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| Sega's unexpected launch of the Saturn on May 11 took most retailers and consumers by surprise. | GameFan marks the release of Shinobi Legions on Saturn with this "collector card". |
Sega 24 megabits The Saturn version of Sega's arcade hit Virtua Fighter was a huge success in Japan, selling at pretty much a 1:1 ratio with the console when it launched in late 1994. The port wasn't without its problems, however, with glitchy graphics that were likely the result of developer AM2's lack of familiarity with the hardware and the rush to get the game out on time. Although the glitches were largely ironed out for the North American release of the Saturn game in May of 1995, many were surprised by just how well the 32X port turned out in comparison. Despite a lower polygon count and reduced audio fidelity, 32X Virtua Fighter impressed critics with its stable visuals and extra features not found in even the arcade version of the game, and has come to be regarded as one of the best titles released for the peripheral. "This game should be titled Virtua Fighter plus. With six camera angles, tournament mode, and the ability to manipulate the ring to any size, this is almost like a sequel. Although the polygon count is far from the Saturn's, the characters look great and the animation is identical." "Virtua Fighter, the two-year-old arcade brawler that was squeezed onto Sega's high-end Saturn and was completed full of glitches and a significantly smaller polygon count, arrived on the 32X without the glitches and with added features not in the coin-op." |
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Midway Games 32 megabits Midway's latest Mortal Kombat game was released for multiple consoles simultaneously, with the SNES version once again considered superior to the Genesis port. This was something of a hollow victory at this point, however, as the game was also ported in nearly arcade-perfect form to Sony's new PlayStation system. Saturn owners would sadly have to wait until Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 the following year. "MK 3 Genesis stands as (what I believe to be) the best translation possible on the Genesis. The 32-megs are packed to capacity with all the elements from the arcade, no missing voices or music this time!" | ||
Playmates Interactive Entertainment 16 megabits Developed by Playmates, Mutant Chronicles - Doom Troopers is a violent scrolling action/platform game based on a collectible card game of the same name. "The programmers stretched the Genesis almost to its breaking point in assembling the graphics and surprisingly seamless animation. The game moves and scrolls fluidly, with scarcely a hint of slowdown." |
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Readysoft CD-ROM Famous for their home ports of laserdisc arcade classics Dragon's Lair and Space Ace, Readysoft unleashed Brain Dead 13, their new interactive cartoon game, on just about every platform imaginable. That includes the usual suspects, as well as the 3DO, Jaguar CD, and even the Philips CD-i. Oddly, a Sega CD version was announced and advertised, but never released. | ||
Viacom 16 megabits Not being a huge puzzle game fan, I've never tried Zoop, despite it being released for pretty much every platform known to man at the time (still no Virtual Boy, though). Contemporary reception was lukewarm. |
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Tecmo 16 megabits With an official NFL license and packed with new features, the final Tecmo football game for the SNES and Genesis likely made for an interesting topic of conversation amongst gamers lining up to buy Madden '96... | ||
Electronic Arts 16 megabits For whatever reason, EA's Genesis sports games are generally considered superior to their SNES counterparts, at least in terms of controls. Perhaps it's down to the Genesis system's faster CPU. Maybe it has something to do with the higher resolution. Or perchance the enigma that is Blast Processing is responsible. Whatever the cause, contemporary reviewers like Genesis Madden '96 better. So there. "The SNES version of Madden isn't quite the game the Genesis version is. This is mainly due to the stiff controls." "Madden '96 is a definite improvement from last year's poor effort. The players are more solid and each player has the correct number on their jersey, which is a nice effect. The speed that Madden is known for is back, and the computer is a much tougher opponent." |
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Shiny Entertainment 32 megabits Released first on the Genesis and SNES to glowing reviews, ports of Shiny's much anticipated sequel arrived later on the Saturn and PlayStation. "The animation is easily the best ever on Genesis, and the art is once again, genius. The EWJ2 soundtrack is a jolly ensemble of both classical, and classic Jim tunes and fits the game like a bloody glove." "For the most part, this long-awaited sequel has answered the success of the first installment using more of the same humor, action, and skill, adding a few surprises this time around." |
