A Look at All 6 Sega Saturn Launch Games

When the Sega Saturn had its surprise launch on May 11th, 1995, it came with six games. Due to the fact that most developers were unprepared for this, these were the only games available for the system for three months. Let’s look at all six of the Saturn’s launch games, as well as a glimpse of what it’s owners got after a long wait.
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Video Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:01 - Clockwork Knight
3:50 - Daytona USA
6:53 - Panzer Dragoon
10:11 - Pebble Beach Golf Links
11:34 - Virtua Fighter
14:08 - Worldwide Soccer: Sega International Victory Goal Edition
15:30 - Bug! (Bonus Game)
19:04 - Outro

[@LegendOfGames]

A new Launch Games episode is out! This one covers the Sega Genesis: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYXZqHtnm5xqjqc

[@mattmcnulty8363]

There’s something about the Sega Saturn that’s endearingly nostalgic for me. Underrated console.

[@LegendOfGames]

It’s an awesome system.

[@ViniciusOliveira-ny4yt]

It's not underrated, the mistakes Sega made on the launch, killed Saturn before it was born in the US.

[@RichSmithson]

@@ViniciusOliveira-ny4yt This is how i feel as someone who went with Saturn over Playstation 1 on release. I guess Sega did a poor job marketing it because I was the only kid in my friend network back then who got a Saturn, everyone else went with Playstation. I remember thinking i had still made the right choice as Sony were new to the gaming market, but pretty quickly I realised id made the wrong choice and Sony was all the rage. I sold my Saturn and got a PS instead. Another negative was not all the video shops had Saturn games to rent, or if they did it was a small collection they stopped updating. Dreamcast had alot more going for it then Saturn did.

[@ViniciusOliveira-ny4yt]

@@RichSmithson The fact that they launched Saturn with no advise and games was very bad, they bothered users and retailers. (Sorry about my bad english, I'm from Brazil)

[@andersdenkend]

Same for me. I came late to it, so it always felt like rooting for the underdog. Back in those days I didn't realize all that drama about the Saturn's launch at all. I was always like: "Why does nobody like it?". Nowadays I still like it in a "oh, what could have been" kind of way. I hope some more people will start coding for it and unlocking more of its power in the future.

[@ScottDuensing]

Aw, you're too hard on poor Bug! Really fun game after you get the feel for it.

[@LegendOfGames]

Maybe you’re right. 25 years of improvements in platform games might have spoiled me.

[@grinbrothers]

The funny thing with Clockwork Knight and Virtual Fighter is, as a result of the year difference release of the system, how sequels to those games released within the same year the Saturn released in US and PAL territories. Great video by the way, with a decent bit to say on each game and a good emphasis on how the games overall feel to play.

[@LegendOfGames]

Thank you! And yeah, those release dates being so close is definitely pretty funny. I think they could’ve at least waited until early ‘96 to release them, but maybe they wanted to have more titles out to compete with the PlayStation.

[@kingmarx810]

This content was great. Made me nostalgic for my Saturn days but, also made me nostalgic for when the Simpsons were still good.

[@LegendOfGames]

Glad you liked it! And I can understand your feelings about The Simpsons.

[@turdcalzone7636]

Golf games are actually one of the most interesting in my opinion during the whole 90's era. All from pixelated sprites, into prerendered and into full polygon 3d. You should definitely check out more golf games.

[@LegendOfGames]

I've actually enjoyed a lot of the golf games I've ended up playing for these videos, as they tend to be pretty chill and easy to get into. I might need to try some that weren't from launch lineups.

[@jackwentrunning]

Had a Saturn and had panzer dragon but totally forgot what it was called! Thanks for this final reminder

[@LegendOfGames]

That would’ve been a good game to get with the system. Glad I could help you rediscover it!

[@Outshinedsg]

I think Panzer Dragoon may be one of the first console games I played with full motion video cutscenes in it. I remember being absolutely blown away by the pre-rendered graphics and orchestral sound and thinking it felt really advanced at the time. Very memorable game. I played Daytona quite a bit too. I don't even like racing games all that much, but that soundtrack was just too catchy XD

[@LegendOfGames]

I can see Panzer Dragoon being pretty mind blowing after coming from the 16-bit era. And I can understand your feelings about Daytona. Half of the reason I kept playing was because of its soundtrack.

[@Outshinedsg]

@@LegendOfGames For sure. I mean, obviously it looks pretty dated now, but back in 1995 when I hadn't seen the likes of Toy Story or an N64 yet, seeing pre-rendered 3D on a console felt like a big deal. One of those things you look back on as a moment where the gaming industry advanced another step.

[@CptJistuce]

Oh god... those Panzer Dragoon horns always hit me right in the feels, even when I know they're coming. Never owned a Saturn, but I played the heck out of the Windows 95 port. And I didn't realize how much that game stuck with me until the surprise remake announcement. I heard the horns and was just "Wait, is that... holy crap, it IS Panzer Dragoon!" (I might've used a stronger word than 'crap') I'd love to see a new game in that series. Or at least a port of Orta to Windows(particularly given the original XBox is showing longevity issues nowadays). Every time something Panzer Dragoon-related happens, I'm surprised because I always think Sega's forgotten it completely. After Orta it was a big ball of nothing until the track in Sonic Racing Transformed(which was gorgeous). And then it was crickets until the remake announcement hit. Are you listening, Sega? PUT ORTA ON STEAM. Hell, put it in the Epic MegaStore. I will pay you again for Orta.

[@CptJistuce]

Holy poop, I just learned tonight that an XBox One or XBox Series can render Orta at higher resolutions, with texture filtering. I REALLY don't wanna buy a box that will basically just be "Pandora's Box", but... damn.

[@LegendOfGames]

I actually didn’t know there was a Windows port of that game. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since I did have a PC Genesis collection that came out way back when that included Sonic R for some reason. I’d definitely like to see a new one too. I’ve enjoyed every game in that series I’ve played. Have you played the remake? I finally tried it a month back and had a good time.

[@CptJistuce]

@@LegendOfGames I loved the remake. It's almost a direct port with new graphics, especially after they patched in an option to use the original music instead of the remade tunes. It also has the option of original japanese difficulties or the harder US modes. I can understand why it was changed, as the japanese difficulty makes it very easy to blast through a rather short game.

[@LegendOfGames]

Thanks to everyone who's been enjoying my videos! My next video will be a review, which is a bit late, but is mostly finished and will either come out at the end of May or beginning of June. After that I promise I will FINALLY get around to finishing the '97 episode of PlayStation Top 7. I've been editing it off and on due to my attempt at getting a video out once a month, but I've finally gotten to a point where I know I'll be able to get it out in a reasonable time, so I promise it will be next. Sorry if there's anyone who's been waiting on that.

[@fluffy_preacher]

Never owned a Saturn but always was interested in it and a new sub not just from a good video but from understanding the difference between soccer and football and not trying to say that the "in America its known as"

[@LegendOfGames]

Thanks! Yeah, I trust that my audience will already know that. I think it’s one of those facts that’s pretty unnecessary to state.

[@nateword]

still have mine,great console

[@princegroove]

The Sega Saturn is packed with excellent games that never achieved mainstream success, unfortunately. I love my Saturn and its library of great Sega arcade ports and myriad of awesome JRPGs.

[@LegendOfGames]

As someone who loves JRPGs, the Saturn is great. Panzer Dragoon Saga is amazing, and I’ve enjoyed quite a few others I’ve tried from the system.

[@ukeyaoitrash2618]

I wanna try clockwork knight it looks so fun XD

[@LegendOfGames]

It’s definitely worth giving a try if you like the looks of it. I had fun with the game.

[@TheGamingScription]

Virtua Fighter and Panzer Dragoon were the main reasons we wanted a Saturn back in the day. Daytona was cool though Sega always used to make the good racing games.

[@LegendOfGames]

I definitely had a good time with all three of those.

[@CasperEgas]

I love the Saturn. I would rate these as follows: Clockwork Knight 7/10, Daytona USA 9/10, Panzer Dragoon 9/10, Pebble Beach 7/10, Virtua Fighter 7/10, Victory Goal 5/10, Bug 6/10.

[@TheMightyMcClaw]

I know it's a small selection, but the Saturn really did have an all star team of launch titles. Virtua Fighter, Daytona, Panzer Dragoon, and especially Pebble Beach Golf Links are all powerhouses.

[@LegendOfGames]

Definitely. Out of all of the launches I’ve looked at, I’d say the Saturn’s is the most solid all-around.

[@LegendOfGames]

A Quick update on the Launch Games series: The next episode will be covering the Sega Genesis, and should be out in November.

[@VictoryNotVengeance]

$399.99 USD at launch. Ridiculous. I ended up waiting til after the system died and bought a like-new used one and 10 games for like $100 at friggin FUNCOLAND. I miss that store

[@LegendOfGames]

I miss those stores as well. There was one or two in my area growing up, and I remember it being awesome.

[@VictoryNotVengeance]

@@LegendOfGames fond memories of taking a couple copies of their newspaper that listed EVERY DAMN GAME in the store…. Going home and circling everything I wanted…. Those days you could snag mass-produced used copies of classic NES games for like 5 cents to a dollar, I vividly remember them selling Super Mario Bros for a penny, like, whattttt??? Now, you can’t get a copy of it for less than 20-25 bucks!

[@patrickholt8782]

Pebble beach’s devs (T&E soft) would recycle their golf engine to make virtual hydlide.

[@LegendOfGames]

I didn’t know that, but I can totally see it now. Very interesting.

[@John-nb6ep]

Panzer Dragoon wasn't a release game it came out a little after.

[@LegendOfGames]

It wasn't a Japanese release game, but it's fairly well-reported as being a North American one.

[@John-nb6ep]

@@LegendOfGames It's apparently incorrect or misreported as one. I'm going to go with it was released afterwards or the release titles would not have been so mocked as poor quality and not showing what the system could do. If it was indeed a launch title I doubt the Saturn would have been reported as an underpowered console and weak compared to the Playstation if it came out in the launch window and not a little afterwards.

[@LegendOfGames]

So I just checked online, and I think you may be mixing up the UK and US launch. In the UK, Panzer Dragoon and Pebble Beach Golf Links were delayed until August.

[@b85870]

Love the saturn many hours of dark savior and mystaria and astal so many more great ass games

[@gamesmovienation3516]

I wanted to get a sega saturn for the longest time I still do eventually I'll get one. Daytona USA looks really cool I know that the saturn wasn't as superior but it's just something about it I always liked and theirs just so many games it has that I've never seen because of well they were exclusive to that system I love the sega saturn even if I haven't played it I saw my friend play it as a kid but never played it because he never let me and at the time the graphics looked insane not as much now tho

[@evolutioner8573]

awesome vid! i also want to buy this. btw if i lived 1995 i would've buy a sega saturn. but if it was in 1996 than n64. in 1999-2000 a dreamcast. sega is just better than playstation and 3 year old nintendo consoles at these times.

[@tommyhatcher3399]

I love Sega. I actually think its competitors had better games, I just love playing Sega!

[@zeroXshinobi]

personally i enjoyed bug 1 but with gameshark codes turned on lol part 2 on the other hand i hated

[@LegendOfGames]

I definitely feel I would’ve liked the game more if I were invincible or there were about half as many enemies.

[@zeroXshinobi]

@@LegendOfGames those 90s games were brutal without cheat codes 😂

[@ACT8113]

No new news on panzer dragoon 2 remake ;-;

[@LegendOfGames]

I actually finally got around to playing the remake of 1 last month and thought it was pretty cool. Hopefully they do put out a remake of 2 one of these days.

[@MrKhushrenada]

Your pronunciation of soccer in Japanese was not bad but I don't know if you know this but it is pronounced football in the rest of the world outside the U.S. (as the ball is controlled with the feet unlike American football where the ball is controlled mainly with the hands) 😉✌

[@LegendOfGames]

The joke (that I guess I failed at) was to make people think I was going to say “football,” but then not. Similar to America, but unlike most of the rest of the world, soccer is actually called soccer in Japan. I know this because I live there. I just thought it’d be a funny misdirect.

[@MrKhushrenada]

@@LegendOfGames Your joke worked as I thought you was gonna say football but than you didn't (I just didn't realise it was delibirate). And that's when I thought of my hilarious comment. 😉✌

[@deckofcards87]

I continue to cringe at the over exaggerated cynical reception the Saturn receives, it's my favourite 32bit console. Panzer Dragoon II, all of the amazing fighters. The Japanese exclusives alone make it a brilliant system -- many of which now have English translations! Bulk Slash, An Earth Fantasy Stories: The First Volume, the Japanese version of Grandia, and others.

[@LegendOfGames]

Do you mean in general or are you saying I was being cynical towards the Saturn in the video? It’s one of my favorite systems. Given the context, I don’t think anything I said was exaggerated.