Saturn Quick Reviews

Lotsa Games in Little Detail

A - B - C - D - E - F
G - H - I - J - K - L - M
N - O - P - Q - R - S - T
U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Astal
Game Type: 2D Platform
Rating: 80/100
Beautiful artwork and animation, and decent gameplay. I found this one to be more aesthetic than addictive, though. Worth a rental.
Battle Arena Toshinden Remix
Game Type: 3D Fighting
Rating: 60/100
Take away Toshinden's beautiful backgrounds and it's not so appealing anymore. If you're willing to tolerate a limited cast and a limited movelist... Nah. You shouldn't be. Go get the Playstation version instead if you have to have Toshinden, but really your money is better spent elsewhere.
Bug!
Game Type: 2D Platform
Rating: 80/100
It claims to be a 3D game but you're always restricted to a 2D path, even when moving from the foreground to the background. This lets it retain the playability of a 2D game, though. It's at least worth a try.
Christmas Nights
Game Type: 3D Platform
Rating: 80/100
Hey, it's worth the price... this freebie demo has all kinds of hidden goodies and a fully playable level from the full game. It's good for killing a few hours all by itself.
Clockwork Knight
Game Type: 2D Platform
Rating: 80/100
A 2D platformer with 3D graphics. It's easily beaten but still a fun jaunt. Worth a rental for Mario fans.
Fighter's Megamix
Game Type: 3D Fighting
Rating: 90/100
Virtua Fighter characters with Street Fighter gameplay? Sure, I'm game. The graphics are lame but it's got The Character Roster of the Gods. Try it at least, even if you don't own a Saturn.
Galactic Attack
Game Type: 2D Overhead-View Shooter
Rating: 70/100
The graphics are purty and the gameplay's okay, but having to divide your attention between bombing ground targets and dodging airborne bullets is annoying, especially when you can't tell what's on the ground and what's in the air. Don't bother.
Galaxy Fight
Game Type: 2D Fighting
Rating: 70/100
Beautiful to look at for the most part (although I dislike a couple character designs) but it needs more characters, cooler moves, and better balance on everything. Gawd, I am so in love with Roomi...
Guardian Heroes
Game Type: Depth Movement Brawling
Rating: 80/100
Pure beat-em-up insanity. This will appeal to anyone with the Killer Instinct mentality. Juggle multiple enemies with Street Fighter special moves and nearly infinite combos. It's basically a 2D platformer except that you can switch between three planes of movement. The character and background art are magnificent. There are dozens of enemies, any of which can be used in the six-player arena mode. It's fun but totally mindless.
Iron Storm
Game Type: War Sim
Rating: 80/100
IS is easy enough to learn, but there's enough depth that it will take a while to master. All battles are shown with nice polygonal cinemas, but these can get repetitive after a while (fortunately they can be turned off). Not as dry as Panzer General, but not as fun as Military Madness.
King of Fighters '95 (Japanese)
Game Type: 2D Fighting
Rating: 90/100
This is everything the Playstation version should have been. Even in multi-character mode, the load times are short enough not to be annoying. Most of the frames of animation are intact, too. You'll need to get your Saturn modified to run it, though; it uses a RAM cart so the Game Shark isn't an option. That's okay, this game is worth it.
Legend of Oasis
Game Type: Overhead-View Adventure
Rating: 80/100
Although this is an excellent game, I'd been expecting a bigger upgrade over Beyond Oasis. There aren't many new enemy types and the gameplay's hardly changed. Still, in its own right LoO is pretty cool. The animation and graphics are incredible. Gameplay can get tedious after a while, though, so make sure you rent first.
Nights
Game Type: 3D Platform
Rating: 80/100
A decent game combined with an awful one. Flying as Nights is a blast, especially with the analog controller. Such speed, such grace... If you're slow enough to get stuck on the ground, though, the game suddenly gets tedious. Although the graphics are pretty the popup is awful. You absolutely must rent it, though (even if you have to rent a Saturn to go with), and you'll probably go on to buy it afterwards.
Panzer Dragoon
Game Type: 3D Chase-View Shooter
Rating: 70/100
The graphics are fantastic but this is no Starfox. Trying to shoot enemies with the standard gun is near-impossible, but a homing beam is provided as a crutch, so basically you'll be caught in an endless cycle of lock-on, blast, lock-on, blast... Rent it just for the graphics and awesome cinemas, though.
Panzer Dragoon Zwei
Game Type: 3D Chase-View Shooter
Rating: 70/100
The same as the first, only more so. Having your dragon grow as you progress doesn't really add much to the game. The graphics are very much improved but the gameplay is not. Again, rent only.
Pretty Fighter X (Japanese)
Game Type: 2D Fighting
Rating: 40/100
The cast consists entirely of insanely cute anime chicks, each with bizarre moves (one has a throw where she spanks her opponent). Each character also has a surprisingly well done anime intro. But that's probably the extent of the game's appeal. The in-game animation is weak, and the game itself is just Street Sighter II, only worse. If you pay big bucks to import this one there's really no hope left for you.
Shining Wisdom
Game Type: Overhead-View Adventure
Rating: 60/100
The scenery is pretty but the rendered characters are not, and the gameplay is decidedly ugly. Especially annoying is the need to go back into the menu time and again to switch items. If you really need a Zelda clone, try Legend of Oasis first.
Shinobi Legions
Game Type: 2D Platform
Rating: 70/100
This one really had promise. There are lots of cool moves, you can deflect incoming shuriken with your sword, and much more. Why'd they have to ruin it by using digitized actors for all the characters?
Space Harrier - Sega Ages (Japanese)
Game Type: 3D Chase-View Shooter
Rating: 80/100
A near-perfect translation of the arcade game, far better than the mediocre Space Harrier II for Genesis. It won't appeal to everyone but fans of the arcade game absolutely must import this.
Virtua Cop
Game Type: Light Gun
Rating: 90/100
The premiere light gun game available for home systems. Knockout graphics and adrenaline-infused action. Probably the best single reason to own a Saturn.
Virtua Fighter 2
Game Type: 3D Fighting
Rating: 80/100
The background graphics are decidedly weak but aside from that the arcade version is intact. If you're a Virtua Fighter fan you already own it, if not I probably can't persuade you (especially since I'm not that big a fan myself).

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