Most UNDER-RATED Console of all time...

[artphotodude]

I know that this will likely be argued by a number of people, but as one who has been brought up on Nintendo and Sony's machines, I have been completely blown-away by the Sega Saturn. Of course, I know it is easy to really enjoy a machine when you have the advantage of countless online reviews compiled over years to help make great game-purchases and such, but it doesn't change the fact that the Saturn is a seriously worthy machine.

The lack of support for dithering, which was somewhat criticized at the time, is actually a blessing in a number of games. For instance, compare the clarity of both Saturn's highest performance 3D fighters (Virtua Fighter 2 or Dead or Alive) with the Playstation's (either Bloody Roar 2 or Tekken 3). On a clear monitor, the rendering power of The Saturn rather smokes the PSX. Also, the familiar texture warping and clipping of the PSX is very often absent in Saturn titles. In the afore mentioned genre, where Sony's machine all too often sports flat, 2D wallpaper backgrounds, Saturn games have dynamic, parallaxing in the backgrounds, and more often than not, they are animated. The composite video output is so good, that in most games S-Video is actually not even needed for a sharp, clear picture with broad color range. Compare to the crazy-crawlies of the Playstation.

Lastly, while Sega's marketing has been much maligned as some of the worst in history, there are a large number of titles that very much benefited from a greater focus on game-creation than Hollywood packaging. In a number of titles there is a feeling one's request for a ham sandwich was fulfilled with the whole pig. A few great examples are:

Powerslave (Deathtank), Fighters Megamix (where to begin?), Clockwork Night 2 (endless auxiliary modes including one which let's you play against the bosses in from the first game), Guardian Heroes (over 40 hidden characters and blazing 6-player action), and many others.

After spending 6 quality months with this machine, I have no question as to why it lasted so long in Japan. Maybe we could stand to import some of their values when it comes what makes games great.

[RadarScope1]

You sir win the prize for best inaugural post on Racketboy. I think you will fit in here.

[pixelbender]

Definitely the Dreamcast. I have a modded Saturn and thus the opportunity to play anything, while it is good it is not as good as the Dreamcast. The DC was the first to support "high definition" (480p referred to as such at the time), a beautiful VGA connection, seamless online play (and I really appreciated the crazy long tele cable it came with), and the ability to have a broadband connection. The graphics are SICK for that time period, and it can play Playstation games via Bleemcast. It was effectively "modded" out of the box, once it was possible to copy discs. I remember it was a HUGE deal back in the day before I had a DVD player to play VCDs on it (even if I had a PS2 I couldn't burn a DVD but could download a movie and burn a VCD). While the controller isn't my fav (that would be the 360), it is a pretty solid controller that I personally enjoyed more than the N64. Oh and it had the NFL 2K series, which is the only football game series worth playing, especially for those of us that don't enjoy Madden, etc. I still play this system today, the most. As a benefit, it is extremely cheap and many of today's LCD/Plasma tvs sport a VGA connector.

[Doctor Fugue]

Anybody with access to the JP library and common gaming sense understands it to be of excellent quality. I don't think the Saturn can be called underrated when it sold just as well and quite often better than the PS in Japan. Everybody knows its collection of arcade fighters and shooters and dating sims finally brought the arcade home. And it remains a popular choice for gamers. A popular system can't be underrated, by definition. Just because people in the States lost interest doesn't mean it wasn't popular elsewhere. That was a fact of poor marketing.

Calling the PCE or GC underrated makes more sense than this.

[LivingtheDream]

The playstation was easier to program for and that's why it was such a big hit in the 32-bit generation. The Saturn has a lot of power but it takes a lot of effort to get it to do 3D graphics that match what can be done on the PSX. The biggest issue was the fact that Sega didn't have great development kits ready for 3rd parties when the Saturn was launched. The Saturn was rushed and that really set it back.

I personally love the Saturn because it was a 2D power house..that's exactly what it was built to do; Great 2D with not so great 3D added in as an after thought. I personally think we made the jump to 3D too early..the first generation 3D games really show that the hardware wasn't there yet. Sure we could do it in the arcades but it just wasn't cost effective to do it at home in '95.

[Anayo]

I agree that the Saturn is an awesome underrated system to check out. It's library is filled with cool games of many different genres, many of which have never been ported elsewhere (or if they have it's only in Japan.) Nights into Dreams, Shining Force III, Dragon Force, and Die Hard Arcade are just a few of the titles that rock.

When I think of underrated gaming machines, though, I think of the Virtual Boy. The thing hardly lasted six months, but it's really weird and cool. The games are pretty fun, the bloodred display screen is crystal clear and SHARP, and you connect the thing to your FACE. How cool is that?

[bobbynewmarkiii]

A popular system can't be underrated, by definition.

ooh, that's tricky - just because something is popular does not imply that it is held in high regard. Take High School Musical 3, it is hugely popular (as in high box office numbers), but critically panned (57/100 on metacritic). The Saturn appears to have been the opposite of High School Musical 3.

[Doctor Fugue]

A popular system can't be underrated, by definition.

ooh, that's tricky - just because something is popular does not imply that it is held in high regard. Take High School Musical 3, it is hugely popular (as in high box office numbers), but critically panned (57/100 on metacritic). The Saturn appears to have been the opposite of High School Musical 3.

Ummm...so you think the people who love High School Musical 3 don't have valid opinions? As you say, it is hugely popular, meaning those people hold it in high regard. Everybody counts, not just critics.

Calling it the most underrated console of all time is a huge stretch of the imagination. Certainly it is not as hyped as the SNES or PS2, but there are more underrated systems. The Saturn was well-liked and sold well in Japan. It continues to be a well-regarded system by those who understand and play games.

[bobbynewmarkiii]

^^^^ You won't catch me defending High School Musical 3.

[Doctor Fugue]

It's a wonderful movie, everyone should see it.