Is the Sega Saturn worth it?

I was planning on getting one when I noticed that the only Sega console I own is the Sega Genesis (WHYYYY??? I don't know honestly). I used to have a Dreamcast but it broke. I bought it used from Gamestop when it was still being sold and already during the end of its lifespan and a year later it stops reading everything I put in there. Heart broken I gave it away to someone who would want to spend money to fix it.

I don't know to much about the Saturn which is why I am very interested in it. How good are the games? What other consoles do you all compare it to?

I am a fan of a lot of types of games, I am mostly into Side Scrollers, Beat Em Ups, and Shooters. I like RPGs but I tend to get frustrated if I can't punch, kick, or shoot someone within a 10 second span LOL! Will I find a lot of these types of games on the console?

I'm not only looking for a console to add to my collection, but a console I would also enjoy. I learned that lesson with the XBox. It just wasn't for me so I ended up handing it over to my brother.

I love to collect older consoles, so far I own the SNES, Gameboy, Sega Genesis, PsOne, PS2, N64, GBA, GBASP, Gamecube, PSP, DS, 3DS, and the Wii.

Consoles that have fallen due to being damaged or given away:

Sega Gamegear- My cousin dropped it while he was in the hospital and it messed up half of the screen. (R.I.P.-Gamegear. My cousin recovered and is healthy lol)

Sega Dreamcast (R.I.P.)

Xbox (R.I.P.)

Gameboy Color- Sold to upgrade to the GBA (R.I.P.)

N64- Sold for other things but ended up buying a new one lol.

So help me out guys, is the Saturn worth it?

Also is the Dreamcast worth buying again? I only owned 5 games before it broke. RE3, RE:CV, House Of The Dead, Jet Grind Radio, and Sonic Adventure.

well that depends entirely on what games youre looking to get, so before a whole bunch of people give you the "its awesome get it " or "it sucks, don't bother" answers which help nobody, think of what games you like .

from my experience (based on close to 90 games I own for the system) , the Saturn's strongest genres are the fighting , shmup , and a general "arcade sty-le" of games, along with a pretty decent RPG selection (more than the N64, but less than PS1)

the first party Sega games are mostly top notch games , and that includes both their arcade ports or home-specific games, so if you like the kind of games Sega made in the arcade, you would like those.

the weakest aspect of the Saturn are its racing and 3D platformer genres, it has a few notable racing games (Daytona , Sega Rally, Wipeout 2097 , maybe Manx TT Superbike) and a few notable 3D platformers ( Tomb Raider, Croc, Burning Rangers), but not enough to satify fans of those genres.

the last part is that importing, while not necessary, will help alot, and you can import quite easily with an action replay 4in1 cart (which also has the extra RAM some of the JPN games need)

thats not to say there aren't other types of games, it has games from other genres like Resident Evil , Command and Conquer, as well as some great FPS games like Exhumed/Powerslave, Duke 3D and Quake (in all of those cases the Saturn versions are arguably the best console ports) , along with stuff like gungriffon .

if you need game recommendations, just check my games list on GS , its got almost every Saturn game I own (close to 90) so that might help you decide)

hope this helps

If you're willing to spend a lot for it's best games then yeah it definitely is.

It's totally worth it, I'm planning on buying one in the near future. Games like Sonic Jam (a compilation + a 3D "mini-openworld" game to explore and learn stuff about Sonic, it looks and plays similar to Sonic R), Clockwork Knight 1 and 2, Dracula X (Castlevania), Dragon Force, Amok, Guardian Heroes, House of the Dead, Burning Rangers (sooo good at the time), Croc, Panzer Dragoon (a Sega Saturn MUST have, although the XBox version is graet too, and comes with the Sega Saturn version included) and Nights Into Dreams (one of my favourite, if not favourite Sega Saturn game)

Oh and the first Tomb Raider also, for some reason I like the SS version much more than the PS1 version.

If you like fighting games and have decent local competition, the Saturn is a good choice but you will need the 4 in 1 RAM cart. You might get lucky like me and find a game like Guardian Heroes cheap at a convention somewhere.

Not really you can get most of the high quality games on other systems and if you decide to get a Saturn the games are overpriced IMO.

to give you an example of pricing regarding Saturn games, here are a few games I found on Ebay UK,

Virtua Cop 2 - £2.99 + 1.99 shipping

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VIRTUA-COP-2-SEGA-SATURN-VGC-retro-boxed-complete-/150698175429?pt=UK_PC_Video_Games_Video_Games_JS&hash=item23164fabc5

Virtua Fighter 2 - £2.20 + 1.99 shipping

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEGA-SATURN-VIRTUA-FIGHTER-2-/360405196396?pt=UK_PC_Video_Games_Video_Games_JS&hash=item53e9d2de6c

Sega Rally - £2.99

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sega-Saturn-Sega-Rally-Championship-/190598325742?pt=UK_PC_Video_Games_Video_Games_JS&hash=item2c608ba5ee

Daytona USA - £3.99 + 1.25 shipping

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sega-Saturn-game-Daytona-USA-complete-PAL-/330633350153?pt=UK_PC_Video_Games_Video_Games_JS&hash=item4cfb488c09

Athlete Kings (Decathlete) - £1.95 + 1.95 shipping

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Athlete-Kings-Sega-Saturn-/350504908384?pt=UK_PC_Video_Games_Video_Games_JS&hash=item519bb87660

Steep Slope Sliders - £4.99 + 2.00 shipping

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STEEP-SLOPE-SLIDERS-SEGA-SATURN-GAME-NEAR-MINT-CON-/150687278859?pt=UK_PC_Video_Games_Video_Games_JS&hash=item2315a9670b

Fighters Megamix - £5.99 + 1.99 shipping

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIGHTERS-MEGAMIX-boxed-SEGA-SATURN-rare-retro-classic-/150664100359?pt=UK_PC_Video_Games_Video_Games_JS&hash=item231447ba07

including shipping thats £36.27 , which is 57.27 US Dollars, about the price of a new game.

furthermore these are all the PAL versions, if you went into the import JPN versions, it could cheaper as well, and you don't always need to import either thanks to online shops that specialise in import games

now not every Saturn game is this price, some are cheaper , while some are more expensive (and some significantly more expensive), but this whole idea about the Saturn being expensive or overpriced is not quite true, and is based on people who basically just went for all the collectible games (like Panzer Saga, or Shining Force 3), which would be like getting a SNES and only getting Earthbound and some others.

no , its not a dollar a game like some consoles like the NES , but then with the rising costs of retro games in general , one shouldnt expect that kind of pricing as a standard anyways.

Thanks a lot everyone, this helps a lot. I love fighting games so the Saturn sounds pretty awesome already.

Darkman thank you for the list of games and for all the detailed information.

King9999 how much would the 4 in 1 RAM cart be? Does it only work for imports?

Thanks a lot everyone, this helps a lot. I love fighting games so the Saturn sounds pretty awesome already.

Darkman thank you for the list of games and for all the detailed information.

King9999 how much would the 4 in 1 RAM cart be? Does it only work for imports?

norm41x

a 4 in 1 cart should cost probably around £15 , which sounds like much but its more of a long term investment.

yes it only works for imports, though it also acts as a backup save device and a cheat device if you want , as well as a RAM cart

it looks like this

try to go only for that one, there are a few others but they usually have issues, either they are not compatible with most games, or don't even have the RAM function.

now , I don't need an cartridge like that since my Saturn is powered by pixie dust and can play games from any region (figure it out) , but id imagine the 4 in 1 is a better option for most people.

Cool! Thanks man, I forgot to post that I am curious to know how is the Beat Em Up scene on the Saturn?

Cool! Thanks man, I forgot to post that I am curious to know how is the Beat Em Up scene on the Saturn?

norm41x

Cool! Thanks man, I forgot to post that I am curious to know how is the Beat Em Up scene on the Saturn?

norm41x

oh man they are awesome oin saturn!!

let me say, check guardian heroes and die hard arcade on youtube. they are like the 2 best beat em up games I ever played

There is an independant used Videogame shop where I live. They had a Sega Saturn for $50.00 which is a fair price. But as a whole the Saturn wasn't very popular here. But if you just want to play the console, Sure it is worth it. Sega (along with Atari) are the greatest Dead videogame console companies.

Sega had 4 home consoles and 1 handheld so a Sega dead console collection would be kinda nice. The Sega Saturn is worth it if you enjoy playing the games and enjoy hunting Saturn games down.

It would be great if Sega made a CD-Rom console that would play all Sega Saturn, Sega DreamCast, and Sega CD games. There were a few decent Sega Saturn games.

So in a way it is worth it. If you can get one for a good price and can find a source for Saturn games. Go for it!

I've never owned a Sega Saturn, so I can't comment on it. But, it would be cool to get a system you've never owned before.

...and a few notable 3D platformers ( Tomb Raider, Croc, Burning Rangers)Darkman2007

Darkman, have you played Elan Doree? If so, how is it?

It's a game I've been interested in for a while now due to it's unique conecpt (it's basically Panzer Dragoon as a 3D fighter - who wouldn't want that?), but I haven't been able to find a copy of it yet.

Darkman, have you played Elan Doree? If so, how is it?

It's a game I've been interested in for a while now due to it's unique conecpt (it's basically Panzer Dragoon as a 3D fighter - who wouldn't want that?), but I haven't been able to find a copy of it yet.

SpikeyAss

Go for the Dreamcast... If you have the money and have a burning desire to play some of the Saturns library go for it... Just be warned that the Saturn is much more of a hassle technicallyBanjo_Kongfooie

What do you mean by this exactly?

[QUOTE="Banjo_Kongfooie"] Go for the Dreamcast... If you have the money and have a burning desire to play some of the Saturns library go for it... Just be warned that the Saturn is much more of a hassle technicallySpikeyAss

What do you mean by this exactly?

Exactly what it says... The saturn is less reliable and harder to get repaired than the Dreamcast is from what I have heard. Nice job misquoting me though.

[QUOTE="SpikeyAss"]

[QUOTE="Banjo_Kongfooie"] Go for the Dreamcast... If you have the money and have a burning desire to play some of the Saturns library go for it... Just be warned that the Saturn is much more of a hassle technicallyBanjo_Kongfooie

What do you mean by this exactly?

Exactly what it says... The saturn is less reliable and harder to get repaired than the Dreamcast is from what I have heard. Nice job misquoting me though.

My Saturn works fine and has never given me any issues, neither has my Dreamcast for that matter. The only thing about my Saturn that worries me is the cartridge slot, it just feels cheap and flimsy and feels like I'm nearly gonna snap something when I pull my GameShark out of it. As a result, I just leave the GameShark in it at all times, since I don't use anything else in the slot anyways.

As for being a hassle, how exactly? You just stick a disc in and press power, like most any other console.

[QUOTE="SpikeyAss"]

[QUOTE="Banjo_Kongfooie"] Go for the Dreamcast... If you have the money and have a burning desire to play some of the Saturns library go for it... Just be warned that the Saturn is much more of a hassle technicallyBanjo_Kongfooie

What do you mean by this exactly?

Exactly what it says... The saturn is less reliable and harder to get repaired than the Dreamcast is from what I have heard. Nice job misquoting me though.

First off, I didn't misquote you. I removed half of your post when quoting you since half of it was irrelevant to my question, that's all.

I thought that 'the Saturn is much more of a hassle technically' might've been referring to the internal battery dying out or the required RAM cartridges for some games. Sorry.

The Saturn is less reliable than a Dreamcast...Honestly? I completely disagree. The Dreamcast is infamous for being an extremely unreliable console. It's unreliable because it's a cheaply built console, there're no two ways around it. In fact, the whole GD-Rom format was designed to cut costs. You can even hear it! It's why the Dreamcast is so noisy; the disc drive is very cheap, and it also has to work very hard to be able to read the GD-rom discs.

Funny story: my friend got a Dreamcast on launch, he got back home...and it wouldn't read either of his two games. He was pretty bummed, to say the least. To be fair though, this happened to a lot of people and was mostly due to launch games not being printed correctly on the disc. In the US, you'll see some launch titles games, such as Hydro Thunder and Mortal Kombat Gold, saying "Hot! New! on the front of the manuals, and this is because they're actually newer revisions of the games. These newer revisions correct the printing errors, and, in some cases, even fix some glitches or make minor adjustments to the game.

I'm on my like, fifth or so Dreamcast now, and even then it likes to act funny at times. It's not rare for me to have to reset the console a few times to get it to boot up a game. On the other hand, I'm only on my second Sega Saturn. I've had it for about four years now, and you know what? It's been working like a babe! A very sexy babe, that is.

[QUOTE="Banjo_Kongfooie"]

[QUOTE="SpikeyAss"]

What do you mean by this exactly?

SpikeyAss

Exactly what it says... The saturn is less reliable and harder to get repaired than the Dreamcast is from what I have heard. Nice job misquoting me though.

First off, I didn't misquote you. I removed half of your post when quoting you since half of it was irrelevant to my question, that's all.

I thought that 'the Saturn is much more of a hassle technically' might've been referring to the internal battery dying out or the required RAM cartridges for some games. Sorry.

The Saturn is less reliable than a Dreamcast...Honestly? I completely disagree. The Dreamcast is infamous for being an extremely unreliable console. It's unreliable because it's a cheaply built console, there're no two ways around it. In fact, the whole GD-Rom format was designed to cut costs. You can even hear it! It's why the Dreamcast is so noisy; the disc drive is very cheap, and it also has to work very hard to be able to read the GD-rom discs.

Funny story: my friend got a Dreamcast on launch, he got back home...and it wouldn't read either of his two games. He was pretty bummed, to say the least. To be fair though, this happened to a lot of people and was mostly due to launch games not being printed correctly on the disc. In the US, you'll see some launch titles games, such as Hydro Thunder and Mortal Kombat Gold, saying "Hot! New! on the front of the manuals, and this is because they're actually newer revisions of the games. These newer revisions correct the printing errors, and, in some cases, even fix some glitches or make minor adjustments to the game.

I'm on my like, fifth or so Dreamcast now, and even then it likes to act funny at times. It's not rare for me to have to reset the console a few times to get it to boot up a game. On the other hand, I'm only on my second Sega Saturn. I've had it for about four years now, and you know what? It's been working like a babe! A very sexy babe, that is.

I second that, the Saturn , apart from the cartridge slot, is very reliable system , my Saturn only once gave me an issue when it started to have issues with a very scracthed game, which was quickly fixed in about 10 minutes of adjusting the laser lens (eventually I just replaced the lens , another 10 minute job)

My Dreamcast on the other hand gives me issues with the AV port, the games wont load about 1/10 times (which is ok I suppose) and is pretty noisy.

note how Banjo says "from what I heard" thats because he doesn't own a Saturn and knows very little about it, he basically comes to these forums every few months basically to try and get into arguments and bash others, and this is yet another example of it as he is doing in 2 other forums so far.

My Dreamcast on the other hand gives me issues with the AV port, the games wont load about 1/10 times (which is ok I suppose) and is pretty noisy.

Darkman2007

That reminds me of a story from my childhood! My dad once purchased a really cheap, Chinese RGB cable for my Dreamcast. I couldn't get it to fit into the socket entirely, so eventually I pushed it in really hard....and it broke the socket! He wasn't happy about it....and I wasn't either! It was the same day Sonic Adventure 2 was released! I ended up playing it years later when it was re-released on the Gamecube though, and thankfully that's actually a superior version of the game.

I've also heard of people breaking their Dreamcasts by re-assembling them incorrectly. Where a short screw goes, if you put a long screw in there instead, it will literally grind out a portion of the AV port's circuitry. Nasty stuff.

note how Banjo says "or so I heard" thats because he doesn't own a Saturn and knows nothing about it, he basically comes to these forums every few months basically to try and get into arguments and bash others, and this is yet another example of it.

Darkman2007

Yeah, he's a troll. I mean, it's like you said, he just comes here every now and then and does nothing but attempt to insight outrage from other posters. His opinions regarding the Saturn can't be took seriously if he doesn't know what he's talking about. Playing a few of it's games at a friend's house isn't enough. If you haven't actually played the console extensively then, naturally, your opinion is going to have very little credibility to it. For example, I don't go around clamining to prefer a console I own over the Neo Geo. I've never even played on a Neo Geo! So I'm not able to form an informed opinion on the console...That'll change one day though :D

I'd understand if he was to say something along the lines of 'I prefer the N64 over the Saturn, because the Saturn is a console flooded with fighters and RPG's, and those are two genres simply don't interest me'. But instead, he's implying that the N64 is a better system, yet he doesn't even own one? Makes sense.

Everyone is free to have their own opinion, I know. But there's a difference between an opinion with credibility to it and an opinion formed by nothing but what he's read on some websites.

So much I have to combat it is not funny... You claim I am the troll... yet you are the one discussing the saturn in topics it does not pertain too which really boils my blood. Ps1 and N64 topics are examples. I am not in the minority yet my opinion gets treated like it is a miniscule opinion not worthy of thought. I will not deny that the Saturn was built better as hardware design of the Dreamcast is somewhat shoddy... The difference is that Dreamcasts are available new while the Saturn requires a hefty few for a new purchase... The Saturn is so old and being a disc based console it is pretty much common knowledge that it has technical flaws. Banjo_Kongfooie

nonsense as usual coming from you I see. the only time Ive seen Dreamcasts sold new recently was on Amazon,com , in the US, and that was a one off thing, so unless youre in the US, thats pretty useless.

otherwise, a Saturn is not that much more expensive, Dreamcasts tend to go for £25 with a few games, while a Saturn will typically cost around £30-35 for a similar deal.

but here you go , you again attempt to argue for nothing over something you know very little about, sounds familiar ?

in particular its into arguments with me for some odd reason, do you have a picture of me on your wall or something?

oh and the reason I mentioned the Saturn in that thread was because that person said he really liked the original Shadow Squadron on the 32X, which prompted me to tell him there was a sequel, and it happens to be on the Saturn, if it was on another system , I would have still mentioned it(especially since the sequel is not well known).

I didn't bother sending him a PM simply due to it being a bit quicker just to reply to him in the thread

[QUOTE="Darkman2007"]

SpikeyAss

Everyone is free to have their own opinion, I know. But there's a difference between an opinion with credibility to it and an opinion formed by nothing but what he's read on some websites.

Im still waiting for him to give me those boatloads of Saturn information he was boasting about a few months ago

its not even about wheter he owns the system really, if he could give me the info he claimed to know ,he could easily debate this matter, but besides telling me that Dragonforce is a bit like Mount & Blade (which Ive never played so he could be right on that one for all I know), I didn't hear much, mostly just false info.

last thing to note is that his argument regarding Saturn games being released on XBLA/PSN, is flawed and basically false. What he conviniently forgot to mention was that there are more Dreamcast games on XBLA than Saturn games, which so far , amount to 2 games as far as I know, Radiant Silvergun and Guardian Heroes (Daytona is the arcade version), while the Dreamcat has more , along with a 360 exclusive compilation.

Sega Bass Fishing, Space Channel Part 2 , Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi are all on XBLA, and there could be more for all I know.

if he knew that, he isn't telling people the whole truth , if he didn't , it shows how little he knows.

but its obvious hes trying to start an argument here, so lets try and not fall into his trap

[QUOTE="SpikeyAss"]

[QUOTE="Banjo_Kongfooie"] Go for the Dreamcast... If you have the money and have a burning desire to play some of the Saturns library go for it... Just be warned that the Saturn is much more of a hassle technicallyBanjo_Kongfooie

What do you mean by this exactly?

Exactly what it says... The saturn is less reliable and harder to get repaired than the Dreamcast is from what I have heard. Nice job misquoting me though.

lol!! I can't think of a console that is more reliable then the saturn. the best hardware I think I've ever owned. I have 2 of them and in one broke the scart port after 16 years and other one still works fine. dreamcast is much less reliable :roll:

Exactly what it says... The saturn is less reliable and harder to get repaired than the Dreamcast is from what I have heard. Nice job misquoting me though.

Banjo_Kongfooie

lol? The saturn is much more reliable then the dreamcast. The dreamcast was very prone do disc reading failures and the laser wore out rather easilly

lol!! I can't think of a console that is more reliable then the saturn. the best hardware I think I've ever owned. I have 2 of them and in one broke the scart port after 16 years and other one still works fine. dreamcast is much less reliable :roll:

bultje112

I can think of several: The N64, Sega Genesis, Master System, really, most cartridge based consoles were built like tanks

my n64 doesnt'read cartridges anymore 50% of the time and nes doesn't work anymore either. I have a genesis on which the sound doesn't work anymore

my n64 doesnt'read cartridges anymore 50% of the time and nes doesn't work anymore either. I have a genesis on which the sound doesn't work anymore

bultje112

You're definitely in a slim minority. I actually don't think I've ever heard of a N64 completely breaking unless some does some sort of physical damage to it.

I didn't bother sending him a PM simply due to it being a bit quicker just to reply to him in the thread

Darkman2007

Yes, I do not believe this as it takes mere seconds more to pm and the fact that you have done this in a variety of topics (that have been recorded).

...its not even about wheter he owns the system really, if he could give me the info he claimed to know ,he could easily debate this matter, but besides telling me that Dragonforce is a bit like Mount & Blade (which Ive never played so he could be right on that one for all I know), I didn't hear much, mostly just false info...

Darkman2007

Lol, so you never played Mount and Blade (a crime in itself :P ) yet you say I give false information out on Dragonforce?

I never said they were alike combat wise either so do not put those words in my mouth. In both there is army building.

my n64 doesnt'read cartridges anymore 50% of the time and nes doesn't work anymore either. I have a genesis on which the sound doesn't work anymore

bultje112

Every piece of technology breaks sooner or later, but i think the genesis/mega drive is most likely the most reliable console on the face of the Earth. I know some guys had their system for over 15 years and still working like a charm. Proper maintenance from time to time helps aswell..

[QUOTE="Darkman2007"]

I didn't bother sending him a PM simply due to it being a bit quicker just to reply to him in the thread

Banjo_Kongfooie

Yes, I do not believe this as it takes mere seconds more to pm and the fact that you have done this in a variety of topics (that have been recorded).

...its not even about wheter he owns the system really, if he could give me the info he claimed to know ,he could easily debate this matter, but besides telling me that Dragonforce is a bit like Mount & Blade (which Ive never played so he could be right on that one for all I know), I didn't hear much, mostly just false info...

Darkman2007

Lol, so you never played Mount and Blade (a crime in itself :P ) yet you say I give false information out on Dragonforce?

I never said they were alike combat wise either so do not put those words in my mouth. In both there is army building.

nice way to misquote me , I actually said you could be right in regards to mount and blade, especially as Ive never played the game.

nice way to troll me though.

and btw, since you still claim to know about the Saturn's library , Im still waiting for all that Saturn info from , what? July? its hilarious, you couldnt come up with much

lets be honest here, youre grasping at the tuft of grass at the edge of the cliff, its pretty obvious youre arguing for no purpose.

[QUOTE="bultje112"]

my n64 doesnt'read cartridges anymore 50% of the time and nes doesn't work anymore either. I have a genesis on which the sound doesn't work anymore

Lucianu

Every piece of technology breaks sooner or later, but i think the genesis/mega drive is most likely the most reliable console on the face of the Earth. I know some guys had their system for over 15 years and still working like a charm. Proper maintenance from time to time helps aswell..

[QUOTE="Lucianu"]

[QUOTE="bultje112"]

my n64 doesnt'read cartridges anymore 50% of the time and nes doesn't work anymore either. I have a genesis on which the sound doesn't work anymore

Darkman2007

Every piece of technology breaks sooner or later, but i think the genesis/mega drive is most likely the most reliable console on the face of the Earth. I know some guys had their system for over 15 years and still working like a charm. Proper maintenance from time to time helps aswell..

Mine works like a charm, and it's the old wood-grain model.

[QUOTE="Darkman2007"][QUOTE="Lucianu"]

Every piece of technology breaks sooner or later, but i think the genesis/mega drive is most likely the most reliable console on the face of the Earth. I know some guys had their system for over 15 years and still working like a charm. Proper maintenance from time to time helps aswell..

Emerald_Warrior

Mine works like a charm, and it's the old wood-grain model.