Archive for the ‘Saturn’ Category
Head Off #3 - Mind-Blowingly Good Games
Usually Alex will send me some crappy and beaten up games to review for this column. Other times, rarely, the games are only one or the other. It’s why I’ve tried selling a few of the junky titles (they’re complete, and maybe someone out there WANTS to be the manager of a Japanese “boy” band made up of thirty-somethings), and it’s also why I have some pretty cool games in my collection that aren’t in a condition I’d normally accept them in if I were buying them. Today we’re going to do something different here at Head Off. Instead of reviewing junk in the poor-game-design sense, we’ll be looking at some junk in the beaten-up-and-missing-parts sense. All the games talked about today will be good ones.
Vampire Savior (The Lord of Vampire - yes the cover says this like it’s the subtitle) - Sega Saturn - Darkstalkers, as Capcom saw fit to rename this series in the West, is one of my favorite fighting games. In fact, I only really like two fighting game series: Darkstalkers and Tekken. That’s mostly because I suck at fighting games. While Darkstalkers isn’t the button-masher that Tekken is, I still find it much easier to pull off (and stumble across) combos and special moves. The thing that really endears me to the series, though, is the cast of characters. In what other game can you play as a homicidal, machine-gun-toting LIttle Red Riding Hood? Or an ancient Egyptian mummy complete with sarcophagus? Or a bee girl that shoots… bees… out of her… beehive? Okay that one is just plain weird. But that’s really the charm of the game. You have no idea what you’re going to experience. The backgrounds, art direction, character design… pretty much every gameplay element contributes to making this amazing fighting game come to life. The level and attention to detail that Capcom invested in this game is pretty staggering (they tend to be known for that, particularly with their fighters, but this is the only one I’ve ever been able to get into). So why did Alex give this one away? The copy he sent me was disc and manual only. This wouldn’t be too bad except that Vampire Savior requires a RAM cart. I actually had to trade for another game just to be able to play this one. (I traded for X-Men vs Street Fighter, another Capcom fighting game, and one which I played for all of ten minutes before turning off in frustration and boredom. See? I’m just not a fan of fighting games.)
Japanese Insanity Invades America: A Review of Switch For The Mega CD
I’ve used this space in the past to lament the lack of quirky Japanese titles that have seen localization in the States, at least pre-Playstation. Many of the weirder games never made it over here simply for being deemed too “Japanese” as if us Westerners just wouldn’t get it (which seems to be true for the most part given how so many of the early attempts were commercial failures). Switch for the Mega CD was one early attempt at selling the American public a quirky, truly bizarre and completely Japanese-influenced game. It’s U.S. release, retitled Panic!, was met with poor sales and mostly negative reviews. I have to admit, I’d never even heard of the game and, at first, assumed Switch was a Japan-only release. The good folks here at Rising Stuff were kind enough to supply me with this wonderfully weird game to review and, after playing it for twenty hours or so, I feel obligated to track down the American release. Better late than never, I suppose. (Read the rest of the review by clicking the “more” link!)
Famicom Dojo: Midwest Gaming Classic 2009 Special
Zac (of Powet.TV) and I got the chance to go to the Midwest Gaming Classic this year! What follows is each of our perspectives about the event: Zac, able to roam freely, and me? Stuck behind a table vending for RisingStuff.com!
A Look At Midwest Gaming Classic 2009
Famicom Dojo - Midwest Gaming Classic 2009 Special
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Powet.TV at Midwest Gaming Classic 2009
Masochism Special: Battle Monsters
Game: Battle Monsters
Year: 1996 or something
System: Sega Saturn
Arbitrary Rating: Q
Summary: This is by far the worst game I have ever played.
The In Depth: Deciding that we couldn’t judge all crappy fighting games based on what we saw with Fist we decided to try a 2D fighter this time. It couldn’t be worse could it? Read the rest of this entry »
Friday Masochism Special: Fist - Battle of the Cardboard Boxes
Game: Fist
Maker: Imagineer
Year: 1996 or something
System: Sega Saturn
Reviewed By: Alex and Sensei
Arbitrary Rating: 23
Summary
This is by far the worst game I have ever played.
The In-depth
The best part of the game was the boot up screen, which told us the battery in the Saturn had died. Apparently it did this as a form of preemptive suicide. At this point Vinnk couldn’t find his controllers and we contemplated playing a good game instead, but for you dear readers we persevered.
Sega Saturn Price Guide
Well the time has come. We’ve dawdled and daddled in a few handhelds and the 3DO, but it’s time to get to a system that had a massive library: The Sega Saturn. We have 1200 titles listed here and a heck of a lot of hardware. Are we wrong on some prices? You bet! Let us know about which ones on our forums.
So here it is! The price guide for Japanese import Saturn games:
Welcome to the New Rising Stuff!
We are so glad you that you chose to visit us today. 20 years ago today, Sega released the Mega Drive in Japan and today we have something new to show you as well. What started as an idea four years ago to help people acquire import video game will today expand into a community of gamers united in a common interest. It will also stand as a resource for Japanese gaming information and discussion.
Rising Stuff is dedicated to Japanese retro gaming. We will cover classic games and the consoles they play on. Many of these have never made it out of the land of the rising sun. We will try to cover obscure system like the PC-FX, Wonderswan and Playdia as well as the better-known systems like the Mega Drive, Neo-Geo, Saturn, PC-Engine and Famicom Disk System. For some of these systems our news and reviews might be the first ever written in English. And if you are an expert on any of these systems or games yourself, we are always looking for new contributors.
And don’t worry, the Rising Stuff Store is still here providing you with the games you are looking for at the prices you want, with the service you deserve.
So please join us in our forums and chat room. Our mods and admins are here to help you feel welcome and answer any questions you might have. If you enjoy playing Japanese games you have come to the right place. Welcome home.
Good Saturn games that won’t break the bank
If there is one thing I’ve learned since the Saturn’s untimely death in North America in 1998, some of higher quality titles that have long been out of print have sky rocketed in price on auction sites like eBay due to scarcity and relatively strong demand. All one has to do is type Panzer Dragoon Saga into an eBay search engine to see evidence of this.
It also hasn’t helped that Sega has left a lot of these gems wallowing away in their vaults when an update or port to accessable outlets like Xbox Live arcade or the Playstation store could give gamers new access to these long forgotten gems since they more than likely were never able to purchase them on their original platform.
That all being said, there are still several quality titles out there on the Saturn that are well worth your time and probably won’t require you to break your piggy bank open to acquire. With the economy as bad as it is these days, everyone is looking to game on the cheap, and classic gaming platforms are a great way to have fun while not having to shell out $50 to $60 for Madden roster update ‘09 or Generic Space Marine shooter #54. Here is a list of what I consider pretty good Saturn games that are probably worth your time tracking down and hopefully won’t leave your bank account sitting at $0.
