Import Saturn Recommendations

Lately, I've looked at my collection of Saturn and thought to myself that it wouldn't be a bad idea to have more import stuff. I mainly interested in Konami stuff like Policenauts, Sexy Parodius and the Deluxe Packs.

Should I get the Parodius Deluxe Pack? Or am I better off getting the Super Famicom of Gokujou Parodius instead (I already have the original Parodius for the SFC)? Darn shame they never made a Contra Deluxe Pack (or even a TMNT one).

I'm also interesting in the Capcom Generations titles, namely Vol. 1 and 4. I already have Vol. 2 and I'm not interested in the Street Fighter one. How does Vol. 3 (the one with Son Son) fare?

Any other suggestions? Keep in mind that I have Silhouette Mirage and Radiant Silvergun too.

Battle Garegga and Dodonpachi are some other shooters worth checking out.

Personally, I'm interested in getting the Sega Ages: Memorial Collections but I doubt most people would care for playing early '80's Sega arcade games.

I would definitely like to get Elevator Action Returns as well since I'm a big fan of the arcade game.

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Originally posted by NeoZeedeater
Battle Garegga and Dodonpachi are some other shooters worth checking out.

Personally, I'm interested in getting the Sega Ages: Memorial Collections but I doubt most people would care for playing early '80's Sega arcade games.

I would definitely like to get Elevator Action Returns as well since I'm a big fan of the arcade game.

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I just decided to start picking up some Saturn import games myself, and unsurprisingly, NeoZeed has just listed a bunch of the games at the top of my list. :)

I love the early 80's Sega arcade games, and I have wanted to play Elevator Action Returns for the longest time. I was just reading reviews of it the other day. :)



I dunno too much about Dodonpachi, but the games I have heard mentioned alongside it always sound good so sounds good to me... soo...

DoDonPachi is my all-time fave shmup, although I hear the PSOne rev is slightly better.

Prikura Daisakusen is unique and crazy fun and Parodius Deluxe Pack is a great package.

And even though it gets mixed reviews, Soukyugurentai is a good one to pick up. Pretty much the only thing I've been playing the past few days.

Can anyone recommend any good Saturn import shoppes? Good selection / prices, etc... :)

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Originally posted by NeoZeedeater
I would definitely like to get Elevator Action Returns as well since I'm a big fan of the arcade game.

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Elevation Action 2 runs poorly on my computer, so I guess I better pick-up that one too.

Dodonpachi on the Saturn is really shitty compared to the Arcade version. really bad port.

oh and um, pick up Metal Slug, Samurai Showdown Collection, any KoF, and Capcom fighters.

Some other arcade ports I want to check out are-

Night Striker S
Image Fight/X-Multiply
Galaxy Force
Power Drift

Also I heard somewhere that the Capcom Generations series is better on Playstation. Is this true?

For something similar in style to Parodius, look for Game Tengoku: the game paradise. One of my favorite shmups. You can't go wrong with batsugun, metal black, soukyugurentai, kingdom grandprix or battle garegga either.

Well, I pretty much only imported games that I was playing in the arcades and couldn't get on psx...but, the all ended up being pretty sweet.

X-Men vs Streetfighter
Marvel vs Streetfighter
StreetFighter Zero 3
Vampire Savior
Dungeons and Dragons

All more or less arcade perfect.

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Originally posted by Lucas Barton
oh and um, pick up Metal Slug, Samurai Showdown Collection, any KoF, and Capcom fighters.

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I might consider Metal Slug. All of the other games you mentioned uses RAM carts and that will be a problem for me, considering that I don't have my Saturn modded, nor do I have 4-in-1 Pro Action Replay and swapping cartridges can be a real bitch.

Doesnt metal slug use RAM?

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Originally posted by NeoZeedeater
Some other arcade ports I want to check out are-

Night Striker S
Image Fight/X-Multiply
Galaxy Force
Power Drift

Also I heard somewhere that the Capcom Generations series is better on Playstation. Is this true?

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The PS version of Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts runs in full-screen and doesn't have black borders like the Saturn version. Other than that I'm not sure. Either way, I don't have a modded PlayStation, so I'll just settle for the Saturn version. I'm mad that SCEA lied us regarding the US releases of CapGen 1-2 and 4.

power slide is some really good stuff...
i really liked Elan -Doree it's a refreshing little 3d fighter...i like the whole fighting on the back of dragons thing...must be my panzer obssesion...
...i really like princess crown too...cute little game...

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Originally posted by Johnny Undaunted


I might consider Metal Slug. All of the other games you mentioned uses RAM carts and that will be a problem for me, considering that I don't have my Saturn modded, nor do I have 4-in-1 Pro Action Replay and swapping cartridges can be a real bitch.

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Isn't it the unspoken law that if your gonna play imports on a Saturn you should already own a 4 in 1? ;)


Anyway, although MS on Saturn has better animation than the PSx import version, it's actually worse due to it's infinite amount of slowdown and fuct sound. The former really hurts the gameplay alot too(Which is quite solid in the PSx version). People claim the slowdown is due to using the 4 in 1 and not the 1 meg ram cart or some shit but it all just sounds like a pain to deal with.Bah, just emulate it. ;) x2

If any of the long lost translation guides for the Langrisser games can be found(Full scripts, not just menus), I'd suggest picking up a few of those games. Specifially Der Langrisser(Overall best in the series IMO) and Langrisser 3( Arguably the best storywise). 4 and 5 were kinda iffy to me but still good.

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Originally posted by Chojin



Isn't it the unspoken law that if your gonna play imports on a Saturn you should already own a 4 in 1? ;)

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i thought the unspoken rule was, if you own a Saturn, you have to own an Action Replay Plus.

Or you could own a J SS system on its own (ie my Blue Trans... lousy Derby Horse stickers).

Anyhoo, nobody's yet mentioned Strikers 45 II or Black/Matrix which I think are worth finding as long as the price isn't eBay-stupidity inflated... also if you can find Sakura Taisen games for $10 or less on there it's worth a look, you might find something to enjoy in them. Also I wonder which version of Thunder Force V Cigs was playing; I'd hope it was the PS one since the SS one is technically the better of the versions...

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Originally posted by Johnny Undaunted
Should I get the Parodius Deluxe Pack? Or am I better off getting the Super Famicom of Gokujou Parodius instead (I already have the original Parodius for the SFC)?

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If you already have the original Parodius on SFC, I would recommend the SFC rev of Gokujyou. It has three extra characters that are absent from the Deluxe Pack: Goemon, Kid Dracula, and some weird baby.

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Originally posted by dog$
Also I wonder which version of Thunder Force V Cigs was playing; I'd hope it was the PS one since the SS one is technically the better of the versions...

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I think he was playing the Jap PSone rev.

Last fall I got really into collecting Saturn imports. Then I bought SUPER MONKEY BALL and didn't play another game for 4 months. I mostly went after shooters.

GUNBIRD 1 is wacky fun. Of course you can buy its sequel for $5 at any FuncoLand in America, but I enjoyed the first game much more. The endings are hilarious even if I can't understand a word they're saying. The final boss ain't nearly as cool as GUNBIRD 2'S Drug Dogg, though. If flying around in airplanes is more appealing to you than playing as gay grampa there's the STRIKERS series. Both series play exactly the same. Neither series has a game that's worth paying more than $20 for, in my opinion. Dunno how much they go for nowadays. There are better shooters, but other people have already mentioned them.

PARODIUS, GRADIUS, and SALAMANDER - all great. I enjoyed SEXY PARODIUS a lot but don't remember seeing much that was actually sexy, so don't go in expecting puffins prancing around in nothing but panties. You'll only be disappointed. I never finished the game, though. Maybe it starts working blue after dark. I think there are some Twinbee games on Saturn, but I've never played them. Anyone have any clue how they are?

SHINREI JUSAISHEI TAROUMARU goes for like $200 so it MUST be good. Right? (I've never played it - is anyone here rolling in the bling bling so much that they could afford the game and have actually played it?)

KEIO YUGEKITAI (I probably botched that title - it's the sequel to KEIO'S FLYING SQUADRON) is a fun little platformer. Playing as a tiny stick thin blonde girl in a Playboy bunny costume battling against giant sumo wrestlers and other wacky monsters = quite quite fun.

I remember playing one SAILOR MOON game with prerendered CGI fighters that was just all kinds of awful. Don't remember the whole title. I don't think the prices on Sailor Moon garbage is as sky high as Dragon Ball junk, so if you see a Sailor Moon fighter going for 99 cents snap it up. It brings the laughs.

STEAM HEARTS is a censored port of a PC Engine hentai shooter. It is fun. I'd also call it "wacky" and "funny" but I don't want this whole friendly thing to turn into another useless bazillion page thread filled with the controversy and the crying and the hey hey. I think it goes for near $100 on eBay, which is actually cheaper than the nudity filled PCE version, so I can't really reccomend it. I did enjoy what I played of it, though. It's so very PCE.

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Originally posted by NeoZeedeater
Battle Garegga and Dodonpachi are some other shooters worth checking out.

Personally, I'm interested in getting the Sega Ages: Memorial Collections but I doubt most people would care for playing early '80's Sega arcade games.

I would definitely like to get Elevator Action Returns as well since I'm a big fan of the arcade game.

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Love Dodonpachi. I see people bashing the Saturn port, but I don't really remember anything bad about it...of course soon after I got a copy of it I found myself playing it in MAME far more often than on my Saturn so maybe that says something about its quality.

ELEVATOR ACTION RETURNS is kinda fun. Wouldn't pay too much for it, but it ain't bad at all.

I notice everyone praising BATTLE GAREGGA, and I gotta know...why? All I remember from playing it is brown planes and brown levels with brown enemies shooting really tiny bullets that were nearly impossible for me to see. Is there a tate mode for the game that increases its playability? I've been wrong about shooters before (I spent awhile thinking GIGA WING 2 was an unplayable piece of garbage before putting some more time into it and realizing it can be plenty fun) and all this BG luvvin' is making me second guess my opinion/recollection of the game.

Get the Action Replay 4-in-1 plus cart.

I used to do the ole swap trick, and it ended up totally wrecking the cart slot on my Saturn.

It will be cool if your not playing games you need to swap your cart out for (aka Capcom and SNK stuff), but still for the 35 bucks you'll pay for a 4-in-1 it will be sooo worth it.

Fire Pro Wrestling S: 6 men scramble is aslo a good game for the Saturn.

Also dont forget Shining Force 3 Scenarios 2&3 if you like strat rpg games.

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Originally posted by sleeveboy
If you already have the original Parodius on SFC, I would recommend the SFC rev of Gokujyou. It has three extra characters that are absent from the Deluxe Pack: Goemon, Kid Dracula, and some weird baby.

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Yes, I knew about the bonus characters in the SFC Gokujou and I wondered if that's enough to pick that version over the Saturn one (which is an exact replica of the Arcade). Are there any other differences that I should know of?

I'll try to track down the Pro Action Replay Plus whenever I can.

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Originally posted by Lucas Barton
Dodonpachi on the Saturn is really shitty compared to the Arcade version. really bad port.

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You must be playing with a horizontal TV. Yeah, it's a scaled pixel fest nightmare that way. However, rotate your set and play in TATE mode, and it's an exact copy of the arcade in every way excecept for slightly low res explosions.

I can't believe no one mentioned "Pocket Fighter"!

I would recommend any Langrisser game, Shining Force III scenario 2 & 3 as well as Feda Remake, Dragon Force II and WACHENRODER if you like Strategy RPG's.

Dungeons & Dragons Collection, Cyberbots and Policenauts.

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Originally posted by Johnny Undaunted
Yes, I knew about the bonus characters in the SFC Gokujou and I wondered if that's enough to pick that version over the Saturn one (which is an exact replica of the Arcade). Are there any other differences that I should know of?

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Good point. I haven't played the SFC rev, so I can't really compare. But the SS rev has some mad slowdown, and I can't imagine it being any worse on the SFC.

Okay, this is what I'm interested in so far:

Policenauts
Sexy Parodius and Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius, either one is fine.
Konami's Deluxe Packs (Gradius, Salamander, Twin Bee and Parodius)
Capcom Generations Vol.1 and 4
Elevator Action Returns
Sega Ages Stuff (Including Phantasy Star Collection)
Shining Force III Part 2-3 (might as well get Part 1 along the way)
Metal Slug 1
Keio Yugekitai


Is Suikoden for the Saturn just as good as the PS original? Or did they botched that one like they did with Dracula X? And speaking of Dracula X, is the Saturn version worth picking just for Maria and the extra levels?

id just like to second the Xmen Vs SF
the game is soooooo arcade perfect it brings tears to my eyes

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Originally posted by Johnny Undaunted
And speaking of Dracula X, is the Saturn version worth picking just for Maria and the extra levels?

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I tried playing it as Maria and didn't get far. It's ugly. Very icky. I gave up on it quickly and went back to playing DDP.

Shining Force III Scen. 2/3
Radiant Silvergun
Dungeons and Dragons Collection
Capcom Generations: Ghosts & Goblins/Mercs (can't remember the #'s)
Firepro Wrestling S

This took a while to type, so I hope you enjoy it. for more coherent, specific info on any of the games, feel free to ask. I didn't want to type a paragraph onn every game only to have you not care. :cool: I've got reviews for some of these games, along with some low quality screenshots at my site and there are higher quality screens and reviews available here . At my personal page(the first link) you will find my reviews, low quality screen shots and stuff you probably don't care about. The second link goes to jvgfanatic.com. There you will find reviews by the staff(including me) and high quality screenshots. We cover import games for a variety of systems. We were down for a while so there isn't much content on newer games, but we are working to fix that. Well, here are some recommendations. Feel free to further inquire for info on any of the games. I only listed games I currently own, so there are quite a few not appearing on this list. I didn't want to recommend a game I haven't played in a long time, or ever. Well, I am rambling, here goes......

Akumajo Dracula X ~Gekka No Yasuokyoku~ - Horrible port of a wonderful game. Has a playable Maria and two new areas. Only worth it if you have no way to play the superior Ps version.

Anarchy in the Nippon - 3D fighter similar to Virtua Fighter. Has some strange chara designs. Pretty fun, but not as good as newer fighters.

Bakabones - Falling piece puzzle game which has strange anime sequences. Pretty good.

Baldy Land - Strategy game that was released on the Pc in the Us as Baldies. Slightly less complex than the pc version. Basically you build up a town of Baldies and you have to take out the other people. Has a bit of a language barrier. You should be able to play it fine if you can read Katakana.

Bokan To Ippatsu! Doronboo Kanpekiban - Probably my favorite shooter on Saturn. Has a wacky 70s anime theme.

Chase HQ + SCI - Port of the original Chase HQ and it's sequel(?) SCI. Ports are good. No "extras".

Choaniki~Kyukyooku Otokonogyakushu~ - Just kidding....

Choro Q Park - Check out my review at my site. Also have some screenshots of it posted.

Clockworks - Puzzler from Tetris creator. Check my site for screenshots and a mini explanation of the game.

Darius 2 - Port of Darius 2. Has a unique "zooming" feature so you can play the game without letterbox and without flipping your tv. Basically, you press L and R to zoom in and out of the action. This can be distracting, but the game is good, despite this annoyance.

Detana Twinbee Yahho-! Deluxe Pack - Collection of two Twin bee games. Vert shooters. Like Parodius, these have a humorous tone.

Dungeons & Dragons Collection - Disc one can be played without a Ram cart, but disc 2 requires a 4mb ram cart. 2D sidescrolling beat em ups. Great games, horrible port. Frequent loading.

Elevator Action Returns - Also includes the original if you beat the game. review on my site.

Fighting Vipers - It's a classic! Plus, this version has everyones hero, Pepsiman.

Fire Pro Wrestling S 6Men Scramble - One of the best wrestling games of all time. Review at my site.

Funky Head Boxers - Strange boxing game slightly similar to Punch out, only no where near as good.

Guardian Force - Highly underrated vert shooter featuring a tank. Can be had for cheap.

Gussun Oyoyo 2 - Puzzler where you have to arrange fallling blocks to make a path to an exit so little creatures can escape. Has a few different play modes.

Image Fight/XMultiply - Collection of two shooters. One Vert, one horizontal. XMultiply is great.

Keio Yuugekitai: Katsugekihen - Fun 2D platformer with a few horizontal shooter levels. A tad too short and easy. May not be worth the money to some.

Kingdom Grandprix - Vert Shooter/racer hybrid. I like it.

Kururin Pa - Falling piece puzzler where you have to connect fuses to bombs and then light them.

Metal Slug - Slowdown is present, but it doesn't ruin the game for me. Requires ram cart.

Monster Slider - Falling piece puzzler with a monster theme. You can shirt the bottom of your playfield so pieces can slide left or right, hence the title.

Nazomakaimura Incredible Toons - Like the Incredible Machine only with Ghosts N Goblins characters

Ninja JaJamaru Kun Gold - Not for everyone, review posted on my site.

Ninpen Manmaru - Strange 3D platformer starring a penguin. Not the greatest game, but I enjoyed it.

NOON - Multiplayer puzzle/battle game similar to bomberman. Basic play mechanics are outline at my site, along with pics.

Parodius Deluxe Pack - Collection of two parodius games. Humorous Horizontal shooters.

Pastel Muses - Side view Puzzle Bobble(aka Bust a Move-not the dancing game) with a music theme.

Pocket Fighter - Fun pint sized fighter

Popoitto Hebereke - DR.Mario-esque puzzle if I remember correctly.

Prikura Daisakusen - Not worth the high prices it sometimes goes for imo, but a great game nonetheless.

Princess Crown - Action RPG. As can be expected, an understanding ofJapanese would be nice

Psychic killer Taromaru(or whatever it is called) - judging from the demo, do not pay $300 or whatever for this. I've not played the full version so I cannot comment, but what i played seemed good, just not $300 good.

Radiant Silvergun - good, but not the be all end all. Should this ever drop in price, I'd say get it. But not worth $100+ imo.

Sega Ages: Mickey & Donald - Collection of Quackshot and Castle Of Illusion. Both are great 2D platformers originally released on Genesis.

Silhouette Mirage - 2D sidescrolling action with a twist

Soukyugurentai - Vert shooter

Strikers 1945 - Just picked this up thanks to Pacrappa and am having a blast with it. Great military themed vert shooter from Psikyo. I have yet to experiance slowdown.

Super Tempo - Awesome musical themed 2D platformer. Sequel to the best 32X game ever released. Best platformer on Saturn hands down.

Thunder Storm & Road Blaster - Anime FMV games. AKA interactive movies. You know, like Final Fantasy 7. :D Road Blaster was known as Road Avenger in the US. These are Arcade ports, not sega cd ports so the level select code is not present. Both games feature new Saturn only huds, in addition to the bland arcade huds. Worth it if you are a fan of the genre.

Time Gal & Ninja Hayate - See above. Ninja Hayate is known as revenge of the ninja in the us.

Tryrush Deppy - 2D platormer starring a Taxi. I love the art style. Not the best, but there aren't many games in the genre nowadays so....

Wachenroder - Steampunk Strat RPG. Japanese knowledge would be very helpful

Willy Wombat - Platformer. Voice acting in English. Can be had cheap.

Yakyuken Special - For all you perverts out there. Strip Rock-paper-scissors. Unlike most games, this uses live actresses, not anime chara. Before you ask, yes they really get naked. No, I do not recommend this, because as a game it is "uggh". I just wanted to mention it... :P

A little selection of Best saturn's import games:

Rpg:
-Tengai makyo Apocalypse IV

T-rpg:
-Shining force III sc2/3
-Langrisser tribute

A-Rpg:
-Princess Crown

Shmups:
-Radiant silvergun
-Game tengoku [The game paradise]

Action:
-Silhouette Mirage

Others genre:
-Policenauts
-Sakura taisen
-Sakura taisen 2

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Originally posted by Aurora



Suikoden on Saturn is *basically* the same as the PSX version...but with a few remixed songs and one HUGE flaw. Whenever you walk into a new area (basically every time you go through a door), the music fades out and back in. It can get VERY annoying as you walk through dungeons with tons of doors.

Other than that, it's near exactly the same. For some reason, the Saturn one looks a tiny bit better to me, but that could all be in my head. Playing the Saturn version feels more crispy to me. It feels more stable. But I prefer the PSX version because...well...it's in English and the music is steady.

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Well the Saturn version does have the Colliseum Mode and I heard that there are additional mini-games and scenes not in the PS original. I might get that one too someday.