MiSTer FPGA can do WHAT NOW??

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@Ongion10/15/2023, 4:15 AM

Lupi @lupi

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 1:27 AM

So after doing a routine update on my MiSTer FPGA after far, far too much neglect, I was shocked to find that the venerable Sega Saturn was added to the list of consoles that are officially supported. I guess the experimental core is out of beta and into the official release! After some brief testing with a patched version of Bulk Slash, I can actually confirm things run really well.

This is super nice. Every attempt I've made at emulation via desktop has been plagued with some manner of issue - Graphical hiccup, timing issues, slow framerate, audio crackle, control responsiveness. Plus, there's not really a friendly ecosystem of emulators available for the Saturn, at least in my experience. With the MiSTer able to play things with reasonable fidelity, I'm all set to delve into the world made possible by none other than Segata Sanshiro!

Uh... Except...

I don't know anything about Saturn games. It was an era in gaming I entirely missed.

Does anyone have suggestions on "Must Play" Saturn games? I'll be playing through Bulk Slash, since I love me some mecha, but beyond that and maybe Virtual-On I don't have many plans. I'm not much of a SHMUP gal, I confess, but anything else is fair game. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

#Also holy hell does the PSX look great on Mister #Vagrant Story looks GORGEOUS

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in reply to @PhormTheGenie's post:

Dax @fineursine10/15/2023, 1:45 AM

NiGHTs is a classic, but it's been ported a few times so you might have played it.

The Bomberman didn't get ported and that's real good.

Also, Burning Rangers! And friends have spoken highly of the original Panzer Dragoon, but I think that got re-made with HD graphics.

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 1:48 AM

NiGHTs seems like an absolute must, as I've never interacted with it at all. And I hadn't even thought of Bomberman.

Oh!! Right!! Burning Rangers!! That is one I absolutely need to play. Thank you!

Panzer Dragoon - I did play the one they brought to XBox way, way back. I didn't really click with it. But starting at the original sounds like a much better way to go!

Thank you for all of these suggestions!!

Dax @fineursine10/15/2023, 4:25 AM

You're welcome! A friend is running a table-top game inspired by BR soon, so it's fresh on my mind.

Also just remembered Snatcher is probably best on the Saturn. Arguably!

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 4:02 PM

Oh, that's a good point! I've played Snatcher so many times on the SegaCD. I should give the Saturn a try...

Hrm. I wonder what Policenauts is like on the Saturn, too. Maybe the fan translation is better.

arborelia @arborelia10/15/2023, 2:34 AM

I think the only Saturn game I've personally played is Necronomicon Pinball, which was pretty neat, but the most fascinating game I've seen for the platform (watching @Lizstar's playthroughs of it) is Mr. Bones

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 3:43 AM

I have heard of neither of these games, and I am utterly fascinated. Thank you!

🌊@wave10/15/2023, 10:26 AM

I'm late to the party here so I was just gonna mention Necronomicon. Don't miss it.

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 4:12 PM

Okay, that one gets bumped up the list, then. I usually am not much for pinball (unless it is a very table), but this has me very curious!

TrashBoat: Arcade Edition @TrashBoatDaGod10/15/2023, 2:46 AM

I'm gonna suggest Baku Baku animal and any of the Panzer Dragoon games on Saturn, even the RPG one.

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 3:44 AM

Oooh, Baku Baku animal looks fun! And I am quickly learning that Panzer Dragoon of any stripe seems to be a system cornerstone. Thank you so much for the suggestions!

Garbunkle🔞@Garbunkle10/15/2023, 2:56 AM

as a Saturn owner I can at least second Burning Rangers, it's probably one of my favorite games on the system so far! Other games I've got on me are Daytona USA (an okay port, but one of the Saturn's earlier titles), Rayman 1 and Brain Dead 13 (a Dragon's Lair-esque twitch action game, I mostly just have it because of the gorgeous 2D animation)

that said, I mostly own my Saturn for the Sonic titles, out of long-time obligation to the Sonic fan in me of course haha. I need to dig through the library some more too.

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 3:55 AM

Burning Rangers really is shaping up to be a must play for certain. And a Dragon's Lair-Alike sounds really fascinating! Particularly since I'm such a sucker for 2D animation.

I have to confess that I'm a Sonic fan too, but I've not played Sonic R or Sonic Jam. I may have to give those a try for sure. I know that Sonic 3D Blast had a Genesis version, but I'd be curious to see how the Saturn version compares!

Thanks so much for the recommendations <3

M A R M @virtualmarmalade10/15/2023, 4:42 AM

I feel like I barely remember the saturn era since I was so young, but the one game that's seared into my memory is a platformer called Astal. I remember it having some unique mechanics like being able to take a deep breath and blow enemies off screen lol. Also the cutscenes are kind of impressive for the time imo.
Other than that I remember some jrps on Saturn being good but I don't remember any specific titles so I guess just follow your heart 😅

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 4:02 PM

Oh, Astal sounds spiffy! thank you so much for the suggestion!!

@caranatar10/15/2023, 4:48 AM

Guardian Heroes is a cool side scrolling RPG/beat em up
nthing Panzer Dragoon
Virtua Fighter 2 and/or Fighters Megamix if you're into fighting games
Dragon Force is supposed to be like the best RPG ever or something but I've never played it so I can't vouch for it personally

Xīn Jīn Mèng @xinjinmeng10/15/2023, 5:12 AM

Everything on this list, seconded.

Then play Virtual Hydlide so you can say that you have played Virtual Hydlide. For 10 minutes, tops, then watch someone else's play-through and just lie about having finished it.

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 4:04 PM

I've seen many folks speedrun Virtual Hydlide, but I think it's probably worth playing as a rite of passage...

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 4:03 PM

I'll have to give Guardian Heroes a look at the very least, that sounds very in my interest for sure!

Thank you so much for the suggestions!

✨🔔The Beahive🎙️🥊@hystericempress10/15/2023, 7:07 AM

✨ Dragon Force is god-tier. Utterly gorgeous, brilliant mix of grand strategy and RPG, basically unrivaled to this day in doing what it did with such style.

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 4:04 PM

Okay, I consider this high praise from a reliable source, and it's getting bumped up to the top portion of the list. Thank you so much!

Jill @JillKatze10/15/2023, 7:45 AM

Linkle Liver Story got a fan translation semi-recently and it's my favorite obscure Saturn game https://www.romhacking.net/translations/4143/

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 4:05 PM

Oh!! I remember seeing a streamer I really enjoy play a portion of this fan translation, thinking it was really cool, and until this moment I had all but forgotten about it. Thank you for the recommendation!!

Jaime C @speedyjx10/15/2023, 8:20 AM

The Saturn port of Baroque got a translation recently, so would recommend grabbing that for sure. Grandia has had other releases but all based on the PS1 version. No content differences but some performance and visual ones that give the Saturn on the edge.

Shining in The Holy Ark is a neat DRPG too, Story of Thor 2 and Dark Saviour have their quirks but are worth grabbing too!

Astal and Silhouette Mirage are nice platformers, though the latter got the Working Designs treatment for its Western release which makes it worse to play.

Basically all of the Capcom and SNK fighting games are great on there, even with load times! If you like mechs then grave the Saturn version of Cyberbots for sure. Also recommend Anarchy in the Nippon which is based on Virtua Fighter 2, and is more of a goofy take on what it does.

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 4:06 PM

Oh heck, right, I had forgotten that SNK games had Saturn ports! I need to see how Waku Waku 7 plays. If for no other reason than to enjoy the OST.

These are all fantastic suggestions. Thank you ever so much for providing them!!

🌊@wave10/15/2023, 5:53 PM

Only the PSX got the U.S. WD hackjob of Silhouette Mirage, and the JP Saturn version has a nearly complete English patch now. I'm looking forward to the patch's completion to finally play the unscrewed version of SM.

~ ＭＡＣＩＮＴＯＳＨＭＩＮＵＳ ~@QuestForTori10/15/2023, 3:56 PM

You’ve gotta play the fan dub of Bulk Slash, it’s INCREDIBLE! Also try NiGHTS, Burning Rangers, Magic Knight Rayearth, Panzer Dragoon (all 3), Steep Slope Sliders, and Grandia!

~ ＭＡＣＩＮＴＯＳＨＭＩＮＵＳ ~@QuestForTori10/15/2023, 4:03 PM

Oh and if you haven’t heard, there’s an N64 core in development which you can try that currently has about 85% of the library running already!

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 4:10 PM

Fully intend to play Bulk Slash because Mecha + GIRLS is a combination I cannot resist. And all of those other suggestions look amazing - I hadn't heard of Steep Slope at all, but it's been a long while since I've played a good snowboarding game.

Also, yeah!! I'm super jazzed about the N64 core!! I'm using the MiSTer Multisystem, and I'm afraid the core is going to require more RAM than I have available - But I'm still excited to see it when it gets a little more polished!

Thank you for all the suggestions!!

Madelyn Himegami @PrincessMadelyn10/15/2023, 4:17 PM

Hi, I'm only here because someone I follow shared your post, hope that's not a problem

That said, because I have a certain kind of brainrot, the game I have to suggest is Puyo Puyo SUN. It's considered a classic of the series and has an English patch... at least for the PC version. But honestly the story is mostly just a string of jokes and the gameplay's simplistic enough that you could probably play it without one?

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 5:28 PM

Absolutely a welcome and very appreciated thing, thank you! I will add this to the list and take a look at it for sure, and I very much an grateful for your suggestion.

Thank you <3

Plum @plumpan10/15/2023, 5:42 PM

I did a ctrl+f for Sega Rally Championship and got nothing. It's a very simple but extremely superb racing game, if you like that kind of thing. Great for sitting down for just a half hour or so to get a few runs out, or hours of hot laps in time attack mode if you're an unreasonable person (me). Music slaps too.

(Love your sona btw!)

Phorm The Vixdjinn @PhormTheGenie10/15/2023, 8:12 PM

Oh gosh, I only know Sega Rally Championship from the music, and a few memes, but that's a great suggestion!!! I bet that would be a fun time. Thank you so!

(And thank you!!! I really appreciate that, and hearing it makes my heart very warm and delighted <3 )

XcessiveNinja17 @ssfsx1710/16/2023, 4:05 PM

Panzer Dragoon Saga

Gungriffon

Fighting Vipers

Radiant Silvergun - is playable even for non-experts, as it has a mode that saves all your weapon upgrades across playthroughs