What are the "must play" Saturn games?

[Snatch1414]

It might not be possible to replicate the feeling but when I first got my Saturn and fired up Panzer Dragoon, the first level and its music were amazing. It was a crazy feeling coming off of the Genesis straight to that.

[Nemoide]

NiGHTS into Dreams is my #1 pick. I absolutely love the aesthetic of the game and the dream-elements. In addition to that it has some of the great arcade-style gameplay that Sega is known for. If you like playing for points, it's fantastic!

All three Panzer Dragoon games would be my next pick. Saga is the best but is so different from the first two and is deeply enhanced by knowledge of the earlier games that I'd recommend all three. The original PD blew my mind when I first played it. The graphics were way beyond anything I was used to, the 360-degree gameplay was intense and engaging, and the world was so different from what I was used to that I still feel something special about it.

Those are definitely my top recommendations. There are some other great titles too, of course. Magic Knight Rayearth is a total blast, I had fun with Sonic R, and there are enough fighting games and shmups to make it a 90s arcade-fan's dream system. But I feel like I could get lost in the weeds pretty quickly if I start listing all the Saturn games I love!

[Sarge]

Speaking of Saturn Bomberman, I wish I could get together a 10-player match of that. I can't even imagine how ridiculous that would be.

[aaron]

KNOWLEDGE

yeah just stick to this list. perfect selection.

[the7k]

For what it's worth, I think Cotton 2 is a good "budget" alternative to Cotton Boomerang. I mean, I went with Cotton 2 because it was much much cheaper and I enjoy it plenty. Honestly I kinda prefer it to Boomerang, which I ended up picking up in ST-V form because I got a good deal on it.

[Jagosaurus]

Of course Panzer Dragoon, Marvel v Capcom games, Vampire Savior games, Nights, Sega Rally, Fighting Vipers, Working Design RPGs, Virtua Cop 1/2, Virtual On. Let's dig in further...

Saw one mention for PowerSlave/Exhumed. Agreed!!! Really awesome FPS set in Egypt.

While we're on FPS:
- Quake: SS port is awesome.
- Alien Trilogy: Very solid. I've been meaning to beat it recently. Gets overlooked due to Jaguar AvP
- Space Hulk: FPS meets Rainbow Six commands
- Hexxen
- Duke Nukem 3D
- Stay away from SS Doom

A few exclusives no one ever mentions:
- AMOK: third person mech game, submarine sections similar to StarFox 64
- Solar Eclipse: sci-fi rail shooter, sequel to 3DO Total Eclipse
- Dark Legend: interesting weapons fighter in a Japanese series of a different name IIRC

Horror:
- D
- Resident Evil
- Deep Fear (import JPN)
- Alone in the Dark 2: which oddly enough takes place during the day & involves pirates.

- Grid Runner: My obscure pick. A cool action puzzle game. This game is cheap & is a fun party game with a solid campaign mode. Think Bomberman meets capture the flag.

A couple ports better know on other systems:
- Tomb Raider: actually started on the SS not PSX
- Road Rash: port of 3DO game
- Command and Conquer

- Mystaria/Blazing Heroes: RPG I didn't see mentioned. Tactical/SRPG I own but haven't played. I've seen praise for it on RPG boards.

A couple I don't own but want to:
- Astal: hand drawn platformer
- The Horde: strategy game ported from 3DO

[samsonlonghair]

Gentlemen, ya'll are talking about "must play" saturn games and seriously neglecting the arcade games... ya know, the thing Saturn does best.

X-Men VS Street Fighter
Die Hard Arcade
Daytona USA
Virtua Fighter 2
Marvel Super Heroes
Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge
Outrun

[Sano]

So...

Dragon Force < Dragon Force II?

I've only played the first one. Didn't know there was even a II until recently. Am I wrong that II is better?

[Jagosaurus]

Gentlemen, ya'll are talking about "must play" saturn games and seriously neglecting the arcade games... ya know, the thing Saturn does best.

True, but since he's emulating I think we should consider if the ports have anything special about them that make them worthwhile, not that my post was perfect in that regard.

Is he? I didn't see that spelled out. Only referenced to SF3 bc episodes 2 and 3 weren't released in US.

SS emu was spotty couple yr back due to chip set & RAM expansions. Is it better these days?

@OP, definitely check out the 3 exclusives I mentioned.

Also, Quake, Duke, & Power Slave run on a specific engine by Lobotomy. Pretty impressive IMO.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobotomy_Software

[SonicTheHedgehog]

SS emu was spotty couple yr back due to chip set & RAM expansions. Is it better these days?

SSF is quite good these days. For the most part, it's stable and has very strong compatibility. The biggest issue with it is the user interface, which frankly sucks; it's unpolished, unintuitive, and very confusing at times.