Which is the Better System to Own?
By Gary Bodily
Which is the better system to own, Saturn or Playstation? Answer: Saturn. If you disagree, just follow me on this. I am going to provide no-biased reasons why you are better off to own a Saturn than the Playstation.
Everyone will agree that the system with the better games is the better system to own. Who is going to want an awesome system with horrible games? So, which system has the better games? Let's list them. We'll start out with sports games, we're starting with sports because a lot of people are under the misunderstanding that the Playstation is a better sports system. No one will argue that the Saturn has the three best baseball games ever. #3 - Greatest Nine Baseball. #2 - World Series Baseball. #1 - World Series Baseball 2. The Saturn also has the three best Soccer games ever. #3 - FIFA '96 (the Playstation has FIFA '96, too, but the Saturn version is better, read the reviews.) #2 - Worldwide Soccer 2. #1 - Worldwide Soccer '97 (Next Generation in particular rates this game as possibly the best sports game, not just soccer). Hockey, where will you find the best 32-bit hockey game, on the Saturn. NHL Powerplay '96 (on the Saturn) is easily the best hockey game you'll find. Now, I will admit that the Saturn's selection of Basketball titles doesn't blow away the Playstation's but they are quite comparable. The only area where the Playstation beats the Saturn for sports is football. The Playstation has four really good football games but the Saturn has the very best Baseball, Soccer, and Hockey games. This isn't just my opinion. If you can, play each of these games for yourself, if you can't do that, check out the video gaming magazine's reviews, either on or off the 'net.
All right, arcade titles. Who can touch Sega's arcade lineup? (The only company that only comes close in any area is Namco.) Best 32-bit Fighting Game? Virtua Fighter 2, without question. Best racing game? Sega Rally Championship, again, without question. Want to hear more? Virtua Cop, Virtua Cop 2, Fighting Vipers, Fighter's Megamix, Daytona USA CCE. This doesn't include the upcoming titles - Virtua Fighter 3, Last Bronx, Manx TT, Touring Car, Super Car, and New York Gunblade. The only place you will get any of these titles in on the Saturn. Everyone know's the Sega's arcade games are the best and if you want 'em, you have to have a Saturn (or enough tens of thousands of dollars). It's not just Sega's arcade games, though. Street Fighter Alpha 2 is an arcade perfect port (excluding loading times - which happen to be a lot quicker on the Saturn than the Playstation), whereas the Playstation doesn't have enough RAM for all the animation frames (or even the opening intro., it had to be pre-rendered for the Playstation) and Street Fighter vs. X-Men isn't even coming to the Playstation (not enough RAM).
Okay, what about those games that aren't sports, racing, or arcade titles? Well, there are 3-D action games like Alien Trilogy (which is on the Playstation, but it isn't better than the Saturn's version), Magic Carpet, or even Quake (coming to the Saturn in Jan '97, not coming to the Playstation). Or maybe you want a war sim. Iron Storm is the best war strategy game available on any system. If you want a real-time sim, Command & Conquer is available for both systems, but the Saturn is far superior to the Playstation for 2-D and sprite games (which C&C is). Even if you only want puzzle games, the Saturn has Tetris, Bust-a-Move 2, Baku Baku Animals, and Saturn Bomberman (the latter two being two of the very best multiplayer games ever).
Also, if you compare the latest games that are coming out for both systems, you will notice that the Saturn versions are equal to, or better, than the Playstation counterparts. Examples, Tomb Raider - the Saturn version has a greater visibility distance and a better water effect (that is just opinion, however). Mech Warrior 2, because the developers designed the Saturn version specifically for the Saturn (as opposed to just converting the Playstation code to the Saturn, like so many of the previous titles) it is graphically superior to the Playstation version. Besides that aforementioned Street Fighter Alpha 2.
The Saturn has the better games, but I don't just want you to take my word for it, actually find out for yourself. Read the reviews, play the games, this isn't just my opinion, so many people with both systems admit that the Saturn has the better games. Now, as a side note, the current 3-pack is another excellent reason to buy a Saturn. Virtua Cop, Daytona USA, and Virtua Fighter 2, all for free when you buy a Saturn. Sony will never be able to offer their customers that kind of deal. Sony doesn't make it's own games so they would have to buy the games at full price, they can't afford to sell a Playstation for $200 if they also are going to give away $150 worth of games, they'd lose incredible amounts of money. (Incidentally, Nintendo can't do this either, because cartridges cost far to much to give away for free.)
Since it is Saturn's main platformer, I have to bring up NiGHTS. This game is excellent, and shows off a lot of the power of the Saturn (Christmas NiGHTS shows even more of the Saturn's power, both of the titles have to be seen). While this game is not reason alone to buy a Saturn, add Virtua Fighter 2 and Sega Rally Championship (two titles that almost are reason enough for a Saturn), then add NiGHTS, Worldwide Soccer '97, Fighters MegaMix, Daytona USA CCE, Virtua Cop 2, World Series Baseball 2, Iron Storm, Virtual On, Baku Baku, Saturn Bomberman, and all of the other Saturn only masterpieces, and the choice really is pretty apparent. Why do so many people who own both systems admit that the Saturn has better games? Because it does. Don't forget all the games that will only be on the Saturn, too - Quake, VF3, Super Car, Street Fighter vs. X-Men, the list goes on.
Please, I want you to prove it to yourself, though. Check out the games, read the reviews, see what others say about these games (not those who just own one system and will defend it just for pride). Honestly, you will find that others agree, these games are the best it their genre.