Why Buy A Saturn?

by Wes Pringle

This Christmas, gamers will have some of the best offerings ever available with regards to videogames. I cannot remember a time when so many top notch games were available, in such large quantities. Truly, in 1996, it is a buyer's market in terms of videogames.

Many people will jump into the Next Generation this year. Many more I believe than did last year. All the major players are out. The price points are hot, and the software is even hotter. The trick is finding out which system is right for you. I will let others attempt to offer a completely unbiased review of all systems (though a truly unbiased review simply does not exist, as humans, we all have our biases). What I will do in this editorial, is talk about all the reasons why I believe the Sega Saturn is the system of choice. Before I get into my reasons however, I should point out that because all of the major systems are so hot - this Christmas, the consumer truly can't go wrong.

Why Get a Saturn? - The Top Reasons

Reason #1 - Sega Exclusive Games

Sega has one thing that the competition simply does not. The Sega Saturn has the direct line to all those great "Sega Exclusive" titles. The most notable are the arcade conversions by AM2 and AM3 (Virtua Fighter 2, Fighting Vipers, Virtual On, Virtual Fighter Remix, Sega Rally, Daytona CCE, Virtua Cop 1 and Virtua Cop 2).

And of course, there is the list of arcade conversions that we have not yet seen. Last Bronx, Manxx TT, Gunblade New York, and of course, Virtua Fighter 3. All of these games have been announced for the Saturn in '97.

These outstanding Sega arcade conversions almost make the Saturn the best choice all by themselves. But the list of Sega exclusives does not stop there. Nights, Panzer Dragoon II, Worldwide Soccer '97, World Series Baseball 2 and Guardian Heroes are a few more Sega Exclusives which are worthy of mention.

Those that have played these games know what I am talking about. Those that have not - but are thinking about getting a system this Christmas - should! I'll sum it up by saying: These are GREAT games! And there's not just one or two of them, there are dozens! There's something about how the Japanese Sega programmers think which just leads to better games. Yu Suzuki of AM2 and Yuji Naka of Sonic Team - are arguably the most talented game developers in the world (the only contender being Nintendo's Miyamoto). While I admit that Nintendo has in-house talent of this caliber, it is certainly true that the Playstation does not. This undeniable fact is summed up very well in the Christmas issue of GamePlayers.

"All said and done, I play my Saturn far more than my N64 or Playstation. The reason is simple, it has the better games".

Reason #2 - Working Designs

For the uninitiated, Working Designs is a software development house. They are experts at taking the very best Role-Playing and Strategy games from Japan, and bringing them into the English Language market. Those that know their games call them the "Gift from God Company". They publish only for Sega.

So far, they have released one truly outstanding title, and one very good title for the Saturn. Iron Storm - their best title to date, is universally regarded as the best strategy game available for any video game system. The only title that promises to surpass it is the soon to be released "Dragonforce" - yet another Working Designs title that is to be released this week. And later in '97, Saturn owners will be the owners of the first and only 32 bit version of the classic "Lunar". A game that many considered to be the best role player of all time.

Working Designs games are brilliantly packaged (Full colour manuals with a heavy, highly glossy stock, and brilliant graphics on the disk itself) and perfectly put together. They take their time with games and it shows. Quite frankly, one Working Designs title is typically worth 3 or 4 lesser titles.

Reason #3 - Superior 2D Games

When the Sega Saturn was developed, it was designed to be both powerful in 2D, and 3D. Both the Playstation and Nintendo 64 were designed with only 3D in mind.

There are genuine differences in how a system works in 2D and 3D, and as a result, the Saturn truly does have the best 2D games. You see this most clearly with the Capcom conversions. Street Fighter Alpha 2 for the Saturn is simply superior to any other home version. Also, Guardian Heroes for the Saturn is an impressive showcase of 2D ability which has yet to be rivelled on another system.

It is true that 2D games are not the most cited when people refer to "system graphics". But it should be pointed out that these games are still very very fun, and they are never going to go away entirely. Street Fighter Alpha 2 remains one of the Next Generation's top titles, and there's not a polygon to be found anywhere.

Reason #4 - The Best Christmas Offer

This Christmas, Sega is offering the best deal in the marketplace. Are they doing this because they are trailing the PSX in units sold? Probably, but I don't care. All I know is that for the price of a PSX alone, I can get a Saturn with 3 of the best games that are out for ANY system (Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter 2 and Daytona). If you are lucky, you may be able to find a "Sega Rally" pack, and get a 4th awesome title for free as well.

Essentially the deal works like this. If you buy 3 of the very best games that are currently available for a Next Generation System - Sega will give you a Saturn for free. If you think of it that way its pretty hard to pass up isn't it? Well the fact is that few are passing it up. In the first weekend since this offer has gone out - Sega has sold 500,000 Saturns in the US alone! That is impressive by any standards.

Reason #5 - The Saturn is the #1 System in Japan

Those that know the videogame industry well know that Japan is the motherland of videogames. If you are in solid in Japan, you are doing well. Why is this true? Because the best software developers in the world are based in Japan, and they write games primarily for the Japanese market.

The fact that the Saturn is the clear market leader in Japan means that the very best developers in the world - both Sega and others - will continue to release amazing titles for the Saturn. After all, once Capcom has created "Marvel Super Heroes" for the Saturn, it is very easy to bring it over to North America. This fact is evident in the recent decision by Capcom to make "Street Fighter Vs. X-Men" a Saturn exclusive. It will not be released for either the Playstation, or the Nintendo 64.

Reason #6 - Sega is in this for the long haul.

One of the things which some people worry about is whether or not Sega will walk away from the Saturn the way that they did with the 32X. Well frankly, the Saturn is not a 32X, in the same way that the Nintendo 64 is no Virtual Boy.

The 32X was never supported by Sega of Japan. It was primariy a Sega of America initiative designed primarily for the American market. The problem with this approach is that all the great Sega programmers are over in Japan. Without Japanese support and committment, the 32X didn't have a change. Sega finally figured that out.

The Saturn on the other hand has tremendous Japanese support. AM2 and AM3 are regularly pulled off of their arcade projects to write top notch titles for the Saturn. The recently announced "Fighters MegaMix - due out in January - is an excellent example of this.

Further, Sega is committed to ensuring that the Saturn is successful. Remember, Sega is just about the largest videogame company in the world. Anyone who thinks that Sega is about to walk away from this market is simply foolish and doesn't understand business. They must succeed, and more recently, they are succeeding. Their 3 pack game offer should have been a surprise to no one. It is an offer that neither Sony nor Nintendo can do. Sony can't do it because they don't write their own games. No 3rd party developer is going to give Sony free games so they can sell systems. Sony would have to buy every last one of them at top dollar. Nintendo can't do it because the cartridges cost too much. Also, the Nintendo simply doesn't have enough games which are out. If they give a few games away, that only leaves one or two for sale!

That leaves Sega with the unique opportunity to pursue an offer like this, and pursue it they did. The proof is in the pudding, the Saturn is now outselling Playstations and Nintendos at many retailers. Will this kind of offer go away? For a while, but because Sega has this advantage, they will continue to offer this kind of deal into the future. If Sony drops their price to $149, Sega will also drop their price and still offer free games. Like I said, Sega is committed to this business, and they know a few things about how to compete from a #2 position.

In closing, let me just offer my initial thought once again. This Christmas you really can't go wrong. With 3 great systems to choose from, and hundreds of outstanding games, there simply has never been so great a selection. Whatever you do, consider you decision based on the games, and the fun you have with them. Rent the systems, get the best titles, and play them. Not just for a day - impressive graphics typically win out in the first 24 hours with a new game. Rent them for a week. Then ask yourself: Which system has the best games, and a very good selection? Which system gives me the most fun? For my money, the answer is the Sega Saturn.