I ordered a Sega Saturn game off amazon (I doubt anyone remembers a game like Baku Baku except me) and, well, the case didn't quite make it through the mail.

I can't really blame the seller as he/she did pack it very well (and it even said "very fragile" on the package) but these things are a PAIN to replace.

I hope the game store owner in the neighboring town has one on hand... if not I might have to go on eBay and buy a cheap sports title.

Still, otherwise the game is in damn fine condition.

I remember that Saturn cases were prone to cracking and breaking, and sometimes a bit of both. Still, damn fine gaming system. I wish Sega would release some of those games in a compilation, or better yet, an HD remake. Can you imagine how well a Panzer Dragoon trilogy would do? Sadly, Sega is not the same company it used to be.

God, I hear that. The Japanese simply did Saturn better. Everything from the controller, to net play, to game availability, to cases. America really got the short end of the stick. Being my favorite console ever, I could probably write an essay on the whole American Saturn release debacle.

This reminds me of a video I was watching on YouTube were the creator said he blamed Sony for edging Sega out of the console market. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that. I'm not saying Sony DIDN'T have a hand in that but I don't know how you can completely turn a blind eye to everything Sega did to hurt themselves at that point and prior... it's like you're completely disregarding a whole subsection of history!

Fanboys will be fanboys I guess....

You mean like this?

http://www.eidolons-inn.net/tiki-index. … aturn&bl=y

I'm reading through this now... very good read.

Jesus Christ. Everything I thought I knew about the Saturn was either a lie or based on misinformation.

Yeah, that was really informative.

I know the system technically failed but I've always liked the Saturn ever since I borrowed my cousins when I was younger. Still, totally worth having one on hand... I haven't even scratched the surface of its library of games.

Ha, that article is some of my favorite bathroom reading. All of the Segabase articles are quite informative (although there are a couple strange statements from the author...He credits 3DO as being a great system and says the Turbo Grafx was possibly the greatest 8 bit system, while rarely saying anything good about Nintendo's systems). The reality is that Sega did everything in their power to screw up the Saturn and they succeeded in botching it. And burying themselves in the process. To me, Saturn never had many killer apps, even for hardcore gamers. The Capcom Vs games were one thing that comes to mind, but no US release. I never knew anyone that cared anything about Virtua Fighter and they always looked like blocky crap to me, even when done right. Nights, while cool, was something I'd play for 10 minutes and play again six months later. It wasn't the next Sonic, that's for sure.

And yes, screw Saturn cases. Huge, breakable glass cases don't mix with videogames. When I started buying import Saturn games, I was so happy they came in regular jewel cases.

You know... I fall into that category. I never really got into Virtua Fighter and I was very into fighters. I kind of have more fondness for Battle Arena Toshinden even though it's not too great. I think the first 3D fighter I sunk my teeth into was Soul Blade.

My cousin had Dragon Force. I need Panzer Dragoon Saga in my life. I'm manic for anything Lobotomy developed. What a great system if one only looks hard enough.

For fighting gamers, it was THE system (Playstation was meh for Capcom fighting games and most SNK games were never released in the US). At the time, I was studying Japanese and I spent a lot of time with Tokimeki Memorial and Legend of Heroes III (futile attempt, so much text in that game). I remember buying Magic Knight Rayearth (I have the Fuu disc) the day it came out and finishing it that weekend. Beautiful, 2D action RPG. Dragonforce drove me crazy, I loved the gameplay but ultimately I quit because the characters I developed randomly left my squad. It also gave me my first taste of MSX (the 30 game collection, good deal!), Twinbee (the double pack), Cotton 2, console Puyo Puyo and Metal Slug, which was hot stuff at the time. Fishing for new imports was always an enjoyable pastime, still is at conventions or if I have some time on ebay. I still glance for a reasonably priced copy of Skull Fang, the redbook remixed audio is superb.

If you were open to imports, it was a fantastic system. The US marketing was beyond god-awful and it couldn't compete with the mainstream monster the Playstation had become. The article nails the impact that FFVII had on the battle between Sega and Sony. Grandia was a wonderful experience of an RPG (albeit too long), but realistically speaking, no way it could have competed with FFVII even if it had been released in the US for the Saturn.

I adored and still adore the Saturn. We had very different cases over here (at least if my memory of the US cases is correct). Ours were mostly cardboard with plastic and were interesting looking but also tended to self-destruct if not kept carefully. While mine look pretty worn, they have actually survived better than the JP jewel cases.

As for games, well, there were just so many I loved. It is still the best system for Capcom fighters, having some home conversions that no other system got, or at least that no other system got decent versions of. It had Exhumed (Powerslave in the US, and better than the PS/PC version), Nights, the Panzer Dragoons, Kaio Flying Squadron 2 (always overlooked but awesome platformer) and other greats I can't quite recall. And it had a ton of games that aren't hailed as classics but I love - Sonic R, Shining Wisdom and some great conversions, like its version of Duke Nukem.

Yes, I loved my PS too and wouldn't be without the likes of Wipeout (although actually the Saturn version of that was pretty great), Oddworld and others but my Saturn has a special little place in my memory and still gets pulled out every now and again.

Didn't have any luck at the store... they don't usually keep Saturn games on hand anyways as tend to bundle them with the consoles themselves. I've gotten the owner to break up a few bundles before so I could get my hands on certain games - I seriously lucked out with Mega Man 8 this way and didn't pay an arm and a leg for it - but Saturns don't come in too often. When they do they don't sit around long.... same with the Dreamcast.

Still, I love that store... it SO nice not to have to buy everything online even though you might have to wait a while for an item to show up. I'm probably not telling anyone anything they don't already know but all that shipping and handling adds up before you know it. However, I probably offset a chunk of that with the gas I burn

If I have a day off I'm so there...

"Kind of?"  No, not kind of.  Very, very much.  They are the worst things ever.  Also, I love my Saturn and while my library for it is small-ish, it's got some amaaaazing stuff.  Panzer Dragoon Saga struck a certain cord with me that nothing else has ever replicated.  Oh, back when Sega was consistently awesome. 

Hahaha... yeah, I guess I was being a bit too kind, wasn't I?

Personally Panzer Dragoon Zwei was the main reason I got it in the first place but yeah, there are a lot of games I'm sure that are worth nabbing. The only thing that stinks is there are so many good RPGs for the system and despite it being so long since the PS1's heyday I still feel RPGed out in some ways. It takes so much prodding to get a RPG into ANY of my consoles these days - even if I love the hell out of it.

Well, probably fewer than 10 of those RPG's actually made it stateside. Translations weren't as common as they were nowadays and once Bernie Stolar took over, any hopes of seeing RPG's come over was pretty much over. Thankfully, the Game Arts releases ended up on Playstation (although I hear Grandia looked much better on the Saturn).

Offhand, for the US Saturn, I can name:

Panzer Saga
Shining Force III Part 1
Magic Knight Rayearth
Dragonforce
Shining The Holy Ark
Albert Odyssey (I still want to track this one down)

Uh, did I miss anything.

I tried hooking up my Saturn again about a year ago, and it had stopped working.  I couldn't get past the load screen, and it wouldn't even play CDs.  I haven't tried my TurboDuo in a while either, but last time I played it, the CD player seemed on the brink of failing.  My first PS3 (a launch version) died a couple years ago.  Such is the fate of disc-based systems, I guess.

The launch PS3 I can understand failing... the other two, well, I would maybe contribute that to bad luck maybe...? Older consoles didn't have to really combat the heat output and other vices of more recent consoles so in general they're just more durable. I hope we don't see another red ring or yellow light this gen but I pretty much expect the newer consoles (xcept the WiiU maybe) to have a pretty significant failure rate and only last a few years compared to how it use to be.

Well not sure about those yet, but there was a prank going around that in order to "make xbox one backwards compatible" following the trick would brick the system and void warranty.

Shining Wisdom? I was gonna mention Dark Savior, but that's kind of an odd game, not the kind I'd affix the label of RPG to.

I wish I knew someone that actually believed that... I've got a timeshare on a non-ogre infested island to sell them

I don't know enough about Shining Wisdom. I always heard it was a weird puzzle/RPG hybrid. I might have to take a flyer on it one of these days, my Saturn is lonely.

I don't remember there being much by way of puzzles in Shining Wisdom. It's more of an action RPG, slightly Zelda-ish but I don't remember dungeons being puzzle based, although that could be just my memory. It's not awesome but I really enjoyed it back in the day.

You know, I went ahead and read what was posted on the Dreamcast and it's really funny how Sega gave up on the Saturn in the States compared to Japan but the opposite held true for its successor. Of course per usual the PAL territories got screwed both times which is hardly a surprise....