Thoughts on various obscure Saturn imports as they come

[Tron 2.0]

Thanks Captain.

PRIKURA DAISAKUSEN




I remember GameFan's December 2000 From The Graveyard write-up of this game. It proclaimed that a handful of Saturn imports were already consistently striking the magical 80+ barrier, and that if you owned PD -- you can consider yourself the most hardcore of hardcore.

While I don't agree with that last statement I do agree with GameFan's overall feelings on Prikura... this game rocks.




It only has 5 stages, and true, the game doesn't take long to beat (under half an hour) but the 5 stages are fun while they last with some cool memorable boss tangles. Presented to us by Atlus in 1996, Prikura Daisakusen presents the gamer with 3 character choices. Two girls and a giant bipedal dog-like creature.

A is to shoot.

B is to pound.

C is special.

Y (or double tap in desired direction) is roll.

One girl shoots out stars from her magic wand. The other icy-like projectiles. Enemies are all robot-types that flash when hit. When destroyed an animal is left for you to collect and earn points. You can pound enemies, this is a close-range hammer spike, or spiked ball slam, or the dog's giant hand smack. This reveals jewels instead of animals. Also, with the pound button, you can unleash a sweet chain reaction of an enemy hitting another enemy and so on. See how high a combo you can land! It's impressive to see one enemy being taken out resulting in a domino-like effect, and this increases your score.

Each character has a helper that can evolved up to four stages (at the end of each stage it evolves accordingly) and has multiple paths to take depending on such and such. The helper helps you like how you'd expect... it shoots at the enemies helping you to take them out.

Also, in some stages there's an icon that when you pick up your character turns into a steroid-pumped character who is invincible and with the simple touch any enemy is instantly destroyed. Nice.




It is an isometric shooter. You might be wondering how the shooting is. Well, once you hold A... you can move the D-Pad and still remain locked in that position. So don't fret about shooting and not being able to lock in one direction. There are multiple directions to shoot at.

It's more of a shmup than a platformer because you can't jump. Whereas Steamgash Mash was a platform blaster, I'd catagorized PD as a "Shooter Blast Em Up"... well, all that matters is that it plays damn good. =P

You'll fight enemies ranging from worm-popping menaces to shield-weilding gun-toting foot soldiers.

Stage one is typical lightness to get you used to the game.

Stage two has some cool boxes for you to break open. Boss is a flying airplane of sorts.

The game really picks up when you battle with stage 3's enormous and impressive fire-breathing snake-like creature, JUDGMENT... after going through his castle lair.




Then stage 4's boss in the winterland is a giant mechanical crab known as DEATH SCISSOR. You must cross the wintery iceland safely first...

Finally, the last boss really screams Groove On Fight in the sense that in that game, in one of the backgrounds you'll see a disfigured face. That face... is pretty much like the face of the end boss in Prikura. This vile menace is known simply as the oddly titled FLASH-THE-ALL. You got to deal with his main face and his left and right hands... and oh he enjoys throwing odd projectiles at you along his creepy little ghoul jello-like friends. There's a lot of flashing all right. To get to him though, you'll have to survive his creepy underworld cavern.

I liked the dog the least. He's too big a target and doesn't have the good mobility of the girls. The girls are fun to use. Special move is same for all the characters. A bunch of fireballs cascade downward from the heavens, damaging everything on screen followed by one single extra large fireball. Classic Streets of Rage special feel, hehe.

Overall Prikura Daisakusen is an ace game. It can be had for under $50 too, so it's not too bad on the wallet. Don't be fooled by some auctions that end at $60. It can easily be had for $45 or so with a little patience. Hell I got mine for $30. Mind you, Atlus released two versions.

1. Double Jewel Case with calender

2. Single Jewel Case without calender

I bought the latter and the former seems to be more frequently offered on eBay and such. I didn't mind getting the "lesser" version of the two, all I need is the game. :-)

Overall, it's an excellent title worthy of a place in every Saturn fanatic's library. From the classic flash flash flash of the enemies and bosses, to the cool old school feel, Prikura's a winner.
And check out those cool J-Pop tunes!

Good work, Atlus.

PD is pure class every body should have that in there collection

[Drexel923]

I just wanted to say that this thread is amazing...I'm always looking for new Saturn imports to check out and this thread has shown me about 5 or 6 that I never knew about. Only problem is that all of those games sell for like $80+

Got to hit the lottery soon

Keep them coming

[Steven]

BTW, forgot to post these links. These links contains a good amount of pics.

Groove On Fight

http://www.markinjapan.com/detail.php?selected=208

Blast Wind

http://www.markinjapan.com/detail.php?selected=1955


Alright, time to move onto the next game. Like 3D fighters? Love Panzer Dragoon? Then this one will surely intrigue you.

ELAN DOREE





Elan Doree: "Legend of Dragoon" is a 3D dragon-based fighter featuring 10 fighters (5 male and 5 females) mounted upon their dragons/flying creatures of choice. Each character has different weapons, and their flying friends all have projectiles and other attacks of varying sorts. Battles take place in air, but it's not like Astra Superstars in the sense that when you press down in ED you don't fly down. In fact, your friend stays in the same vertical base. If you jump, only your fighter jumps (and lands back down on the dragon)

A = light attack
B = heavy attack
C = jump
double tap up = circle up
double tap down = circle down

Each character has a special move bar. This is different. It starts out at 100%. Any time you do a special move with the heavy attack button it drains, and if you don't have enough in the bar, you can't do a special move. This may sound limiting but it works...

Special moves take off as low as 5% of the bar to as high as 60%.

If you are hit, your special move bar increases. If you block, it decreases.

Every character has two super special's to use per round. SS is really easy, one is A+B. The other is A+B+C. Kinda like Astra in that sense. Also, the characters reminded me of the Astra cast...

Speaking of which here is the cast:

KAIN-Thunder Dragon Master
Rides a blue dragon. Kain looks like Samurai Shodown's Charlotte. Even carries a sword similar to what Charlotte toted. Dragon shoots out blue balls (hey now). SS is a 5-hit extremely damaging fireball attack.

KEYAKI-Fire Dragon Master
Rides a red dragon. Keyaki is a cool-looking ninja-like girl in black and red with red shoulder-length hair. Carries 2 knives. Dragon shoots out fireballs. Keyaki does a 2 hit slash. Dragon also breathes fire. SS is a flame attack move.

SION-Wind Dragon Master
Rides a green dragon. She has the power to conjure tornado wind blasts. SS is a huge tornado attack.

TINA-Magical Girl
Rides an orange puffy cute looking creature. She carries a huge wand and throws out stars. SS is a big multiple star projectile.

MARIELLE-Magician
Rides a pink dolphin with wings. Marielle is a purple witch with mucho cleavage. She throws heart projectiles. Multiple sword attacks from her witch hat. SS she tosses a gigantic sword flipping your way.

LEVIE-Dark Dragon Master
Rides an evil-looking horned creature that wears a mask. Levie himself looks bad-ass as well, with one eye covered and a mysterious aura about himself. Wields a stick and twirls it around. His two SS involve his evil friend. One, the dragon turns around and emits this huge blast from outta you know where. The 2nd the dragon shoots outta his mouth an 11-hit massacre -- ouch!

ERIORNA-Light Dragon Master
Rides a white pure-looking dragon. Carries a sword. Dragon emits blast. Tail whip. SS the dragon surrounds itself with flame and you can ram your opponent for multiple hits. You can do a hit into SS for extra damage.

GARNIC-Cursed Sword
Rides a green dragon. Carries two swords. Multiple fireballs. SS is a huge 7-hit blue wave.

RUBONE-Poison Dragon Master
Rides a cool looking black winged creature whose face is like Alien. Rubone himself is a piece of work, a cool wicked looking old man you can't trust. Attacks with a scythe. Dragon shoots out multiple rings. SS dragon shoots out a projectile. Other SS dragon surrounds Rubone in a damaging force field.

GULF-Earth Dragon Master
Rides a brown dragon. Gulf's fists turns into rocks. Dragon spits out a 7-hit rock projectile. One of Gulf's SS he throws a HUGE rock at you. Takes off tons of energy. Other SS he chucks two stone projectiles at you.

SS can be easily interrupted mid-way. It leaves your character vulnerable so should be timed properly.

There are two boss characters:

BLACK KNIGHT

Once you beat him he morphs into...

KAISER DRAGON

Kasier Dragon looks just like the end boss dragon found in Keriotosse! The stage is impressive -- a flying battle in space. The stages in ED are all pretty nice, with great graphics and transparencies even. Rubone's creepy stage has candles in the background. Kain's stage has a building reflection on the riverbank. Some good stuff.

Overall I'd recommend ED but I hear it's a bit of a tough one to find. It's not a great fighter, but it's pretty unique and got some cool characters and background stages. It's a good addition to the ole library.

For two reviews go here:

http://www.shinforce.com/saturn/reviews/ElanDoree.htm

For pics go here:

http://www.markinjapan.com/detail.php?selected=106

[Steven]

Hanagumi Taisen Columns was an excellent puzzler featuring the infamous Sakura Wars characters. Here is another Saturn puzzler featuring more infamous characters -- this time from the Tenchi Muyo universe.

TENCHI MUYO! RENSA HITSUYOU




This game, on the outset, kinda reminds me of two fellow obscure Saturn puzzlers:

Monster Slider (the well is non-flat)
Susume Bakabons (the ball graphics and lack of rotation on them, unlike SPF2T)

The best thing about the game IMHO is the way the playing field is uniquely shaped... you really have to adjust your mindset to the way chains can be formed and developed, it's very interesting.

Puzzle system employs the classic connect 3 like-colors or 3 like-shapes or more style.

The game also employs a unique "debris" system... technically there are no "debris blocks" that fall your way. Instead, you're playing in a well. Whenever you do chains or the CPU does chains, water builds up in the well. If the water fills your chamber you're toast.

It's different and works.

The gameplay is different too, as falling pieces are placed on top of the water, and cannot interact with pieces underwater, until drained. So how do you drain the water?

There are heart icons that fall down. Connect 3 hearts and the water will decrease.

Here are the pieces:

-Red
-Blue
-Green
-Yellow (same 4 colors as Puzzle Fighter)
-Anchor
-Heart
-Ryo-Ohki

Anchor drops any pieces on water underneath. Think about this now. Imagine shoving a bunch of like-colored/shaped pieces underneath the water. Then connect 3 hearts to clear some water. Once the water drains, the pieces may interact and it's major combo city! It's very satisfying to be near death then come back with a huge combo and securing the last laugh. AHAHAHAHA! ... whoa easy tiger :P

Ryo-Ohki blocks represent the face of the cute cat/rabbit in Tenchi Muyo known as the "Cabbit." They are another kind of block, that also work like standard colors, but they too have a special function, like the hearts and anchors. When you place three or more Ryo-Ohki blocks together, you will get a "Ryo-Ohki point" (I don't know if this is the proper name of it, but I call it that to make it easy to understand), which will be visible next to the chamber.

When you have gotten three Ryo-Ohki points, your character will perform a special move (draining water from your chamber, raising water in the opponents chamber drastically, or something else)

You can also raise your opponent's water level by connecting 4 or more pieces together, or doing 2 chain combos. The higher the chain the more water. Chains in this game feel really sweet. Some puzzlers you chain and you're like "eh" but in this one for some reason it feels really satisfying. Your character in the background will also do an animation and shout some Japanese words heh heh.

There are several different characters to select from with different strengths and weaknesses. Good good stuff. There are also secret characters to unlock.

The game has a Story mode, VS. CPU mode (with a mode that starts your chamber half-filled with water for an extra tough challenge), another kind of Story Mode, 2P and character art and information gallery. There is also a secret mode to unlock, if "you, the master of unlocking," can do it.

There is a TREMENDOUS FAQ on all things Tenchi Muyo! Rensa Hitsuyou-related over at GameFAQs for those further interested.

Overall it's a FANTASTIC puzzler. It is not rare, but it isn't common either. The price hovers around 15 to 20 bucks and is WELL WORTH it. Last night I was playing Rensa and before I knew it, more than an hour had gone by -- the sun had gone completely down. Time flies when you're having fun!

In the end, Puzzle Fighter, Tenchi Rensa and Taisen Columns reminds me a lot of each other. Three great puzzlers employing a cast of famous characters (from which you have the liberty to choose from with each having different pluses and minuses) that originated outside the puzzle genre. And most important of all, 3 great games you should own and play. Sadly though, only PF is well known of these three. The argument could be made that Tenchi Rensa and Taisen Columns are every bit as good if not better than PF. At least now the world knows a bit more about these two under the radar puzzlers, so I'm happy to have helped a small part in this injustice.

TM!RH -- ugly acronym... beautiful game.



Rensa and Taisen as good or better? Surely blasphemy?!? Find out for yourself....

[Steven]

KINGDOM GRANDPRIX




One of three Raizing shooters to appear on Saturn, this one is the least known of the three. Soukyugurentai and Battle Garegga have both deservedly had their time in the spotlight so I feel it's time we took a closer look at one, Kingdom Grandprix AKA Shippu Mahou Daisakusen (which if you recall is the same word as Prikura Daisakusen, which means "Big Plan")

The unique thing about KG is that it's a hybrid racer/shooter. There are 8 characters to select from, and you'll race in shooting stages against the 7 competitors. First to race ahead of the others, dismantle the boss and cross the finish line wins. It's hard, even on Beginner.

This has been one of KG's biggest complaints. That it's difficult and that the "racing" element ruins the enjoyment of the game.

Well I'm here today to share with you all a great trick...

How to turn KG into a pure shooter!

Yes there is indeed a code that allows you to turn off the "race against the 7 competitors" gameplay and turn KG into a pure shmup.

Go to option. Go down to sound.

Press left, right, left, right, up, up, down, down start.

Now you should see a "race or shooter" mode at the bottom. Set it to shooter and off ya go.

I've gotten better at the racing mode, but I still kinda am iffy on it on the whole. As a straight shooter though, KG is pretty dope. It's definitely the "black sheep" to the Raizing Saturn trilogy, but that's only because Garegga and Souky are SO damn good.







KG has 8 different ships/pilots with different weapons for you to choose from. You're bound to find a favorite. Also, after each stage it gives you a choice between two different levels, with the end stage giving you 3 choices... 6 stages in all for a total of 12. It enhances gameplay and definitely is a plus. Here are the stages with their funky old-school names:

1. BASALNA CITY
Easy 1st stage with enemy fodder. You're flying over townports. Boss looks like one of them dinosaur flying creatures -- latched onto a ship. He's tougher than most 1st stage shooter bosses, but shouldn't pose too great a challenge.


here's the stage 1 boss getting some "bomb" treatment

2A. VELMATIC OCEAN
Cool giant rocks to blow up. A neat mid-boss -- sort of a pirate wooden ship with turrets. Boss is a green dragon with gold plate armor on his chest. His long tail is submerged into the water underneath

2B. AIR CIRCUS
Tight space here as you ride along railings. The evil druids make their debut here (well, at least the easier breed... their nastier cousins appear later on). The boss hangs onto the railings and coupled with the limited space due to the railings, has some annoying almost sure-fire death patterns.

3A. CROSS FIRE
Battle against the side of a freakishly huge air battle ship, the boss bursts outta the top and he's one mean demon toting one big gun.




3B. OUTCAST CASTLE
Fly through a castle full of outcasts (hence the name). Gets tight as you navigate through the castle's corridors battling bats and other assorted oddities. Stage is home to one of the cooler looking bosses in the game -- a huge dracula-like creature with card tossing attack patterns among others. Satisfying to blow his ass up.

4A. DEEPLY DUNGEON
Swamp area with dead trees. Eerie atmosphere here. Stage opens with two fire sprouting skeletons hanging onto the far right and left of the screen. Don't get caught though, you can blow up if the you hang around long and the screen scrolls up. In fact there is a lot of that in some stages, keep in the open and don't wait behind barriers! Creepy underwater openings where eels and leeches pop out. The boss is a disgusting bubbly organism that hangs onto the sides like the boss from AIR CIRCUS and the stage 4 boss found in Layer Section AKA Galactic Attack.


Now imagine it set underwater against a disgusting bubbly organism..

4B. COLD CORRIDOR
Other than this "cheap" cop-out, each stage in KG is really different. This is a lot like DEEPLY DUNGEON only you're in the winter land with dead trees. Opens with the same looking skeletons chained off to the far sides. Thankfully it has different enemies after that, however. But get to the boss and he's basically the dragon gold plated boss from VELMATIC OCEAN, albeit with different attack patterns. I guess you didn't kill him the first time... so kill him for good now... oh yeah this stage has a speed-up section where the tight tunnels zoom left and right... so it takes a real pro to fly through this section unsmashed!

5A. STRATO STORM
An intense battle over dark thunder clouds... very moody, there's an isolated feeling of bleakness in this great looking stage. Boss is a HULKING good ole fashioned battleship.

5B. FOREST OF DEAD!
A cool stage with enough beasties to satisfy the biggest monster fan. Sections where you can blow giant 'shrooms and tombstones to hundreds of pieces -- sweet. The super hard druids debut here... very annoying attack pattern. The game's coolest mid-boss makes his appearence here... a flying rotting ghoul who shoots out fire and maggots. Tough sucker. Boss is a malpracticed oddity... a baby face in the front who shoots out a long disgusting tongue, and to the side are two eagle-like faces. Very difficult.

Then you make your way to the final stage, either

KOBOLOS TOWER
YASHIKI OF NINJA
or
KINGDOM GRANDPRIX itself

I won't spoil these stages for you but lemme just say...

Kobolos Tower is by far the easiest of the three.

Yashiki of Ninja has a boss that is agile with lots of sure-death patterns.

KG's end boss protects himself by first throwing about 20 midboss types at you.

Have fun...

Oh yeah the interesting thing to note about this game is that you can only die by enemy fire or staying behind a wall once the screen scrolls past. Yes, you can touch enemy ships (and even the bosses) and not be harmed. Only their fire can take you out.

Do I recommend this game? Well, it was made in 1994 so don't expect it to technically blow you away. But it has a nice old-school sort of feel, from the "choose your path next" system to the corny stage names to the choice of 8 different ships (the most I ever encountered in a shooter!)... KG is worth a look. For years I held out on it because my budget on this game was $30 or under. It usually went for 35+ a year or so ago, but I managed to get a copy for 32 dollars roughly. I wouldn't pay $45 for it, though, and I recommend you don't either.

It's easily Raizing's weakest Saturn shooter, but that's not to say KG is weak. That is only to say how good Souky and Garegga are.

Overall, KG has a nice feel and who knows, you may enjoy the racing part more than others did... and if not, hey, there's always the straight up shooter mode to fall back on.

for more pics go here:

http://www.markinjapan.com/detail.php?selected=1744

[Steven]

WOLF FANG





Oddly titled Wolf Fang 2001 SS, I'll just call it Wolf Fang. It's a side scrolling shooter where you control a mech. Assault Suit Leynos II? Well, yeah, there are definitely similarities. However, WF is a LOT LOT easier.

The game opens with a nice 3D intro that really puts you in the mood to kick some mech butt. Intro shows 2 mechs working together to destroy a horde of bad guys. From lasers to up-close saber light sword kills, it does a good job of pumping you up.

The actual game is 2D, and in fact, was an arcade release in 1994, so yeah, don't expect the graphics to overwhelm the senses. In fact, these graphics could be handled by the Super NES, if not the Genesis. That's not to say the graphics are bad, oh no. They're serviceable but yeah, don't expect Metal Slug detail or beauty.

Wolf Fang is not a pure 2D shooter, more like a hybrid between shooter and action platformer like Metal Slug or Assault Suit Leynos, but faster than MS or ASL, and with the forced scrolling characteristic of "pure" shooters.

A player can choose from one of four pre-set mechs or select from 16 parts -- a combination of their own for a custom mech. The instruction manual lists 63 possible mech types, but I've no idea if they are types to unlock or a list of in-game evolutions you can undergo as you collect power-ups. The mechs range from the standard two-legged variety, to tank treaded ones, to 4-legged hoppers.

All mechs shoot forward, and diagonally up.

R dashes. You can dash in mid-air, mid-jump, whatever you like. It comes in handy and can be done an unlimited number of times.

L holds. So when you want to constantly shoot diagonally up and not be bothered by simple d-pad switcharoos while avoiding crossfire and not changing directions of your bullet pattern, this is a must-master button.

You can face right, or left. To face either direction, simply press the D-Pad in the desired direction and don't shoot. Once you shoot, you cannot change directions, which is smart, otherwise the controls would be an ugly mess and render the game unplayable.

Get your mech upclose and he'll unleash his saber lightsword attack. It seems to be more powerful than your standard gun. There are icons floating around to get new guns. Laser guns, etc.

Interestingly enough, the game starts a player out with two lives. The first life is that of the mech; it can take six hits before it crashes and burns. Then the mech's pilot comes out of the wreckage wearing a tiny powersuit that allows him/her to fly around and continue to lay out the carnage. Said pilot can only take two hits before dying, and also has no over-weapon access. The good thing about the pilot is that he is SO MUCH smaller than the giant mechs. Consider this pilot system a last ditch effort, heh heh.

It is 2 player co-op.

Game takes about 45 minutes to complete, and well, most stages I played on you just fight the boss right away. It's a little odd. After some time, if the boss is not defeated, you move on to the next stage regardless, and get a boss bonus of 0 points. It's not what I'm used to. There were a few stages where I actually fought through some enemy fodder before facing the boss. I liked this style more because it's the "traditional" way and I feel at home with it. The boss battles are alright. Some are giant mechs while others are giant ships spanning many screens with many turrets to take out.

I can guarantee you at first Wolf Fang will overwhelm you with its control and boss fights. You may even get frustrated. However, like most games stick with it and it gets more natural and better, as a result.

In the end though, Wolf Fang is a mixed bag for me with too many ups and downs. It is not rare but not common either, and copies usually go for 30-45. I can't whole-heartedly recommend it but I'm sure there will be those who will love this game. For all others, try to get it for 30 or less.

[Steven]

WOLF FANG





Oddly titled Wolf Fang 2001 SS, I'll just call it Wolf Fang. It's a side scrolling shooter where you control a mech. Assault Suit Leynos II? Well, yeah, there are definitely similarities. However, WF is a LOT LOT easier.

The game opens with a nice 3D intro that really puts you in the mood to kick some mech butt. Intro shows 2 mechs working together to destroy a horde of bad guys. From lasers to up-close saber light sword kills, it does a good job of pumping you up.

The actual game is 2D, and in fact, was an arcade release in 1994, so yeah, don't expect the graphics to overwhelm the senses. In fact, these graphics could be handled by the Super NES, if not the Genesis. That's not to say the graphics are bad, oh no. They're serviceable but yeah, don't expect Metal Slug detail or beauty.

Wolf Fang is not a pure 2D shooter, more like a hybrid between shooter and action platformer like Metal Slug or Assault Suit Leynos, but faster than MS or ASL, and with the forced scrolling characteristic of "pure" shooters.

A player can choose from one of four pre-set mechs or select from 16 parts -- a combination of their own for a custom mech. The instruction manual lists 63 possible mech types, but I've no idea if they are types to unlock or a list of in-game evolutions you can undergo as you collect power-ups. The mechs range from the standard two-legged variety, to tank treaded ones, to 4-legged hoppers.

All mechs shoot forward, and diagonally up.

R dashes. You can dash in mid-air, mid-jump, whatever you like. It comes in handy and can be done an unlimited number of times.

L holds. So when you want to constantly shoot diagonally up and not be bothered by simple d-pad switcharoos while avoiding crossfire and not changing directions of your bullet pattern, this is a must-master button.

You can face right, or left. To face either direction, simply press the D-Pad in the desired direction and don't shoot. Once you shoot, you cannot change directions, which is smart, otherwise the controls would be an ugly mess and render the game unplayable.

Get your mech upclose and he'll unleash his saber lightsword attack. It seems to be more powerful than your standard gun. There are icons floating around to get new guns. Laser guns, etc.

Interestingly enough, the game starts a player out with two lives. The first life is that of the mech; it can take six hits before it crashes and burns. Then the mech's pilot comes out of the wreckage wearing a tiny powersuit that allows him/her to fly around and continue to lay out the carnage. Said pilot can only take two hits before dying, and also has no over-weapon access. The good thing about the pilot is that he is SO MUCH smaller than the giant mechs. Consider this pilot system a last ditch effort, heh heh.

It is 2 player co-op.

Game takes about 45 minutes to complete, and well, most stages I played on you just fight the boss right away. It's a little odd. After some time, if the boss is not defeated, you move on to the next stage regardless, and get a boss bonus of 0 points. It's not what I'm used to. There were a few stages where I actually fought through some enemy fodder before facing the boss. I liked this style more because it's the "traditional" way and I feel at home with it. The boss battles are alright. Some are giant mechs while others are giant ships spanning many screens with many turrets to take out.

I can guarantee you at first Wolf Fang will overwhelm you with its control and boss fights. You may even get frustrated. However, like most games stick with it and it gets more natural and better, as a result.

In the end though, Wolf Fang is a mixed bag for me with too many ups and downs. It is not rare but not common either, and copies usually go for 30-45. I can't whole-heartedly recommend it but I'm sure there will be those who will love this game. For all others, try to get it for 30 or less.

[Steven]

ZERO DIVIDE: THE FINAL CONFLICT





One of the many great things about SEGA SATURN MAGAZINE is all the good games they've opened my eyes to, either genres I previously dismissed, or games I once felt were so rubbish they were not worth a look at to begin with.

Zero Divide, a 3D robot brawler on the PlayStation 1, was such. I knew about a ZD game on Saturn, but had always said "Ah whatever" to it. After reading SSM issues #27 and #28, I did a complete 180. I learned that PS1 had Zero Divide and ZD 2: The Secret Wish. Saturn got the 3rd and final game, aptly titled ZERO DIVIDE THE FINAL CONFLICT.

And well, any game that gets a 4 page showcase from SSM, I can put my good faith into!

I have played the game now and can come to my own conclusions. Here are some quick notes:

-Great hi-res graphics
-Combos feel impactful and sweet to execute
-A way cool "dangle on the edge of the platform" system
-Armor can break off! Leaving a 'bot completely naked! Its black body pulsating in a fashion that does RADIANT SILVERGUN proud!
-60 FPS no slowdown
-Good character variety

Overall, I'm digging ZD TFC. I'm so glad SSM did their part to spread the word on this game, otherwise I would have gone on dismissing it as a crappy fighter. So Virtua Fighter fans listen up! Put Zero Divide on your wish list and get those thumbs ready!

Without further ado... here's SSM's take on ZD: TFC!

----

Robots are great. They cannot be bargained with, they know no fear or pity, they don't feel pain or remorse, and they certainly don't have any problems when it comes to holding their own in the combat arena. No doubt Japanese coders Zoom are also keen on all things robotic, as they've taken fighters and levels from the two previous PlayStation versions of Zero Divide, and combined them to form this 'Special Edition' game. So let's take a look at the Saturn version of Zero Divide, the aptly subtitled "The Final Conflict."

CONSOLATION PRIZE
Those of you who are still upset at the lack of a Saturn version of Virtua Fighter 3 can take a bit of comfort from playing Zero Divide The Final Conflict -- the game completely copies the VF3 control system to perfection -- punch, kick, guard and evade are the four buttons players need to master, and it's pretty obvious that the programmers are big fans of Sega's VF games, as the gameplay is firmly rooted in the VF formula.

Most of the robots share some similar basic PPK moves, with special moves being accessed in the classic VF2 way -- towards, towards punch usually gets a result, and variations on PPPK and some A+B throw moves will make VF fans quickly feel at home.

ACCESSING DATA....
ZD is certainly well set up for fighting action. The game features ten initial fighters with a further three hidden robots, and they all play differently as well. Thanks to the weird shapes and styles of their mechanoid bodies, some truly strange moves can be pulled off. Cancer, one of the crab-like fighters, is quite spectacular -- due to his massive screen-filling size and plentiful supply of spare limbs to use, he can lunge across the whole screen to grab his opponent. In last month's preview we mentioned the similarities between ZD and VF2 -- and after another few weeks of playing it seems to have even more in common with Sega's classic beat 'em up! Hi-res fighters, 60 frames per second visuals, colorful backgrounds and rock-hard gameplay make Saturn Zero Divide one of the best looking 3D fighters we've seen.

LUBRICATING YOUR JOINTS
It really does look very good. Some of the stages are totally enclosed, some have walls around half of the arena while some are completely open and floating in space (more on those later). But that's not all -- the backgrounds are all incredibly colorful, and many feature pulsating colors and special effects. The fighters themselves look great and animate smoothly and well, with multi-limbed creatures rotating and scuttling around the battle zone, and armor plates being smashed off with every fierce move.

DON'T PUSH ME 'COS I'M CLOSE TO THE EDGE
Ooh, how exciting -- I've found an original feature! Some of the arenas have walls around them, while others have no borders at all -- they're just big floating platforms. This allows for some spectacular Ring Outs as robots plummet to their screaming death if they fall over the edge. There's also another cool feature here -- merely stumbling over the edge will often allow the falling fighter to grab hold of the ledge, and hang there trying to pull itself back into the ring. Particularly cold-hearted opponents will then stamp on their fingers so that they let go and fall off!


different characters have different "stomp" moves!

ANALYSIS MISTER SPOCK?
After an exclusive playtest, we can reveal that the Saturn version of Zero Divide is pretty damn good. It's not quite up to Dead or Alive standards, but Zero Divide could easily be described as "the 2nd best import 3D fighter, behind Dead or Alive." Which is quite high praise really. The graphics are there, the gameplay is there, but will the UK release date appear on Sega's calender? We can only wait and see. Sega's decisions are illogical.


---------

Alright here are the 10 fighters with comments from both SSM and me.

ZERO
Robot Rating: 8/10
Fights in a very similar way to Jacky and Sarah from VF. Which is a good thing. He's also got some very complex combo's in a similar style to Akira. One for technical fighters only. me: With his fist attacks reminds me a lot of Akira.
Most Complex Move: B, DF, P, F, P, B, F, P+K

TAU
RR: 9/10
The best looking and most aggressive fighter, Tau has some incredible moves using his claws to grab and spin opponents around his head, before slamming them to the floor. me: Tau is a giant crab-like creature, has a cool whip throw that is very dramatic and painful looking.
MCM: F, F, B, P+G

WILD 3
RR: 7/10
Wild 3 managed to sneak a gun past the bouncers. His chunky weapon can also be used as a close-range club, but Wild 3's lack of basic PK combinations stop him from being a contender. me: Cool looking humanoid 'bot. Has a beautiful pro wrestling suplex that will smash your opponent's armor! Throw from behind and it's a wicked snap back suplex, crushing their cranium into the canvas. His gun is lodged in his back pocket, which he can take out to shoot a blast Sagat style (high or low). Has also a quick resourceful gun shot that is amazingly fast, and when you're hanging on the edge Wild 3 will shoot down at your hands. When opponents fall down, he can shoot them while they're lying down. A fun mercenary type personality... after he wins he shouts "HASTA LA VISA PUNK!"
MCM: B, F, F, P, P, B, P

EOS
RR: 6/10
Eos is unique amongst the Zero Dividers. He has no PPPK moves at all -- instead he relies on his incredible arsenal of eleven different throws! One for diehard gamers only. me: cool looking 1 eyed brown bot with big fists
MCM: B, B, P, BD, P

IO
RR: 8/10
IO shares so many moves with Sarah from VF that I'm convinced Sarah herself is underneath the armor! Sarah's rising knee and flip kick are prefectly 'reproduced' here. me: Pink female 'bot. Cool assortment of kicks including a quick Flash Kick.
MCM: D, P+K, P, K

CYGNUS
RR: 9/10
Hey, who let him use the knives? Cygnus is very powerful indeed, and his extra weapons give him some powerful individual moves, and he has a simple to use nine hit PPPK combo! me: My favorite ZD fighter, this cool one-eyed humanoid blue ninja bot is just way too cool, he sports two energy knives, has a vicious 5-hit knife combo throw, and a devestating bulldog takedown from behind. Has a spinning heel kick effective for catching opponents off guard. Has his own Flash Kick variant where he flips forward AFTER flipping backward attacking with his two energy knives. Has a cool 2 hit low sweep just like Guile. Sweet easy combo I did with him was kick my enemy in the air, as they fell I did the two hit low sweep. They got up, I spin heel kicked them and they ring'ed out. SWEET!
MCM: D, P+K, K, K, K, K, K, K, K

DRACO
RR: 8/10
Tough sci-fi robotic dragon Draco looks great, with huge spiky scales and armor -- he can even use his tail as an extra limb for even bigger combos. Head butts his opponents as well! me: Impressive looking dragon. Mean headbutt move that would make Andre the Giant proud. Behind throw he absolutely OWNZ JOO! First he shoves you face first down, takes one foot and pounds it on the small of your back and the other foot down empathically on the back of your head -- ouch! Also has a cool multi-hit flame blast.
MCM: F, F, B, P+G

NEREID
RR: 9/10
Another PPPK specialist, Nereid also has some very powerful kick. Something to do with having huge, metal feet I suppose. Five different throws as well. Very tough. me: interestingly designed red killer of a 'bot... with extra limbs to place more blows in. He does have some very huge metal feet attacks.
MCM: F, P, B, P, P, P

PIXEL
RR: 7/10
Another chick robot, Pixel compares best to VF2's Pai. Speedy PPPP moves and quick escapes are definitely her 'bag', although she lacks any really damaging single attacks. Shame. me: agile yellow female 'bot... I didn't dig her too much.
MCM: DF, K, F, P, B, F, K

CANCER
RR: 9/10
An awesome crab-like machine, very big, very powerful and also very fast. He has a huge reach and loads of easy-to-use PPK combos and awesome throws, making him one of the best fighters. me: Cancer has missile projectile attacks to boot, in addition to his devestating "cruncher" throw.. ouch.

Well that's it! Some other final notes:

Game opens with a bizarre space intro with these English words:

Welcome Crackers! We don't have much time will you go on and crack me please!

Check out the animation for when the face mask/armor flies off, it's so satisfying to hear the break sound effect and watching the bot stagger back holding its face... a thing of beauty

The break feature is awesome and really makes the game seem like a robot duel to the death. It has VF2 and Fighting Viper elements.

Game is in complete english. The boss spews out English words with JP subtitles. It is 100% in english...

1P, 2P, training (with a handy move guide), Story, Record and Replay modes await you.

Jumping is not too floaty and feels almost right. There is also a "short jump" feature that is handy in throwing the opposition off guard!

Overall, a very very good fighting game worth hunting down. Shouldn't run you more than $15 and if you liked VF2, you are sure to enjoy this. I'm not the biggest VF fan but I really enjoy this game. Cool crunching sound effects, great graphics, smooth controls and well... 2nd best import 3D fighter? Between this and Elan Doree it's a close battle, but I'll agree with Sega Saturn Magazine!

[fishsandwich]

Hey, cool! I have this game and I thoiught it was just a port of the first game! Thanks for the heads up, dude!

By the way... I really love the in-depth coverage you give these games. Thanks for the great work!

[blissfulnoise]

Yes, thank you for these reviews. As I'm rapping up my US Saturn collection, I'm having to go overseas for my much needed Saturn fix. I've already ordered a few of the games you have reviewed, I can't wait to try them out!

[Steven]

SOL DIVIDE




What better title to follow up Zero Divide than Sol Divide? Sol Divide is a horizontal shmup from the folks at Psikyo... and do they know how to make shooters. Unfortunately, they tried to stray away from the formula with Sol Divide, and while it has some unique features, ultimately it's quite average.

You have rapid fire, attack and magic. There are more than five different spells to cast, from fire to lightning, etc. Attack makes your character "slash" with his or her given close-range weapon. So when enemies get up close, you can either shoot or slice 'em up. There are 2 males and 1 female to select from. The enemies take a ton of hits before they die... lots of tough cookies here in the form of griffins, skeletons and guardsmen.

Because your character is so big, it's hard to effectively dodge bullets... and you can't help but blame the character size as fault. Luckily there's an energy bar so your guy can take several hits before he dies. Each level is presented with a giant end boss, sand worms, evil gods, Hydra's, are but a few of the creatures you'll fight. Oh and of course the standard dragons.




Sega Saturn Magazine did a 2 page preview on Sol Divide and here it is

----

If the name Psikyo rings a bell, it should. This dedicated Japanese developer has been producing solid console titles for a number of years now, although none have ever been picked up for (Western) release. Regular readers will have encountered Psikyo's work with the 2D beat 'em up 'Groove on Fight' as well as the forthcoming coin-op, Fallen Angels. Sol Divide sees the company on familiar ground, with an impressive mix of fast-paced shoot 'em up action and screen-hogging end-of-level bosses.The game immerses players on yer typical fantasy environments, complete with monsters, magic and er.. musclebound men with ridiculous hero names like Kashon..

Selecting either Arcade or Saturn (Original) Modes launches your chosen hero into an epic, side-scrolling battle against the forces of darkness. Gameplay is fast and fluid with multiple on-screen enemies unleashing all manner of energy-leeching attacks, before players tackle massive stage guardians. Typical shooter elements are in full effect as players have basic shots and weapon strikes at their disposal, with more visually impressive magical assaults collected along the way. By blasting creatures, picking up treasure chests they leave behind and then unlocking these with the correct keys, players soon gain access to graphically staggering powers. And you'll need 'em.

Other items may also be collected, such as potions and health-icons, yet some of these often have a negative effect on the player's health. Knowing which icons to pick up and avoid proves almost as troublesome as some of the creatures encountered in the game's latter stages. Speaking of which, setting the game's difficulty to the easiest (the bizarrely labelled 'Monkey'!) and opting for a spot of two-player-team-up action enables even the most talentless of gamers to blast through to the final end-of-level boss in no time at all. Ho hum..

Still, Sol Divide's most impressive feature has to be its amazing animated bosses. Seemingly inspired by Ray Harryhausen's legendary stop-motion monster models, these creations are often so huge that they dwarf players and are sometimes actually larger than the screen. We've seen towering end-of-level guardians before but the fact that these gory giants are subtly animated and move with a speed that belies their bulk is testament to Psikyo's programming skills.

Recent 2D scrolling shoot 'em ups have either been retro blasters or space-based battlers, but Sol Divide's fantasy spin actually gives this title a personality of its own. At first glance we were convinced this was just another indecipherable Japanese offering. However, time spent with Sol Divide actually leaves you wanting more of the same. From challenging levels and creatures to a for the most-part lack of slow-down and cool spells, Sol divide proves its mettle. Of course additional levels, playable characters and fully rendered endings would not have gone amiss but maybe Psikyo could squeeze these features into a Dreamcast sequel? Fingers crossed..

---

Overall, I can't recommend Sol Divide unless you're a diehard shooter fan. The game goes for 30+ I believe, so I was pretty happy when I got it for $20 two years back. I hated it when I first played it. 2nd time around (these past couple days) I've grown to halfway like it... but yeeeah, it's no AAA shooter. It's got some nice things going for it, but in the end I just much rather play Souky or Radiant Silvergun. A lot of people hate Sol Divide with a passion, but I say it's average, if not slightly above mediocre. But yeah, that's about it. Oh, it does open with a KILLER CG intro. But on the downside again -- you can blow through this game in a measly dozen minutes -- yup. And you face 8 bosses no less! SD has that "poof! There's the boss!" syndrome... stages are incredibly short.




Not bad... you could do a whole lot worst... but definitely not a game to place the high-priority want sign on.

For more pics go here:

http://www.markinjapan.com/detail.php?selected=1764

[digitalpress]

Don't know how I've missed this topic until now.

Awesome.

+250 meseta to Steven. Thanks for the informative post!

[MuppetMaster]

Awsome thread man, keep up the good work!!

[maxlords]

Been quietly watching this one for a while...some GREAT stuff in here Sadly, I know about a bunch of these games and just can't afford them.

On my want list for a WHILE:

Prikura Daisakusen
Kingdom Grand Prix
Blast Wind
Hyper Duel
3 Wonders
Crows: Battle Action
Nekketsu Oyako
Image Fight/X-Multiply

Now added thanks to Steven:
Wolf Fang
Zero Divide
Waku Waku Monster
Coin Puzzle Moujiya
Monster Slider

There were a few others that look tempting too

Games I have that DO kick ass:
Tenchi Wo Kurau 2
Shienryu (released in the US as "Gekioh: Shooting King"

I've been really wanting Hyper Duel and Blast Wind as I'm a big Technosoft fan, but damned if they don't go for TOO much. Also, I'm surprised you haven't mentioned Guardian Force yet :P Great stuff as always man!

[Steven]

Thank you for all your kind words.

Tonight is a bonus 2-for-1 deal. First we examine how the people responsible for the famed and loved ThunderForce series fared with their Virtual On clone HYPER REVERTHION




The game opens with an incredibly corny intro, with a horrible English voice over. You have Story mode, 2P, Try Mode and Options. Try Mode is just you vs. any CPU of your choice in any stage of your choice. Good mode to play to get used to the 8 different characters In the options there is a bit of stuff going on. Time and difficulty adjustment, along with controls (you can even set special moves to one press of a button), ring size, energy size, etc.

L = dash left
R = dash right
down left = turn around clockwise
down right = turn around counter clockwise
up = move up
down = move down
left = go left
right = go right
A = shoot standard projectile (quite weak)
B = dash (you have a dash bar)
C = jump (you can dash in air forward or backward)

The game has 8 selectable characters. You only control and see the monsters, but behind every monster is represented by a human character.

TEAG
Red dragon, has a fire blast

ZILD
Blue shark-like monster. Ramming attack and force field-like attack

AIHAN
Green turtle-like creature. Opens shell to launch assault. Big and slow.

TIAMILLA
Butterfly. Her "A" button shoots out a single ray, as opposed to most of the other characters' 3-4 circular blasts. Her single pink ray also does more damage than most other A's. Has a multiple ray attack as one special move, and the other sees her shooting out a stinger that does the most damage in the game.

COOMA
Ugly grey-black spider. Also shoots a single red ray that is strong like Tiamilla's. Lounging attack and a spider web trap where you get stuck for easy pickings.

MYSARA
White dragon. Multiple rays, ray launcher and a powerful force field attack

KNUANI
Giant crab creature. Only character whose "button A" does not produce a projectile. Instead it's a mini (powerful) force field type attack. Has a nasty throw as a special, effective for Ring Out's. Strong potential 3 hit slash.

KISS
Hornet. Projectiles and stinger attack


I beat the game once, and you are treated to a nice ending (unfortunately all in JP so I knew jack). The 8th guy you face is your own replica monster, and the 9th is the final boss of the game, who is huge and very tough. All moves executed on him don't take off the NORMAL kind of damage they would the regular characters. The game gives you only 3 continues and I got to him on my last continue. Beat him by Ring Out. If you beat the game with all 8 characters you unlock the final boss in either Try or VS. mode.




Overall Hyper Reverthion is nothing to write home about. The graphics are so-so (compared to PSX's great looking graphics, I think Saturn users got hosed here in the port), and so-so gameplay... yet there's still a certain charm to this game I can't put my finger on. For $50 I'd hate this purchase, but for $10 it's not bad. Just don't expect a Virtual On beater, and you should be alright. The main thing to keep in mind is... you won't be pulling off any 2-in-1 combos... it simply can't be done. Gameplay is a bit on the slow side with some minor slowdown here and there. The 8 stages are nicely done, however, with each stage having walls and barriers to hide behind and use strategically. But yeah, it's nothing to write home about. For big time VO fans though, this may be worth a look at $10. And trust me, it is a lot better than the tragically appalling GEBOCKERS.

[Steven]

OK time for our 2nd game tonight. Also from Tecnosoft... it's....

STEELDOM





Yes, you guessed right... it's the sequel to Hyper Reverthion! Gone are the special moves as one button option, gone is the Try mode, and gone are all 8 HR fighters..

The game opens with a KILLER CG intro... with excellent music... this is what I'm talking about.

The controls are mostly the same, only with the added feature of button X... which automatically turns you to face your opponent... a much needed feature! Graphically it blows HR out of the water, with crisper textures and more details, including a cool stage that snows. Ring Out's are still a part of the game, although this time is a lot harder to pull off. Instead of "animals" as fighters, the game seems to take on a more humanoid/fighting spirit approach. Here are the 8 fighters:

ZERAI
Red samurai spirit with glowing horns and status quo sword. 3 sword slash attack and a projectile wave. I can't use him too well, but when the CPU uses him oh man it's scary.

SORMA
White knight in shining armor. Fires an incredible blast that can go through barriers, and has a lounging attack where he sticks you fast and furious finishing you off with an icy freeze attack.

KIRI
4-armed insectoid-like Egytian deity. Launches 4 bombs, and has a rushing throw where it takes you up to the heavens and slams you down hard. Very powerful!

GORLAN
Purple beast holding 2 knives. Throws 2 giant orange knives as a special move, and the other he conjures a storm that sucks you up high and drops you down hard.

REIRA
"Ghost-faced" samurai-like warrior with a huge backpocket sword. Throws 3 ninja stars -- left right A it curves left, but right left A it will curve right. Nice. Also tosses its giant orange backpocket sword at its opponent for major damage and multiple hits

DAIKU
Weird brown looking warrior with a beer belly. Has a 3 punch combo that packs a wallop. Launches shoulder projectile in the air and crashing down on your skull. Also tosses a grenade exploding on impact that is effective for Ring Out's.

KAI
Green creature with 2 different hands. Major league throw that is good for Ring Outs and taking off mucho energy.

MISAKI
Pink creature that jumps in the air and shoots a line of fire outta the ground. Can conjure 5 fireballs and you press A from here on out to launch each one at the time of your discretion. Or simply wait 2 seconds and she'll throw all 5 at the same time.

Steeldom improves on HR in many ways, though I wish the original 8 fighters made it here too in a "Fighters MegaMix" sort of package. Ah wells. Steeldom is better, but it's still not anything above an "above average game." Still, it can be had for $15 or so, and if you like TecnoSoft or must have every game they made, you could do a lot worse than Hyper Reverthion and Steeldom. It's nice to play both and see where TecnoSoft made improvements and whatnot. Just remember this is a battle of wits as much as it is brute force... and while it's no Street Fighter Alpha 2 in terms of combo's... it's a decent diversion.




2P is done split-screen, though Steeldom gives you the option of "link mode"... but what are the odds today that anyone will experience that? =P

Lastly, the game also gives you 3 continues. But for infinite continues hold L & R then press Start at the Continue Screen. See ya cats later!

[fishsandwich]

So where are the new ones, man... I need my fix! It's been a week now!!!!!!!

[Steven]

lol... here they are.

Tonight is another 2-for-1 deal. First we have...

JUNG RHYTHM


The game opens with a funny whimsical CG intro. The SD girl is at home watching a music show on TV. Beside her is her "ChocoCat" (a character from Sanrio AKA the Hello Kitty store) like friend. She is very much into this one singer, in fact, she looks up to him. The camera swoons outta the house and goes upward to the night sky... showing the silhouette of a wolf on the rooftop, howling at the moon, complete with eyes, a nose and a smile.... very Japanese-y, as we all know the Japanese has a thing for those facial moon and night-star shots. (as seen also in Konami's Chibi Taisen)

There is a 1P mode where you battle a set number of characters, a 2P mode and a practice mode. Basically the music plays and at the bottom of the screen is a small horizontal portion that goes across the screen... a thin vertical line will quickly make its way through... and you have to hit the right buttons at the right time the vertical line crosses the designated buttons.

It's a hit and miss PaRappa clone for many, and for me I feel the same. The music and characters are cool, but it's not something I see myself playing often. It can be had cheap though, and if you into this kind of thing, you might enjoy Jung Rhythm. I beat the first stage, where you actually battle your mom in your kitchen... some crazy song about various food. After you beat mom (not too hard), you face this bully girl at the local school. She disrespects your artist rendition of your singer idol, and you get pissed at her and the battle ensues. I got my butt whipped by her... haven't been able to beat her yet. The pace really picks up.

All in all, a decent game. Here's what SATURN POWER magazine had to say about JR in issues number nine and ten:

9: A third party developer in Japan has recently announced a rap-style game for the Saturn -- which is surely inspired by a certain game that's rather popular on the PlayStation at the moment. It stars Vanilla, a young, hip, fad-conscious girl. The game features six different stages with loads of movie clips between each telling the story of Vanilla and her adventures. Each stage will have a period of ad-lib time, so that the player can make up their own dance style and routine without restrictions. You can even perform 'special combo dance moves' by entering different combinations and the game will feature Rap, Eurobeat, Reggae, and practice, versus and battle modes. In our opinion, this seems even more interesting and certainly more of a game than Parrappa and, if Sega Europe have any sense (assuming the game is decent, after all) then Jungle Rhythm should certainly be slated in for a release sometime next year.

----

10: Rumble in the Jungle
Developed by Altron -- not a company many UK-based Saturn owners will be familiar with -- Jungle Rhythm is a take on Sony's successful PaRappa the Rapper. Taking the role of Vanilla, a young lass, players guide the young minx through a series of stages. For those unfamiliar with PaRappa's much-publicised adventures, control of the main character doesn't involve any amount of fighting, driving or jumping. Nope, the aim of the game is to press certain specified buttons in time with the music tracks. Tapping the right ones results in some kind of tuneful success, whereas wrong inputs lead to much blushing.

With six stages to play though, Jungle Rhythm isn't, on paper, the biggest game ever created. However, like PaRappa, the idea is to accrue larger scores through inventive 'freestyle' ad-libbing to the music. However, unlike Sony's game, Altron's female lead automatically has a no-restrictions section to each round, allowing players to perform their own dance routines without creative restrictions.

[Steven]

DJ WARS




This game has music obviously, just like JR. Here you select one of five DJs and hit the clubs trying to crank out some good stuff. The game opens with a nice CG intro with a first person view through a club and then introduces the five characters. There is a great song blarring in the background and the first 10 seconds sounds like Mortal Kombat!


Move to the beat, get up, go!
Move to the beat, get up, go!
Move to the beat, get up, go!
Never hold back
Gotta keep trying
No denying
Gotta step into my groove!

Everything's gunna be alright
Gonna move it tonight!
Get up, get down, move it all around!

Can you feel it in the air?
Yeee-ah yeee-ah yeee-ah!

I'll take you to the top
Not gunna stop!
Everything's gunna be alright
Gunna move it tonight!
You get up, get down, move it all around!

Can you feel it in the air?
Yeee-ah yeee-ah yeee-ah

Ace, huh? Believe me, it sounds awesome. Made me want to bust a move, haha.

The rest I shall let SEGA Saturn Magazine take away!

------


DJ Phrasebook:

Decks: record players
Tunes: records
Dope Track: particularly fine record
Full-on: committed to the task
Havin' It: enjoying yourself
Banging: high volume
Playing a Blinder: performing well
Mad Skills: good DJing abilities
Safe: good
Large: very good


It seems like everybody at the EMAP building moonlights as a professional DJ, as phrases like "The fader's a bit unresponsive" and "Of course, it's much easier in real life" were heard for days after DJ Wars arrived in the office. This ultra-cool Japanese DJ game has certainly got us all going for it in a seriously 'large' fashion, what with its groovy polygon DJs, the ace selection of music to muck about with and a whole bunch of cool samples and noises to play with.

Just like it is for real DJs, practicing in your bedroom is an important part of the learning process. The practice mode is, obviously, the best place to start in DJ Wars, and these private sessions are really important for two reasons -- getting to know your record collection and of course, learning how to manipulate your equipment.

Once you've grown bored of playing to the psychedelic wallpaper in your bedroom, it's time to start playing the thing properly. The idea behind the game is to play in trendy nightclubs, whipping the crowd into a frenzy as you go, before moving on to the next club and playing another blinder to the adoring crowd. Simple. But remember, only a fool would attempt to mix a 'dope' Hip-Hop tune with a 'banging' Techno classic, so practice those mixes!

The selection of music is huge (50 tracks in total) and most of the tunes are great too. Even better, all of the music is being played by Saturn's humble sound chip, which is really being pushed to the limit by the cool tracks with names like Evolution, Future TR, Bad Boy and the breakbeat classic, Poo Trip. That last one probably sounds better in Japanese. Anyway, most of the records are only just over a minute long, so the momentum and speed of the game doesn't drop, and it's a constant battle to keep the music flowing and the crowd happy.

There are loads of special effects too -- sirens and vocal samples can be used to spice up your mix, and more adventurous jocks can try their hand at a bit of scratching. But be careful -- some clubs aren't too keen on these fancy moves, so you'll need to tailor your style of play and record selection to each club. A double-press of a Top button on the Saturn's pad will instantly cut from one deck to the other, while more accomplished DJs can adjust the pitch, volume and effects before casually sliding in the next 'large' tune to a rapturous crowd response. It seems a bit hit and miss sometimes -- what you think was a blinding mix is given a 'Bad' rating by the game, while random fading and scratching often results in a 'Cool' rating and a cheer from the crowd.

The Japanese options don't get in the way too much (UK release chance: zero) and with the special effects, faders, pitch controls and all the other technical stuff to worry about, players need to take a while to figure out the controls before 'playing a blinder' at one of the nine clubs in the game. Don't worry if you fancy bagging an import copy -- the on-screen buttons are all in English and most of the rest is pretty self-explanatory too, with only the story and introductions in Japanese.

If you're into the whole scene, DJ Wars is probably the most enjoyable game you'll play this year -- but only for a few days though, as once the novelty starts to wear out it gets dull very quickly. Still, DJ Wars is definitely one of those 'party games' you'll get out to impress people with, after all, games are supposed to be fun, right?

Getting some decent crowd response is the most important part of the game. See that gauge to the right of the screen? That measures how happy the crowd is with your music. Let the meter fall to zero and you'll be thrown out of the club. Keep it at a high level to activate the club's cool lights and make the groovy cartoon crowd dance even more! Pay special attention to the guide that comes up beforehand, as it tells you what style of music each particular crowd prefers...

----

I find DJ Wars to be an interesting little diversion but for me it's not really my thing. I can see how one might get into it... but me, I couldn't. If you find the premise of the game promising however, you should enjoy DJ Wars... plus it's cheap at about 10 bucks. My friend loves it, here's his take on DJ Wars. The following was originally written on August 17, 2004, for any one keeping track at home, lol

---

It's a Japanese import that I knew nothing about, but was curious enough just because of its title. Several months ago I saw it on an online import store for 99 cents (complete!), so I nabbed it (and, to make the shipping cost worthwhile, I also nabbed a $7 copy of Vandal Hearts). Unfortunately, my Saturn has been put away, at my mom's house.

I'm housesitting for my mom, so I brought DJ Wars with me and found and hooked up the old Saturn. Unfortunately, my cartridge port seems to be acting up, so I couldn't get my cart to boot. But today, I turned on the Saturn to play another round of Last Bronx, and to my surprise the Action Replay logos booted up. So I slipped in the DJ Wars disc...

There seems to be nothing on the net about this game. No reviews, no guides, nothing. That's a damn shame, because this game is fucking awesome!

The main gameplay involves you having two turntables and trying to crank out something good. You have a nice selection of records and you can change them on the fly if you wish. You can control the volume and pitch of each record independently in real time, and there's a small number of scratches and effects for you to do during play. Each record has a limited length, so you'll be forced to change records in the middle of play - transitioning smoothly is one of the game's challenges.

This isn't a bemani-style game, though (ie, you're not just playing stages). There's a 'story' to it (well at least a story mode). You pick from one of 5 DJ characters, each of which has a rival. After a short dialog between the two of you, which in presentation reminds me of the dialog in Puyo Puyo, the stage begins. It starts off with a song playing and you just go from there. It shows people in the club dancing (with an ultra trippy background), and it also shows your DJ character at the turntables and he/she is actually shown doing whatever you do in the game. It's pretty open-ended. But you have to make your DJ'ing coherent. If you do something well, a "cool!" will flash on the screen, and if you do something bad, a "bad!" will flash on the screen. The game is surprisingly good at judging whether or not you're doing well. I never find myself getting a "bad!" and thinking that I actually did well (which happens in a few other music games, ie Lammy).

In the stages, you're not mimicking anyone or attempting to do specific moves that are shown on screen. Instead, you're free to do whatever you want. It will occasionally say "fade out!" or something, but that's only to help guide you. After clearing the first stage, it shows a city map with stages on it. It looks like the stage select city map in Jet Grind Radio. There are four sections of town. You character has a "hometown", and you start off with only the stages in your hometown. Two characters each share two hometowns, one has his own all by himself, and the other isn't anyone's hometown (so I assume it's for later stages). There's three different clubs to choose from in your hometown, and you have to clear them all to move on. There's also a "my room" where you can listen to tracks and fiddle with stuff.

The actual music in the game is really great. It's DJ music, of course, and it suits the game perfectly. In each stage you have 7 records to play with, and there's something like 50 total tracks in the game. They're pretty infectious beats if you like that sort of music in general.

I'm having a total blast with this game. With its 5 characters and all, I imagine it has pretty decent longevity. It also has a "studio mode" which has the "my room" stuff, plus a "play" option where you can just jump right in and play a round if you want. There's also the ability to save replays, which is pretty neat. Other than that though it's short on options. And notably lacking is a 2-player mode. It's pretty light on language -- there's a lot of English in the game. The dialog with your rival is in Japanese, and when you go to select a stage there's information about that club in Japanese, but these are both non-essential. Everything else in the game, ie the menus and on-screen help, is in English.

I'd highly recommend this game to any fan of music games. Since I found it for 99 cents, I imagine it's pretty cheap no matter where you get it. It's a shame this was never released in the West, because it would've been really easy to translate, and it could've been "Saturn's answer to Parappa".

[Steven]

Ahhh I woulda gotten to this review earlier but I was busy celebrating my 22nd Birthday a few days ago and working. At any rate, you know, lately I been kinda tired. Almost "burning out" even. I mean, you don't know it but there are actually quite a few obscure Saturn imports I have played in the duration of this thread that have gone unpublicised. And why? Because they were either so unplayable or so bad they were not worth the waste of cyberspace.

Sadly, lately I been playing through a bunch of them... and yeah, when you play a bunch of bad games and you just feel UGH you forget the magic of video games, and it's almost enough to make you wanna try a nice long hiatus.

Such titles include:

-SSM totally hit the nail on the head... Trash-It blows, and blows hard

-SSM was yet right again, Konami's Whizz is a bland piece of garbage

-Fire Pro Wrestling Blazing Tornado was largely disappointing. I'll stick to the king: FP: 6 Men Scramble

-Tsukette-Pon! -- a puzzle creator, was unplayable. And my friend who was able to trek through the intense JP, said it's below average

-Oedo Renassiance... a sort of Sim City in the feudal Japan period, is largely unplayable

-etc. etc.

Well I'm glad to say that this next game, while it's not great... or EVEN good... it revived my passion so to speak. Why? Because it has a unique charm none of the above games posssess.

What game am I talking about?

TIME COMMANDO

Yes, this 3D action/adventure/beat em up PlayStation/PC game was also released for the Saturn, Japan only. It was my first experience playing it and I must say, I like it. As I fired it up for the first time I was worried this would be another disappointing game. Much to my surprise and delight, I had a blast playing through Time Commando.

The basic story is this: as Stanley, special agent of S.A.V.E (Special Action for Virus Elimination) you travel through time to put an end to a deadly virus on the verge of corrupting civilization and mankind as we know it. The game takes you through several eras in Earth's history and future in an attempt to avert a major chronological disaster. The game is played via a 3rd person view with the camera panning forward... so yes, the game is linear. It's a bit annoying that you can't backtrek though, but that's just a minor gripe.

As you progress through the levels there's a meter at the top ever filling up slowly. When it is full, Stanley will die. Thankfully, scattered throughout the levels are blue memory chips. Collect as many as you can, for in each level there are "hubs" where you can deposit the chips and reduce the time meter. This is pretty cool and keeps the game moving and puts a tension atmosphere on the whole game.



Controls are as follows:

Up = move up
Down = move backward
Right = turn right
Left = turn left

So yeah, just like Resident Evil or Alone in the Dark. In fact, it has some AitD similarities... especially graphically too.

A = attack
This is cool. You have three attacks. Hold A. Stanley gets in the action pose. Press up for a mighty swing of whatever weapon is highlighted. Left for a medium swipe, and right for a quick jab. Down for block. It's pretty cool, you can throw all manner of left right up combos.

B = check items

C = jump backward (AKA "evade")

X = switch weapons to the right

Y = switch weapons to the left

Z = giant "leap of faith"

R = side step jump to the right

L = side step jump to the left

So the game opens with a decent funky intro. You can tell our world is in some kind of futuristic distress. Stanley is sent packing to the Prehistoric times, and this is where your adventure begins. The first stage opens with you at the bottom of the screen, and up top is this burly brown caveman. My bro walked in and laughed. He said "Hey this looks realistic... but then again looks like someone made this in their garage!"

I laughed and agreed. It has a nice look... but then at the same time it's kinda crappy too. I dunno, it's difficult to explain. It's all part of the game's charm.

Another charm: how unintentionally funny it is.

So I move Stanley up to this ape caveman. Suddenly an energy bar pops up, just like a beat em up. So I knew we weren't gonna be friends, lol. I kicked him upside his head and he bounced back grunting, and I just laughed my ass off. It was too funny. He proceded to make his way down to me when I kicked him again... and another kick and he was out. Then his friend popped outta the bushes and I took care of him. It was fun in a hokey sort of way. Stanley looks funny and moves funny.

Thankfully, it's really only Stanley and the cavemen who look funny. The other enemies look pretty good. After you beat two cavemen you make your way to battle a sabetooth tiger! Man, that was a cool encounter. I knew then, this game was going to be pretty fun/cool in a weird off-shoot kind of way. I can't help but grin every time I kick the tiger in his face and he fails back. I love evading his leap attacks and then just pounding him silly.

Eventually you beat a caveman and take his club. You can also collect rocks to throw at the enemies... it's freaking hilarious!

Each time zone has two stages. Each stage concludes with an end boss usually.

You eventually fight a pissed off gorilla and a bear. Laugh your ass off as you toss a rock at the gorilla's head. Good good stuff.




2nd stage is the ROMAN EMPIRE
It's cool how it opens up. You're standing upstairs and downstairs is this lady approaching you. From behind you see her holding a dagger. Typical women! Kick her butt and then take her dagger. After this, an old man with a bigger knife approaches. Show him the door and take his weapon. Then you go on to face guards and all sort of beefy bullies. The more I played it the more I liked it.

Another charm of Time Commando is that in each period you get new different weapons to toy with, weapons representative of that era. In Prehistory you have a club, spear, mega club and rocks. In Roman Empire you collect dagger, two-edged knife, sling, trident and shield and even an gladiator axe to battle the bull boss. Hell you even pick up a pitchfork-like weapon after you beat up this dark fella. Then you walk upstairs as this bad guy comes downstairs... and you proceed to poke him in the knees to death... man this is what video games are all about!!!




Freak, at one point you get dumped underground and do battle with a mid-boss in the form of a LION!

3rd stage is FEUDAL JAPAN
You start off battling two white-clothed karate men. They are wheel carting and flipping around, and they freaking block a lot too. Then you faced masked ninjas where you take their sword and ninja stars! You even face a paint-covered woman who throws fans at you. The coolest part was fighting this one ninja... in the background was some old man raking hay. After you beat the ninja the old man turns around to face you. I quickly made a mess of him... oh it was so sweet. Serious... this is what video games are about... having a good time!

At the end of stage 1 you face a sumo wrestler! He guards the entrance to the house. In the dirt there's a huge circle drawn just like sumo matches. He's such a huge target... it's so fun to hit and run. I stood there and pelted ninja stars and fans off of him, haha. Then I dodged his rolling attacks and proceeded to beat him over the head with my stick, haha.

Get this... the end boss for stage 2 is actually a huge bipedal dragon! Way awesome.

Stage 4 is EUROPEAN MIDDLE AGES
You start off on a drawbridge where a short man in armor carrying a mace greets you. You can even beat him over the bridge plummetting to his premature demise! But if you do this, you can't collect his weapon. It's all good as you face a clone immediately thereafter. Ahhh, the fat bald monks... there's nothing like cracking those fools over the skull with a knight's sword, heh heh. The stage 1 boss is the first boss to really give me a challenge... the black armored knight. To beat him you MUST collect the giant sword that is a bit tricky to find...

Stage 2 boss... CHEESE AND RICE man! Freaking tough. Big knight with a skeleton mask on... creepy. His lair is pretty spooky and he weilds a giant axe! Better collect that bow and arrow...

I won't spoil the rest of the game for you, but here are the rest of the stages with some notes...

Stage 5 -CONQUISTADORS
You get a pistol and a blow pipe here among others. A BLOW PIPE! Seriously, it doesn't get any better than that. Here you even use a spanish sword to square off with dirty pirates! They block a lot, and if you block too, you can get some epic cool sword-clanging fights going on. Really awesome.

Stage 6-WILD WEST
Shotgun, revolver, twin revolvers, rifle and dynamite... resolve your inner cowboy here. Hella fun to shoot down the baddies.



Stage 7-MODERN WARS
Grenades, Rocket Launcher, Bayonet Rifle, etc. Plenty of violence here. In the very beginning of stage 2 there is a dog and an old man... advice... do not fight them... if you don't they will join forces with you..... but lemme tell you it sure is tempting to see that dog lying there and you got it in your crosshairs..... *evil grin*




Stage 8-FUTURE
Battle space tech warriors and aliens... plasma guns, mono-molecular yo-yo, cannon arm (that slows you down tremendously whenever you are weilding it), space suit and plasma grenade.

Stage 9-BEYOND TIME
This is it... your life and the existence of our universe as we know it, hangs in your balance...

Now, having said ALL of this, I do want to make this clear. This is not a great game, or even a good game. I've played it enough to fairly rate it... and at best I'd rate it 6.0/10, which on my scale equates out as "slightly above average." Why is this? Well, the combat seems to lose a bit of its charm and novelty after a while, and I did find the later levels to not be as fun as the early ones. The controls could use some work, and the camera can be a detriment at times. The game speed could also have been better.

However, it scores points for originality, charm and fun in that "its so goofy/bad it's good" kind of way. Would I recommend this game? If you liked what I explained, and you can get it for 10 or less, sure go for it. I got my copy for 99 cents and hey I can't complain. Even though it's not a good game it's oddly brought back my interest in playing these "obscure" imports single-handedly, as the last batch of games really disgusted me.

Lastly, the game is operated per password. Here are passwords for any of you who may own or will own this game, and need the help:

level 2 - TSAEMSBH
level 3 - XIVDTYMT
level 4 - HGFIOFLR
level 5 - EBELPWNF
level 6 -JZWDLIKX
level 7 - ENQOEQHJ
level 8 - NDWMHGEC
level 9 - XEMJBDFS
Secret level - COMMANDO (ch-ch-ch-check it out!)

Overall, you take TC for what it is, and you may get quite a kick outta it. In many ways you could almost classify it as a beat em up, as you approach enemies in a linear fashion and their energy bar pops up as you proceed to kick some butt. The best thing is going through all the time zones and battling the various different enemies with cool weapons of that time frame. That, to me, is worth the trip. I'll remember TC as one goofy freaking hilarious action game that revived my gaming spirits. Even though it's no masterpiece, it's got a charm unique to itself. I'm glad I picked it up.