Should You Collect for the Sega Saturn? (And How to Do It) - Retro Bird 

The japanese variant of the saturn together with its games, is the most underrated console ever. If you like amazing arcade ports of 2d fighters and shooters, it's a wet dream.

I started collecting for Saturn almost exclusively for the Japanese games. It was actually cheaper to get a Japanese system and use the Action Replay to play western games. The added bonus was that Japanese gamers typically take better care of their stuff so most listings are in good to great shape.

This really hits home for me. The Dreamcast started my dream and the Saturn turned it into an experience that’s out of this world. I’ve never been addicted to anything quite like it.

I mode my Saturn almost 20 years ago have own the console for about 24 years still works like new very well made.

I recently started emulating Saturn and Dreamcast and I have fallen in love with the library. Thank you for this video, it helps so much with knowing how to bypass region lock. The Saturn is great and I want to get one at some point and this was a very very helpful and interesting watch.

Two words of advice for people interested in Saturn games: 1) Buy a Action Replay 4mb ram cart 2) Buy Japanese games Follow those words of advice and you'll be able to play most of the Saturn's library for under a 60 bucks a game *mostly* (unless you want to play Shining Force or any RPG, you're screwed there..)

I’ve been into Saturn since 1997. My brother got one for cheap from our parents when he graduated from sixth grade. We were also living near an import store then, so we got X/Men Vs Street Fighter and some other awesome games.

I bought my Sega Saturn in 2001. I built my collection back when the games were dirt cheap. Except for Panzer Dragoon Saga and Shining Force 3, those two were very pricey. It is a great little system.

Saturn looks kinda cool. (Sees prices) Aight ima head out.

A good trick I do when I want to play Pro Yakyuu Spirits (japanese baseball game) or to read french comics, is to use the Google translate app. It’s pretty good for navigating menus. You can just hold up your phone to whatever and it will translate it right away.

There is good new, Saturn fans! If you're running HomeBrew on your Switch (not for everyone) and you have Cotton Guardian Force Tribute or Cotton 2 games from the eShop, you can play many Saturn disc images really easily. Basically, the games have a really good Saturn emulator running behind the scenes and you can basically "inject" your own Saturn game into that title's folder by renaming some files. It doesn't play _every_ Saturn game, but it does play a good number of Saturn games really well.

Whyyyy couldn't I have been a cool kid and picked a Saturn for Christmas of 1996?! I debated heavily that summer... flipping furiously through the pages of my mom's Spiegal catalog eventually settling on an N64. I later did pick up a PS1 with my own money but never did get a Saturn... at least not until about a year ago. I'm enjoying it a lot but I'm still chipping away at the Sega CD library so I've only picked up about a dozen or so Saturn games... Nights, Christmas Nights, Darius Gaiden, Galactic Attack, Panzer Dragoon I & II and a few others. Some quality stuff!

I bought a Saturn in 2018 and i really like it. To get around 25 games and various accessories it has cost me more than $4000CDN. If you are thinking about starting a Saturn collection... don't.

Had a Saturn as a kid (along with a PS1 and N64) and as much as I loved SEGA, it was my least played of the three, mainly because the western library was so lackluster and limited in my opinion, and back then I had no idea about importing or anything like that so I had no clue that there was a whole treasure trove of amazing games that we flat out just never got in the west. I recently bought one again (a Japanese one with a 4 MB ram cart) and i absolutely love it, honestly my favorite console of that generation now. It’s absurd how many amazing games we just completely missed out on in the west.

This Nice Guy exchanged a Saturn SD card reader for my old Saturn Fullset. It needed a 512gb SD card, but now, I don't have enought space for all of them, it was a great deal I guess. Some of the disks were also a little scratched.

For me, there is no console greater than the Saturn. Ive been collecting for it for 24 years and never regretted a single thing. The love I have for this system is immeasurable 😅

I never had the saturn as a kid. Now as an adult I've been picking up games left and right. And I gots me a Japan sega saturn with the blue buttons. The Japan saturn will play American games with the action replay as well.

I do collect for the Saturn and love playing it

I´m glad I finished my collection about 2005 and own nearly every PAL game and a lot of US and japanese games. All complete and some still sealed. I also own three saturn consoles, which one of them I bought at release.

I really love the shots of your hands gaming near the screen. A great alternative to having black bars on the side of a square frame!

I’ve been thinking about this for a while. This was a very helpful video. Curious if you’ll be doing a “must play” list of Saturn games.

Saturn had some awesome games like die hard cop and the shinobi game.. I regret selling it sometimes

Love your editing Bird! I laugh every video! Ty for doing what you do, the way you do. :)

Great information. I need to get one of those replay carts.

I still have a Sega Saturn that I got in December 95. It still works (mostly). I stopped collecting for it though due to the high expense. I still want a handful of games for it that I can't get anywhere else.

Luckily for me I started collecting for the Saturn when it was dirt cheap a few years ago . I got a model 1 with 15 complete games 2 controllers, 2 arcade sticks for $50 and the week after I bought a model 2 in the box for $20

I’ve been binging Retro Bird videos from newest to oldest, and the S-bomb in this video caught me off guard. 😂 I’m not offended by it or anything, but it definitely feels off-brand at this point 😏

Just recently started getting into the saturn have a white Japanese model 2 and 2 games in my possession as I'm currently waiting on daytona usa circuit edition and space invaders

Great console. Really enjoyed collecting it. I have a full PAL set and most US games not released in Europe. Just a shame a couple of US games are too expensive for me, especially considering import charges on top of the price.

Bought that controller for Nights, it was nice but my skills remained crap.

Sega Saturn was like the middle child that never got any attention. Now 25 years later it's getting the last laugh .

I bought a Sega Saturn at USA launch in 1995. When the USA games dried up in 1998, I started to import Japanese games for it. The Saturn was looked down on, back in the 90’s, but I enjoyed the games a lot. It is amazing what some of these games sell for today, but I have too much sentimental attachment (was first console I ever owned), to ever sell them.

I remember reading somewhere that Sega/Team Andromeda actually lost the source code to _Panzer Dragoon Saga_ which is why it hasn't been re-released on modern consoles. If this is true, the game would need to built again from the ground up, which may make a modern version perhaps less likely. I would still love to see it, though, even if it is unlikely.

For the US, get Daytona USA, Virtua Fighter 2, and Virtua Cop. Those are what you should start with. They're dirt cheap and they're playable even without peripherals. But if you do happen across those peripherals, pick them up. They make those games 1,000 times better!

I really enjoy playing and collecting for the Saturn, I have the white Japanese variant and an action replay for the few American games I play, my favorite games on the Saturn are the 2d marvel fighters

Thankfully I'm not most gamers and picked up my Saturn back in '97. However, I do have some gaps in my collection, most notably Saturn Bomberman, so I've been working to round out my collection. Cool vid though and some solid tips 👍🏿

I missed out on nabbing NIGHTS and the 3D controller. I passed it up for Saturn Bomberman and Sonic Jam. By the next trip i spotted Marvel Super Heroes and a fight stick for about the same price as NIGHTS And the 3D controller anyway. So i got those at least. All of these games are super fun and no matter what, you're getting something good out of them. I imagine whoever got NIGHTS with that controller is having an absolute blast, as am i with Marvel and the fight stick. Heck, the stick even works with other arcade games like Thunder Force collections and Elevator Action Returns! 👍

You guys are all late. Even collecting good Japanese games are high price now. Sucks but hey

Screams in Neo Geo

I want you to do a second part of this, with Prof. Abrasive's add-on, the Satiator. ...it lets you play original Sega Saturn games on CD, along with downloaded ROMs. He made it, so you can "have your cake, and eat it, too".

Nowadays you have three options with the Saturn 1. get an ODE/emulate it on whatever platform 2. get an Action Replay to buy the japanese versions of games that are usually completely playable to an engish speaker and cost 1/2 to ONE TENTH as much as the US versions, or buy repros 3. GTFO.

I've always wanted to play many of the amazing Saturn games for such a long time, but in the end all I have now is Rayman, Nights into Dreams... which is currently lost and I really want to find it again, and disc 1 of Street Fighter Collection. I did get a good amount of use out of it, and I want to use it more, but with the possible exception of Sonic 3D Blast and Virtua Fighter 2, my collecting of US games for the system is a ship that has long since sailed. But that doesn't mean I don't have Saturn related plans. I was originally looking into the various SD card methods of loading Saturn games on original hardware, but of course we had the one that replaced the disc drive which for me isn't the most ideal since I do want to play the discs I have, and then there's the one that you can plug into the expansion port thing in the back which costs over 200 dollars. I was thinking of asking to get for some kind of Christmas gift, but thankfully thanks to this video I've learned about the Psuedo Saturn cartridges. Now I'm pretty much gonna be going for that, like yeah I have to burn discs, but the thing's only 50 bones, I can't not think that's a good deal for playing Saturn games on real hardware. Plus it finally opens me up to the world of imports. Oh gosh I cannot wait to be able to play things like Fighters Megamix or the Panzer Dragoon games for a more reasonable price. Plus for those situations like Panzer Dragoon Saga, or even fan translations like the other two scenarios for Shining Force 3, I can just burn it and play it. Yeah, I can emulate it, but personally Saturn emulation still isn't quite enough to snuff for me to really use that a lot like with other systems. Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places, I dunno. Either way it's still really exciting to have a whole new world of Saturn playing and collecting in front of me, I cannot wait to do all of this.

my favorite game OF ALL TIME ON ANY SYSTEM is hyper duel on saturn.

Being someone who has never had a Sega console (or I think even played one either), I was very happy when I learned that a Genesis Classic/Mini was made. I'm hoping that they do the same thing for the Saturn and also the Dreamcast. For someone who never had any of that stuff, and with supply and prices getting bad, it would be very appreciated.

Awesome video. The Saturn is probably my favorite Retro consule. I got into collecting it since I love Shmups/Arcade games. Luckily I picked up most of the games I wanted a few years ago. I recommend people try the games on Xbox arcade prior to getting into Saturn collecting. The Switch also has few Saturn Shmups as well (i.e the the Psikyo Games). Also I should mention that Panzer Dragoon Orta on OG Xbox is playable in the Xbox One. And if you beat it, you unlock Panzer dragoon 1. Its the PC port, but its still another Saturn game that can be played on the XBOX One.

So after having some games succumb to disk rot, I no longer buy expensive optical media based games. Losing Saturn Bomberman, and Metal Slug was enough to push me over to an SD card reader. I'm surprised how little people bring up disk rot. It is real, and it SUCKS!

Great video. It's tough getting stuff for it. The prices make most everyday people not able to acquire them unfortunately. Sucks

I currently only own 16 games for my Saturn because of the prices, however visiting retro game shops or flea markets are good too to find cheaper prices sometimes.

I don't care about the RARITY or THE VALUE of the games. So I'm buying a Satiator because I like PLAYING video games rather than collecting them to sit on a shelf HOPING to one day CASH OUT. Call me weird 🤡

I bought my Saturn in 1997, and bought nearly anything that became expensive from the US library back then, so I didn't pay much of anything for the rare stuff. The only one I bought in the last decade of so was Iron Storm, which I hadn't bought yet, and scored a dirt cheap auction win for $20 before things got truly out of control

I noticed that a lot of games were cheaper in Japanese version, including the system itself and decided to go that route. I mainly play fighting games so the Japanese symbols didn't bother me that I couldn't read

I love the Saturn but it’s unreasonably expensive. I have what I have and I’m done. If you have no nostalgia with this system definitely put some time into emulation. You can try games before you buy, less risk of buyer’s remorse and you will definitely learn a few things along the way.

I remember wanting one bad. It just didn't hole up over time like the other consoles. I'll probably get one for the Street Fighter Games

If I didn't own Saturn games already I wouldn't be starting now. I have some of the heavy hitters like Street Fighter Zero 3, Elevator Action returns and Batsugun from waaaay back in the day. But getting back Radiant Silvergun or Battle Garegga is not high on my adopt list. One game I want is Super Tempo, hello $450.

I think I will mod my Saturn I can’t afford any of the better games - haven’t played it in years I’d be surprised if it even works anymore - nice vid!

I know I won’t, I sold everyone I’ve ever had.

Perhaps one day. Would like to play Shining Force 3. I remember renting a Saturn and PS1 from blockbuster with as many games as we’re out at the time one Friday night back at launch. All of our friends got together jamming out all weekend. By the time I finally had the money for one in like ‘97 Saturn was pretty much a thing of the past and I really wanted to play Final Fantasy 7 so it was a done deal.

I have to throw this out anytime people mention Panzer Dragoon- especially with the remake coming out and mention of other saturn games being on XBOX live.... GET PANZER DRAGOON ORTA. From a value perspective, it really is the best panzer game. it was originally released on the OG xbox, but the disc is actually backwards compatible on the 360 AND one/X/S. Hell you can even buy the digital game for new xboxes. The game is pretty good in its own right, but what makes it the best is the fact that you can beat the game and unlock the ENTIRE first panzer game. So if you're not into the remake but want to play the original without buying a saturn, just get ORTA. 2 panzer games in one package that plays on 3+ generations of consoles.

I bought my sega staturn. For one reason. Dugion and Dragons arcade . i waited months for my overseas package. In that time frame i bought other sega saturn games. Damn i was blown away its my fav system. It insane expesive. . over seas games is the way to go put you cant do that with rpgs yeesh. It a game system where u have to save all year to buy lol but ot is worth it. Besides it is not as bad as neo geo

Sega Saturn’s Japanese Library is god like, truly the best 2D platform by a clear mile. I’ve just returned to the scene and had to sell a kidney to buy a legit copy of Street Fighter Zero 3 LOL! There are plenty of cheaper Capcom games available though, Street Fighter zero 2 is my favourite and you can get it for a Tenner.

Don't buy CiB if you don't need to. If you just want to play the game, you don't need the box and manual. Some games can get really pricy CiB, but be affordable enough with only the disc. Nights Into Dreams is a good example. Loose, it's valued at about 28 dollars. CiB, 70. I just wanted to play Nights seeing as it is THE Saturn game not named Panzer Dragoon and based on the game play, it looked unique and fun. Saw the prices for a boxed copy and noped out of that, but sale the price for only a disc and went right for that. Then I put the disc in an empty Blu Ray box so it's safe when not playing. I can always order a custom box later on.

Purchased a saturn a few months ago as I had one years ago that I gave away to people who lost their xbox to a fire. Happy to say that my purchase came with a few goodies but I'm gonna have to upgrade from the rf cable soon. Also got some sort of game commercial disc with it. That one was interesting.

A topic I think you should make a video on is if donkey kong 3 (not donkey kong country 3, I know you already did a video on that) is a good game and should be remembered as a classic.

Buy disc only. That's my trick.

Vida longa ao Saturno 🙌🏻

I collected for the original Sega Saturn for years and, man, some of the games could get expensive (even some of the more common games). I recommend checking out eBay as I actually found a few reasonable deals on there (especially on Japanese imports).

I had no idea Bomberman was going for like $400+ now. I never should've sold my games :/

I don't drink, smoke nor gamble. Why? So I could pull the proverbial financial trigger and ordered a Sega Saturn from Japan, along with a Action Replay cart. Also I'm not really a Sonic fan. I can easily live without those games. So the Saturn seems pretty ideal for me.

Saturn looks cool but is to high in price for me and it doesn't have the nostalgia factor for me. If you go for it I wish you good look :)

I bought a Saturn 7 years ago. I still only have Soviet Strike, Daytona USA, Virtua Fighter 2, and Myst. It’s just too cost-prohibitive for me.

I feel bad for that laptop

Whooooooaaaa !??!! 😳 RetroBird used to cuss? Thats wild 😂.

Yes Saturn is my thing..😁👍Where ive been slowly collecting for quiet a while ive collected a fairly sizable amount of games. Like you, i do recommend a Action replay plus and searching into the Japanese market.

I want to collect a Saturn and it’s games, but it seems too expensive and I’m shitty with cases 🤪 I want the sega Saturn mini so I can mod it and play all games for affordable… but I don’t want the lag from emulation… … … maybe I’ll just keep drooling every time I see one at the retro game store until I break down and buy one 🤣

I have become interested lately in one of those new Chinese consoles that run dream cast and saturn...look like the switch but emulate anything prior to wii... The channel "la poción roja" recently reviewed a few that are coming to the market. Very well done Chinese fellas!

hey can you talk about the Sega master system?

I think the Saturn is just as good as PS1. I think those two system in the type of gaming experience you were going to have where nearly identical. Closer to each other than SNES vs Genesis and probably the two closest systems until XBOX 360 and PS3. It's definitely one of my favorites. In the top 5. I had the fortune and misfortune of getting one and starting to collect for it when prices were still reasonable. I think I paid $70 for my North American Saturn that came with a complete copy of Astal. I got some of the Working Designs games like Albert Odyssey, Iron Storm and Dragonforce for around $50 a piece (which I thought was expensive then). However it wasn't the system I was focused on at the time (that would be the Dreamcast and PS3) so I got games for it sporadically or if I happened to see a good price in the wild, which was very rare to find anything in person but it happened every blue moon. Then one day I walked into a retro game store and my eyes nearly fell out of my head at the prices for Saturn games. Looked at Ebay and looked up the games I owned and nearly fell over from shock. It was then I realized the time to collect had ended with regards to North American games. I've been exclusively Japanese import ever since. Though I have gotten repros and used emulation in some instances (Panzer Dragoon Saga and Magic Knights Rayearth for example). Though in some cases a repro/emulation is a good idea for a game with a translation patch like Policenauts.

Like AA is there an SA for Saturn anonymous? 💪🏻

I would love to get one but im not willing to put the price

I love it when its just the beat at the end. With the lyrics it is funny, but that beat slaps hard AF on its own. Who made it?

I used to hate that console until I discovered all the amazing SHMUPS that were on that system! It’s now become one of my favorite consoles.

My dad has an original sega saturn andbloads of games like 50+ or more or less idk if i sold it how much for?

I got a Derby Stallion w/ Phoebe, so I don't really need to collect, just controllers n stunners. Also, one of my Saturn games has Disc Rot, sooo I plan on avoiding Sega CD/Saturn disc based games. I dub the Saturn as my favorite 5th Gen console now, I love it!

You know I think retro bit should start doing re-releases of Sega Saturn games that actually work without the need of a pseudo Saturn cart For example maybe some brand new copies of saga and guardian Heroes for $40 and maybe an Ultimate Edition for $100

Great video. You said 4 categories but you forget the rpg category, the saturn has the biggest and best rpg catalog in all sega console… for the Japanese market of course. A real fan and hardcore gamer doesn’t care about the difficulty to play a rpg in Japanese. Back in the 90’s I played many rpg all in Japanese and I finished them with a lot of joy ( shining force sc3 or panzer dragoon Azel, wachenroder…) We have to keep in mind that the Saturn was and still is a Japanese console with Japanese games. That is the main reason American and European prefer the Dreamcast ( more western style for games). I am more into the Japanese market and that’s why the Saturn is my beloved

The Saturn dosent look like a bad system at all.

Most games are unique and won’t probably ever see a remaster. Also it is very difficult to emulate. Dreamcast kinda the same but easier to emulate. But SEGA has like NINTENDO big community and will always be collectors for them

i got a saturn like a month ago but have yet to play it lol, cause for the life of me i can not find games for it around me ( just magic knight rayearth.... but yea the price for it)

The Saturn is a great console if you like the games and are willing to break the bank for it.

Lol nobody is borrowing my Saturn games lol😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

holy shit, he said shit

I'd say no, burn the games and soft mod the console like I did

I hate to be that guy, but, wouldn't it be silly to fork over all that money and disc rot start setting in on them? It is a real possibility. I have already had 3 PS1s and a Sega CD with disc rot.

Nah games where very scarce, there was no way i could find a single game I bought reciently Die hard arcade for $50 dlls lose, but then i realized that a pokemon leaf green and fire red rised on price and costs the same as that game i acquire I regret letting my fire red go 😡

Buy a Japanese Saturn. They’re cheaper, the controllers are automatically the good one unlike the North American versions where you maybe stuck with getting the mediocre first gen controller. The games are cheaper for example you can get street fighter zero 2 with the case for $15 as opposed to street fighter alpha 2 with the case for $90. The Japanese library is much much much much much larger than the North American library and all you need to do is buy an action replay 4m cart or a pseudo Saturn cart and you’ll have a region free Saturn to play your North American games. I managed to get a first model gray Japanese Saturn complete with the box and 2 controllers all in pretty good shape for $70. Japanese sega saturn is definitely the way to go

Id like to have a sega saturn really. Did you legit throw your laptop out the window lol

Are the games more expensive now?

Digitally.

You only wanted the Sega Saturn if you were a Sega fanboy at the time

When playing my Japanese copy of Dark Savior, I have been tediously taking pictures of my T.V with a translation app on my phone in hopes of extracting useful information. Practical, no, but some what useful if your really lost.