecessor, offering some of the most awe-inspiring graphics on the Saturn.

Battle Garegga (Saturn)

Lauded by many as one of the best shmups ever made, Raizing's Battle Garegga is set in a steampunk world not entirely dissimilar to that seen in Hayao Miyazaki's legendary movie Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and this visual distinction is one of the main reasons the game stands out against its genre rivals. The levels, enemies and boss fights are all fantastic, and the gameplay is tight and challenging, due to the game's adjustable difficulty ranking system that can, if not totally understood and exploited, make Battle Garegga even harder than it already is. This Saturn port was only released in Japan and has become a collector's item, but in 2016, emulation experts M2 released Battle Garegga Rev.2016 for modern systems, which means the game is accessible to a much larger audience. Even so, this Saturn version still ranks as one of the console's most desirable titles.

Virtua Cop 2 (Saturn)

Sega was a key supporter of the humble arcade light gun shooter, and its Virtua Cop series – alongside House of the Dead – did much to popularise the genre in amusement arcades all over the globe. Virtua Cop 2 takes the core gameplay of the original and adds in the ability to pick your route through the levels, massively increasing its replayability. The game would later be bundled with its predecessor on the PlayStation 2, and a Dreamcast port was also released, but only in Japan. 2003's Virtua Cop 3 has sadly remained an arcade exclusive.

Fighters Megamix (Saturn)

With Sony able to call upon the might of Namco's Tekken franchise during the 32-bit console war, Sega pulled out all of the stops to compete – and that culminated in the release of this crossover effect, which saw characters from Virtua Fighter and Fighting Vipers (not to mention Virtua Cop and Daytona USA) duke it out for supremacy. While it arguably isn't quite as good-looking as the peerless Virtua Fighter 2 Saturn port, Fighter's Megamix incorporates moves from Virtua Fighter 3 and does a good job of combining the two play styles of Virtua Fighter and Fighting Vipers. Hailed as a critical smash at the point of release, the game sadly stands alone in Sega's library, and no sequel has ever been produced.

Sonic Jam (Saturn)

While the Saturn famously lacked a stand-alone mainline Sonic title, Sonic Jam did a lot to keep fans happy during the 32-bit era. It pulls together four 16-bit Sonic outings: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, and even emulates the 'lock-on' system of the latter, allowing you to alter aspects of the other three titles. Having all of these classic games in one place was fantastic back in 1997, but one of the biggest talking point was the all-new 3D-based "Sonic World" mode, which essentially acts as an interactive, explorable museum of related content, including trailers and artwork. This hinted at the possibility of a proper 3D Sonic on Saturn, but sadly it never happened. It's also a shame that Sonic CD isn't included here, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Sonic Jam is an essential purchase for all Saturn owners.