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“ With Sega Saturn, there are no limits?
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With Sega Saturn, there are no limits?
The Sega Saturn was released in the US on May 11, 1995 - 23 years ago today. This is a photo of the European collection of Sonic Saturn games - ‘Sonic 3D Blast’, ‘Sonic Jam’, and ‘Sonic R’. #SaturnDay
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Review # 7
Christmas Nights into Dreams… (For Sega Saturn, also available in the XBLA/PSN/Steam release of Nights HD)
Yes! A holiday themed game! Around this time of year there’s nothing better then playing a good old holiday themed promotional game straight from Sega themselves. Today I’m going to be talking about Christmas Nights into Dreams… for the Sega Saturn. Now, in the recent HD release of Nights on digital download services, you can unlock the Christmas Nights option but there are a few features that are only available in the Saturn version so I’m going to be looking at that one.
Nights into Dreams is a game that was originally released for the Sega Saturn. It was developed by Sonic Team (yes the same people who make the Sonic the Hedgehog games) and was just supposed to be something unique and different and that’s exactly what it was and it’s often considered to be the go to game on the Saturn. What Mario 64 is to the Nintendo 64, Nights was to the Sega Saturn, especially because Sonic Team didn’t manage to put out a new mainline Sonic platforming title on the Saturn (there were a few Sonic games, but they were all fancy ports or racing games). So while the Saturn wasn’t Segas most successful console, Nights was one of the more popular games for the system. So going with it’s popularity, Sega released a promotional game disc and distributed it through a magazine at the time and it was called Christmas Nights. This takes only a few levels from the original game and gives them a winter theme and there’s actually quite a few more seasonal goodies and unlockable things scattered through out the disc so lets get to it.
I won’t talk too much about the actual concept of Nights since it really is something that should be experienced by the player. Basically you play as a colorful jester named Nights and fly on 2.5D set paths through all sorts of levels. The easiest way to describe it is like watching a sky acrobat fly around. As you fly through each of the 4 sections of the levels, you go through rings and collect various orbs and items and chain combos together to boost your score. As I said, each level has 4 sections, so in each sub section, as you fly through and boost your score and collect orbs, you eventually deposit the orbs in to a container and if you have 20 you get a special gem and when you go back to where you started, you get to go to the second section. But you do have a timer, so if you get all the orbs fast and have extra time you can keep looping on your same path and boost your score even higher before you have to go to the later areas. It’s hard to explain but that is, again, why it is a game best played or at least seen for yourself.
The graphics and presentation of Nights are great. When developers got the Saturn to work right, they really got it to work right. The Christmas themed levels really have a good charm to them and the game even has its own Christmas themed music. Over all I can’t think of a better game to put someone in a holiday mood.
Since I’ve already discussed all the basic concepts and because this is more of a promotional disc then the full Nights game, I’m going to go over many of the extra things and unlockables that this game features. To start off, the game has a calendar clock on the title screen. It matches up with the Sega Saturns internal clock so you can tamper with it to see all the extras at your leisure, but different things can happen depending on what day you play the game on. Obviously during the winter months the game is snow themed and is extra special on Christmas. Other things you can unlock are art work, movies from the actual Nights game, special holiday messages and even a few secret characters, including Sonic himself. You go about unlocking these by completing simple card matching games at the end of each level completion. Make sure to save your game data to a memory card since Sega Saturns don’t usually save any more since the internal batteries have died.
Overall, this isn’t a huge game but for a promotional holiday game there’s nothing better. It has plenty of things to do and several different ways to play. Unless you are a Sega Saturn collector like myself I would recommend picking up the Nights HD release on most major digital platforms. It doesn’t have all the easter egg type unlockables but it still has all the main holiday themed stuff you would get so it’s worth the download price.
Happy Holidays
Enjoy!
Shop cell phones and accessories at Amazon.com. You’ll find great prices on cases, headsets, and the latest smartphones from carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint
Screw all those gameboy phone cases everyone has, sign me up for this sexy beast
Always nice to see the PAL cases. I have the US versions. I should post some Saturn day stuff when I get home. That face on the PAL 3D Blast is weirdly Iconic for me
Review #9
Sonic R (originally for Sega Saturn, got a PC port and eventually was available on Sonic Gems Collection on Gamecube)
Sonic the Hedgehog is a character that needs no introduction. He’s been around for a long time, has had his share of great and terrible games and is here to stay. In his early days though, he rose to popularity almost as fast as he runs. Thanks to his successful platformers on the Sega Genesis and huge marketing campaign by Sega, he became a character as well known as Mario. So, when Sega’s next big console after the Genesis, the Sega Saturn, was released, everyone was waiting for the next Sonic game. Sadly, the next Sonic game, actually known as “Sonic Xtreme” was never released. We wouldn’t get the next big 3D Sonic game till Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast. Instead in the winter or 1997 Sega gave us three Sonic games to make up for not having a new one to present. Sonic 3D Blast, a port of a Genesis game which I may review later, Sonic Jam, a great compilation of the first four Sonic games with lots of extras (a pretty good collection for the time and the ports are spruced up too) and finally, the namesake of this review, Sonic R. This is actually the only original game of the three, but alas it was not a 3D platformer, it was a racing game. But that makes sense right, Sonic runs fast and his friends do too, shouldn’t they race? Well keep reading to see if this race is one you want front row seats for or if you should stop before you get to the finish line.
There’s no real plot to this game, I’m sure if you read the instruction manual it would probably go something like this. “Dr. Robotnik (yes he used to be called Robotnik) has challenged Sonic and friends to a race for the Chaos emeralds, go race and save the day”, or something like that. Either way, it’s a racer. The goal is to race against 4 other characters and win. Simple as that and what’s interesting is it’s actually a game with on foot races. In more recent Sonic games, Sonic is known to ride hover boards or drive go-karts, which is nice but if he’s the fastest thing alive shouldn’t he be able to just run? Just a side thought. Either way, it’s a standard charcter based racing game.
The presentation is, well, by todays standards it’s dated but putting my 1997 glasses on, this game is actually rather decent. It’s nice to finally see Sonic in 3D along with all the other familiar characters from the time. The graphics have a certain early 3D charm that I can’t get enough of. The tracks are in short supply but they have many different variations and paths to take. Overall it looks like an early 3D Sonic racing game. One thing to note before I talk about the gameplay is the music. This game has a very interesting soundtrack. Instead of typical Sonic type music, it has euro-pop style vocal music that is very love or hate among fans. I’m not going to lie, there’s something oddly catchy and relaxing about the music in this game and maybe it has to do with my nostalgia for it when I played it as a kid but I like the music. Overall, it’s an interesting but decent presentation.
Now the gameplay. Over all this game controls rather interestingly. You hold forward to go and you can jump or hover depending on the character you pick and you race through the courses to get first place. As stated earlier though, each course has multiple pathways so you have options. If you want to unlock more characters and the final stage though, you need to explore these pathways and secret areas. To unlock characters you collect five special tokens in each level and to get the final level you collect all the Chaos emeralds which are found by collecting rings on the tracks and running through gates with specific ring counts. Overall the design is simple but getting the hang of the almost tank like controls is where the game can be frustrating. It’s definitely not perfect and can be slippery and clunky but it’s not hard to get the hang of either.
Overall this game succeeds at what it sets out to do. It’s a mascot themed racer that showed off the Sonic series at the time. The only real flaws are in the controls which can take some getting used to. It’s definitely not a perfect game but if you are looking for some light hearted fun and a simple racer then this may be your go to game. This game personally holds an interesting place of nostalgia in my mind mainly because I originally played the PC port of it as a kid so maybe I just can’t take off my rose tinted glasses but even so, it’s worth checking out. The Sega Saturn version isn’t worth getting unless you can find it for cheap or are a more hardcore Sonic or Saturn collector. Your best bet in my opinion is to grab a copy of Sonic Gems Collection on Gamecube and try it there since there’s other good games on the disc. Final verdict, if you like simple racing games or Sonic stuff, give the game a look at least, just be wary of the odd controls.
Enjoy!
SEGA Japan chronicled a list of their home game consoles online in the early 90s but abandoned it before the Dreamcast launched.
You can still access the site through https://sega.jp/fb/segahard/
Panzer Dragoon is the front runner for forgotten video game series. What was originally one of the Sega Saturns flag ship games, has now become a relic remembered only by retro enthusiasts. Its a shame too because despite having only 4 main games and a Game Gear spin off, the series as a whole exudes quality. Today I’m showing off Panzer Dragoon II (Zwei), for the Saturn. For those unfamiliar, Panzer Dragoon is a 3D rail shooter (think Starfox or Rez), that puts you in the role of a hero and their pet dragon as they travel across a dystopian future and fight against evil empires that are bent on destroying dragons, since they are thought to be bad omens. The stories and world presented in the whole serie, despite being so simple are actually quite interesting, and thats what drew me to the series so long ago. Its futuristic but also otherworldly aesthetic and presentation create a unique world that needs to be seen for itself. The gameplay is also just as unique. While its a 3D rail shooter you have a variety of options while soaring through the skies. Though the first game was rather basic, the sequel gives you a variety of different weapons to use depending on the situation and the ability rotate your field of view completely, a signature aspect of the whole series, continues to add a unique level of depth and challenge. If you like Starfox, or rail shooters in general you’d be foolish to ignore this series. Unfortunatley, the Saturn games are a bit tough to track down for a fair price these days so if you like having money in your wallet, get the Xbox version. Overall, Panzer Dragoon II is one of the best 3D rail shooters out there and its a shame Sega let the series die. I’ll do whatever I can to keep this series alive and shared. #panzerdragoon #panzerdragoonzwei #segasaturn #sega #videogames #videogamecollector
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“ Save your quarters by buying ‘Die Hard Arcade’ for the Sega Saturn.
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Save your quarters by buying ‘Die Hard Arcade’ for the Sega Saturn.
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So I guess Pokemon comes out today
So I bought NBA Jam for the Sega Saturn.
There’s got to be a way I can monopolize this out of touch video game player life style…
Now you’re cooking—with Sega Saturn!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/391214351484?rmvSB=true
“This was a promotional item used by Sega in Japan in 1998.Full sized
cooking / BBQ apron with huge Sega Saturn logo down one side and “Sega
Saturn Summer 1998” on the chest area.There is one pocket. This is an
official Sega promotional item that was never released for sale. Very
rare and great for collection.It smells a bit smokey / musky and could
do with a clean and airing out if you plan to use it. Being sold as is -
I did not wash it so as not to damage it :)There are some stained areas
on front white area - they are not so noticeable from far away but up
close can be seen.”
misanthroatspiders