Is the Sega Saturn Worth it?

[ClodBuster]

I really like the look of the Saturn Hardware and played with the idea of getting either a dark grey or white Japanese one.
However, there are simply no games of my interest that would have justified this purchase.

I can see the appeal for fans of 2D beat 'em ups. I can also see the appeal due to its good library of shooting games. But I don't care for the former genre, and all the Shmups I really want my hands on (e.g. Gradius, Parodius series and Salamander Series) are already in my collection for the PlayStation, and the rest of good shooters are covered by my Turbo Duo.

Back in the '90ies, I was in awe when standing in front of Sega Rally and Daytona - today they've lost much of their greatness to me and I really don't like the thought of playing a 3D racing game with a D-Pad. I'm not that big fan of the old Sega franchises, too, so there's little interest for compilation discs of the '80ies/early '90ies Sega Arcade games.

What I see is, a lot of Japanese Saturn games are way cheaper than their PlayStation counterparts. And damn, that console and controller are sexy.

[jtucci31]

I was just thinking about getting into the Saturn the other day and finding this thread is just what i need. How perfect!

[synbiosfan]

As a longtime Saturn collector, I say yes!

There are so many gems, covering every genre. It's still the system I've logged the most hours on because of games like Panzer Dragoon Saga, Dragon Force and the game that has the character my name comes from Shining Force III.

[IrishNinja]

i just picked up Chase HQ a few weeks back for $30, between that & Elevator Action Returns i'm happy like a clam!  such an amazing arcade box, even before you get into all the awesome SHMUPs & fighters.

[NessFreaK]

It's definitely a money system, with most of the good games being at least 100 bucks a pop, but YES. I love my saturn <3

[Digi.k]

That's often why it's best to import for the saturn just like with TG16.When i was buying for the saturn,many years ago i had the common sense to keep what i bought for it.Good thing to given how games such as pds cost a fortune now.

This is the best advice for the Saturn. Domestic (UK and US) games are expensive and really, you can get the same enjoyment out of most them with you can use translation guide etc to get just as much out of them with just a little more hassle. I'm glad I had a Saturn when they current and picked most of the games up when they were reduced in bargain bins. I remember picking up PDS for £30 on release and I still have that copy...I wouldn't like to go out and buy it now.

Well who knew back then the prices that these games would fetch today...  Back then in 98 I paid roughly 37 quid for my PDS at Virgin Megastores  brand new.

^lucky dog! 

my last few purchases added to be quite a bit:

Salamander Deluxe Pack - $40
DoDonPachi - $40
Elevator Action Returns - $40
Magic Knight Rayearth - $115
Marvel vs SF - $23
Akumajo Dracula X - $60

and those seriously took some looking, too. I'm wiped, god knows if and when i'll ever find deals on Shining III or Burning Rangers.

Man if I knew the money people would pay for the Working Designs version of MKR I would have kept it till today.  Mine had the original sticker sheet and also I had bought the original figures that were made by Sega during a trip to hong kong many years ago and I sold them together some time ago..

[Ninja Spirit]

Made some really solid Saturn scores over the past year or so...

[InfraMan]

Man, this thread brings back some great memories. I remember walking into EB one day and seeing the Saturn just sitting there on the shelf... this was after I'd been reading all those previews and import reviews in GameFan for the last few months. I'd recently gotten my first seriously paying job, so I walked out of there with a brand new Saturn along with Clockwork Knight, Panzer Dragoon, and Daytona... this was obviously before I'd learned any kind of financial self-control, lol.

It's hard to explain now just how stunning this stuff was back then. After years of 16-bit graphics, this really was a whole new world... especially Panzer, which made my little mind asplode. The only other jump from one gen to the next that even came close to having that kind of impact on me was the Dreamcast and Soul Calibur.

Anyways, like so many other posters on here, I still love the Saturn. I wish it had performed better in North America, but Sega really did make a lot of unfortunate mistakes over here. Still, there are a ton of great games that you just aren't gonna find anywhere else, especially if you import.

And like several other posters on here, I cleaned up at the end of the Saturn's brief lifespan. I remember picking up a bunch of great games at EB when they were clearing out their stock for under $20... Rayearth, Albert Odyssey, Shining Force III, etc. I still have all my originals, too... if only I'd had the foresight to buy up all those extra copies back then, lol.

[xelement5x]

And like several other posters on here, I cleaned up at the end of the Saturn's brief lifespan. I remember picking up a bunch of great games at EB when they were clearing out their stock for under $20... Rayearth, Albert Odyssey, Shining Force III, etc. I still have all my originals, too... if only I'd had the foresight to buy up all those extra copies back then, lol.

You know I've thought the same thing as well several times for a lot of stuff I picked up back then, but I doubt it would have been worth it. 

Say you spent like most of your fun money for the month on "stockpiling" games, how would you have known when to cash out?  Even 5 years ago you probably would have made a profit off the initial investment, and if you waited until now it could be even more if you left them sealed, but at what cost?   

Not having cash to go out and do stuff with friends for a month in HS would have been worse to me.  Do I regret not grabbing more stuff back then, sure.  But I think I spent the cash pretty wisely buying the games I wanted (thankfully not a lot of crappy games), and still having the funds to do other stuff too.

[InfraMan]

And like several other posters on here, I cleaned up at the end of the Saturn's brief lifespan. I remember picking up a bunch of great games at EB when they were clearing out their stock for under $20... Rayearth, Albert Odyssey, Shining Force III, etc. I still have all my originals, too... if only I'd had the foresight to buy up all those extra copies back then, lol.

You know I've thought the same thing as well several times for a lot of stuff I picked up back then, but I doubt it would have been worth it. 

Say you spent like most of your fun money for the month on "stockpiling" games, how would you have known when to cash out?  Even 5 years ago you probably would have made a profit off the initial investment, and if you waited until now it could be even more if you left them sealed, but at what cost?   

Not having cash to go out and do stuff with friends for a month in HS would have been worse to me.  Do I regret not grabbing more stuff back then, sure.  But I think I spent the cash pretty wisely buying the games I wanted (thankfully not a lot of crappy games), and still having the funds to do other stuff too.

That's a good point. Anyway, I think it's more of a thing people just say wistfully, rather than a literal sentiment.

Plus, if I had bought those extras back then, I would have been depriving someone else the joy of experiencing them. Good games deserve better than being boxed up in a closet for years and years... heck, even bad games deserve better than that. Games are made for playin'!

[DragonmasterDan]

And like several other posters on here, I cleaned up at the end of the Saturn's brief lifespan. I remember picking up a bunch of great games at EB when they were clearing out their stock for under $20... Rayearth, Albert Odyssey, Shining Force III, etc. I still have all my originals, too... if only I'd had the foresight to buy up all those extra copies back then, lol.

You know I've thought the same thing as well several times for a lot of stuff I picked up back then, but I doubt it would have been worth it. 

Say you spent like most of your fun money for the month on "stockpiling" games, how would you have known when to cash out?  Even 5 years ago you probably would have made a profit off the initial investment, and if you waited until now it could be even more if you left them sealed, but at what cost?   

Not having cash to go out and do stuff with friends for a month in HS would have been worse to me.  Do I regret not grabbing more stuff back then, sure.  But I think I spent the cash pretty wisely buying the games I wanted (thankfully not a lot of crappy games), and still having the funds to do other stuff too.

That's a good point. Anyway, I think it's more of a thing people just say wistfully, rather than a literal sentiment.

Plus, if I had bought those extras back then, I would have been depriving someone else the joy of experiencing them. Good games deserve better than being boxed up in a closet for years and years... heck, even bad games deserve better than that. Games are made for playin'!

Well Rayearth was fairly inexpensive up until a few years ago. After Working Designs went under NOS copies were floating around for around 50.00 or so new for years. It's only recently that its value has skyrocketed.

I also remember going to EB and Toys R Us and a few stores and seeing those now very expensive Saturn titles discounted. I actually picked up Shining Force III for 29.99 at an EB as I waited until January or so of 1999 to pick it up.

[Tatsujin]

best lookin' saturn version ever is the Hi-Navi Saturn. unfortunatelly it's also the most uncommon and most expensive one.

dumb world!!!

[esadajr]

MKR is certainly a fun action rpg, but like many other "retro" titles, not worth the asking price.

Even with current economics, it is still a better "investment" just to break a few Saturns performing swap. Replacement parts like lenses seem to be in decent supply at decent prices (cool thing about "off the shelf" components).

[VenomMacbeth]

You know, with all the sega scaler ports on the Saturn (After Burner, Out Run, Galaxy Force, etc.) it just begs the question...

Saturn...Y u no Thunder Blade?

[xelement5x]

MKR is certainly a fun action rpg, but like many other "retro" titles, not worth the asking price.

Even with current economics, it is still a better "investment" just to break a few Saturns performing swap. Replacement parts like lenses seem to be in decent supply at decent prices (cool thing about "off the shelf" components).

Even the disc swapping isn't that bad as long as you're not built like a gorilla and have some delicacy.  I disc swapped with my Saturn for a solid 3-4 years during college and that one still runs like a champ.