Shmup Junkie & friends rank every Sega Saturn STG

[neat_beans]

Long time lurker and no-time poster here! I just finished watching Shmup Junkie's latest feature-length epic where he reviews and ranks every shooter on the Sega Saturn, this time with guest reviewers from other well-known shmuptubers in the community.

I came here to see if the final rankings had been documented anywhere and saw that they hadn't, so figured I'd do it myself for the benefit of anyone else interested. I'll also include notes crediting the guest reviews, references to port comparisons, and names of games reviewed within collections where not obvious from the game title (he makes a point that the other non-shmup games included won't influence his ranking). Without further ado:

S+

Spoiler

Darius Gaiden (guest review by Bofner)
Layer Section a.k.a. Rayforce (guest review by Boghog)
Radiant Silvergun (guest review by Mark_MSX) - says it's the definitive version thanks to lowest lag over Xbox 360, Steam & Switch

S

Spoiler

Battle Garegga
Cotton Boomerang
Dazaemon 2
Panzer Dragon Zwei (guest review by Spiders_STG)
Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus - says Sat = PS1, no notable differences beyond slightly grainer FMV intro on Sat
Sexy Parodius - says Sat = PS1, any differences are "just nitpicking"
Soukyugurentai - says Sat > PS1 as the latter has issues with slowdown and arcade inaccuracies
Thunder Force V - says Sat > PS1 for visual issues on the latter
Twinkle Star Sprites (guest review by Pearl)

A+

Spoiler

Batsugun
Fantasy Zone (guest review by Pearl)
The Game Paradise!
Gokujo Parodius Da! Deluxe Pack - says Sat > PS1 since PS1 has some odd resolution cutting on Da. Both games individually are S-tier but lack of extras from the SFC version in Da! and no button remapping ("inexcusable by this time") marginally lowers the score
Jikkyo! Oshaberi Parodius - says Sat = PS1 and both preferable to the SFC original; doesn't make any comparisons of the exclusive content (Extra mode vs Accident stages) between ports
Metal Black - says it's the definitive home conversion due to visual issues on PS2
Thunder Force Gold Pack 2 - notes audio reproduction issues on IV but extra ship and removed slowdown gives it at least arguable value compared to the MD original

A

Spoiler

Cotton 2 - says that 2 and Boomerang are mechanically different enough to warrant experiencing both
Detana Twinbee Yahho! Deluxe Pack - says Sat = PS1, no noticeable differences, would rate Detana an A- and Yahho an A+ alone and the only thing stopping the collection getting an S is the lack of Tate mode
Gradius Deluxe Pack - says Saturn = PS1, but lack of extras and his preference for the PC Engine versions drops the ranking
Guardian Force
Gunbird - says Sat > PS1 for actually including Tate
Hyper Duel
Image Fight & X-Multiply - says Sat version has scaling issues in Yoko not seen in the PS1 port, otherwise no differences noted
Konami Antiques MSX Collection (guest review by ShmupsBR)
Night Striker - says Sat > PS1 due to better draw distance and extra content
Sengoku Blade
Strikers 1945 - says Sat > PS1 for slowdown on the latter
Thunder Force Gold Pack 1 - notes audio issues compared to the MD originals
Wolf Fang

A-

Spoiler

Kingdom Grand Prix
Shienryu

B+

Spoiler

Capcom Generation Vol. 1 inc. 1942, 1943 & 1943 Kai (guest review by Pearl)
Gun Frontier (guest review by Ak's Arcade)
Sonic Wings Special - says Sat = PS1, except for the PAL PS1 version since it doesn't save your progress
Strikers 1945 II - says PS1 > Sat for oddly large hitbox on the latter
Tempest 2000 - says he probably prefers Jaguar > Saturn overall as the changes aren't necessarily upgrades

B

Spoiler

Blast Wind (guest review by Ak's Arcade)
Bokan to Ippatsu! Doronbo Kanpekiban
Capcom Generation Vol. 3 inc. Exed Exes, Vulgus, Son Son
Capcom Generation Vol. 4 inc. Gun.Smoke
Galaxy Force II
Kyukyoku Tiger II Plus
Panzer Dragoon (guest review by Spiders_STG)
Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits

B-

Spoiler

3 Wonders inc. Chariot
Darius II (guest review by Bofner)
Donpachi (guest review by Mark_MSX) - says PS1 > Sat by a small margin for better graphics and sound
Gekirindan - says the arcade game is a B+ but let down by a poor porting job
Skull Fang
Steam Heart's

C+

Spoiler

Cho Aniki: Kyūkyoku Otoko no Gyakushū
G-Vector
In The Hunt - PS1 > Sat for the latter's horrendous slowdown
Midway Presents Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection

C

Spoiler

Dodonpachi (guest review by Mark_MSX) - says Sat = PS1 but ultimately neither port is worth playing
Layer Section II a.k.a. RayStorm - says it's an S-tier game but PS1 > Sat due to issues with transparencies, slowdown and audio on the latter and better exclusive content on the former

C-

Spoiler

Macross: Do You Remember Love?
Sol Divide
Space Invaders

D

Spoiler

Sky Target
Terra Cresta 3D

F

Spoiler

Planet Joker

Unranked - "But there's more!"

Spoiler

GalaXmas
Shmup Salad - says it's "the best of these homebrews"
Sky Blaster
After Burner II & Space Harrier - says these are the most arcade accurate home conversions
Mobile Suit Gundam - says not really a shmup, and not really a good game either
Keio Flying Squadron 2 - says not a shmup but contains shmup stages, though not a scratch on the original

Overall it's a monumental task to review this many games and Junkie's done it with his usual brand of infectious hype and zeal. I've only played about 1/5th of the games listed here, but of the ones I know I don't see many rankings I disagree with. I'm surprised Sokyugurentai didn't get an S+ ranking as one of the major remaining Saturn exclusives - arguably Layer Section and Darius Gaiden are now best played on PS4 as part of their respective collections - but I can settle for an S lol.

That said, Mark_MSX's review of Dodonpachi stands out as overly harsh. He's entirely correct to point out the substantial arcade inaccuracies, but it would've also been nice for him to give his standalone thoughts on what he calls the "Saturn Arrange" - rather than just making the same observations from his earlier port comparison video and writing it off entirely. No way is it worse than Steam Heart's

[SePh1r0tH]

Definitely an enjoyable watch and a lot of effort and time clearly goes into making these huge videos. I’ve played and own most of these games (a lot of them acquired on this site over the years).

I was super happy to learn about Dezaemon 2 and all of its downloadable “demos” or user made games. I’ve always read that this title was one to avoid mostly unless you had interest in creating your own STG.

IcarusFW has details on how to obtain these extras I assume on his YouTube channel. Will check it out once my copy arrives. Hopefully it works on real hardware or with a saroo!

[Bassa-Bassa]

Are they really saying something it hasn't been said already in places like this for decades now or is it that these days nobody likes reading? Honest question -I'm not that much into Youtubers stuff- but seeing they apparently treat Gradius DP or Gokujou Parodius equally on SAT and PS1 makes me wonder if so much pomp is really deserved.

[SuperDeadite]

Not gonna watch the video, cause his "style" gives me headaches, but Cotton 2 is a better game than Boomerang.

[XtraSmiley]

Neat Beans, thanks for the post, very cool of you to organize it for us!

I love his videos and actually would have enjoyed it if he had reviewed them all himself, but brining in the other reviewers was a neat idea. Of course no one is going to agree with a list of every game and how they compare, but it was definitely a great watch over a few days.

I'm going to have to check out some of these games on MiSTer now...

[neat_beans]

Are they really saying something it hasn't been said already in places like this for decades now or is it that these days nobody likes reading? Honest question -I'm not that much into Youtubers stuff- but seeing they apparently treat Gradius DP or Gokujou Parodius equally on SAT and PS1 makes me wonder if so much pomp is really deserved.

The primary purpose of the video is to rank and review the entire console's library, which I'm not aware of anyone having done before. The port comparisons are more of a bonus - they admittedly do range from pretty thorough (Raystorm, Tempest, Donpachi series) to fairly superficial (Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius has exclusive content that could've definitely been discussed and I know Sexy has transparency issues on Saturn - but maybe that's the "nitpicking" he meant).

While anyone who's been living and breathing this stuff for decades is unlikely to learn of any 'hidden gems' in a library as well-documented as the Saturn, I'd say it's still fun to get opinions from genuine genre enthusiasts (rather than clout-hunting collectors). And as a resource for new players getting into the genre, videos like these are uniquely excellent for introducing the platform's highlights.

[AGermanArtist]

I hate that fucking cycling hat.

[hamfighterx]

That said, Mark_MSX's review of Dodonpachi stands out as overly harsh. He's entirely correct to point out the substantial arcade inaccuracies, but it would've also been nice for him to give his standalone thoughts on what he calls the "Saturn Arrange" - rather than just making the same observations from his earlier port comparison video and writing it off entirely. No way is it worse than Steam Heart's

Absolutely wild that, if we're talking about dropping the score for Saturn ports of otherwise good games that have technical issues/inaccuracies with the port, Saturn GEKRINDAN is ranked above DoDonPachi (TBH, I was clicking through the spoilers waiting to see Gekrindan near the very bottom of the list).

I'm glad to see the video putting everything in one place, really nice resource. As is this excellent list, thanks neat_beans!

[davyK]

It's well known that Mark hates the DoDonPachi port but he's 2-ALLed the game. For anyone on normal skill level it deserves a better rating than that.

[1KMS]

The positions of Thunder Force V and Sol Divide should be swapped.

Spoiler

[it290]

Tempest 2000 - says Jaguar > Saturn as former version is more arcade-accurate

The original game was made for the Jaguar. Tempest 2000 was never an arcade game.

[neat_beans]

Tempest 2000 - says Jaguar > Saturn as former version is more arcade-accurate

The original game was made for the Jaguar. Tempest 2000 was never an arcade game.

You're absolutely right, thanks for pointing that out - updated now.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Tempest 2000 - says Jaguar > Saturn as former version is more arcade-accurate

The original game was made for the Jaguar. Tempest 2000 was never an arcade game.

You're absolutely right, thanks for pointing that out - updated now.

On the PSX, Tempest 2000 was released under the name of "Tempest X3" with development done by High Voltage Software -- it does have support for the Namco NeGcon controller as well.

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On the Sega Saturn & Sony Playstation consoles, the USA region ports of "In The Hunt" were done by American video game publisher, Kokopeli Studios, which was a subsidiary of T-HQ. As it is, ItH was their only video game software title to be released on both the SS & PSX consoles before "going under" making it truly a rare video game title collectible indeed. The PSX port of ItH has a bit more user adjustable game options compared to the SS port of the same name.
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PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[xEbb1993x]

I can't believe people still think Radiant Silvergun is better on Saturn when honestly, getting a copy and a Saturn feels like everyone's white whale to this day. And Darius Gaiden is far from the best game of the franchise. CS blows everything else out of the water.