thanks for reading & good night
Exactly one month and 100 posts later, we have come down to the final post (at least theoretically speaking, whatever the hell that means) I'd like to take this time to say a couple things.
First of all, thanks to all of you -- because of the many (avid) Saturn users here, I create this thread. Had it not been for you folks (and if you ever clicked on this thread, that means YOU) this never would have existed here. Also thanks to the board capabilities, JPG images were thrown in to spice things up, to create a much more "complete" atmosphere.
I posted this top 50 thing in five different places but BY FAR neo-geo.com was the one I enjoyed posting to the most. So thanks for reading and game on. I hope it was as much fun for you guys as it was for me.
I may have been the chairman of this operation, but I must thank my Vice Chairman, R.C. Davis, and my Deputy Vice Chairman, John Sinidad. Both of these weekend warriors were ready to fill in for me in case of emergency. Also thank you to my producer, Ray Woodson, for keeping me on my game, making sure every entry you saw was worth your while and that the quality of each post was up to par.
And of course, thanks to SSM -- especially editor Rich Leadbetter for sailing the great ship that was Sega Saturn Magazine. Let's finish things out... with two letters printed to SSM...
issue 34, August '98
Dear SSM,
When it came to getting a "next generation" machine I opted for a PlayStation. Now I think the PSX is great, but since I've been hooked on videogames since the late 70s I felt that it failed to deliver me anything as thoroughly addictive and playable as, say Space Invaders or Scramble...
Whilst shopping one day I went into a local videogame store and there on the top shelf was a second-hand Saturn for $65. Now, as I was new to the Saturn I'd not played any of its games so I thought I'd get stuff like Virtua Cop, NiGHTS and Sega Rally to see what the hype was all about. Boy -- was this what the doctor ordered! Just these few games restored my faith in the next generation machines and supplied the playability and addictiveness that I so longed for. This was six months ago. Now I know that Saturn's lifespan is going to be cut short soon, but games like Panzer Saga, House of the Dead and World League Soccer '98 are all stunning and cannot be matched on any system. I would like to say a big thank you to Sega for getting me back into videogames and from now on I shall be loyal to them and will definitely get their new system when it comes out.
Andy Gurr, Sheffield
As your experiences bear out, it's all about the gameplay. I think that we all agree that when it comes to certain styles of games and specific gameplay experiences, the Saturn just can't be matched and will be superseded only by the new Dreamcast, where those values will live on. RICH
---
issue 35, September '98
DAZZLED BY PLAYSTATION HYPE
Dear SSM,
Two weeks ago was a turning point in my gaming life. You see, I was walking down a side street in my local town and I couldn't help but notice that a Saturn with a $35 price ticket was slapped on it was sitting in the window of a pawn shop. There was nothing I could do, I just had the overwhelming desire to buy it then and there. I've never been anti-Sega, but I'd been concentrating on my collection of retro import machines over the last couple of years in the form of a PC Engine and Neo Geo.
That's all changed now though, I really can't get enough of the machine, every waking moment is spent wondering which game I should buy next and counting the hours till I can get off work and get home to get burnt to death as Tillis again! I've found that most of the back catalog of software can be picked up for peanuts if you shop around, and the machine has some particularly good software being released for it. I bought Burning Rangers the other day and it's a totally absorbing and challenging game, it's a classic example of what I've been missing while I've been dazzled by the PlayStation hype.
I'm personally looking forward to the release of the Dreamcast. Okay, so it's essentially going to mean the Saturn will be fading out, but if any SSM readers have any fears that this will mean instant death for their beloved console, then they should take heart from the continuing life that the PC Engine enjoys. There is a thriving global community of PC Engine fans out there whose mission it is to collect all 800 odd titles for the machine. The Saturn is a superb machine, and its memory and software will live on long after Dreamcast has established itself as the best console ever.
Mark Campbell, via email
--
Amen, Mark! The Saturn has well lived on, and will NEVER die -- never.
Not even time will be able to put out the flames. Like Frankenstein's heart, the Saturn shall beat on... *cue Sandlot* FOREVER
I thank you and have a good night. As well-respected well-loved former EGM editor Ed Semrad wrote in his farewell editorial (issue #105)... "good-bye sounds so final, and it's an old joke in the game industry that no one ever really leaves... so... let's do it again sometime..."
The fire will never burn out...
Long live the flames, long live the memories, and LONG LIVE THE SEGA SATURN
Exactly one month and 100 posts later, we have come down to the final post (at least theoretically speaking, whatever the hell that means) I'd like to take this time to say a couple things.
First of all, thanks to all of you -- because of the many (avid) Saturn users here, I create this thread. Had it not been for you folks (and if you ever clicked on this thread, that means YOU) this never would have existed here. Also thanks to the board capabilities, JPG images were thrown in to spice things up, to create a much more "complete" atmosphere.
I posted this top 50 thing in five different places but BY FAR neo-geo.com was the one I enjoyed posting to the most. So thanks for reading and game on. I hope it was as much fun for you guys as it was for me.
I may have been the chairman of this operation, but I must thank my Vice Chairman, R.C. Davis, and my Deputy Vice Chairman, John Sinidad. Both of these weekend warriors were ready to fill in for me in case of emergency. Also thank you to my producer, Ray Woodson, for keeping me on my game, making sure every entry you saw was worth your while and that the quality of each post was up to par.
And of course, thanks to SSM -- especially editor Rich Leadbetter for sailing the great ship that was Sega Saturn Magazine. Let's finish things out... with two letters printed to SSM...
issue 34, August '98
Dear SSM,
When it came to getting a "next generation" machine I opted for a PlayStation. Now I think the PSX is great, but since I've been hooked on videogames since the late 70s I felt that it failed to deliver me anything as thoroughly addictive and playable as, say Space Invaders or Scramble...
Whilst shopping one day I went into a local videogame store and there on the top shelf was a second-hand Saturn for $65. Now, as I was new to the Saturn I'd not played any of its games so I thought I'd get stuff like Virtua Cop, NiGHTS and Sega Rally to see what the hype was all about. Boy -- was this what the doctor ordered! Just these few games restored my faith in the next generation machines and supplied the playability and addictiveness that I so longed for. This was six months ago. Now I know that Saturn's lifespan is going to be cut short soon, but games like Panzer Saga, House of the Dead and World League Soccer '98 are all stunning and cannot be matched on any system. I would like to say a big thank you to Sega for getting me back into videogames and from now on I shall be loyal to them and will definitely get their new system when it comes out.
Andy Gurr, Sheffield
As your experiences bear out, it's all about the gameplay. I think that we all agree that when it comes to certain styles of games and specific gameplay experiences, the Saturn just can't be matched and will be superseded only by the new Dreamcast, where those values will live on. RICH
---
issue 35, September '98
DAZZLED BY PLAYSTATION HYPE
Dear SSM,
Two weeks ago was a turning point in my gaming life. You see, I was walking down a side street in my local town and I couldn't help but notice that a Saturn with a $35 price ticket was slapped on it was sitting in the window of a pawn shop. There was nothing I could do, I just had the overwhelming desire to buy it then and there. I've never been anti-Sega, but I'd been concentrating on my collection of retro import machines over the last couple of years in the form of a PC Engine and Neo Geo.
That's all changed now though, I really can't get enough of the machine, every waking moment is spent wondering which game I should buy next and counting the hours till I can get off work and get home to get burnt to death as Tillis again! I've found that most of the back catalog of software can be picked up for peanuts if you shop around, and the machine has some particularly good software being released for it. I bought Burning Rangers the other day and it's a totally absorbing and challenging game, it's a classic example of what I've been missing while I've been dazzled by the PlayStation hype.
I'm personally looking forward to the release of the Dreamcast. Okay, so it's essentially going to mean the Saturn will be fading out, but if any SSM readers have any fears that this will mean instant death for their beloved console, then they should take heart from the continuing life that the PC Engine enjoys. There is a thriving global community of PC Engine fans out there whose mission it is to collect all 800 odd titles for the machine. The Saturn is a superb machine, and its memory and software will live on long after Dreamcast has established itself as the best console ever.
Mark Campbell, via email
--
Amen, Mark! The Saturn has well lived on, and will NEVER die -- never.
Not even time will be able to put out the flames. Like Frankenstein's heart, the Saturn shall beat on... *cue Sandlot* FOREVER
I thank you and have a good night. As well-respected well-loved former EGM editor Ed Semrad wrote in his farewell editorial (issue #105)... "good-bye sounds so final, and it's an old joke in the game industry that no one ever really leaves... so... let's do it again sometime..."
The fire will never burn out...
Long live the flames, long live the memories, and LONG LIVE THE SEGA SATURN
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