The Saturn fought an uphill battle during the fifth generation. Many Sega decisions made in Japan not only helped Nintendo but created a new rival in the form of Sony. If that wasn't bad enough, the Saturn's 3D capabilities paled in comparison to both the Nintendo 64 and the PlayStation. Third-party developers also had trouble developing games for the system due to its dual processor.
It wasn't long before publishers and consumers saw the console as a lost cause, which culminated in its failure in Western territories. Regardless, the system still saw some incredible efforts, many of which have yet to be made available on modern platforms.
10 Panzer Dragoon Zwei Soared Higher Than Its Predecessor
Sporting branching paths, a handy save feature, multiple dragon forms, and more elaborate visuals, Panzer Dragoon Zwei was a substantial improvement over its predecessor. While the game's on-rail nature is an acquired taste, those who can look past it will find a high-octane shooter with dazzling environments and creatures. The original title has seen a multitude of ports and re-releases, but Zwei has sadly been relegated to the Saturn. Fortunately, a remake by MegaPixel Studio is slated to release on unspecified platforms.
9 Bulk Slash's Mecha Action Never Found Its Way To The States
Developed by CAProduction and published by Hudson, Bulk Slash put Players in control of a mech that could switch between two forms with the press of a button. Each stage contained a hidden assistant who could be recruited to give players tips and adulation during their mission. Unfortunately, the title never found its way stateside.
It was a shame, as it might have turned the heads of those who bemoaned the Saturn's lack of must-have 3D games. Thankfully, some dedicated fans took it upon themselves to craft a patch of the game that includes fully voiced English dialogue and new modern control options.
8 Astal's Charming Aesthetics Bolstered A Solid Platformer
Boasting an appealing hand-drawn art style, gorgeous environments, and polished platforming mechanics, Astal is one of the many hidden gems on the Saturn. Different button combinations allowed players to perform several moves, such as pounding the ground to stun enemies, huff and puffing them away akin to the big bad wolf, or grabbing enemies to toss them at other hostiles. Players were also accompanied by a bird that could deliver some healing items or perform useful contextual moves. Levels took full advantage of Astal's abilities, and one section involved a sea-faring creature players had to pound to avoid oncoming enemies and hazards.
7 Sega Rally Championship's Transition To The Saturn Was A Smooth Ride
Sega Rally Championship was a 1994 arcade racing title that was ported to the Saturn one year later. The game represented a considerable improvement over the home version of Daytona USA. Though the port utilized a lot of dithering to mask its limited transparent effects, the visuals were still relatively faithful with no sacrifices in performance. Even with the Saturn controller, the steering, and handling were entirely on point. The reason for the game's high quality is how it was effectively made from the ground up, resulting in a port that was faithful to the arcade original while accommodating the hardware's specs.
6 Radiant Silvergun Made An Old Genre Feel Fresh
Largely considered one of the greatest shoot 'em ups ever made, Radiant Silvergun serves as yet another demonstration of Treasure's knack for old-school action titles. While the genre fell out of style during this era, this shooter managed to feel fresh and cathartic.
In contrast to its many contemporaries, the game eschewed consumable weapons and power-ups. Instead, it mapped all its arsenal to the buttons on the controller. The game was a critical smash that paved the way for its spiritual successor: Ikaruga. Both titles were given HD ports to Xbox Live Arcade as digital downloads.
5 Nights Into Dreams Flouted Convention
With Nights Into Dreams, the Sonic Team tried to experiment with a title that focused on flight instead of the blue blur's mix of running and platforming. Designer Naoto Oshima conceived of the title character from his travels to Western territories, while Takashi Izuka sought inspiration from the writings of psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud. The game tasked players with traversing through a world of dreams as the eponymous flying jester. The goal was to give two teenagers named Claris and Elliot the inner strength to confront their everyday problems. The game flouted convention with its unique flight-based gameplay and then novel 2.5D visuals.
4 Guardian Heroes Is Yet Another Hidden Treasure
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Treasure once again knocked it out of the park with a phenomenal beat 'em up in the form of Guardian Heroes. The game sported 6 simultaneous players, some RPG mechanics, branching story paths, a moral choice system, and solid combat. While the game's visuals were 2D, players could switch between different planes throughout the stages to strike hostiles or evade their attacks. Unfortunately, since it was initially released on the Saturn, many brawler fans didn't get a chance to play this gem. Thankfully, an updated re-release of the game made its way onto the Xbox Live Arcade, including a brand-new HD coat of paint and some additional features.
3 Shining Force III Brought Camelot's Tactical RPG To The Third Dimension
With the third numerical installment of the Shining Force series, Camelot Software Planning brought the fantasy franchise into the third dimension. The title retained the turn-based tactical role-playing gameplay of prior entries with the addition of fully polygonal characters and environments. Sadly, only the first scenario managed to find its way to English-speaking regions, and the rest of the story was only available in Japan. However, some alterations were made to resolve the game's plot in its North American and European releases. Even more tragic, neither part has been released on modern platforms.
2 Virtua Fighter 2 Emerged Victorious On The Saturn
Virtua Fighter 2 refined the polygonal combat formula established in its predecessor with a larger roster, more elaborate animations, and better visual fidelity. While not arcade perfect, the Saturn version was the next best option for those who wanted to toss hands with Akira and the gang. In an incredible feat of porting, Sega's AM2 division managed to squeeze all the moves from the arcade version into the considerably less powerful Saturn hardware, all while maintaining the crucial 60 frames per second. Years later, Sega released an updated version of the game on Xbox Live Arcade.
1 Panzer Dragoon Saga Is The Saturn's Ultimate Triumph
Though the Saturn's hardware paled in comparison to the PlayStation, Team Andromeda pulled out all the stops to deliver an JRPG that eclipsed Square's efforts. In contrast to Final Fantasy VII, Panzer Dragoon Saga sported fully voiced cutscenes and environments rendered entirely in real-time. It eschewed many JRPG tropes such as party members and conventional towns.
While the rail-shooting nature of prior entries only gave players a glimpse of this unique fantasy world, players were now given the opportunity to explore and even interact with its inhabitants. Sadly, the game was a financial flop and has yet to see an official re-release of any kind.