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[RetroGamingUK]

People talk and reminisce about Sega’s 2000 lineup for the Dreamcast, but I have a story about a lineup that’s far greater.

While the system got off to an awkward launch, what Sega did the following year is nothing short of incredible.

For me, it’s right up there with PS2 in 2001 and Xbox 360 in 2007. Let me show you why…


Virtua Fighter 2 (January)
A technical showpiece for the system, combining hi-res 3D characters, 2D parallax and mo-cap animation this blew Tekken and everything else out of the water. Nothing would even come close on rival systems until Tekken 3.

Sega Rally (January)
One of the all time greatest driving games and proof that Saturn, with the right developers, could handle smooth 3D racers. I’d argue nothing would come close until Gran Turismo.

Panzer Dragoon Zwei (May)
A game that, at the time, was only possible on the Saturn thanks to the VDP2 secret sauce. A wonderful rail shooter featuring one of gamingMa greatest soundtracks.

Baku Baku Animal (June)
An incredibly fun and zany take on the Columns formula featuring animal and food matching and a wonderfully upbeat soundtrack. One of the best puzzlers of all time.

Athlete Kings (August)
PlayStation had Track & Field, but Saturn had this! For the time some incredibly sharp and smooth visuals that wouldn’t look too out of place on Dreamcast.

NiGHTS: into Dreams (August)
Pure magic on a disc, the flight, the art, the soundtrack, all simply sublime. A game that’s infinitely replayable and addictive. A shame so few people have actually played it.

Sega Worldwide Soccer 97 (October)
One of the first sports games to showcase mo-cap animations and the first ever soccer game to incorporate tricks this was the first 3D football game that was actually any good. ISS Pro surpassed it a few months later, but for a time Saturn was top of the league.

Fighting Vipers (October)
Virtua Fighter with breakable caged stages and armour, the first Saturn game to incorporate lighting and gouraud shading (something they said couldn’t be done), another cracking AM2 title.

Virtua Cop 2 (November)
Building on the incredible 1995 original, the sequel features car chases, moving train battles and branching paths. Nothing by Namco on PlayStation came close to this.

Virtual On: Cyber Troopers (December)
Closing the year out, a wonderful mech arena battler again making use of those VDP2 floors it put the likes of CyberSled to shame. Incredible soundtrack to boot.

That’s not all, there was also Virtua Fighter Kids, Daytona CCE, Golden Axe: The Duel, World Series Baseball among others.

Special shoutout goes to Capcom for almost arcades perfect ports of Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Xmen: Children of the Atom, with Saturn being the best place to play them hands down.

The console may not have been a huge success, but Sega were on f**king fire that year in terms of games and it deserves some recognition god damnit!

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

common games, average at best.

 

[Soltype]

common games, average at best.

Nights, Panzer Dragoon and Virtua Fighter 2 were not common in 96 ,they're not even common now.

 

[Gamerguy84]

Yes i had one and loved it.

 

[West Texas CEO]

nush get ITT !!

 

[FalsettoVibe]

8/10
PS2 was 10/10 though.

 

[Holammer]

Spent many many hours playing VF2. Good times.

 

[ReBurn]

I need to dust my Saturn off. Sega Rally, Fighting Vipers and Virtua Fighter 2 were my favorites on that list. I had a lot of fun with it. Im a lifelong Sega fan.

 

[West Texas CEO]

Can I mention PDS as one of the greatest jrpgs? Not 1996, but damn.
Talk about Sega s secret sauce.

 

[nial]

But Virtua Fighter II and Sega Rally were 1995. Still, great year for Sega.

 

[Holammer]

But Virtua Fighter II and Sega Rally were 1995. Still, great year for Sega.

Both games released end of year for JP/US and '96 for Europe.
Close enough

 

[Generic]

The only I played was Night and it was quite visually confusing.

 

[Havoc2049]

Panzer Dragoon Zwei is my favorite of the bunch.

 

[RetroGamingUK]

Possibly the best demo disc ever, the menu music still gives me feels

 

[kevboard]

Panzer Dragoon Zwei (May)
A game that, at the time, was only possible on the Saturn thanks to the VDP2 secret sauce.

nah, the N64 would have been capable to run this easily as well, probably with higher fidelity as well.

 

[RetroGamingUK]

nah, the N64 would have been capable to run this easily as well, probably with higher fidelity as well.

We didn’t have N64 back in 1996 though, we had to wait until April 97 for that, so the context here is comparing Saturn and PlayStation (which I’d argue didn’t really start to demonstrate its technical strengths until 97/98).

 

[clarky]

Nights was an awesome game.

 

[kevboard]

We didn’t have N64 back in 1996 though, we had to wait until April 97 for that, so the context here is comparing Saturn and PlayStation (which I’d argue didn’t really start to demonstrate its technical strengths until 97/98).

in europe, sure. in Japan and the US the N64 released in 96

also, the N64 relased in March 97 in europe...

 

[cireza]

Very difficult choice between Zwei and Nights. The second half of the 90s was filled with quality games, it was difficult to keep up.

These are typically the kind of games that disappeared thanks to Sony's arrival in the market and how they shaped it.

 

[Alan Wake]

Some truly great games there. Revolutionary even. I still think Dreamcast's year 2000 is better thanks to Shenmue, Jet Set Radio and Samba de Amigo, but boy how the Saturn deserved better.

 

[winjer]

common games, average at best.

We can only dream of having such a strong line-up, when a console releases nowadays.
Just look at the PS5 and Series S/X. For the first year, it was just crossgen titles. And after that it's mostly remakes and remasters of games we have already played before.

 

[th4tguy]

Sega was all about the arcade experience at home but I was never a fan of arcade mechanics and mostly just enjoyed the non sega games.

 

[Evil Smurf King]

I think that the Sega Saturn was always an underrated console, maybe because of poor marketing, maybe because of its exterior design that followed a clunky style which looked like VCRs or something more conservative. The PSX was different — even its nickname 'PSX' was much more edgy and high tech — and it had this really cool and clean, futuristic aesthetic. But honestly, I have far better memories of the Saturn: the games seemed simpler, had a certain innocence, and felt like games from another era, much more like modernized classics, restyled and on the verge of that same concept.

It’s interesting how the Sega Saturn brings that, even in those days, a somewhat nostalgic feeling from a time when games were more experimental, without so much concern about being "movies inspired" like the ones that came out on the PSX. The Saturn really has this appeal of being on the border between classic and modern, with titles that feel authentic and follow a vibe of purer gameplay.

At the time, I was torn between the novelty and modern feel of games like WipeOut or Gran Turismo, etc., but despite the excitement of something new, games like Panzer Dragoon Zwei, Nights Into Dreams, and Sega Rally Championship resonate better with me today: they feel more fun and, IMHO, have aged much, much better.

Panzer Dragoon Zwei truly has something special in the way it balances mystery and exploration with gameplay, especially with the alternate paths and secrets that encourage replayability. I still hope they release PD Zwei Remastered. I really love this game! Orta fell a bit short in bringing that aura of mystery and novelty that PDZ had...

 

[thegame983]

I Fucking loved it.

Also Street fighter Alpha 2 soon after was epic.

 

[keefged4]

I love the Saturn, PDS is up there in my top 10, but honestly the Dreamcast's 2000 was much better imo

 

[diffusionx]

Two of those games were from 1995 lol.

This lineup of games is good for sure but it's not even as good as the PlayStation's in 1996.

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

Nights, Panzer Dragoon and Virtua Fighter 2 were not common in 96 ,they're not even common now.

Have you ever seen a top 100 list that includes any of these games?
If these games are in any way ''good'' the fact is that there were much better games even on the Saturn, I had a lot of fun with Street Fighter Alpha 2, comparing it to the PS2 lineup (2001) is delusional.

 

[Soltype]

Have you ever seen a top 100 list that includes any of these games?
If these games are in any way ''good'' the fact is that there were much better games even on the Saturn, I had a lot of fun with Street Fighter Alpha 2, comparing it to the PS2 lineup (2001) is delusional.

I'm not comparing it to the PS2. I'm just saying in 1996 some of those games were very fresh.Over the years the industry has not made many similar experiences, so those games still have relevancy. I said some of these games were not common, I never mentioned how "good" they were. Moreover, a game not making a top 100 list is not indicative of its quality.

 

[RoboFu]

It's sad that people never realized how deep of a game nights really was.

Panzer dragoon zwei was a gen ahead in its production values.

That saddest thing for me is the Saturn never really got its full optimized moment. Right when games started coming out with nicer shading and lighting it was over.

 

[I Love Rock 'n' Roll]

Nights into dreams by far. It's a true masterpiece. There was and there is still nothing like that.

Panzer Dragoon Zwei comes very close, but it's "just" a perfect version of the 1st one. So do VF2 and SEGA Rally. It was so good to own a japanese SegaSaturn at that very moment.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

common games, average at best.

Stop lil' bro, please!

Have you ever seen a top 100 list that includes any of these games?
If these games are in any way ''good'' the fact is that there were much better games even on the Saturn, I had a lot of fun with Street Fighter Alpha 2, comparing it to the PS2 lineup (2001) is delusional.

Most Top 100 lists are popularity contests, not really a reflection of quality.

So a lot of high-quality games might not get featured simply because they didn't perform well commercially or didn't release on the "right" platforms. Those lists also have a strong bias to Nintendo & Sony consoles as well as PC, plus a lot of recency bias.

Tons of awesome arcade games are ignored because they never got home ports and came out in the '90s, for example.

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

Stop lil' bro, please!

proves to me that there is something special about these games if u can
Comparing it to the PS2 is absurd .

These games were so good that they bankrupted the company

 

[K' Dash]

The Nintendo 64 had a better line up and it was just ONE game.

 

[diffusionx]

The Nintendo 64 had a better line up and it was just ONE game.

N64 also had Waverace and Pilotwings, just saying.

 

[Little Chicken]

Panzer Dragoon Zwei

 

[SmokedMeat]

Panzer Zwei was in a league all to itself.

Loved me some Baku Baku Animal though!

 

[K' Dash]

N64 also had Waverace and Pilotwings, just saying.

I could only afford one and didnt remember those two, it's been a while, lol.

That actually makes it worse for the Saturn.

 

[LordBlodgett]

I voted for Sega Rally because it was so good compared to all racing games that came out around it. I agree that it was a couple years before another racing game hooked me and my friend group like it did. An extremely close second though was VF2, and honestly it was probably my most played game in 1996 bar none. This was my friend group's go to multiplayer game, and even lead to a few all-nighter tournaments. Most underrated game there is NiGHTS. Even though the game was on rails, it still allowed more movement than almost all other games at the time. Besides that it was gorgeous and had a great game play loop. Fourth on my list would be Panzer Dragoon, which was a beautiful and fun experience. The only reason I don't rank it higher is that it didn't have much replay-ability for me. I finished it and never felt compelled to go back.

 

[Variahunter]

Aside from VF2 and maybe PD Zwei, none of those are appealing nor were making gamers rethink of their choices.

They also don't have the incredible aura of N64 1996 line up first party games. In only 6 months, N64 had :

- Pilotwings 64
- Super Mario 64
- Wave Race 64
- Killer Instinct Gold
- Mario Kart 64

 

[SF Kosmo]

nah, the N64 would have been capable to run this easily as well, probably with higher fidelity as well.

Probably at a lower frame rate.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

proves to me that there is something special about these games if u can
Comparing it to the PS2 is absurd .

These games were so good that they bankrupted the company

You're grossly oversimplifying why SEGA stopped making consoles (they never declared bankruptcy IIRC). The games you're trashing scored very well with critics and gamers who had Saturn systems enjoyed those games a lot, too. So they're clearly quality titles.

If you want real reasons SEGA failed as a platform holder that gen, maybe look into the corporate infighting between the Japanese & American branches, or how SEGA did unconsolidated accounting for the first half of the '90s before finally consolidating it so other branches could know how the others were doing financially.

That all said...I don't think anyone is saying Saturn's got a catalog of games on par with PS2's best but if they are, I would probably have to strongly disagree. PS2 was PS1 on steroids and PS1's library is already at least comparable with Saturn's (better overall, actually). That said, there's nothing wrong if someone's got a deep love for stuff like PD Zwei or NiGHTS and just personally prefers Saturn to PS2 (or sees it as equal) due to that.

Just, like, don't try stating that is a popular POV

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

nah, the N64 would have been capable to run this easily as well, probably with higher fidelity as well.

I don't believe it, the size and effects of vdp2 are prohibitive to the n64 hardware.
Replicating Panzer Dragon's horizon required, according to estimates at the time, hardware capable of 1 million triangles.

 

[kevboard]

I don't believe it, the size and effects of vdp2 are prohibitive to the n64 hardware.
Replicating Panzer Dragon's horizon required, according to estimates at the time, hardware capable of 1 million triangles.

that is only true on the Saturn or the PS1.
the main issue on PS1 would have been that you need to subdivide everything to keep the textures from morphing around like crazy.
the N64 doesn't have that issue. the N64 could have used 2 polgons for the flat-plane ground for example. and for the skybox you'd also need only a handful of polygons on N64.

the N64 can easily render 10k polygons at 30fps as well without the need for subdivision like on Saturn or PS1. not only that, it can also render sprites, which could be used for many of the 2d billboards used in the game to save polygons.

the only real issue might be some of the warping effects on water surfaces. but I bet there's stuff you could do on N64 to get a similar or even better effect to replace that.

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

Most Top 100 lists are popularity contests, not really a reflection of quality.

So a lot of high-quality games might not get featured simply because they didn't perform well commercially or didn't release on the "right" platforms. Those lists also have a strong bias to Nintendo & Sony consoles as well as PC, plus a lot of recency bias.

Are you suggesting that games appear in lists just because the magazine or website editors are fanboys?
so games like HL2, DKC, FF7, Golden Eye 007, Super Mario 64, Halo: Combat Evolved, MGS3, Ocarina of Time, The Witcher 3 wouldn't have quality but broken Sega Saturn games would, really ?

 

[Saturn Dragon]

Nights into Dreams is the most important videogame ever created.

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

that is only true on the Saturn or the PS1.
the main issue on PS1 would have been that you need to subdivide everything to keep the textures from morphing around like crazy.
the N64 doesn't have that issue. the N64 could have used 2 polgons for the flat-plane ground for example. and for the skybox you'd also need only a handful of polygons on N64.

the N64 can easily render 10k polygons at 30fps as well without the need for subdivision like on Saturn or PS1. not only that, it can also render sprites, which could be used for many of the 2d billboards used in the game to save polygons.

the only real issue might be some of the warping effects on water surfaces. but I bet there's stuff you could do on N64 to get a similar or even better effect to replace that.

sorry but PDZ is not the type of game you would see on an N64, the structure is not the same as Starfox 64 or Star Wars Episode I: Battle for Naboo although they are incredible PDZ is a different beast.

 

[DeVeAn]

Funny as a 11 year old when the Saturn launched, Really wanted the Saturn and never regretted it. Wish I was able to afford Imports back then because WOW at the Japanese library.

Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter 2 and Daytona USA. Good times!

 

[Alexios]

All these look & perform great with unparalleled visuals & gameplay for the time. Sega Rally & VF2 were pioneering arcade wonders (common & average, lmao) just a couple years prior. Idk how the "bad at 3D" Virtua Fighter (which wasn't even bad, yeah some glitchy culling but it was the game itself, lacking textures etc., that was outdated by the time the port came, the port is faithful & perfectly fine - as it was a 30 fps game in the arcades too) and Daytona (which still played great, at least with the wheel peripheral) rep hunted Saturn to death when it got these & more so soon after

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

The only I played was Night and it was quite visually confusing.

 

[Crayon]

The only I played was Night and it was quite visually confusing.

You get used to it.