Saturn Game Advertisements

Here's a look at an early advertisement campaign for the Sega Saturn. Adorned with characters for marquee games in the Saturn line-up, these ads also contained words that were to epitomize the system's revolutioniary 32-bit gaming.

And cheese.

What makes a game good?

What makes a game good? It seems like a straightforward question, but there's definitely not a straightforward answer. There's probably no single answer to that question either, but the debate will continue on.

Often it starts with a simple comment like, "The more I think about it, the story makes the game," or, "It's all about the controls." Some even chime in with, "The graphics make it good. That's why people keep buying the same game with better graphics..." Inevitably, someone comes along with, "No way, it's the gameplay that really matters."

This is usually followed by everyone else agreeing that, "Oh yeah, it's definitely the gameplay."

What does that even mean?

For some, it's the responsiveness of the controls, for others, it's the mechanics and rules to the games; another group consider it the speed and action of the game.

Tic-tac-toe is a game, but I've never heard anyone say that it has poor gameplay (or good gameplay for that matter). We could apply to some of the previous definitions:

• The controller response seems slow, since I'm using a piece of chalk instead of a pencil.


• Tic-tac-toe is too slow, there's not enough action.


• The game's rules are so shallow that only a limited number of possibilities exist, so the game gets boring fast.

While I'm inclined to think that most people associate the gameplay with the third option, it doesn't explain everything.

People will say point-and-click adventures have good gameplay. What? Myst was one of the highest-selling games in its time. You point, then click, then watch something happen. Then you point, click, and watch something happen.

The Sims is a game that you don't really have to play. Throw a bunch of variables together, sit back, influence a couple of things, and see what happens. Yet it's still considered a good game and was a huge seller as well.

So, the problem with using gameplay is that it's an all-encompassing term that doesn't have a specific definition. It's too broad to have any real meaning in discussion of what makes a game good.

Now, it's way easier for people to define what doesn't make a good game. Arguably, you could say that if it doesn't have all the things that make it a bad game, then it could be good. Well, at least it probably won't be a bad game.

Before I propose anything, let's see where we're at:

1. It can't be the story. Games like Tetris don't have them and are still considered classics.


2. It's not the graphics, an ugly Tetris is still Tetris and people still like it.


3. It's not the controls, since playing a highly-responsive game of tic-tac-toe is still tic-tac-toe.


4. Gameplay is too vague of a word to accurately describe what is good about a game.

Here's my goal: Find a set of criteria that is necessary for a good videogame. This should be valid regardless of the type of the game; it should work on everything from Tetris to Deus Ex to Virtua Fighter. With any luck, it'll be applicable to non-video games as well.

Alright, so down to business. What makes a good game?

First step: the rules or game mechanics. What makes one game different from another? The rules. Really, that's it. In a game, you're defining that things need to be done in a certain way or in a certain manner. In tic-tac-toe, we know the rules: You play on a 3x3 grid, with two players placing alternate symbols (usually an O and an X) on the grid.

The groundwork is laid, and we have to work within that. Tetris has a defined set of rules about fitting blocks together. Fighting games have a set of rules about what attacks can work against certain defenses, how long an attack takes to happen, ho much recovery time there is for an attack.

For a first-person-shooter, rules include gun damage levels and reload times.

Even point-and-click adventure games have rules. Maybe the most simple of all: click on a clickable spot.

If the rules are absolute shit, then the game will be absolute shit. Ever find yourself in a game thinking, "This is dumb, why would I have to do/want to do this?" and answering the question by never playing again? Regardless, there must be rules in the game.

Next on the list: There needs to be an objective or a goal. Now, the objective doesn't have to be "become a supreme being that can kill anything in its path." It might be something as simple as making it to the end of the level, seeing what's around the corner, or just outdoing (racing, fighting, whatever) your opponent.

If a game has no objective, then it's going to get bored fast. Ever play though a level while someone is building it. Maybe they post it to a website and say, "Tell me what you think of it so far." You get into the level and there's a hallway. You go down it, and there's nothing. That's it, that's where the level stops. There's no ending as such, it just simply stops.


How long do you think you'll play? My guess: 20 minutes tops. The average adult attention span is 20 minutes. If you can't find an objective or goal in 20 minutes, then you'll quit the game.

I see these goals working at two levels: a micro and macro level. Usually there's the "get to the end of the game" major goal, whether that's getting through all of the levels, obtaining the highest score, or collecting every single piece of the puzzle.

Micro level objectives would be done on a smaller scale, such as opening the next door or making sure a block fits in the correct position.

Let's take the empty level just mentioned and add a couple of doors to the empty hallway. Now you may ask yourself, "What's behind that door?" There's an objective - see what's behind the door. So you head over, and there's nothing. "Ok, what's behind door #2?" This has already made the game more interesting than the previous build.

Tic-tac-toe, with no goal, would end pretty fast. Just putting Xs and Os on a grid can only be entertaining for so long with no purpose.

Ok, so let's put #1 and #2 together. Now we have rules and an objective. This is where things may start to become fun. You have to accomplish an objective within a certain guideline or set of rules. Going back to tic-tac-toe, players will alternate turns placing their respective symbol on the grid until the grid is completely full or a player gets three of their symbols in a row. How you reach that goal is up to you. You've got place your symbol in a spot that allow you to get three symbols in a row.

This ties in with my next point: There should be problems and solutions. The human mind is brilliant at problem-solving. That's what it was designed to do, and whether people like to acknowledge it or not, they do seem to get joy of solving problems successfully. Some games implement this in a pretty straightforward way, explaining to you the goals and the solutions. While in others, the problems and solutions are little less so.

In an FPS, the problem is that there's a bunch of enemies that don't want you to reach your goal. The solution: kill'em all.

In Tetris, the problem is that these blocks don't fit exactly right every time, and you don't want them to fill up your screen. The solution: try to create horizontal lines of solid blocks so that they're removed.

Back to tic-tac-toe, the problem is that while you're trying to get three in a row, your opponent is doing the same while trying to block you. The solution: Be the first to get three in a row or block them from getting three in a row.

Building off this, we need interest. Now, I do believe that problems and solutions can be enough to build interest, but this isn't always the case.

Seeing the same old story every single time or the exact same problems and exact same solutions over and over would get old, too. So, another way to add interest is to let the player experience new things. In a platformer, this could be a new level. In an FPS, this could be a new monster with new challenges. In an adventure game, this could be a door that was previously closed off now opening up. Even being able to see the same old area in a new light with the addition of a new gaming element could do the trick. "Now I can jump higher and access different parts of level."

The fun in solving a problem comes from figuring it out. There's a tension that is built up, and then released when the problem is solved.

Games need tensions and releases to keep people interested. Some games, like fighters and FPSs will do this within their rules, by getting players into high tension situations. Having very little health in either game type while taking on a challenging (but defeatable) opponent will make for a tense situation. If you make a mistake, you're done.

Other games may have to pursue this through different means, like the plot or story. I think this is why in some games, the story seems like an essential element, yet others don't need a story at all.

A good narrative, whether is a book or a movie, is all about taking the reader for a ride. How's that done? With dips and valleys, with tensions and releases. Engaging music is the same way. Constant white noise, with no peaks or dips, is not interesting. A sports game, where the home team is simply blowing away the competition is not nearly as attention-grabbing as a game where the teams are battling back and forth. Don't believe me? Just listen to the crowd react when their team pulls ahead by one point with one minute to go.

So now, we've got some rules, we've got an objective, problems and solutions, and now tensions and releases. Only, if you give a person the option between taking a tense situation or an easy one, they'll most likely choose the easiest. If the results are the same, what is the point of trying the harder way?

So for the last ingredient, we'll add in risks and rewards. A game needs to reward players for playing the "right" way or by taking extra risks and accomplishing out of the way tasks.

For Tetris, this is built in. "If I build a hole for this particular shaped block, and that block pops up soon, I'll be in the clear." If the gamble doesn't pay off, then the player is in some trouble. There's a risk, but the rewards make it worthwhile.

Even in tic-tac-toe, there are tensions and release. "I put a symbol here, either I win with one more turn or my opponent will win. It all depends on how astute they are..." Is it worth the gamble? Let the player decide, but allow them to make the call, to feel the intensity in the air, to get the enjoyment of figuring out the solution and successfully win the game... or lose it all.

Clearly, this isn't the end-all, be-all, as I do have a couple of lingering thoughts:

First of all, why isn't tic-tac-toe the best game ever? It's very shallow and lacks the complexity to provide enough thought-provoking situations. Between experienced players, it's a draw every time.

Now chess, on the other hand, may be one of the most popular games of all time because of its complexity. Complexity is certainly important to an extent, but I think this is a topic for another day.

More specific to videogames are the controls. I think the important issue with controls is they don't hinder playing the game. The first issue is a technical one involving latency between the controller and the game. If Guitar Hero took a second to register button-pushes, no one would play it. The second is with the complexity of the controls themselves, which I think points the same direction as the tic-tac-toe to chess comparison and is best left to discuss another time.

To hear a little bit more from someone who actually knows what they're talking about, former Sonic the Hedgehog developer Hirokazu Yasuhara speaks to Gamasutra about the psychology of game design.

(Somehow this had to tie into Sega, right?)

Virtual On Oratorio Tangram on XBox Live Arcade

Virtual On Oratorio Tangram is soon making its way to the XBox Live Arcade, which is good news for Virtual On and Sega fans. The series has been pretty low-profile since the release of Marz on the PS2. And for good reason, too: Marz is a pretty poor game.

Interestingly enough, its version 5.66 that's being ported over, which is the final arcade release. Compare that to version 5.45 that the Dreamcast used.

(If you're wondering what happened to the earlier versions, they were different play mechanics for Tangram that were ultimately rejected before the game was released. One involved fighting in only floorless stages, similar to the game's final battle.)

GameSetWatch's Robot-chan! column has an excellent run down on all of the past VO games and insight on how this new port will affect the series.

Sega Saturn Guide

Welcome to the Next Level

Lately, the Saturn has seen resurgence amongst the retro-gaming crowd. The retro scene itself has been growing lately, with emulation and cheaper prices of older games providing a great way to jump in.

I'm not a Saturn expert, and I don't consider myself a "retro" gamer, as I just never really completely left my Saturn alone, but for anyone who is just entering the world inside of Neptune, there's a few things to know about the system, and hopefully, I can help out.

A little background info

The Saturn was designed as the next full-console follow-up to Sega's successful Genesis. Part of the planet naming code which included Mars (32X) and Neptune (A 32X/Genesis hybrid), the Saturn would be the only system to carry its code name. Originally developed in the hey-day of 2D gaming, the system was to be a 2D powerhouse, powered by a single processor. After having seen the 3D power of upcoming rival Sony's Playstation, Sega quickly shifted gears, adding in a second SH-2 processor at the last minute.

This led to the system's infamous "hard to program" reputation. Not only that, but developers were given few tools to get games up and running by the Saturn's launch date. To make matters even worse, as a "sneak attack," the launch date was moved forward unannounced at select retailers, leaving developers with little time to finish their games, and leaving other retailers out in the cold. It would do well to damage to Sega's reputation in the store front, with some chains, notably Kay-Bee Toys who chose to boycott Sega altogether, and with 3rd party developers, already reluctant with the relative failures of the 32X and Sega CD.

The Saturn initially seemed to be doing alright despite the setbacks, at least until the Playstation came around. Despite going toe-to-toe for a few months, the Saturn couldn't hold out against the better marketing, slightly higher visuals, and of course, Final Fantasy VII. Despite slowing sales and monetary loss, Sega continued to pump out ports of its popular arcade games, new exclusives, and other titles that, if not popular, were quality games waiting to be discovered.


Why bother?

The Saturn was home to several exclusive games at the time, many of which are still only available on the Saturn. Though not as ubiquitous as Playstation games, more popular Saturn games can still be had for just a few dollars, so despite certain exceptions, building a decent collection is still relatively cheap. Many haven't had the chance to play through the Saturn library, instead having a PS at the time. Unique games that are off the beaten path can be found on the system.

• Arcade games: Fans of Sega's arcade line-up of the era (anything Model 2) will find many home conversions on the Saturn with added modes and extras.



• 2D Powerhouse: Though facing stiff competition as 3D system, the Saturn was the superior 2D machine in the 32/64-bit era, with many of Capcom and SNK's fighters having arcade perfect ports on the system. That is not to say its 2D library is limited to fighters, though.



• RPGs: I'll admit, I'm not much of an RPG player, but the Saturn has had several exclusive RPGs, and from what I've heard, they're pretty good, too.



• Imports: If you're willing to import, there's even more games available for the Saturn, ranging from exclusive RPGs to one of the greatest shooters of all time.

System essentials

Sega Saturn - A bunch of games and no system won't do much good, so make sure to have one of these. The Saturn is commonly found in two flavors: the Model 1, which is noted for its oval-shaped buttons; and the Model 2, identified by its round buttons, a smaller version that was redesigned to reduce manufacturing costs later in the Saturn's life.

Controllers - The Saturn had several different controller styles made for it (I plan to do an article on the myriad of official choices later on), but the most common are:

• Original - With a large plastic shell and bulky looks, these are probably the worst of the official control pads. Unfortunately, the shoulder buttons are pretty poor and tend to break easily.



• Model 2 - These are included in the redesigned Model 2 Saturn and are generally sturdier and more comfortable than the original.



• 3D Controller - At the time, Nights into Dreams was touted to be so revolutionary that it needed a new controller to play. Really, Sega had to jump on the analog boat with competitors Nintendo and Sony. This is a must-have, as most later games have analog support, and to use it will require this pad.



• Stunner Gun - If you like to shoot things on the screen, this is the way to go. Even though the official gun lacks the features of 3rd party devices, on-screen, it is one of the most precise home light guns I have encountered.

Memory Card - Included with the Saturn is an internal memory feature, but with the right combination of games (Nights & VF2), it won't last long at all, making a memory card a necessity. In my opinion, there are two options to go for: either the official memory card, as this one seems to have the highest reliability rates on the console, or the Pro Action Replay 4 in 1. The Pro Action acts as several things, including an import device, memory card, and RAM expansion card for some 2D imports.

Read the Interact Memory Card Plus Review

Battery - Tired of having to put in the date every time you start the Saturn? Then, throw a battery in there. The Saturn takes a standard watch-size CR2032A battery that's available at drug and department stores everywhere. If your first Saturn is used, be sure to replace this first thing.

Learn more about the Saturn's battery.

Unique games

This is why you have the Saturn. You had your eye on that one game, and the only way to play it was on this console. So, here's some of the Saturn's most prominent series and exclusives. Note that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Burning Rangers - While Nights was to be the savior of the Saturn, Sonic Team's other project didn't catch on and drifted out of the limelight.

Read the Burning Rangers Review

Fighter's Megamix - Fighting Vipers and Virtua Fighter combine to create a smorgasbord of Sega. The real fun, however, is unlocking bonus characters from other Sega games, including Virtua Cop, Sonic the Fighters, and even Daytona USA.

Nights into Dreams - Though it spawned a Wii sequel years later, the original is still the better game and, outside of Japan, a Saturn exclusive.

Panzer Dragoon Saga - The entire series is reason to get a Saturn, but to this date, the Saga has only been released on this system. Granted, it's a costly addition to the collection, but it remains a Saturn exclusive nonetheless.

Read the Panzer Dragoon Saga Review

Sega Rally - While Daytona USA suffered from a rushed release, Sega Rally didn't have that problem. The game ported just fine and included improvements not found in the arcade, with extra modes and even an extra car.

Sonic Jam - Though it's just a compilation of the original Sega Genesis games (Sonic 1, 2, 3 and Knuckles), Jam finally brought Sonic to the world of 3D, if only as a tease. The Sonic World feature saw the dude running through the 3D Green Hills in what would later turn out to be the basis for Sonic Adventure.

Steep Slope Sliders - This snowboarding game was a hit on the Saturn, yet never saw release on another system.

Virtua Fighter 2 - At the time, this was _the fighting game. Beautiful 3D graphics and flawless game play transferred to the Saturn under the expertise of AM2's Yu Suzuki and remains one of the few Saturn games to run in its high-res mode. The Saturn release is the definitive home version of this game.

Virtual On - Huge robots battle it out in this one-on-one fighting game. A PC version is available, but short of importing the Japanese PS2 release, the Saturn is the way to go.

And that's only the beginning:





View a very unscientific look at the Saturn's highest-priced games.

Fighting Vipers Review

Vipers is like the step-brother of Virtua Fighter. Though the two shared parents, FV was the neglected and less popular sibling, never really gaining the same status as its big brother. I remember, shortly after the Saturn was discontinued, seeing the game on sale for $1 at Toys 'R' Us. There were about 30 to 40 copies of the game amongst the stacks of discounted Sega merchandise. At the time, I felt a dollar was too much, especially since Fighter's Megamix had already taken care of my Vipers fix. But, was I right?

In the mid-90s, fighters were at their peak of popularity in the arcade. With the success of Virtua Fighter 2, Sega wanted to bring as many quarters as possible, so their famed AM2 development team went to work on a new brawler: Fighting Vipers. Vipers would keep the same simple 3-button layout as Virtua Fighter, but add a few new twists of its own.

This time, the characters come carrying weapons designed to inflict blunt-force trauma, like skateboards and guitars. To help counter these new smashing devices, every Viper has armor, with separate sections for the upper and lower body. The armor status is displayed by the character's names in the upper left and upper right corners of the screen. As the armor takes more damage, the display will go from green to yellow. Once it's yellow, armor can be spectacularly blown off with an armor-breaking move.Each character has a special attack designed specifically to blow the armor off of their opponent. Usually it's the last attack in a string of combos or a move that takes a moment to execute, making players have to figure out when it's safe or when a good time to use the move will be. Nail an opponent with the move and their upper or lower armor flies off, and an instant replay will show the action. With less armor, opponents are more susceptible to damage, but can move quicker to make up for it.

Nail an opponent with an armor breaker as the last hit of a match, and they 'll be sent flying through the walls that now surround each stage. All locations are enclosed and the Vipers will take advantage of that, using throws to punish opponents who get to close to the wall. No ring outs here, as walls can also be used in combos, bouncing enemies into and off the wall for even more damage.

When a character has been launched in the air, either through an attack or taking damage while jumping, they're now able to recover mid-flight. This'll let them land on the ground without taking any damage, but it does allow the opponent more time to potential juggle an attack - another trade-off and another spin on the Virtua formula.Overall, the action has been sped up. Everything moves faster in general, and recovery time in particular has been increased from Virtua Fighter. In doing so, the game seems to lose some of the strategy and timing that was integral to the VF series. Of course, there have always been players that mash buttons and hope for the best, but Vipers seems to cater more to this style of play. That's not to say time and strategy aren't important, just perhaps less so than in its big brother.

The new characters match with the game setting as everyone is decked out in "extreme" wear. There's the Guns N Roses-influenced Raxel beating people with a Flying V; the schoolgirl Candy (Honey) strapped with a PVC skirt and top; Jane, a very butch and strong female - as well as an assortment of other X-game wannabes and weirdoes: rollerbladers, skateboarders, an evil dude, and the unfortunately named "B. M." Just like Virtua Fighter, characters have different sizes and abilities, usually with the big guys (and girls, here) being slow and powerful and the smaller ones being weaker and faster.

But there's one important character I haven't mentioned yet: Pepsi Man. Said cola guy was used to advertise Pepsi products in Japan, appearing when help was needed and giving folks a Pepsi in order to save the day. In Fighting Vipers, he does something similar. Occasionally, when an opponent beats you, instead of having to insert another credit, Pepsi Man will appear in the Pepsi challenge. Kick his ass and you get to continue your game for free. The bad news: Since Pepsi Man was only used in Japan, that means he's only available in the Japanese version of the game. It's a cheap import, though, since there were plenty of copies of Fighting Vipers to go around.Graphically, the game trades in the Saturn's VF2 high-res look for a lower resolutioned Gouraud-shaded one. Personally, I prefer the higher resolutions, but we do see real-time lighting pop up in this game. Basically, it looks like most other Saturn games.

The Saturn conversion does add a couple of nice new features. In addition to the arcade and versus modes, there's also team battle, where a group of characters is placed against another group. A training mode is available from the start to practice different moves and get their timing down. As a bonus, there's extra settings for a big-head and sped-up "hyper" mode. It's all topped off with a few secret characters, including previously mentioned Big Mauler and the walking, stuffed bear Kuma-chan.

All in all, Vipers is a solid game, but it doesn't have a whole lot of holding value. It's not that I don't like the game, it's just everything FV does has already been done better by Virtua Fighter 2. And for those who like the Vipers characters and feel, Fighter's Megamix has that covered, and then some.

7/10

Shenmue Santa

It's that time of the year again. It's December. Snow is falling (at least in my parts). And, after a good day of running around and searching for gifts, it's time to sit back by the fire and soak up the holiday spirit, Sega-style.

Of course, there's the obvious Christmas Nights, which should be peaking in price on ebay right now, but let's take a look at a different game - a game where a young man embarks on a journey to find out who really killed his father by talking to kittens, collecting toys... and finding sailors.

That's right, it's Shenmue and it's got a little holiday cheer. For whatever reason, the game always reminds me a bit of this time of year. Maybe it was the November 11th release date. Or maybe it's the late November to early January timeframe.

Most likely, it's this guy:With a Japanese Santa walking down the street reminding people to make a purchase at the local shops while Christmas music floats through a snow-covered Debouita, nothing says, "'Tis the season," quite like it.

Vibes

Before Rez was Rez, it was K-Project. Then it was Project Eden. Then it became Vibes.

In March of 2008, Vibes leaked online. Dated 2001/06/01 (Build 036), it's really close to the final version of the game, with a few major differences. Of course, the most notable is the music. Adam Freeland's "Fear" from Area 5 is in the game with a slightly different arrangement, but the rest of the tunes are provided by Underworld. Pacing, enemy locations, and some backgrounds are different than the final. As expected, there is a little slowdown and a few bugs, but the game is completely playable. Although Areas 1 through 4 remain largely the same, Area 5 has seen the most changes before release. A different flavor of "Fear" is used, one that has repeating voice loops throughout. None of the text describing evolution is included in this level, instead just shuffling players from one spot to the next. After finishing Area 5, an "Area 5 logout" screen appears and transports players to Area 6 instead of going straight into the second round of bosses. No longer do the "Why are you here?" messages appear. Rather, explosions eventually reveal the names and forms of the upcoming bosses.Throughout this last Area, there is no music. Upon reaching Eden, the camera is located right up next to her instead of at a distance, making things quite trickier, as enemies fire from the front and rear. The level looks pretty much the same layout-wise, but the enemies themselves have changed. There are a lot of missiles flying around, fired from machines traveling along the tracks surrounding Eden. A bit different from the final, this time they are destroyed easily, instead of taking repeated shots before finally going down. Eventually, large orange orbs will appear and after several shots, they release fragments of Eden, who is gradually pieced back together.

Movies still appear showing her reconstruction, but they're longer and have different scenes in the background - a cell dividing, landing on the moon, and lots of landscapes, such as deserts, waterfalls, forests, and the like - all of which is stamped "Digital Film" in the corner.All in all, Vibes is an interesting glimpse into the past of Rez. It can be found pretty easily, with only a little digging and plays on a standard Dreamcast. If you're at all interested in Rez, this is definitely worth checking out.

More Halloween Nights

No word on anything about Thanksgiving yet, but there's another Halloween goodie in the Nights PS2 remake. Although Claris dons a costume for the entire month of October, Elliot only does so on October 31st.

Panzer Dragoon Retrospective

1up has a great Panzer Dragoon series retrospective that is definitely worth taking a look at. It's got reviews, artwork, and quality interviews, including behind-the-scenes details and answers to some of the game's long-standing questions. The whole thing is about a year old, but it's still an interesting story, so check it out if you haven't seen it.

Panzer Dragoon Retrospective

What are those two doing?

Remember when people would fight over who was better - Sonic or Mario? Remember when Tails seemed a little less annoying? Remember when Sega had great marketing campaigns? Remember when the 32X ruled the world? Ok, maybe not the last part, but still, the 32X had some decent advertisements.

Halloween Nights

Yeah, it's true. I'm slacking even worse than usual. But, it's better late than never, I guess.

In addition to all of the unlockable goodies that have been added to the PS2 remake of Nights, there are even more date-specific surprises. For the entire month of October, playing in Mystic Forest will give Nights and Claris a Halloween makeover. Nights dons some dark clothing and generally looks a little odd, while Claris plays the part of a complete witch.

Since it's no longer October, you can either wait until next year (which is my plan) or set your date back to last month.

If there are any Thanksgiving surprises, I'll let you know in 2009 (most likely January).

Burning Rangers Review

During the Saturn years, Sega's famed Sonic Team took a break from developing Hedgehog games. But amidst the blue blur's absence, two originals came to fruition. The first appeared in 1997 and was to do for the Saturn what Sonic the Hedgehog did for the Genesis. Even though it didn't quite reach that level of success, the game still became a cult classic and eventually found a sequel on the Wii. This, of course, was Nights into Dreams. But there was another - one that managed to fly just underneath the general gaming radar. Released in '98 towards the end of the Saturn's life, little fanfare was made for Sonic Team's other gift to the Saturn: Burning Rangers.

The premise behind Burning Rangers is pretty straightforward: futuristic firefighters tackle flames and save lives. Besides some gibberish towards the end about a girl trapped in a crystal, the story is pretty bare. Fight fires with your laser. Survive, repeat. I'm not arguing though, as it's almost refreshing in its simplicity.

Players initially take the roll of either Shou or Claris, one of two identically-playing rangers. Regardless of the character, the overall story stays the same, with just a few differences in the script and subplots.

After a brief training mission to introduce the controls, the first mission begins. To extinguish fires, the Rangers must shoot the flames with either a quick laser blast or a charged-up grenade-like shot. As the flames are put out, they're turned to crystals, which function exactly like rings do in Sonic the Hedgehog. As long as at least one crystal is in possession, the characters can take a hit, but in turn, their crystals are sent flying through the surround area. Get hit with no crystals and it's game over. Careful, though, as using the grenade blast will destroy any crystals in the area. It's a trade-off: use the grenade shot to quickly put out the fires or shoot them one-by-one and hopefully survive long enough to get more crystals.Crystals do have another use - rescuing people. Hostages are spread throughout the level and they need to be saved. Now, it's completely fine to ignore them, but if enough crystals are on hand, the Rangers will transport the hostages away to safety, and possibly earn a continue in the process. These guys and gals also act as save points, essentially serving the same function as lamp posts do in the Sonic games.

Of course standing fire isn't the only obstacle, as bursts of flames will shoot out of the walls. Before a blast ignites, there is a short whistling sound. Tap back on the d-pad in time and the Ranger will jump out of the way avoiding any damage. Too slow and the kids get burnt instead. Though the move fairly easy to pull off in the first episodes, it does get tricky in later ones, necessitating a quick reaction time.

What would a Sonic Team game be without bringing time into the mix? If fires aren't being put out fast enough, then the entire level will be engulfed in flames, reminding players to hurry the hell up and completely agitate them in the process. A counter on the side of the screen shows a fire percentage level. For every 20% increase, there's a boom and a ton of flames. This level never drops below the last 20th percent, so if a 58% is reached, it can be worked down to 40%, but not lower.Levels are basically glorified corridors; nice looking corridors, that is, but still just corridors. To navigate through these, Shou and Tillis can radio Chris, the navigator, and she'll send out verbal directions. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The game can get really frustrating when there's a switch that needs to be pressed, and Chris keeps sending the wrong directions over and over. With everything looking like one giant hallway, it's fairly easy to get lost, too.

Getting from point A to B is only part of the battle, since the controls in this game are loosey-goosey, to put it mildly. While not necessarily a bad thing, it does make accurate jumping seem tricky. And there's a ton of jumping, as the Rangers leap from one platform to another, over pits, and out of the way of fire. It's pretty easy to miss a jump or a landing along the way. To help avoid random falls, an auto-jump feature has been added. Anytime the Rangers get close to the edge of a surface, they'll jump off automatically. This can get pretty annoying. Sometimes, it'll be a life-saver, as the rangers can float back onto a platform instead of falling off entirely, but most of the time, it just feels unnecessary. Spend enough time in the game, though, and it does become tolerable.

Underwater segments appear in certain levels, and these are, well, a mess. There's a button for jet-blasting upwards and downwards, both of which push the Rangers forward. If the jumping wasn't loose enough, the water takes the cake. It's hard to control, hard to aim, and the cameras completely lose their focus underneath the waves.

That's not to say that the cameras are anything in the first place. As with the game's platforming contemporaries, the cameras in Burning Rangers are pretty bad. While not an absolute deal-killer, it's definitely Burning Rangers biggest problem. Sometimes the camera does a good job, but it's easily thrown out of alignment. Nothing is worse than trying to make a jump, only to have the camera shift into a position where the destination is completely unseen. Worse yet is when the camera gets caught in a corner, only to display portions of the wall in front of it. To help remedy the situation, cameras can be adjusted freely or in 90 degree increments.Despite the bad camera work, there's still fun to be had in the game. When it all works, the game is enjoyable and provides a good test of skills, racing through the levels, keeping the fire down, and trying to do it all in a timely manner. It's possible to get used to some of the annoying things (like cameras and auto-jump) and even learn to work around them, but it shouldn't be necessary to adapt to the game's faults.

After making it through the level, players are greeted with a boss. Most are tied in with the theme of the level, but they're pretty ridiculous, consisting of monstrosities like a fire-spewing plant and a large angry fish. Really, the bosses aren't necessary at all and feel a little tacked-on. Fortunately, they're fairly quick and easy to defeat and they do change up the pace.

Once the level is completed, players are graded, just like in Nights. Ranks go from D to S, with S being the best. The final grade is based on how many hostages were rescued, the number of crystals remaining at the end of the level, the time taken for the boss, and the flame percentage.

Repeat this for another three levels, and that's Burning Rangers. Along the way, there is a shooter mini-game tossed in for some variety, but that's pretty much it. As with Nights, Sonic Team keeps the number of levels low, but open enough to be replayed several times for higher scores. To reduce the monotony, BR features a random-level generator. This feature has been touted by the press and fans of the games, but to be honest, it's not that big of a deal. Take the same levels, open a couple of doors that were closed prior, put the hostages in a new spot, and play. Hostages and switches may never be in the exact same position twice, but once a player learns the usual locations for hostages and switches, they're set.If shooting for high scores isn't your cup of tea, then there's the Pokemon allure - "Gotta catch'em all." This time, it's the hostages that need to be collected. After rescuing someone, they'll send out a quick e-mail. Sometimes it's a code to unlock an extra feature or artwork, but other times it's just nonsense. With hundreds of hostages and several e-mails from each one, it takes a while to get them all. Whether it's worth it or not, it's up to the player, but for those 100% completists (myself included), it's a reason to play through the levels again.

Graphics are impressive. Running off a modified Nights engine, Burning Rangers takes the Saturn and pushes it to its limits, and then some - maybe too much. The graphics look great, but suffer from some pretty bothersome slowdown. It's not like Sega Touring Car, where the frame rate is awful the entire time, but when the flames hit the fan, the frame rate takes a nose dive. Excluding that frame rate and occasional clipping, this is one of the best looking games on the Saturn. There are tons of transparencies and lighting effects all over the place, perfectly suited to a game about fire. Light coming from fluorescent lamps fill the air. The after burn of the Rangers' rocket packs looks great as well. I see it all and I really think this game would be so much better on a later-generation system like the Dreamcast. The Saturn tries and it chugs along, but there is just too much for it to handle.

Sound is solid as well. There's not a whole lot of background music, so mostly explosions and radio chatter fill the airwaves. Hearing the other Rangers converse over the radio helps flesh out the barebones story and add a little depth to the very flat characters. When music does kick in (usually during a boss battle), it's pretty solid, if not generic.

All in all, I have to say that I do like Burning Rangers, but it's definitely got its flaws. For Sonic Team fans, this is another winner, but for the rest of the world Burning Rangers is pretty average. For every thing it does right, it seems like the poor cameras, slowdown, or loose controls throw it off. On the right system, with hardware that could handle the game's visuals and some extra development time to tweak up the controls, Burning Rangers could've been a real winner. As it stands, it's only average.

7/10

Saturn Batteries

There comes a time in every Saturn's life where things just aren't what they used to be. All of the gaming memories of yesteryear (or yesterday) are nowhere to be found. The system can only remember what happened moments ago.

No, your Saturn doesn't have Alzheimer's. It's only a dead battery.

One of the few systems to do so, the Saturn comes with a replaceable internal battery used to store saved game data. As with other batteries, eventually this one will wear out and any data saved on the system will be lost; new data won't be saved either.

There's any easy fix, though: get a new battery. (Obviously, right?) The Saturn uses a standard watch-size CR2032A battery - the same type that's found in the Dreamcast's VMUs. These are available at local drug stores and department stores. Or, you can even jack the VMU's battery if you want.

Replacing the battery is an easy task. Pop open the hatch on the rear of the system and find the battery located inside. Take the old one out and drop the new one in, making sure that the positive (+) side stays up.

My Saturn is going on year 12 and I've replaced the battery three times, so they can last a good while. Some tips to keep your battery lasting longer:

• Keep your Saturn plugged in. When the system is plugged in, it will draw a small amount of power from the electrical outlet and use that to keep the game data backed up. If the Saturn is unplugged, it'll use only juice from the battery instead.



• Use a quality battery. As with everything, some batteries are made better than others. A higher quality battery will last longer.



• Get a memory card. Inevitably, the battery will fail. Be prepared by saving your games to a memory card. The official Sega-licensed memory card is the best, as third party cards tend to damage the Saturn's cartridge connectors.

House of the Dead Saturn Review

In the arcades, House of the Dead impressed with a few new twists on the shooter formula. Instead of the one-shot one-kill mentality that existed in most shooters at the time, HotD included zombies that wouldn't stay down after only one bullet. The undead would just keep coming, despite losing their limbs or chunks of their bodies. HotD also introduced multiple pathways, as certain parts of the each stage contained extra twists and turns, opened by rescued hostages or hidden switches. With another arcade success up their sleeves, it was inevitable HotD would find its way to the Saturn.

And that it did in 1998, at the very end of the system's life. Is it still a success? To get straight to the point: Not really. While it is still technically The House of the Dead on the Saturn, it really doesn't look like it. The graphics are bad. Really bad. This is one of the worst looking games on the Saturn. Polygons have been removed, as expected in a Model 2 conversion, but the level of detail that has been dumbed down is just nasty. The textures used in this game are just awful, pixelated messes that at most times bear very little resemblance to their arcade counterparts. Everything blurs together in a muddy mess of brown and gray, making it hard to spot enemies. Not too mention, this graphical mess is a clunker, too, chugging along at a very poor frame rate.

Even though the graphics are bad, it wouldn't be too much of a problem as long as the game still felt like it did in the arcade. Unfortunately, that's not the case. The low frame rate makes the game harder to play than it should be, causing players to adjust to the poor graphics, rather than develop zombie-shooting skills. The Stunner gun feels really unresponsive, which is a shame, because it's one of the most accurate light guns I've used on a home console. Sega has demonstrated with the Virtua Cop series that a smooth frame rate and responsive gun control are completely possible and should be expected, but it just doesn't happen here. It seems that the poor frame rate causes the game to register hits slightly slower, and because of that, nothing feels precise.Just to double check and make sure that I'm not just sucking, I went back and played through Virtua Cop 1 and 2. No problems there. I tried adjusting the gun calibration, but it didn't seem to help. So, I went to the next logical stepped and plugged in a controller. Oddly, enough, when using a controller, the targeting reticle moves around at a good 30 frames per second while the rest of the game stutters along. The end result is that the game is actually easier to play with a controller than with the gun, which pretty much defeats the purpose of games in this genre.

The home release includes, in addition to the standard arcade mode, a new Saturn mode, where different characters can be selected. The difference between these characters include the number of lives they have per credit, how many rounds they can fire before reloading, and how much damage their guns can do. Does it add to the game? If you master arcade, it could be fun to mix it up a bit with these options, but ultimately, it's still the same levels. Lastly is a boss mode, which could be good for practice on a problematic boss, but personally, I've never had the desire to replay the bosses outside of the normal game.All in all, I'm really disappointed with this game. It should have been another classic Saturn shooter from Sega, but it just ends up being a let-down. It appears that half-way through the game, development just stopped and whatever was done was released. If the poor graphics didn't affect the controls, it wouldn't be as bad, but the low frame rate makes precision targeting and reactions really hard with the gun. Unfortunately, HotD without the gun is like a dog without a bone.

6/10

There may be no final justice for this game. It was set to be an unlockable in the Dreamcast's House of the Dead 2, but was cut due to time constraints. Supposedly it was to appear in the House of the Dead 2&3 Return on the Wii, but the graphics were deemed to be too aged.

Collectors are looking for this game, so if you really want it, I'd suggest going the import route. The Japanese version is pretty cheap and besides about $60, the only difference is that all of the blood is green instead of red.

Panzer Dragoon Saga Review

PDS has quite possibly become the most notorious game on the Saturn, and for good reason, too. Released in 1998 at the end of the system's life, the game was only available in limited numbers. Its rarity was a problem even then, and as a result, I've had the fortune of buying the game twice, the first being at a Toys 'R' Us in 1998. At the time, Toys 'R' Us kept almost all of their games locked up and in order to purchase one, a price tag that hung just outside of the case had to be taken to the check-out counter. After paying for the game, the receipt would be traded for the game itself, which was kept in a separate, locked room in an attempt to minimize theft.

I'd been keeping an eye on the game, and there were never any tags available, as the game was out of stock. One day, luck had found me. There was one tag left. They had received a new shipment and I had managed to snag the last remaining copy. I went to the counter, paid the $59.99 and then went to trade the receipt for the game. But wait, there was a mistake. They didn't have Saga. Did they put too many purchase tags out? Did some cunning employee know the value of the game and take it? Regardless, I went home empty-handed and never saw the game in stores again.

So, 10 years later, after the asking price for the game had nearly tripled, I bit the bullet and picked it up.Saga begins as a young guardian, Edge, and his fleet are attacked on an ancient ruin they are protecting. In the attack, Azel, a mysterious girl buried in the ruins for centuries is stolen, presumably to be used for evil. Left for dead, Edge is nearly ripped to shreds by ancient biological creatures, until a dragon shows up to save the day. It is mere coincidence or destiny as the dragon chooses Edge to be his rider?

The story begins and after a 10 minute long intro movie, so does the game. Instead of immediately hopping on a dragon and blasting away, Saga turns the series around and eschews its shooter roots in favor of an RPG/strategy format that's broken into sections of dragon riding, walking, and battle.

Moving from one spot to the next is done by hopping on the dragon and taking it for a ride. This time, instead of just following along on rails, the environments are free flowing to allow for exploration of the area and its surroundings. Environments usually come in one of two forms, either completely open or very cave-like. The cave variety does well to get the player from point A to point B, but sometimes seems too linear. Free-form open spaces, on the other hand, don't have this same problem.Along the way, there are objects to shoot at, some containing items, some triggering events to progress the story, and others that are merely there for scenery. The majority of the game takes place, here, on the back of the dragon. For the most part, it's easy to control, with a button for managing speed and the the analog pad handling the direction. Occasionally, bumping into an object will cause the dragon to hang or repel off of it in a bizarre fashion, but since this mode is primarily used to transportation and not quick-reaction battles, it's really not a big deal.

Walking sections are done sans dragon, controlling only Edge. This is the typical exploration area, with the character walking around talking to people, collecting information, and furthering the plot. While Saga uses the analog pad, it doesn't really take advantage of it. To run as Edge, instead of just pushing the pad a bit more in the specified direction, the B button has to be held down. This stays consistent with dragon riding portions of the game, but shouldn't be necessary. To look at an object, first the action button has to be selected, and then a target appears on the screen. The item can only be inspected after "locking on" to it. Again, this is fine on the dragon, but seems excessive when on foot.

The walking environments aren't exceedingly large, and there really isn't a huge cast of characters, despite all of the different locations in the game. It creates a very isolated feel - as if it's Edge, the dragon, and just a couple of others. Upon further prodding, many characters open up and there are several subtasks and conversations available.

When walking around, time of day changes, and of course, the people who are out and about change as well. This helps make the Saga world a little more alive, and also adds more replayability to the same area.

Most of the action, though, is in the dragon battles. These battles are rooted in classic turn-based RPGs, but rather than the "I attack, you attack" strategy, PDS incorporates time into the mix. The dragon has a total of three gauges that fills up one at a time. Once the first gauge is filled, the player can fire the dragon’s lasers for a general attack or Edge's gun to target a specific area. After two gauges fill, berzerk attacks, the equivalent of magic, become available. A full three gauges will allow special berzerk moves and a few extras to take place. But, there's a catch - the gauges only fill while the dragon is staying still.Each enemy has a radar around it and the dragon can locate itself in one of the four (top, bottom, left, right) positions. These are marked as red (dangerous), green (safe), or uncolored (neutral), depending on the severity of the enemies' attacks in these directions. As with the dragon, each enemy uses the same gauge system to determine when and how often it can attack.

The result: battles that require some strategy and positioning, as well as good timing. This can keep players on their toes, making decisions such as "Should I wait another moment and try to fire off the last shot or should I just move out of harms way? Will this gauge fill in time so that I can use an item to restore my health or am I toast?" The bad news is that once an enemy is figured out, it's pretty easy and repetitive.

As with other games in this genre, the characters can level up, gain experience, grow, and generally get bigger and badder. After finishing a battle, the game rates the player on their performance. Higher ratings mean more experience and more items. Lower will mean less. After gaining enough points, the characters level up and get stronger, learning new berzerk attacks along the way. There are several berzerk categories and what attack the dragon will learn is based on its current form.

The dragon itself can be morphed between four different types - attack, defense, spiritual, and agility - as well as the standard all-arounder. Certain types are better at certain enemies, and well, sometimes it's just nice to look at something different on the screen. After reaching certain portions of the game, the dragon will change forms entirely, just like in Zwei. These new forms come with additional upgrades as well, for laser attacks, health, and berzerk ability.

Though it's all fun, the game system and mechanics are good, but not particularly great. I enjoyed the battles, but I hadn't felt drawn to play against those creatures again. Of course, I'm looking at this 10 years after it was released, which may have tainted things for me a bit. But what keeps people talking about this game so many years later?

Graphics-wise, this is one of the better looking games on the Saturn. Zwei had some very nice water and transparency effects, but Saga takes them to a new level. The Saturn was never known as a 3D powerhouse and having no hardware support for 3D transparency really drove that point home. Saga, however, uses a few 2D (Mode7) transparency tricks to really give the game a nice shine. Water effects and the dragon itself are particularly spectacular in the game.Despite this, the environment textures are a little ugly. It's not House of the Dead ugly, but every once in a while, a wall will be pixelated top-to-bottom. Others have complained that the character models are simple and low-poly, but I haven't seen anything that would upset me for a game from this time period. Saga runs in the Saturn's standard resolution mode and has proper light sourcing, which is put to use nicely as the levels transform from day to night. Shadows on the characters change, and the overall tone of the skies go from blue to orange to black. Not only is it a nice tech demo for Sega's system that couldn't, it really helps give the appearance of a living world.

The music is on another level. As with Zwei, the music in this episode of Panzer Dragoon is done by the Saturn's onboard sound chip. The composition is quite good, as the pieces are reminiscent of atmospheric tunes in Zwei. The numbers play throughout the battle and flight sequences, ranging from completely ambient to large and engrossing. It is definitely put to great use here, creating a moody and dramatic backdrop in the somber Panzer Dragoon world.

But while the music and graphics stick out as high points, the story and universe are what’s truly engrossing. This has always been the strong point of the Panzer games. A world within a world, the story, the architecture, the artistry of design have all added up to create an environment that feels immersive. The storyline for the entire series isn't just tacked on to justify what happens on the screen.

At the end of the first two games, I watched the dragon destroy whatever tower it was fighting at the time, and then I tried to figure out what the hell was going on. There was more to the Panzer world, I just didn't know what it was, and the story was intentionally vague. Saga takes that intrigue and slowly spells out the larger picture. The storyline ties in directly with Zwei, and though it tries to tie in with the first game as well, it's safe to just ignore the storyline of the original Panzer Dragoon.

As Edge seeks revenge against the mysterious Craymen who attacked his village, he and the players learn more about the Panzer Dragoon universe. Why dragons exit, where they came from, what became of the other dragon riders are all subject matter in the game's story. The answers aren't handed out, but alluded to and hinted at throughout the journey. There are a few characters to meet along the way, but not over abundantly so. They fit into the PD world and give a glimpse of life when there's no dragon chasing down strange things. Throughout the story, as more and more questions are answered, just as many are asked with the appearance of Azel, a relic of the past.

It all culminates as a tale of fate and destiny. The end of the game feels not like winning an entire war, but just a battle. There's not an entire civilization cheering for Edge as he triumphantly marches down the streets. Instead, the rest of the world could be oblivious to the battle that has just taken place, while those involved are deeply affected. This is the game that ended the Panzer Dragoon trilogy. As unsettling as it may be, it is still the end.When it's all over, the journey is rather short. Even with some trouble along the way, it only took me about 20 hours to finish the game. After playing through it once, a box game is unlocked, but this time around the extras aren't really worth anything and hardly add any replay value. I was compelled to play through the game at length again, and there were a lot of conversations, stories, and literature that furthered detailed Saga's universe that I had missed. Seeing all of this definitely adds to the experience, but once everything has been seen (and while not likely, it is possible to do on the first try), there's not much reason to go back.

So, back to the big question: Is it worth it? Panzer Dragoon Saga is definitely a good game and a highlight for the Saturn. The bad news is that it's still an exclusive to the system. Though it's probably not worth the asking price, it is still a game any Saturn owner would be proud to have in their collection.

9/10

Beta-7

If there's a reason that I haven't been playing the NFL 2k series, I think I've found it.

Is it all a conspiracy?

http://www.beta-7.com

And for the record, it's just a marketing gimmick - a very interesting marketing gimmick, nonetheless.

Ages and Ages

It looks like the next game in the Sega Ages series is going to be Fantasy Zone. This is fine and dandy, but personally, I really don't care about this game at all. On the other hand, there's a few games that I would like to see appear, but I'm not holding my breath. In no particular order:

Burning Rangers - Another non-Sonic title on the Saturn from Sonic Team, this one involving anime-inspired futuristic fire fighters putting out flames to save people.

Why it should happen: BR pushed the Saturn to its graphical limits and manages to sell for way more than it should. While there was already a limited market by virtue of being a Saturn game, small production numbers and a release at the end of the Saturn's life meant very few people got to play it. Those that did, however, found the game's graphics to be very demanding for Sega's 32-bit system, to the point where gameplay was affected.

Sega already has created a Saturn/Titan (ST-V) emulator that is used in other games in the Ages line-up, which should help reduce the porting time. Nights has been recently redone (and redone very well, might I add) and with BR based on the same engine, it would seem only natural to bring it over, too.

Why it won't happen: Sonic Team doesn't give a crap and Sega won't be able to make a profit off of it. Burning Rangers had a vocal cast featuring some well-known actors from the anime scene and I'm sure they'd still demand a royalty for their work. Unlike Nights, the game isn't as widely known and doesn't have the fan base to support it.

Panzer Dragoon Saga - In a radical 360 turn, the PD series went from an on-rails shooter to an RPG. The result - a complete surprise and one of the better RPGs of the era

Why it should happen: With a limited release at the end of the Saturn's lifecycle and stellar reviews, Saga was highly sought by gamers and collectors alike. Unfortunately, few got to play it and it goes for top dollar nowadays. Yukio Fatatsugi was willing to lend a hand (or at least a voice) to the Sega Ages Panzer Dragoon remake, and I'm sure he'd love to be involved in this in some way.

Why it won't happen: According to reports, (although hard to believe) the original source code for the game is long gone. This means that in order to see the game in action, it would have to be either a strict Saturn emulation (not that this would be entirely bad) or if the usual Ages graphical updates were implemented, the entire game would need to be recoded from scratch - a very costly and unlikely scenario.

Daytona USA - A perfect example of Sega's arcade golden years, Daytona USA can still be found in many arcades today. Featuring just three tracks and two cars, the game has more than survived the test of time.

Why it should happen: The highest grossing arcade game of all time. Is there anything more to say? Sure. There's never been a perfect home conversion of this game and fans are still waiting for one. Lots of Model 2 games have appeared in the Ages line-up (Virtua Fighter 2, Fighter Vipers, Last Bronx, Virtual On) and elsewhere (Sega Rally). Clearly getting a Model 2 game to run is not the issue, so what is?

Why it won't happen: What's in a name? Though the game doesn't have the actual track in it, Sega had to lease the Daytona USA license from the actual race track in order to use the name. Now, other companies are leasing the Daytona USA rights (I'm not sure if it's exclusive or not) and it wouldn't be cost effective for a budget release like this.

Honorable Mentions:

The House of the Dead - Another Model 2 game, this one made it home near the end of the Saturn's life, albeit in not-so-great form. It was set to be an unlockable in the Dreamcast HotD2, but the development team ran out of time. Though rumored to be in HotD2+3 return on the Wii, it never happened and the game that started off one of Sega's larger franchises (2, 3, 4, Zombie Revenge, Typing of the Dead, English of the Dead, EX) has fallen through the cracks.

Fighter's Megamix - Perhaps it was Sega's apology for no VF3 on the Saturn, but FMM found a niche of its own. Pitting the Virtua Fighters vs. the Fighting Vipers was only the start. It was the cast of unlockable characters from Sega's past that really made the game memorable. Not as technical as the brawlers it was based on, the game still had a charm all its own.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles - The original point of the Sega Ages line was to take old games, give them a graphical update, and have people rediscover them. Why not do this with the pinnacle of Sega's console games? Take Sonic 3 & Knuckles, lock them together like they should have been from the start (with Flying Battery before Ice Cap...), render the hedgehog and its background with a 3D makeover, and keep the classic side-scrolling gameplay. Toss in a couple of extras for kicks, and you've got a winner.

Or, at the very least, don't let the folks doing the HD Sonic 2 show you up.

Saturn Interact Memory Card Plus

It finally happened. My Saturn memory card died... again. Years and years ago, after running the Saturn's internal memory completely empty, I picked up a card. Not the expensive, official card from Sega, but another that seemed like a good deal in comparison. This one had twice the memory, and more importantly, was about $20 cheaper. That's right; it's the good old Interact Memory Card Plus.


It would bite me in the ass several times.

So, the card worked fine for a couple of years. Despite recent claims that games will not allow direct saving to this particular card, it worked for me. Every once in a while, the card would take a restart to load, but excluding the annoying boot sequence (where the card loads an official Sega screen and then pops to the CD player) things were okay.

And then the card died. It hadn't been removed from my Saturn in a long time. It just stopped working. No more weird boot sequence. No more pressing a button for a game to load. No more saves. Friends with the same card had very similar experiences, all within two to four years.

Supposedly, the card damaged the Saturn's cartridge slots with its sharp edges and extra thickness. Supposedly, it was just crap.

It stayed that way for about four years. Randomly, one day I turn the Saturn on, and there it is - that annoying boot sequence is back. What? It can't be. The card started working again, apparently for no reason at all. There they were. My six year old saves were back in action. After losing them all, I'd gained them all back.

I took advantage of the working card and one of its undocumented abilities - I brought back some imports from my studies abroad. The card loaded the imports without a hitch.

That is, until now. Even in proper working condition, the card was hit-or-miss. Sometimes it didn't read. Sometimes it would randomly lock things up. Things had been getting worse lately for my Saturn, and I knew the card was the problem.

Then it happened again: no boot screen. Occasionally, I could get my card to read. So, before I lost all of my saves again, I wanted to copy them from the internal memory over to the card. To my luck, everything locked up during the copy. I reset the system and now, even though it still lists the data, everything has some crazy funky characters listed around it.

I'm pretty sure I've finally managed to destroy any functional data on the card. Now, it's only good as an import device, but then only when it decides to half-way function.

Now, I'm doing what I should have all along. Official Sega memory card, here I come.

The House of the Dead

Try as I might, the original House of the Dead was never able to grace the insides of my Saturn, so I ended up starting out the series with its sequel. Over the years, I've logged quite a few hours into the Dreamcast HotD2 and played through it several times. I've also played numbers three and four in the arcade, though not for an extended period of time. With this in mind, as I went through the original, I couldn't help but thinking to myself, "I've been here before."

When The House of the Dead came out, it was a new twist on the gun game formula. Instead of employing the one-shot-one-kill motif, enemies kept coming at you until you blasted them to pieces or scored a head shot. Maybe the more skilled could head-shot their way to victory, but I'd usually go out in a hail of gunfire.

This was also one of the first light gun games to employ multiple paths, so depending on who was saved or what arrows were shot on the elevator, a different direction could be taken. In a short arcade game, anything to help increase the replay value is good.

The House of the Dead is still fun and still plays well. Basically, if you're a fan of light-gun games, this'll scratch your itch, but the game has been done several times since then. HotD2 is more of the same (some bosses are identical) with a different setting and better graphics. To mix up the formula over the years, HotD3 added a shotgun help off zombies and HotD4 did the duty with an SMG.

While I enjoyed the original, I can't help but feeling that it has been eclipsed by its sequels. What made it stand out in the arcades back in '98 has been improved, at least graphically, in the newer versions. While it's fun for a trip down memory lane and to see the series' origins, it's a short romp that has been done before.

7/10