• Tag Archives Saturn
  • Galaxy Fight (Sega Saturn)

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/705220884951154688/segacity-cat-scratch-galaxy-fight-universal

    After Street Fighter II was released in 1992, there followed an endless procession of fighting games. In addition to the endless Street Fighter II enhancements and sequels, Mortal Kombat games and seemingly unlimited supply of SNK fighters for Neo Geo hardware, there were many more obscure fighting games as well. Galaxy Fight is one of those.

    Galaxy Fight (subtitled “Universal Warriors”) was originally released as an arcade game, not surprisingly on Neo Geo hardware, in 1995. The only other home conversion was for the Sega Saturn. This was only Sunsoft’s second fighting game with the first having been released only in Japan. Galaxy Fight has the usual array of characters, moves and special moves that you would expect of a 2D fighter.

    The concept behind Galaxy Fight is a galaxy wide fighting tournament with characters from all over the galaxy. I guess that concept makes it pretty easy to have some pretty varied characters. There are a total of eight playable characters including characters that look like monsters, aliens, robots and more. There are also four non-playable bosses.

    Galaxy Fight received pretty average reviews overall. There was nothing particularly wrong with it but it just didn’t stand out in a deluge of similar games. However, if you are a 2D fighter aficionado then I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to check it out. There isn’t a huge difference between the Neo Geo and Saturn versions (other than soundtrack). The Saturn version was based off of an unreleased Neo Geo CD version of the game. In addition to tracking down an original Neo Geo or Sega Saturn version, this game was also released as part of Arcade Archives for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in 2017 (though I have no idea if it’s still available that way). And of course there are also various emulation options. There was also a PlayStation version that was released only in Japan and Europe.

    There were no direct sequels to Galaxy Fight but Sunsoft did release another game a year later called Waku Waku 7. It used the same game engine and was similar in quite a few other way, including having a Galactic theme. Waku Waku 7 was released only in Japan.

    Screen shots above are from the Sega Saturn version of the game.


  • GamePro (May 1997)

    Source: GamePro – May 1997

    GamePro wasn’t a magazine I read a lot but it was probably the next most popular gaming magazine behind Electronic Gaming Monthly, at least in the U.S. The May 1997 issue includes:

    Cover Feature

    • The Lost World: Jurassic Park – This was about the time the move The Lost World came out and here is a preview of the game that goes along with it for the PlayStation.

    Special Features

    • Final Fantasy VII – Final Fantasy VII was probably the most anticipated Final Fantasy game and the most popular. Here’s an early preview of its release in Japan.
    • GameWorks: Ready for Gameplay – GameWorks was a new mega arcade that was a joint venture between Sega, Universal and Dreamworks. The first opened up in Seattle, Washington in 1997 and there were plans for 100 of them by 2002. I don’t know if that expansion ever happened but as far as I can tell the Seattle GameWorks still exists and there are no others.
    • Mortal Kombat Annihilation! – The Mortal Kombat movie sequel.

    SWATPro Strategy Section

    • Doom 64 Nintendo 64 ProStrategy Guide – A detailed guide for Doom on the Nintendo 64, including maps, secret exits and more.
    • The Fighter’s Edge Soul Blade (Part 2) – Part 2 of a comprehensive guide to Soul Blade on the PlayStation.
    • SWATPro – Hints, tips, tricks and cheats for Andretti Racing (Saturn), WWF: In Your House (PlayStation), The Legend of Oasis (Saturn), Dark Forces (PlayStation), NFL GameDay ’97 (PlayStation), NHL Faceoff ’97 (PlayStation), SlamScape (PlayStation), Vectorman 2 (Genesis), Bubble Bobble (PlayStation), Command & Conquer (Saturn), Crusader: No Remorse (PlayStation), Ten Pin Alley (PlayStation), Impact Racing (PlayStation/Saturn), Pandemonium (PlayStation), and Madden ’97 (Genesis). There’s also a list of the top game rentals and Blockbuster. Top of the list for each platform were Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64), Need for Speed II (PlayStation), Tomb Raider (Saturn), NBA Live ’98 (Genesis), Donkey Kong Country 3 (Super NES).
    • Samurai Showdown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge (Neo Geo) – Special moves for all of the characters and more.
    • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past – A survival guide that includes maps, lists of locations, and more.

    ProReviews

    • PC GamePro – Reviews of Ecstatica II and Star Command Revolution, plus previews of Hexen II, Meat Puppet, Redneck Rampage, Comanche 3, X-Com: Apocalypse, Quake Mission Pack #1: Scourge of Armagon, Riven, and Extreme Assault.
    • Nintendo 64 – Review of Blast Corps.
    • PlayStation – Reviews of MechWarrior 2, WCW vs. The World, BattleStations, K-1 The Arena Fighters, Wing Commander IV, Sentient, The Incredible Hulk, Virtual Pool, and League of Pain.
    • Saturn – Reviews of Herc’s Adventures, The Lost Vikings, Lunacy, Contra Legacy of War, Tunnel B1, Dragon Heart, Super Puzzle Fighter II, Hardcore 4×4, and Heir of Zendor.
    • Sports Pages – Reviews of NBA Shootout ’97 (PlayStation), NBA Live ’97 (Saturn), FIFA Soccer 64 (Nintendo 64), VR Baseball ’97 (PlayStation), Rally Cross (PlayStation), and Perfect Striker (Nintendo 64 Japan) plus previews of Triple Play ’98 (PlayStation), All-Star Baseball ’97 (Saturn, PlayStation), NHL Breakaway ’98 (PlayStation, Saturn), NFL Quarterback Club ’98 (PlayStation, Saturn, DOS), HardBall 6 (PlayStation, Win95), and NBA Jam ’98 (Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Win95).
    • Role-Player’s Realm – A review of Vandal Hearts for the PlayStation.

    Departments

    • Head-2-Head: Letter from the GamePros – The evolution of the gaming industry.
    • The Mail – Readers write in about the CD-i, Resident Evil, Twisted Metal 2, and Final Fantasy VII.
    • Art Attack – Envelope art and other reader submitted gaming art.
    • Buyers Beware – Customer complaints about a free XBand modem offer, Tomb Raider ads, fighting in NHL ’97, and more.
    • ProNews – PlayStation price drops to $149, Sega plans merge with Bandai, upcoming games, Final Fantasy VII release plans, and more.
    • NetPro – Internet search tips, using various earch engines (Google didn’t exist yet), using Usenet, and more.
    • Overseas Prospects – A look at recent and upcoming overseas releases including Metal Gear Solid (PlayStation) and Gambare Goemon 5 (Nintendo 64).
    • Sneak Previews – An early look at The Lost World (PlayStation), Duke Nukem 3D (Saturn), Castlevania X (PlayStation), Star Fox 64 (Nintendo 64), Yoshi’s Island 64 (Nintendo 64), Hexen (Nintendo 64), Clayfighter 63 1/3 (Nintendo 64), MDK (PlayStation), Battle Arena Toshinden (PlayStation), Darklight Conflict (PlayStation, Saturn, DOS, Win 95), VMX Racing (PlayStation, Saturn, Win 95), and Motor Mash (PlayStation).
    • Hot at the Arcades – A review of Tekken 3 plus previews of Darkstalkers: Jedah’s Damnation, Sega Super GT, and Rampage World Tour.

    …and more!


  • Electronic Gaming Monthly (April 1998)

    Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – Issue Number 105 – April 1998

    I would say that by 1998, EGM was already past its peak, however it still seemed to be going strong covering the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Saturn, Super NES, Genesis and the arcades. The April 1998 issue includes:

    Features

    • Tekken Triumphant – A detailed preview of Tekken 3 which was about to be released for the PlayStation, including a comparison to the arcade version.
    • Calling All Poor Losers – A humorous look at sore losers and their tactics.

    Departments

    • Editorial – A look to the future of gaming along with a complaint about there being too many sequels and not enough originality. Not that all sequels are bad (the upcoming Zelda: The Orcarina of Time is mentioned along with others), just that there are no surprises.
    • Letters – Letters from readers regarding female gamers, 2D vs. 3D, “explicit” ads, big chain stores discontinuing Saturn products, and more.
    • News – The big story this month was the impending launch of “Project X” (later called “Nuon”) from VM Labs. VM Labs was made up in part by ex-Atari employees and the idea was to embed 3D capably gaming hardware in DVD players and set top boxes. Hardware was launched but a late launch (after the PS2), poor marketing, and little games support doomed it quickly. In other news, Namco plans bankruptcy for arcades…they owned Aladdin’s Castle at the time…I miss Aladdin’s Castle.
    • Gaming Gossip – Quartermann reports that the 64DD disk drive for the Nintendo 64 might not make it to the U.S. in 1998 (little did he know it never would); he also reports on a satellite gaming service from Nintendo, the Sega Dural/Katana (ultimately to be the Dreamcast), and Sony using a mini-disc format in the next version of the PlayStation.
    • Review Crew – Reviews this month include Mystical Ninja, NBA In The Zone ’98, NHL Breakaway ’98, and Quake 64 for the Nintendo 64; Winter Heat for the Sega Saturn; Gex: Enter the Gecko, March Madness 98, Newman/Haas Racing, Punky Skunk, and Tactics Ogre for the PlayStation; and James Bond 007 for the Game Boy.
    • Jump Start – A strategy guide for NFL Blitz.
    • Tricks of the Trade – Tips and tricks for Jet Moto 2 (PlayStation), Resident Evil 2 (PlayStation), NFL Quarterback Club ’98 (Nintendo 64), Auto Destruct (PlayStation), WCW Nitro (PlayStation), Street Fighter Collection (PlayStation), and more.
    • Get Some! – Toys, gadgets, electronics and other stuff. This month featuring an R2D2 cassette player, Deer Hunter and Wild Turkey Hunt, Gamer’s Web Directory and more.

    …and more!