I'm thinking about getting a second Sega Saturn game...

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Yes, your ead the title right I have only a single Sega Saturn game (Panzer Dragoon).

I have the Western version of the console so I need to stick to NTSC titles. I'm fairly sure I cannot afford to drop 100+ dollars on Radiant Silvergun. With that said, what games should I consider picking up for about 10-20 dollars? I would like to know how many Japanese titles actually made it over here, most of the Sega Saturn stuff looks like janky American stuff. I see a parallel with the Sega CD as far as the flavour of the available titles go.

So shmups or not, what was good from Japan at a reasonable price?

[Ed Oscuro]

Psychic Killer Taromaru

[terry330]

As far as cheap good shmups:

Darius Gaiden
Galactic Attack/Layer Section

Both are good games that had US releases and quite cheap.

Also since you already have Panzer Dragoon why don't you go ahead and pick up Zwei, it's quite a bit better than the first and also cheap.

[Specineff]

Darius Gaiden and Galactic Attack/Rayforce ASAP. Cheap, localized and awesome. I think there's also a port of Darius 2, but you have zoom it in or out.

Give also Nights and Burning Rangers a whirl. Rayman and Clockwork Knight 1 and 2 are good.

Get a 4-in-1 Action replay or mod your system, and prepare to be assaulted by SNK's and Capcom's finest fighters of the decade: KOF 96 and 97, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men Vs SF, MSH VS SF, Street Fighter Alpha 3 (kinda expensive) Galaxy Fight, Waku Waku 7 and Astra Superstars.

Daytona CCE, Sega Rally, Wipeout and Wipeout XL (this one is JP and PAL only) for your racers.

Shining Force 3, Dragon Force, and Panzer Dragoon Saga, too. (Prepare to spend a pretty penny for these, though)

Also, if you can run PAL games, try Deep Fear. It's a decent RE clone.

[Joe T.]

A few more favorites with US releases:

Guardian Heroes
Necronomicon
Last Gladiators

I would have said Silhouette Mirage but it only had a US PSX release. To be honest though, it isn't until you get into NTSC-J Saturn games when you realize how righteous of a console the Saturn was.

[neorichieb1971]

I know I am in the minority but Game paradise has always been a game that really pleased me. It just has an awesome intro, great colour pallette, just about every effect the Saturn could do (scaling, rotation, sprite shifting, awesome audio effects) and it does it flawlessly with no slowdown. Its a charming game to boot.

It has a Japanese menu but an odd English voice over tells you your selection.

After that I would go for one of the Parodius games.

If cutesy shooting isn't your thing ignore everything I said.

[BulletMagnet]

Astal is a short and simple platformer, but the 2D graphics are lovely and it shouldn't cost much.

And yeah, definitely get yourself an Action Replay or some other import-enabling cartridge at some point - the Saturn's hardly worth owning without one.

[Jockel]

Or just use the swap trick and die happy.
It's not like the developers gain anything from you paying 150$ for a used copy of RSG.

[E. Randy Dupre]

Of those mentioned, I'd steer clear of Daytona CCE. It's an okay racing game, but the handling of the vehicles and the overall atmsophere of the game have absolutely nothing to do with the arcade original. The Wipeout games were poor ports, so if you've got something that'll play the PS1 originals, stick with those.

You're going to be lucky to get many decent Saturn games for $10 - $20, by the way. There are loads of releases that could be listed, but not in that range.

[Sandlegs]

Guardian Heroes

This, if you can find it reasonably priced.

[GaijinPunch]

Get the cheap 4 in 1 thing to play imports.

Buy:
Keio Yuugekitai (not too pricey, but good)
Silhouette Mirage
Panzer Dragoon Zwei

[gum_drops]

Here are some other random saturn games that are not too expensive.

Metal Slug (one on ebay for 33.00 shipped right now - not bad)
Gunbird
Donpachi
Elevator Action Returns
Guardian Heroes (import versions is cheaper)
Tenchi Wo Kurau II (my favorite beat em up on the system)
Nekketsu Oyako

[apple arcade]

I know you said you can't play imports ...yet

but I would go about getting Battle Garegga. to me, it's the number 1 reason to own a saturn.

[Bloodreign]

Garegga isn't exactly cheap either, I've seen it go for over $100 several times on ebay, same with Batsugun.

[Despatche]

-Akumajo Dracula X Gekka (might be worth a look-see)
-Blast Wind
-Guardian Heroes
-Hyper Duel
-Silhouette Mirage
-Thunder Force Gold Pack 1 & 2 (uhh)
-Thunder Force V

[Jockel]

I know you said you can't play imports ...yet

but I would go about getting Battle Garegga. to me, it's the number 1 reason to own a saturn.

Listen to this man / trap, as he / it speaks the truth.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I'd suggest Mega Man 8, but the US voices in that game are reason enough to make your Saturn region free and go for Rockman 8 instead. I mean it. Also, if your telly sports something better than composite intput, get yourself a proper cable to get the most out of the gorgeous graphics.

[ratlhead]

Shining the Holy Ark for the classic turn based RPG fix. One of the best for the system (and one of the best RPG's ever) IMO.

[Herr Schatten]

Get the cheap 4 in 1 thing to play imports.

Buy:
Keio Yuugekitai (not too pricey, but good)

I totally second this. It's one of the most fun platformers I've ever played. Wonderfully weird and lovely to look at.

[BrianC]

A few more favorites with US releases:

Guardian Heroes
Necronomicon
Last Gladiators

I would have said Silhouette Mirage but it only had a US PSX release. To be honest though, it isn't until you get into NTSC-J Saturn games when you realize how righteous of a console the Saturn was.

Necronomicon didn't get a US release. The JP version is fairly cheap, though. I definitely recommend getting an Action Replay 4 in 1. There are plenty of good imports for saturn that can be had for fairly cheap. Stuff like the Parodius Deluxe Pack, Vampire Savior, and some of the SEGA Ages games.

As far as US games, some of the SEGA arcade ports like Virtua Fighter 2 and the Virtua Cop games can be found for pretty cheap. Galactic Attack is a good one to pick up too.

Some JP games like Nights and the Panzer Dragoons are actually cheaper than their US counterparts.

I'd suggest Mega Man 8, but the US voices in that game are reason enough to make your Saturn region free and go for Rockman 8 instead. I mean it. Also, if your telly sports something better than composite intput, get yourself a proper cable to get the most out of the gorgeous graphics.

I found it funny how in Mega Man 8 (I'm guessing it has the same voices as PSX), despite the name changes to Bass and Treble, Mega Man calls Bass "Bass" like the fish.

[genecyst]

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-k8- ... 0-1b2.html
this is the best thing you can buy for your saturn.

after that:
soukyugurentai 20-30 $
dodonpachi 20-30 $
super puzzle fighter (the best release of this game in my opinion) around 10$
pocket fighter - around 10$
street fighter alpha 2 (alpha 3 is less expensive on dreamcast) around 10$
parodius in any form
detana twinbee

there are a lot of great games other than these but these are quite cheaper.

best game ever on saturn:
silhouette mirage

having seen the games you've made in the past i think you will like a lot the puzzle shmupping of radiant silvergun.

[louisg]

You should be able to snag Darius Gaiden and RayForce in the $10-$12 range.. both games are awesome! Other good cheap Saturn games: Sega Rally (if you like arcade racing games it's fantastic), Nights is wonderful (but you'll want the 3d controller), Virtual On is good (and controls better on pad than the DC one), and you should be able to grab some of the Capcom fighting games like Street Fighter Alpha 2, X-Men, or Marvel Super Heroes pretty cheaply... I think.

And Sega Ages is a great disc to have around if you feel the need to play Outrun or Space Harrier with groovy scanlines. Its Afterburner II has a wide-scope mode that makes it much more playable and has a 1CC replay. OutRun has both Japan and World level sequences selectable and the 60hz mode (though the import version has a remixed soundtrack absent from the US release).

Virtua Fighter 2 is also good if you don't already have Virtua Fighter 4, and it can be had for about a buck. All the games I've listed are domestic and should be somewhat cheap.. or they were a decade ago.

You'll want to consider getting an import dealie. You can get the ST-Key for $10 and it works fine-- you only need expanded memory for a couple games like Metal Slug or maybe some of the KoFs. If you get one, I cannot recommend Darius II -- stick with Gaiden. Also, not all imports are expensive; I think some like Panzer Dragoon Zwei may be cheaper as an import even.

I'd also say steer clear of Daytona CCE. Daytona 1 has horrible graphics, but it actually plays very well. Daytona CCE is slick, but slow and dull in comparison. If you absolutely need a Daytona, I might even just recommend the DC Daytona, but that one basically needs a steering wheel or it plays horribly.

[neorichieb1971]

Pixel outlaw has left the building. I think these types of threads are asking for trouble. Its like going into a car show and saying you've got 20k to spend on a car and 50 people come running up trying to sell you theirs. You end up buying nothing.

[louisg]

wait, how did I forget Die Hard Arcade, my favorite beat 'em up ever? (it's also a domestic game)

[dunpeal2064]

@OP It seems like there are a lot of games, so maybe narrow it down to a genre or two?

[Skykid]

Psychic Killer Taromaru

[evil_ash_xero]

Yeah, just snag one of those Action Reply carts. Then you can actually make your Saturn worth something.


But for NTSC U games....

Panzer Dragoon Zwei
Galactic Attack
Darius Gaiden
Dragon Force(it might cost a bit though)

There's a good bit more available for the NTSC J side of things, so i'll let everyone else inform you on it.

[Koa Zo]

Considering the one game he has for Saturn is Panzer Dragoon, and that is the flagship series for the console,
there is no other correct answer to his inquiry than to suggest Panzer Dragoon Zwie.

Playing through the Panzer Dragoon series in order is the only way to go.
And PDZ is one of the best sequels ever, seeing improvements in all aspects of the game while still retaining the original concepts, along with the fact that it is challenging, semi-non-linear, and has a great scoring and ranking system.

[cj iwakura]

Dragon Force retails for around $50. Not bad, considering it's easily the finest game on the console, and has eight campaigns with wildly different content. (It's a strategic warfare RPG with 100 soldier armies, not quite like any other.)