School me on the Sega Saturn

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Hi there, I have a slight interest in getting a Sega Saturn but the more I read about it the more confused I get. I am wondering if any of you fine folks can answer some questions for me.

 

First of all, you’re going to laugh, but the main reason I want to get a Saturn is to play Final Fight Revenge. Yes, I know, it’s a terrible game, but I have my reasons. Now, the snag is Final Fight Revenge is a Japanese-only game, requires the 4MB expansion cart, AND goes for mega bucks on eBay.

 

So I reckon, no problem, I’ll get a modded Saturn (I see them listed everywhere) and buy the Action Replay Plus cart.

 

But now some of my questions come up.

 

If I download the ROM of Final Fight Revenge (I am not paying crazy money for the original disc) and burn it, will that work on a modded Sega Saturn? Some of the reviews in that Amazon page say no.

 

Apparently the Saturn does not recognize the Action Replay Plus a lot of times and even when it does you need to manually move your saved game states to it? (the Amazon quote is “you have to save to the saturns internal memory first then you can transfer it to the cart later, and then also you have to transfer it back to the saturns internal memory before the game will pick it up”) Do any of you who do that find it a chore?

Also, I’m a little nervous about the following remark “It is best if you just leave the AR in your system as you will wear out the cart.”

I have researched games that interest me for the Saturn and there’s less than a dozen titles I would want. I really only like three fighting games and one shmup. I know that’s the majority of the Saturn’s library but honestly there’s very few other fighting games and shmups I want.

So, how many things am I going to need to fulfill my vague interest in playing Final Fight Revenge and the other dozen games I only have a small interest in playing? Is the trouble / expense ahead of me a big deal? If so, maybe I’ll pass on investigating this machine any further.

As always, any wisdom you can pass along to me would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Austin]

If I download the ROM of Final Fight Revenge (I am not paying crazy money for the original disc) and burn it, will that work on a modded Sega Saturn? Some of the reviews in that Amazon page say no.

 

A stock Action Replay will not recognize burned discs. You will need to install a mod chip in your Saturn to do this, or custom flash the AR (there are tutorials online).

 

Apparently the Saturn does not recognize the Action Replay Plus

 

The only thing keeping the Saturn from not recognizing something like the AR is a finicky cart slot. The Action Replay carts themselves are pretty solid. Just don't move or remove the cart once it's in the system. This goes for any cart you use with the Saturn. The idea with the AR is to put it in, and never take it out. It serves many purposes so you really have no reason to remove it once it's seated properly.

 

a lot of times and even when it does you need to manually move your saved game states to it? (the Amazon quote is “you have to save to the saturns internal memory first then you can transfer it to the cart later, and then also you have to transfer it back to the saturns internal memory before the game will pick it up”) [/size]Do any of you who do that find it a chore?

 

The memory card portion of the Action Replay unfortunately is not treated like a normal Saturn backup cart--you are unable to save directly to it in-game. So, to get around this, you save your data to the console, then when you are done, reset the system and copy the data over to the AR.

 

I don't find this to be much of a chore. It takes 20 seconds. The reason I put up with it is the battery in my system is dead. It's a standard lithium battery and is easy to replace, but they have always died quickly for me and so I no longer bother replacing them. A dead battery means your internal storage will be wiped when you power the system off. So, you backup your data to the AR when you are done playing a game, and copy the data back when you want to play it later.

 

Lots of games don't give you an option to save to a cart anyway--only a select few (like some of the RPGs) allow you to do this. So you'd have to go to the Saturn's internal memory manager to copy your data over to a backup cart regardless if you had a different backup cart. Personally, I feel this issue in direct relation to the AR is overblown.

 

Also, I’m a little nervous about the following remark “It is best if you just leave the AR in your system as you will wear out the cart.” [/size]

 

You will not wear out the cart--the cart slot itself is finicky. Just expect to have to take several tries to get it to recognize the cart again if you remove it. It's just a system design flaw.

 

I have researched games that interest me for the Saturn and there’s less than a dozen titles I would want. I really only like three fighting games and one shmup. I know that’s the majority of the Saturn’s library but honestly there’s very few other fighting games and shmups I want.[/size]

 

Fighters and shooters do *not* make up the majority of the Saturn's library. Do some more digging, I think you will find some other games you will enjoy. Between the Japan and USA libraries, you have a ton of titles to choose from. The US alone has over 200 I believe. People tend to say shooters and fighters are all "the Saturn has" because fighters and shooters make up the majority of ENGLISH FRIENDLY *Japanese imports*. Shocker though!!--The Saturn actually has a North American library! And it has good games! A lot of people seem to forget this these days.

 

So, how many things am I going to need to fulfill my vague interest in playing Final Fight Revenge and the other dozen games I only have a small interest in playing? Is the trouble / expense ahead of me a big deal? If so, maybe I’ll pass on investigating this machine any further.[/size]

 

1. Saturn console.

2. Mod chip and/or a custom flashed Action Replay (the AR flash is easy to do)

3. A spindle of CD-r discs.

 

As always, any wisdom you can pass along to me would be greatly appreciated.[/size]

 

I may be a little biased in saying this, but the Saturn is a pretty sweet system. You should buy one anyway.

[Austin]

The thought just occurred to me, if you have a strong enough computer you can just download a Saturn emulator and play Final Fight Revenge that way. It will cost approximately zero dollars.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Awesome info Austin! I greatly appreciate it.

And I have looked into Saturn emulation. It appears to be very difficult to do. I have tried Yabause, SSF, and even played around with Cassini. They all run horribly slowly if I can get them to run at all.

 

Just how strong of a machine would I need? I am currently running :

 

Intel® Core i7-2620M CPU @ 2.70GHz

4.00 GB RAM

[goldenegg]

That CPU is more than sufficient to use SSF at full speed. Not sure why you had issues before.

Edited August 2, 2015 by goldenegg

[Giltygear]

First of all, you’re going to laugh, but the main reason I want to get a Saturn is to play Final Fight Revenge.

 

You must also enjoy throwing money in the trash.

[Greg2600]

The SSF emulator works pretty good now on PC. You do have to use a virtual drive clone software though to read the ISO into the emulator.

[Neo Gamer]

Final FIght Revenge ?? lol, this game is very bad