The Saturn Appreciation Thread

[SeanR]

Explains why everything is $21 shipping

[phillv85]

FromJapan have started up as a US proxy as well. There’s a few Genesis carts I’m after so might give it a go and will let everyone know what happens. May be a way of not having to pay £20+vat just to ship a bloody game.

[DeciderVT]

On 07/02/2023 at 09:39, DeciderVT said:

MK2 NTSC-J Saturn arrived from eBay this week but it looks like the cart slot is temperamental, despite the listing saying it was tested. Sigh. I think a third-party cart has buggered the pins.

 

Looks like a good spray with contact cleaner on both the cart connectors and the slot itself might've done the trick. Went from being able to read the official memory card roughly one out of ten times to reading it fifteen times in a row, reseating it each time.

 

Anyway... I'm feeling mildly pleased with myself about this and my wife is completely nonplussed, so here I am. 

[megamixer]

Been back on Fighters Megamix after receiving my minty Japanese copy. Having fun unlocking everything again though I should really get a back-up cart at some point so that I can save that progress in case for when the battery inevitably dies.

 

Playing as Honey/Candy as ever for...erm...reasons LOL. Never gets tiring using the arse smack move to blast an opponent through a wall and out of the stage!

 

Some of the moves are not easy to pull off though and super-precise input timings. Honey's dragon-punch style move for example barely works for me and can't be relied upon. Same for some of the more complex throws.

[Oh Danny Boy]

My copy of ‘in the hunt’ is not working at all. Just boots to the SEGA license screen and stops. Disc is in excellent condition so can’t be the game, after some Google research it seems that the game has issues working on  some Saturns, but with no real rhyme or reason. Some consoles it works on and some it doesn’t. Going to have to hope if the eBay seller lets me return it.

[Ninja Doctor]

My cheap rgb scart cable came today (unshielded, composite video sync) so a good excuse to train the child on sega rally. Gotta start em young. 

[merrychan]

6 hours ago, Oh Danny Boy said:

My copy of ‘in the hunt’ is not working at all. Just boots to the SEGA license screen and stops. Disc is in excellent condition so can’t be the game, after some Google research it seems that the game has issues working on  some Saturns, but with no real rhyme or reason. Some consoles it works on and some it doesn’t. Going to have to hope if the eBay seller lets me return it.

I think the Japanese version of Sega Ages Outrun has similar issues, the white JP Saturn's maybe?

[spanky debrest]

^^^ My Model 2 Saturn doesn't run the JPN Out Run (Model 1 runs it fine). There's more to it that I don't recall but I believe It's a known issue and why there are multiple issues of that game. 

[fat flatulent git]

Yeah, some games don’t work on white Saturns - Out Run and Space Harrier among them.

[Oh Danny Boy]

I’ve got a model 1 grey Saturn. Completely forgot about those Sega Ages issues thankfully didn’t pick up the white Saturn as I’m loving me some Space Harrier. Looking online the In the Hunt issues don’t seem to be model specific. Maybe something to do with the type of laser the console has, on some consoles it will only boot if no controllers are plugged in but alas that trick doesn’t work on mine.  Shame as I really wanted to try In the Hunt but seems like a buggy release. 

[megamixer]

Nothing to do with the console's BIOS revision? I have a white Saturn and it shows v1.01 on boot-up. Wonder if there's any way to tell that way or if all white Saturns have the same revision.

 

Shame about In the Hunt though! I used to own the PAL PS1 version (sold it when it became stupid money) and it is a very fun game. Essentially a balls-hard Metal Slug in submarines. I effin' love Nazca's art style.

[MikeBeaver]

1 hour ago, megamixer said:

Nothing to do with the console's BIOS revision? I have a white Saturn and it shows v1.01 on boot-up. Wonder if there's any way to tell that way or if all white Saturns have the same revision.

 

Shame about In the Hunt though! I used to own the PAL PS1 version (sold it when it became stupid money) and it is a very fun game. Essentially a balls-hard Metal Slug in submarines. I effin' love Nazca's art style.

I’ve got a PAL Saturn version the chooses when and when not to work, think that has something to do with the massive gouge to the disc though 😭😭

[SeanR]

i just nearly bought a white jpn saturn (HST-3220) to replace the one I gave away, but ONLY because it's a cheaper way to get a 3D analogue controller than just buying the controller on it's own. And then I see these posts, so I go looking:

 

https://segaretro.org/Sega_Saturn_consoles#White_Japanese_Saturn

 

Quote

Model number/revisions: HST-3220 (VA4, VA5, VA6, VA7, VA8, VA9, VA10, VA11, VA13, VA15). Note: the integrated sound block on revisions VA13 and VA15 has a bug in certain 68000 commands. The result is that certain games are incompatible with these boards. The Japanese only releases of Space Harrier and Outrun are the only two that come to mind, and both have received second pressings that eliminate this bug and work in all machines equally.

 

[Ninja Doctor]

If you must buy another get a victor or hitachi Saturn. You can at least convince yourself it’s because it’s special. 

[megamixer]

23 hours ago, SeanR said:

i just nearly bought a white jpn saturn (HST-3220) to replace the one I gave away, but ONLY because it's a cheaper way to get a 3D analogue controller than just buying the controller on it's own. And then I see these posts, so I go looking:

 

https://segaretro.org/Sega_Saturn_consoles#White_Japanese_Saturn

 

 

Do you know how to find which VA your Saturn is, out of interest? I've just looked at my white HST-3220 and could see anything further to denote what revision it was.

 

If it's a VA13 or 15 then I assume this hardware-related issue wouldn't be overcome by the Phantom modchip which mine has installed.

[Lyrical Donut]

1 hour ago, megamixer said:

Do you know how to find which VA your Saturn is, out of interest? I've just looked at my white HST-3220 and could see anything further to denote what revision it was.

 

If it's a VA13 or 15 then I assume this hardware-related issue wouldn't be overcome by the Phantom modchip which mine has installed.

 

Best way is to open it up and check the motherboard.

[Oh Danny Boy]

On 11/02/2023 at 11:44, Oh Danny Boy said:

My copy of ‘in the hunt’ is not working at all. Just boots to the SEGA license screen and stops. Disc is in excellent condition so can’t be the game, after some Google research it seems that the game has issues working on  some Saturns, but with no real rhyme or reason. Some consoles it works on and some it doesn’t. Going to have to hope if the eBay seller lets me return it.

Thankfully was able to get it returned and refunded but gutted that I can’t play In the hunt on my Saturn. Used some if that refund to purchase Shinobi X. Another Saturn game  I’ve never tried 

[Count Buffalos]

You’re in for a ‘treat’ with that one

[spanky debrest]

In The Hunt plays better on PSX anyway than Saturn, as far as I can recall.

[Count Buffalos]

It does, yeah. The Saturn version is not great. 

[SeanR]

On 12/02/2023 at 21:54, Ninja Doctor said:

If you must buy another get a victor or hitachi Saturn. You can at least convince yourself it’s because it’s special. 

 

 

 

If that's still available come the 24th, I just want you to know...

 

[Ninja Doctor]

That’s beautiful. Got a link? I’ll buy it to save you from it. 

[SeanR]

1 minute ago, Ninja Doctor said:

That’s beautiful. Got a link? I’ll buy it to save you from it. 

 

click on the picture, for the eBay

 

[edit]

Please do though, I'm supposed to be buying a Satiator for the Saturns I already have?

Edited February 16 by SeanR

[Ninja Doctor]

Don’t fancy using a fenrir?

[Lyrical Donut]

Agreed, multiple Satiators is overkill!

[SeanR]

7 hours ago, Lyrical Donut said:

Agreed, multiple Satiators is overkill!

1 satiator between multiple saturns?

[Lyrical Donut]

1 hour ago, SeanR said:

1 satiator between multiple saturns?

 

 

Behave yourself.

[Oh Danny Boy]

On 16/02/2023 at 08:02, Count Buffalos said:

You’re in for a ‘treat’ with that one

Just played it for the first time; it’s a banger.

[merrychan]

1 hour ago, Oh Danny Boy said:

Just played it for the first time; it’s a banger.

I am intrigued by what I always presumed was Shoddy Shinobi

[Down by Law]

The problem with Shin Shinobi X/Legions/Den is that the first stage is quality, but then it's all downhill from there. Revenge and Return do so much more with less !