Lunar is a role-playing video game franchise created by Game Arts and Studio Alex . The series takes place on the titular moon, which orbits an uninhabitable planet known as "The Blue Star".
169-631: The series began with Lunar: The Silver Star , first released in 1992 for the Sega CD , and was followed by Lunar: Eternal Blue in 1994. Both titles received critical and commercial acclaim, later becoming the first and second-highest selling games on the platform in Japan respectively. Both games were later remade for the Sega Saturn and PlayStation as Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete . Further remakes of
338-470: A 3D console and damage to Sega's reputation caused by poorly supported Genesis add-ons are considered major factors allowing Sony's establishment in the video game market. Featuring eight processors, the Saturn's central processing units are two Hitachi SH-2 microprocessors clocked at 28.6 MHz and capable of 56 MIPS . It uses a Motorola 68EC000 running at 11.3 MHz as a sound controller;
507-495: A Genesis system, attaching through an expansion slot on the side of the main console. It requires its own power supply. A core feature of the Sega CD is the increase in data storage by its games being CD-ROMs; whereas ROM cartridges of the day typically contained 8 to 16 megabits of data, a CD-ROM disc can hold more than 640 megabytes of data, more than 320 times the storage of a Genesis cartridge. This increase in storage allows
676-579: A July 13 article in the press reported speculation that Sega of Japan was planning significant changes to Sega of America's management. On July 16, 1996, Sega announced that Kalinske would leave Sega after September 30, and that Shoichiro Irimajiri had been appointed chairman and CEO of Sega of America. A former Honda executive, Irimajiri had been involved with Sega of America since joining Sega in 1993. Sega also announced that David Rosen and Nakayama had resigned from their positions as chairman and co-chairman of Sega of America, though both remained with
845-631: A Western release due to Sega of America's policy of not localizing RPGs and other Japanese games that might have damaged the system's reputation in North America. Some games that launched on Saturn, such as Dead or Alive , Grandia , and Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete only had a Western release on the PlayStation. Working Designs localized several Japanese Saturn games before a public feud between Sega of America's Bernie Stolar and Working Designs president Victor Ireland resulted in
1014-634: A champion called The Dragonmaster to lead Lunar's heroes. This person would be anyone who managed to make their way to the hidden lairs of the Four Dragons, and pass their harrowing trials. There have been many Dragonmasters across the centuries, and many on Lunar have striven to achieve that title. The people of Lunar became very devoted to Althena, though many remember Lunar's origins as only an old legend. The various Lunar games and manga cover different events in Lunar's history. Lunar: The Silver Star
1183-525: A character in a series of TV advertisements starting in 1997; the character eventually starred in a Saturn game. Temporarily abandoning arcade development, Sega AM2 head Yu Suzuki began developing several Saturn-exclusive games, including a role-playing game in the Virtua Fighter series. Initially conceived as an obscure prototype, "The Old Man and the Peach Tree", and intended to address
1352-661: A co-processor of the main SH-2 CPU, has an internal DSP running at 14.3 MHz. It features a cartridge slot that allows memory expansion, 16 Mbit of work random-access memory (RAM), 12 Mbit of video RAM , 4 Mbit of RAM for sound functions, 4 Mbit of CD buffer RAM and 256 Kbit (32 KB) of battery backup RAM. Its RCA video output displays at resolutions from 320×224 to 704×224 pixels , with up to 16.78 million colors . The Saturn measures 260 mm × 230 mm × 83 mm (10.2 in × 9.1 in × 3.3 in). It
1521-461: A competitor into 1997. However, the Saturn failed to take the lead. After the launch of the Nintendo 64 in 1996, sales of the Saturn and its games were sharply reduced, and the PlayStation outsold the Saturn by three-to-one in the U.S. in 1997. The 1997 release of Final Fantasy VII significantly increased the PlayStation's popularity in Japan. The game helped push PlayStation sales ahead of
1690-619: A custom sound processor with an integrated Yamaha FH1 DSP running at 22.6 MHz capable of up to 32 sound channels with both FM synthesis and 16-bit 44.1 kHz pulse-code modulation ; and two video display processors : the VDP1 (which handles sprites and polygons ) and the VDP2 (which handles backgrounds). Its double-speed CD-ROM drive is controlled by a dedicated Hitachi SH-1 processor to reduce load time. The System Control Unit (SCU), which controls all buses and functions as
1859-403: A different design, based entirely on 3D triangle-based polygonal rendering, with no direct 2D support. As a result, several analysts described the Saturn as an "essentially" 2D system. For example, Steven L. Kent stated: "Although Nintendo and Sony had true 3D game machines, Sega had a 2D console that did a good job with 3D objects but wasn't optimized for 3D environments." The Saturn hardware
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#17327804940082028-513: A high resolution) were available by the end of the year and were generally regarded as superior to competitors on the PlayStation. Notwithstanding a subsequent increase in Saturn sales during the 1995 holiday season, the games were not enough to reverse the PlayStation's decisive lead. By 1996, the PlayStation had a considerably larger library than the Saturn, although Sega hoped to generate interest with upcoming exclusives such as Nights into Dreams . An informal survey of retailers showed that
2197-592: A new CPU from the Japanese electronics company Hitachi . Another video display processor was added in early 1994 to better compete with the 3D graphics of Sony 's forthcoming PlayStation . The Saturn was initially successful in Japan but not in the United States, where it was hindered by a surprise May 1995 launch, four months before its scheduled release date. After the debut of the Nintendo 64 in late 1996,
2366-589: A retail price of US$ 299. Advertising included one of Sega's slogans, "Welcome to the Next Level". Though only 50,000 units were available at launch due to production problems, the Sega CD sold over 200,000 units by the end of 1992 and 300,000 by July 1993. As part of Sega's sales, Blockbuster purchased Sega CD units for rental in their stores. Sega of America emphasized that the Sega CD's additional storage space allowed for full-motion video (FMV), with Digital Pictures becoming an important partner. After
2535-402: A second model, the Sega CD 2 (Mega-CD 2), on April 23, 1993, in Japan. It was released in North America several months later at a price of US$ 229, bundled with one of the bestselling Sega CD games, Sewer Shark . Designed to bring down the manufacturing costs of the Sega CD, the newer model is smaller and does not use a motorized disc tray. A limited number of games were developed that used
2704-415: A similar policy for the Saturn, although he later sought to distance himself from his actions. These changes were accompanied by a softer image that Sega was beginning to portray in its advertising, including removing the "Sega!" scream and holding press events for the education industry. Marketing for the Saturn in Japan also changed with the introduction of Segata Sanshiro (played by Hiroshi Fujioka ),
2873-415: A speed increase of two to five times above higher-level languages such as C . Sega responded to complaints about the difficulty of programming for the Saturn by writing new graphics libraries which were claimed to make development easier. Sega of America purchased a United Kingdom-based development firm, Cross Products, to produce the Saturn's development system. Treasure CEO Masato Maegawa stated that
3042-666: A testing ground for upcoming Saturn software. The Titan was criticized for its comparatively weak performance compared to the Sega Model 2 arcade system by Yu Suzuki, and it was overproduced by Sega's arcade division. Because Sega already had the Die Hard license, members of Sega AM1 working at the Sega Technical Institute developed Die Hard Arcade for the Titan to clear excess inventory. Die Hard became
3211-752: A two-disc set, along with a compilation CD of five Mega Drive games. Only 70,000 units were initially available in the UK, but 60,000 units were sold by August 1993. The Mega-CD was released in Australia in March 1993. Brazilian toy company Tectoy released the Sega CD in Brazil in October 1993, retaining the North American name despite the use of the name Mega Drive for the base console there. Sega released
3380-494: A variety of other works in the setting, including a manga series, two artbooks, as well as novelizations of The Silver Star , Magic School Lunar! and Eternal Blue . The console titles have generally been received very positively; the two PlayStation versions generally place well in considerations of the best games available for the system. The original two games, and their remakes, have reviewed very well, averaging between 82% and 91%, and with Eternal Blue generally agreed to be
3549-480: A white one, a red one, a blue one, and a black one – that each shared a part of her divine power. There are only four Dragons at any given time, though they are replaced over time with younger ones. Strangely, during their infancy, these dragons resemble talking, winged cats, until they claim the power of their predecessor and ascend to adulthood. The Dragons spend most of their time sleeping underground until they are needed. Althena also decreed that there would be
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#17327804940083718-402: Is a remake of The Silver Star . While it retains the animated cutscenes from Silver Star Story Complete , it features a new playable prologue, a more talkative main character, a remixed soundtrack, and newly recorded voice acting and English localization by Xseed Games . It received generally positive reviews. Lunar Remastered Collection is an upcoming two-game remastered compilation which
3887-541: Is allocated as the backup memory. Additional backup memory in the form of a 1 Mbit Backup RAM Cartridge was also available as a separate purchase, released near the end of the system's life. The graphics chip is a custom ASIC , and can perform similarly to the SNES's Mode 7 , but with the ability to handle more objects at the same time. Audio is supplied through the Ricoh RF5C164, and two RCA pin jacks allow
4056-468: Is extremely difficult to emulate . Several Saturn models were produced in Japan. An updated model in a recolored light gray (officially white ) was released at ¥20,000 to reduce the system's cost and raise its appeal among women and younger children. Two models were released by third parties: Hitachi released the Hi-Saturn (a smaller model equipped with a car navigation function), and JVC released
4225-401: Is the final official release), compared to 119 in 1996. The Saturn lasted longer in Japan, with Irimajiri announcing in early 1998 that Sega would continue supporting the Saturn in Japan after its successor was released. Between June 1996 and August 1998, a further 1,103,468 consoles and 29,685,781 games were sold in Japan, giving the Saturn a Japanese attach rate of 16.71 games per console,
4394-602: The Panzer Dragoon developer Team Andromeda , were formed during this time. In early 1994, the Sega Titan Video arcade system was announced as an arcade counterpart to the Saturn. In April 1994, Acclaim Entertainment announced it would be the first American publisher to produce software for the Titan. In January 1994, Sega began to develop the 32X add-on for the Genesis, as a less expensive entry into
4563-543: The Panzer Dragoon series, and the Virtua Fighter series, although much of its library was confined to the Japanese market where the system fared better than the West. The Saturn's reception is mixed due to its complex hardware design and limited third-party support; Sega's management has been criticized for its decisions during the Saturn's development and discontinuation. In the early 1990s, Sega had success with
4732-424: The 32-bit era . The 32X was approved by Sega CEO Hayao Nakayama and widely supported by Sega of America employees. According to the former Sega of America producer Scot Bayless, Nakayama was worried that the Saturn would not be available until after 1994 and that the recently released Atari Jaguar would reduce Sega's hardware sales. As a result, Nakayama ordered his engineers to have the system ready for launch by
4901-515: The Amiga CD32 . Newer CD-based consoles such as the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer rendered the Sega CD technically obsolete, reducing public interest. In late 1993, less than a year after the Sega CD had launched in North America and Europe, the media reported that Sega was no longer accepting in-house development proposals for the Mega-CD in Japan. By 1994, 1.5 million units had been sold in
5070-464: The CD-i from Philips arrived later that year. According to Nick Thorpe of Retro Gamer , Sega would have received criticism from investors and observers had it not developed a CD-ROM game system. Shortly after the release of the Genesis, Sega's Consumer Products Research and Development Labs, led by manager Tomio Takami, were tasked with creating a CD-ROM add-on. It was originally intended to equal
5239-584: The Game Gear . The game follows a young girl named Ellie and her best friend, Lena, as they leave their quiet lives in the town of Burg to enroll in a newly established magic school located on an island called Ien. A remake titled Mahō Gakuen Lunar! was released a year later for the Sega Saturn. While neither has received an official English release, a fan-translation patch for the Game Gear version
Lunar (series) - Misplaced Pages Continue
5408-621: The Genesis (known as the Mega Drive in most countries outside of North America), backed by aggressive advertising campaigns and the popularity of its Sonic the Hedgehog series. Sega also had success with arcade games ; in 1992 and 1993, the new Sega Model 1 arcade system board showcased Sega AM2 's Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter (the first 3D fighting game ), crucial to popularizing 3D polygonal graphics. The Model 1
5577-550: The Namco System 11 arcade board, based on raw PlayStation hardware. Although the System 11 is technically inferior to Sega's Model 2 arcade board, its lower price made it attractive to smaller arcades. Following a 1994 acquisition of Sega developers, Namco released Tekken for the System 11 and PlayStation. Directed by former Virtua Fighter designer Seiichi Ishii , Tekken was intended to be fundamentally similar, with
5746-410: The Nintendo 64 . Kalinske, Sony Electronic Publishing's Olaf Olafsson , and Sony America's Micky Schulhof had discussed development of a joint "Sega/Sony hardware system", which never materialized due to Sega's desire to create hardware for both 2D and 3D visuals and Sony's competing notion of focusing on 3D technology. Publicly, Kalinske defended the Saturn's design: "Our people feel that they need
5915-446: The Sega Saturn . Retrospective reception has been mixed, with praise for some games and functions, but criticism for its lack of deep games and its high price. Sega's poor support for the Sega CD has been criticized as the beginning of the devaluation of its brand. Released in 1988, the Genesis (known as the Mega Drive in most territories outside of North America) was Sega's entry into the fourth generation of video game consoles. In
6084-579: The Tokyo Stock Exchange . Due to a 54.8% decline in consumer product sales (including a 75.4% decline overseas), the company reported a net loss of ¥43.3 billion ( $ 327.8 million ) and a consolidated net loss of ¥35.6 billion ( $ 269.8 million ). Shortly before announcing its financial losses, Sega announced that it was discontinuing the Saturn in North America to prepare for the launch of its successor. Only 7 Saturn games were released in North America in 1998 ( Magic Knight Rayearth
6253-458: The fifth generation of video game consoles , it is the successor to the successful Genesis . The Saturn has a dual- CPU architecture and eight processors. Its games are in CD-ROM format, including several ports of arcade games and original games. Development of the Saturn began in 1992, the same year Sega's groundbreaking 3D Model 1 arcade hardware debuted. The Saturn was designed around
6422-466: The fourth generation of video game consoles . Originally released in November 1991, it came to North America in late 1992, and the rest of the world in 1993. The Sega CD plays CD -based games and adds hardware functionality such as a faster CPU and a custom graphics chip for enhanced sprite scaling and rotation. It can also play audio CDs and CD+G discs. Sega sought to match the capabilities of
6591-556: The original Genesis model . The main CPU of the Sega CD is a 12.5 MHz 16-bit Motorola 68000 processor, which runs 5 MHz faster than the Genesis processor. It contains 1 Mbit of boot ROM , allocated for the CD game BIOS , CD player software, and compatibility with CD+G discs. 6 Mbit of RAM is allocated to data for programs, pictures, and sounds; 128 Kbit to CD-ROM data cache memory ; and an additional 64 Kbit
6760-401: The 32X familiarized development teams with the dual SH-2 architecture also used in the Saturn. Because the machines share many parts and were prepared to launch around the same time, tensions emerged between Sega of America and Sega of Japan when the Saturn was given priority. Sega released the Saturn in Japan on November 22, 1994, at a price of ¥ 44,800. Virtua Fighter , a faithful port of
6929-412: The 32X rapidly declined. Half a million Saturn units were sold in Japan by the end of 1994 (compared to 300,000 PlayStation units), and sales exceeded 1 million within the following six months. There were conflicting reports that the PlayStation had a higher sell-through rate, and the system gradually began to overtake the Saturn in sales during 1995. Sony attracted many third-party developers to
Lunar (series) - Misplaced Pages Continue
7098-593: The 4 KB of cache memory in each CPU was critical to maintaining performance. For example, Virtua Fighter used one CPU for each character, while Nights used one CPU for 3D environments and the other for 2D objects. The Visual Display Processor 2 (VDP2), which can generate and manipulate backgrounds, has also been cited as one of the system's most important features. The Saturn's design elicited mixed commentary among game developers and journalists. Developers quoted by Next Generation in December 1995 described
7267-602: The American publication rights to the Lunar series and would only publish the games for non-Sega consoles, even threatening to port the games to competing consoles themselves if they were released exclusively for Sega consoles in Japan. Sega CD The Sega CD , known as Mega-CD in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory and format for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of
7436-492: The Dolphin . The Sega CD library includes several FMV games , such as Night Trap, Dragon's Lair and Space Ace . FMV quality was substandard on the Sega CD due to poor video compression software and limited color palette, and the concept never caught on with the public. According to Digital Pictures founder Tom Zito, the Sega CD's limited color palette created "a horrible grainy look". Likewise, most Genesis ports for
7605-467: The Genesis, the Saturn had an Internet-based gaming service. The Sega NetLink is a 28.8k modem for the cartridge slot for direct dial multiplayer games Daytona USA , Duke Nukem 3D , Saturn Bomberman , Sega Rally , and Virtual On: Cyber Troopers . In Japan, a pay-to-play service was used. It can be used for web browsing , email , and online chat . Because the NetLink was released before
7774-423: The Mega-CD went off the rails. The whole company fell in love with the idea without ever really asking how it would affect the games you made." Sega of America producer Michael Latham said he "loved" the Sega CD, and that it had been damaged by an abundance of "Hollywood interactive film games" instead of using it to make "just plain great video games". Former Sega Europe president Nick Alexander said: "The Mega CD
7943-456: The Nintendo 64 was more difficult to develop for than the Saturn. Traveller's Tales founder Jon Burton said that though the PlayStation was easier "to get started on [...] you quickly reach [its] limits", whereas the Saturn's "complicated [hardware could] improve the speed and look of a game when all used together correctly". A major criticism was the Saturn's use of 2D sprites to generate polygons and simulate 3D space. The PlayStation has
8112-492: The November/December timeframe." Nakayama's decision to focus on the Saturn over the Genesis, based on the systems' relative performance in Japan, has been cited as the major contributing factor in this miscalculation. Due to long-standing disagreements with Sega of Japan, Kalinske lost interest in his work as CEO of Sega of America. By early 1996, rumors were circulating that Kalinske planned to leave Sega, and
8281-456: The PlayStation and Saturn, sales of 16-bit games and consoles continued to account for 64% of the video game market in 1995. Sega underestimated the continued popularity of the Genesis, and did not have the inventory to meet demand. Sega was able to capture 43% of the dollar share of the U.S. video game market and sell more than 2 million Genesis units in 1995, but Kalinske estimated that "we could have sold another 300,000 Genesis systems in
8450-417: The PlayStation outsold the Saturn by two to one in 1996, and Sega's 16-bit sales declined markedly. By the end of 1996, the PlayStation had 2.9 million units sold in the U.S., more than twice the 1.2 million Saturn units sold. The Christmas 1996 "Three Free" pack, which bundled the Saturn with Daytona USA , Virtua Fighter 2 , and Virtua Cop , drove sales dramatically and ensured the Saturn remained
8619-510: The PlayStation with a liberal $ 10 licensing fee, excellent development tools, and the introduction of a 7- to 10-day order system that allowed publishers to meet demand more efficiently than the 10- to 12-week lead times for cartridges that had previously been standard in the Japanese video game industry. In March 1995, Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske announced the Saturn's launch in the U.S. on "Saturnday" (Saturday), September 2, 1995. However, Sega of Japan mandated an early launch to give
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#17327804940088788-616: The Saturn an advantage over the PlayStation. At the first Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles on May 11, 1995, Kalinske gave a keynote presentation in which he revealed the release price of $ 399 (including a copy of Virtua Fighter ), and described the features of the console. Kalinske also revealed that, due to "high consumer demand", Sega had already shipped 30,000 Saturns to Toys "R" Us , Babbage's , Electronics Boutique , and Software Etc. for immediate release. The announcement upset retailers who were not informed of
8957-496: The Saturn and Dreamcast eras is something that we simply do not see outside of the indie scene today." Necrosoft Games director Brandon Sheffield said that "the Saturn was a landing point for games that were too 'adult' in content for other systems, as it was the only one that allowed an 18+ rating for content in Japan ;[...] some games, like Enemy Zero used it to take body horror to new levels, an important step toward
9126-565: The Saturn and PlayStation sold in roughly equal numbers during the first quarter of 1996. Within its first year, the PlayStation secured over 20% of the entire U.S. video game market. On the first day of the May 1996 E3 show, Sony announced a PlayStation price reduction to $ 199, a reaction to the release of the Model 2 Saturn in Japan at a price roughly equivalent to $ 199. On the second day, Sega announced it would match this price, though Saturn hardware
9295-442: The Saturn as "a real coder's machine [for] those who love to get their teeth into assembly and really hack the hardware [with] more flexibility [and] more calculating power than the PlayStation". The sound board was widely praised. Lobotomy Software programmer Ezra Dreisbach described the Saturn as significantly slower than the PlayStation, whereas Kenji Eno of WARP observed little difference. In particular, Dreisbach criticized
9464-440: The Saturn as emblematic of the broader then-decline of the Japanese gaming industry: "They thought they were invincible, and that structure and hierarchy were necessary for their survival, but more flexibility, and a greater participation with the West could have saved them." According to Stuart, Sega "didn't see [...] the roots of a prevailing trend, away from arcade conversions and traditional role-playing adventures and toward
9633-436: The Saturn as the most advanced console available; Lynch praised the double-speed CD-ROM drive and "intense surround-sound capabilities" and Kim cited Panzer Dragoon as a "lyrical and exhilarating epic" demonstrating the ability of new technology to "transform" the industry. In December 1995, Next Generation gave the Saturn three and a half stars out of five, highlighting Sega's marketing and arcade background as strengths but
9802-455: The Saturn in 2009. As a result of Sega's deteriorating financial situation, Nakayama resigned as president in January 1998 in favor of Irimajiri. Stolar subsequently acceded to president of Sega of America. Following five years of generally declining profits, in the fiscal year ending March 31, 1998, Sega suffered its first parent and consolidated financial losses since its 1988 listing on
9971-426: The Saturn in Japan, after the PlayStation and Saturn had been very close in Japan prior to the game's release. As of August 1997, Sony controlled 47% of the console market, Nintendo 40%, and Sega only 12%. Neither price cuts nor high-profile game releases proved helpful. Reflecting decreased demand for the system, worldwide Saturn shipments during March to September 1997 declined from 2.35 million to 600,000 versus
10140-444: The Saturn is considered a commercial failure , although its install base in Japan, where it did better than the West, surpassed the Nintendo 64's 5.54 million, where it became Sega's highest-selling home console. Lack of distribution has been cited as a significant factor of the Saturn's failure, because the system's surprise launch had damaged Sega's reputation with key retailers. Conversely, Nintendo's long delay in releasing
10309-454: The Saturn made him a villain to many Sega fans, but [...] it was better to regroup than to enter the next fight battered and bruised. Dreamcast would be Stolar's redemption." Stolar defended his decision, saying, "I felt Saturn was hurting the company more than helping it. That was a battle that we weren't going to win." Sheffield said that the Saturn's quadrilaterals undermined third-party support, but because " nVidia invested in quads" at
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#173278049400810478-608: The Saturn rapidly lost market share in the U.S., where it was discontinued in 1998. The Saturn is considered a commercial failure ; this was affected by the cancellation of Sonic X-treme , planned as the first 3D entry in Sega's popular Sonic the Hedgehog series. The Saturn was succeeded in 1998 by the Dreamcast having sold 9.26 million units sold worldwide, of which more than 6 million were sold in Japan. The Saturn has several well-regarded games, including Nights into Dreams ,
10647-556: The Saturn rather than arcades, combined characters from Fighting Vipers and Virtua Fighter to positive reviews. Highly rated Saturn exclusives include Panzer Dragoon Saga , Dragon Force , Guardian Heroes , Nights , Panzer Dragoon II Zwei , and Shining Force III . PlayStation games such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night , Resident Evil , and Wipeout 2097 received Saturn ports with mixed results. The first-person shooter PowerSlave featured some of
10816-491: The Saturn's lifespan and criticized for its short length. Many of the system's well-regarded titles were exclusive to Japan. Some of the biggest killer apps for the Saturn in Japan were the Sakura Wars series. Co-developed by Sega and Red Entertainment , Sakura Wars mixes elements of tactical RPGs, anime cutscenes, and visual novels. That and Grandia helped popularize the Saturn in its homeland, but never had
10985-530: The Saturn's use of quadrilaterals as its basic geometric primitive , in contrast to the triangles rendered by the PlayStation and the Nintendo 64. Ken Humphries of Time Warner Interactive remarked that compared to the PlayStation, the Saturn was worse at generating polygons but better at sprites. Third-party development was initially hindered by the lack of useful software libraries and development tools , requiring developers to use assembly language . During early Saturn development, programming in assembly had
11154-454: The Saturn, but discarded the idea due to concerns over the lower quality and higher price of cartridge games. According to president Tom Kalinske , Sega of America "fought against the architecture of Saturn for quite some time". Seeking an alternative graphics chip for the Saturn, Kalinske attempted to broker a deal with Silicon Graphics , but Sega of Japan rejected the proposal. Silicon Graphics subsequently collaborated with Nintendo on
11323-412: The Saturn. —Yu Suzuki reflecting on Saturn Virtua Fighter development The Saturn had technically impressive hardware at the time of its release, but its complexity made harnessing this power difficult for developers accustomed to conventional programming. The greatest disadvantage was that both CPUs shared the same bus and were unable to access system memory at the same time. Making full use of
11492-456: The Sega CD and 32X add-ons. Well regarded Sega CD games include Sonic CD , Lunar: The Silver Star , Lunar: Eternal Blue , Popful Mail , and Snatcher , as well as the controversial Night Trap . Although Sega created Streets of Rage for the Genesis to compete against the SNES port of the arcade hit Final Fight , the Sega CD received an enhanced version of Final Fight that has been praised for its greater faithfulness to
11661-590: The Sega CD and another Genesis add-on, the 32X , released in November 1994. On December 9, 1993, the United States Congress began hearings on video game violence and the marketing of violent video games to children. The Sega CD game Night Trap , an FMV adventure game by Digital Pictures, was at the center of debate. Night Trap had been brought to the attention of United States Senator Joe Lieberman , who said: "It ends with this attack scene on this woman in lingerie, in her bathroom. I know that
11830-416: The Sega CD featured additional FMV sequences, extra levels, and enhanced audio, but were otherwise identical to their Genesis release. The video quality in these sequences has been criticized as comparable to an old VHS tape. Given a large number of FMV games and Genesis ports, the Sega CD's game library has been criticized for its lack of depth. Kalinske felt this was a valid criticism, and that while it
11999-584: The Sega CD in the first quarter of 1996, saying that it needed to concentrate on fewer platforms and that the Sega CD could not compete due to its high price and outdated single-speed drive. According to Thorpe, the Sega CD only reached a more popular price point in 1995, by which time customers were willing to wait for newer consoles. The last scheduled Sega CD games, ports of Myst and Brain Dead 13 , were cancelled. 2.24 million Sega CD units were sold worldwide. The Sega CD can only be used in conjunction with
12168-562: The Sega CD is the seventh-lowest-selling console; reviewer Blake Snow wrote: "The problem was threefold: the device was expensive at $ 299, it arrived late in the 16-bit life cycle, and it didn't do much (if anything) to enhance the gameplay experience." However, Snow felt that the Sega CD had the greatest Sonic game in Sonic CD . IGN ' s Levi Buchanan criticized Sega's implementation of CD technology, arguing that it offered no new gameplay concepts. Jeremy Parish of USgamer wrote that Sega
12337-455: The Sega CD to output stereophonic sound separate from the Genesis. Combining stereo sound from a Genesis to either version of the Sega CD requires a cable between the Genesis's headphone jack and an input jack on the back of the CD unit. This is not required for the second model of the Genesis. Sega released an additional accessory to be used with the Sega CD for karaoke, including a microphone input and various sound controls. Several models of
12506-468: The Sega CD to play FMV games . In addition to playing its own library of games in CD-ROM format, the Sega CD can also play compact discs and karaoke CD+G discs, and can be used in conjunction with the 32X to play 32-bit games that use both add-ons. The second model, also known as the Sega CD 2, includes a steel joining plate to be screwed into the bottom of the Genesis and an extension spacer to work with
12675-563: The Sega CD was merely "a big memory device with CD sound" rather than a meaningful upgrade. They gave it a "thumbs sideways" and recommended that Genesis fans buy an SNES before considering a Sega CD. In a special Game Machine Cross Review in May 1995, Famicom Tsūshin scored the Japanese Mega-CD 2 17 out of 40. Retrospective reception of the Sega CD has been mixed, praising certain games but criticizing its value for money and limited upgrades over Genesis. According to GamePro,
12844-589: The Sega CD were released. The original model used a front-loading motorized disc tray and sat underneath the Genesis. The second model was redesigned to sit next to the Genesis and featured a top-loading disc tray. Sega also released the Genesis CDX (Multi-Mega in Europe), a combined Genesis and Sega CD, with additional functionality as a portable CD player . Three additional system models were created by other electronics companies. Working with Sega, JVC released
13013-407: The Sega CD's limited sales, including its price, lack of significant enhancement to the Genesis, and the fact that it was not a standalone console. Retro Gamer writer Aaron Birch, defended the Sega CD as "ahead of its time" and said that game developers had failed to meet the potential of CD technology. Sega's poor support for the Sega CD has been criticized as the first step in the devaluation of
13182-401: The Sega brand. Writing for IGN , Buchanan said the Sega CD, released without a strong library of games, "looked like a strange, desperate move—something designed to nab some ink but without any real, thought-out strategy. Genesis owners that invested in the add-on were sorely disappointed, which undoubtedly helped sour the non-diehards on the brand." In GamePro , Snow wrote that the Sega CD was
13351-587: The Tokyo Toy Show in June 1994. In 1993, Sega and the Japanese electronics company Hitachi formed a joint venture to develop a new CPU for the Saturn, which resulted in the creation of the "SuperH RISC Engine" (or SH-2 ) later that year. The Saturn was designed around a dual-SH2 configuration. According to Kazuhiro Hamada, Sega's section chief for Saturn development during the system's conception, "the SH-2
13520-512: The United States and 415,000 in Western Europe. Kalinske blamed the Sega CD's high price for limiting its potential market; Sega attempted to add value in the US and the UK by bundling more games, with some packages including up to five games. In early 1995, Sega shifted its focus to the Sega Saturn and discontinued advertising for Genesis hardware, including the Sega CD. Sega discontinued
13689-461: The V-Saturn. Saturn controllers have various complementary color schemes. The system also supports several accessories. A wireless controller powered by AA batteries uses infrared signal to connect. Designed to work with Nights , the Saturn 3D Pad includes both a control pad and an analog stick for directional input. Sega also released several versions of arcade sticks as peripherals, including
13858-953: The Virtua Stick, the Virtua Stick Pro, the Mission Analog Stick, and the Twin Stick. Sega created a light gun peripheral, the Virtua Gun, for shooting games such as Virtua Cop , and the Arcade Racer, a wheel for racing games. The Play Cable connects two Saturn consoles for multiplayer gaming across two screens, and a multitap connects up to six players to the same console. One console with two multitaps can support up to 12 players. Other accessories include RAM expansion cartridges, keyboard, mouse, floppy disk drive, and movie card. Like
14027-407: The West, combined with a release schedule of only two games between the surprise launch and September 1995, prevented Sega from capitalizing on the Saturn's early timing. Within two days of its September 9, 1995, launch in North America, the PlayStation (backed by a large marketing campaign ) had more units sold than the Saturn had in the five months following its surprise launch, with almost all of
14196-675: The Wondermega, a combination of the Genesis and Sega CD with high-quality audio, on April 1, 1992, in Japan. The Wondermega was redesigned by JVC and released as the X'Eye in North America in September 1994. Its high price kept it out of the hands of average consumers. Another console, the LaserActive by Pioneer Corporation , can play Genesis and Sega CD games if equipped with the Mega-LD attachment developed by Sega. The LaserActive
14365-429: The add-on 8, 9, 8, and 8 out of 10; reviewers cited its upgrades to the Genesis as well as its high-quality and expanding library of games. In 1995, four Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewers scored it 5 out of 10, citing its limited game library and substandard video quality. GamePro cited the same problems, noting that many games were simple ports of cartridge games with minimal enhancements; GamePro concluded that
14534-471: The addition of detailed textures and twice the frame rate . Tekken surpassed Virtua Fighter in popularity due to its superior graphics and nearly arcade-perfect console port, becoming the first million-selling PlayStation game. On October 2, Sega announced a Saturn price reduction to $ 299. High-quality Saturn ports of the Sega Model 2 arcade hits Sega Rally Championship , Virtua Cop , and Virtua Fighter 2 (running at 60 frames per second at
14703-469: The arcade original. Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side was noted for its impressive use of the Sega CD hardware as well as its violent content. In particular, Sonic CD garnered acclaim for its graphics and time travel gameplay, which improved upon the traditional Sonic formula. The Sega CD also received enhanced ports of Genesis games including Batman Returns and Ecco
14872-494: The cancellation of Sonic X-treme , the Saturn lacks an exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog platformer; instead it received a graphically enhanced port of the Genesis game Sonic 3D Blast , the compilation Sonic Jam , and a racing game, Sonic R . The platformer Bug! received attention for its eponymous main character being a potential mascot for the Saturn, but it failed to catch on as the Sonic series had. Considered one of
15041-427: The cancellation, because the game was not promising. From 1993 to early 1996, although Sega's revenue declined as part of an industry-wide slowdown, the company retained control of 38% of the U.S. video game market (compared to Nintendo's 30% and Sony's 24%). Eight hundred thousand PlayStation units were sold in the U.S. by the end of 1995, compared to 400,000 Saturn units. In part due to an aggressive price war ,
15210-518: The capabilities of the TurboGrafx-CD, but with twice as much random-access memory (RAM). In addition to relatively short loading times, Takami's team planned to implement hardware scaling and rotation similar to that of Sega's arcade games , which required a dedicated digital signal processor . A custom graphics chip would implement these features, alongside an additional sound chip manufactured by Ricoh . According to Kalinske, Sega
15379-426: The company switching their support to the PlayStation. According to the review aggregator GameRankings , Panzer Dragoon Saga is the most acclaimed Saturn game; it was praised for its cinematic presentation, evocative plot, and unique battle system. However, Sega released fewer than 20,000 retail copies in North America in what IGN 's Levi Buchanan characterized as an example of the Saturn's "ignominious send-off" in
15548-507: The company. Bernie Stolar , a former executive at Sony Computer Entertainment of America, was named Sega of America's executive vice president in charge of product development and third-party relations. Stolar, who had arranged a six-month PlayStation exclusivity deal for Mortal Kombat 3 and helped build close relations with Electronic Arts while at Sony, was perceived as a major asset by Sega officials. Finally, Sega of America made plans to expand its PC software business. Stolar
15717-416: The competing PC Engine CD-ROM² System , and partnered with JVC to design the Sega CD. Sega refused to consult with their American division until the project was complete, fearful of leaks. The Sega CD was redesigned several times by Sega and was also licensed to third parties, including Pioneer and Aiwa who released home audio products with Sega CD gaming capability. The main benefit of CD technology at
15886-681: The creator of the game said it was all meant to be a satire of Dracula ; but nonetheless, I thought it sent out the wrong message." Lieberman's research concluded that the average video game player was between seven and twelve years old, and that video game publishers were marketing violence to children. In the United Kingdom, Night Trap was discussed in Parliament . Former Sega Europe development director Mike Brogan noted that Night Trap brought Sega publicity, and helped reinforce Sega's image as an "edgy company with attitude". Despite
16055-501: The developers instead utilizing real-time cutscenes using larger, more detailed character sprites to tell the story. Still images taken directly from Silver Star Story Complete' s cutscenes appear at certain points during the game to give it a more cinematic feel. It received generally positive reviews. Lunar: Silver Star Harmony was first released on November 12, 2009, in Japan for the PlayStation Portable . The game
16224-424: The development of a game known only as Lunar 3 . In a 1998 interview, Victor Ireland, president of Working Designs , stated that Lunar 3 was in the design phase. However, no such game was ever revealed by Game Arts or Entertainment Software Publishing , the Japanese publisher of the series. At the time Ireland, as part of a feud with Sega of America, repeatedly brought up during interviews that Working Designs held
16393-421: The early 1990s, Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske helped make the Genesis a success by cutting the price, developing games for the American market with a new American team, continuing aggressive advertising campaigns, and selling Sonic the Hedgehog with the Genesis as a pack-in game . By the early 1990s, compact discs (CDs) were making headway as a storage medium for music and video games. NEC had been
16562-468: The end of the year. The 32X would not be compatible with the Saturn, but Sega executive Richard Brudvik-Lindner pointed out that the 32X would play Genesis games, and had the same system architecture as the Saturn. This was justified by Sega's statement that both platforms would run at the same time, and that the 32X would be aimed at players who could not afford the more expensive Saturn. According to Sega of America research and development head Joe Miller,
16731-403: The expansion of games and who they served." Sewart praised the Saturn's first-party games as "Sega's shining moment as a game developer", with Sonic Team demonstrating its creative range and AM2 producing numerous technically impressive arcade ports. He also commented on the many Japan-exclusive Saturn releases, which he connected with a subsequent boom in the game import market. IGN's Travis Fahs
16900-457: The failure of the Saturn as the major reason for Sega's downfall as a hardware manufacturer, but USgamer's Jeremy Parish described it as "more a symptom [...] than a cause" of the decline, which began with add-ons for the Genesis that fragmented the market and continued with Sega of America's and Sega of Japan's competing designs for the Dreamcast. Sheffield portrayed Sega's mistakes with
17069-450: The first day. Sega waited until the December 3 launch of the PlayStation to ship more units; when both were sold side by side, the Saturn proved more popular. Meanwhile, Sega released the 32X on November 21, 1994, in North America, December 3, 1994, in Japan, and January 1995 in PAL territories, at less than half of the Saturn's launch price. After the holiday season, however, interest in
17238-553: The first game were released for the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation Portable . Spin-offs were also released, including Lunar: Sanposuru Gakuen and Lunar: Dragon Song . The Lunar stories take place on an inhabitable moon called Lunar, or "The Silver Star", that orbits a planet known as "The Blue Star". Thousands of years ago, the Blue Star was infected with evil by a dark god named Zophar . His evil corrupted
17407-407: The first of several poorly supported Sega systems, which damaged the value of the brand and ultimately led to Sega's exit from the hardware market. Thorpe wrote that, while it was possible for Sega to have brushed off the Sega CD's failure, the failure of the Sega CD and the 32X together damaged faith in Sega's support for its platforms. Former Sega of America senior producer Scot Bayless attributes
17576-519: The first time". In GamesRadar , Justin Towell wrote that the Saturn's 3D Pad "set the template for every successful controller that followed, with analog shoulder triggers and left thumbstick [...] I don't see any three-pronged controllers around the office these days." Douglass C. Perry of Gamasutra noted that, from its surprise launch to its ultimate failure, the Saturn "soured many gamers on Sega products". Sewart and IGN's Levi Buchanan cited
17745-563: The first to use CD technology in a video game console with their PC Engine CD-ROM² System add-on in October 1988 in Japan (launched in North America as the TurboGrafx-CD the following year), which sold 80,000 units in six months. That year, Nintendo announced a partnership with Sony to develop a CD-ROM peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Commodore International released their CD-based CDTV multimedia system in early 1991, while
17914-474: The fiscal year ending March 1999 and announced plans to eliminate 1,000 jobs, nearly a quarter of its workforce. Worldwide Saturn sales include at least the following amounts in each territory: More than 6 million in Japan (surpassing Genesis sales of 3.58 million there ), 1.8 million in the United States, 1 million in Europe, and 530,000 elsewhere. With lifetime sales of 9.26 million units,
18083-401: The flaws of contemporary Japanese RPGs (such as poor non-player character artificial intelligence routines), Virtua Fighter RPG evolved into a planned 11-part, 45-hour "revenge epic in the tradition of Chinese cinema ", which Suzuki hoped would become the Saturn's killer app . The game was eventually released as Shenmue for the Saturn's successor, the Dreamcast . As Sonic Team
18252-438: The fully 3D environments of Nintendo's Super Mario 64 , the emphasis by Nights on unfettered movement and graceful acrobatic techniques showcased the intuitive potential of analog control. Sonic Team's Burning Rangers , a fully 3D action-adventure game involving a team of outer-space firefighters , garnered praise for its transparency effects and distinctive art direction, but was released in limited quantities late in
18421-449: The game be reworked around the engine created for its boss battles, the developers were forced to work between 16 and 20 hours a day to meet their December 1996 deadline. Weeks of development were wasted after Stolar rescinded STI's access to Sonic Team's Nights into Dreams engine following an ultimatum by Nights programmer Yuji Naka . After programmer Ofer Alon quit and designers Chris Senn and Chris Coffin became ill, Sonic X-Treme
18590-464: The hearts of people, turning some into monsters to do his bidding. The survivors cried out to the patron-deity of the Blue Star, a Goddess named Althena , for help. She confronted Zophar in an epic battle, and was only able to stop him by using her powers of creation to seal him in another dimension, destroying nearly all life on the planet in the process. Unable to restore the planet until several millennia had passed, Althena instead chose to transform
18759-507: The highest of that generation. Rumors about the upcoming Dreamcast, spread mainly by Sega, were leaked to the public before the last Saturn games were released. The Dreamcast was released on November 27, 1998, in Japan and on September 9, 1999, in North America. The decision to abandon the Saturn effectively left the Western market without Sega games for over one year. Sega suffered an additional ¥42.881 billion consolidated net loss in
18928-478: The highest-reviewed Sega CD title in the history of the platform. Lunar Dragon Song , however, was panned critically, with an aggregate rating of 58% on GameRankings. The series has sold over one million copies, placing it among the best-selling Japanese role-playing game franchises . Total sales of Lunar franchise – 1,052,011: Since the release of the enhanced remakes of Lunar: Silver Star Story and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue , rumors have come and gone concerning
19097-509: The increased sales, Sega recalled Night Trap and rereleased it with revisions in 1994. Following the congressional hearings, video game manufacturers came together in 1994 to establish a unified rating system, the Entertainment Software Rating Board . By the end of 1993, sales of the Sega CD had stalled in Japan and were slowing in North America. In Europe, sales of Mega-CD games were outpaced by games for
19266-464: The initial competition between Sega and Nintendo to develop a CD-based add-on, Nintendo canceled development of a CD add-on for the SNES after having partnered with Sony and then Philips to develop one. The Mega-CD was launched in Europe in April 1993, starting with the United Kingdom on April 2, 1993, at a price of £269.99. The European version was packaged with Sol-Feace and Cobra Command in
19435-483: The initial shipment of 100,000 units being sold in advance, and the rest selling out across the U.S. A high-quality port of the Namco arcade game Ridge Racer contributed to the PlayStation's early success, and garnered favorable media in comparison to the Saturn version of Sega's Daytona USA , which was considered inferior to its arcade counterpart. Namco, a longtime arcade competitor with Sega, also unveiled
19604-475: The keyboard, Sega produced a series of CDs containing hundreds of website addresses so that Saturn owners could browse with the joypad. In 1995, Sega announced a variant of the Saturn featuring a built-in NetLink modem codenamed Pluto, but it was never released. Sega developed a Saturn-based arcade board, the Sega ST-V (or Titan), intended as an affordable alternative to Sega's Model 2 arcade board and as
19773-547: The most important Saturn releases, Sonic Team developed Nights into Dreams , a score attack game that attempted to simulate both the joy of flying and the fleeting sensation of dreams. The gameplay of Nights involves steering the imp -like androgynous protagonist, Nights, as it flies on a mostly 2D plane across surreal stages broken into four segments each. The levels repeat for as long as an in-game time limit allows, while flying over or looping around various objects in rapid succession earns additional points. Although it lacked
19942-475: The most impressive 3D graphics on the system, leading Sega to contract its developers, Lobotomy Software , to produce Saturn ports of Duke Nukem 3D and Quake . While Electronic Arts's limited support for the Saturn and Sega's failure to develop a football game for late 1995 gave Sony the lead in the sports genre, "Sega Sports" published Saturn sports games including the well-regarded World Series Baseball and Sega Worldwide Soccer series. Due to
20111-726: The most successful Sega arcade game produced in the United States at that point. Other games released for the Titan include Golden Axe: The Duel and Virtua Fighter Kids . Much of the Saturn's library is Sega's arcade ports, including Daytona USA , The House of the Dead , Last Bronx , Sega Rally Championship , the Virtua Cop series, the Virtua Fighter series, and Virtual-On . Saturn ports of 2D Capcom fighting games including Darkstalkers 3 , Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter , and Street Fighter Alpha 3 were noted for their faithfulness to their arcade counterparts. Fighters Megamix , developed by Sega AM2 for
20280-411: The multiprocessing to be able to bring to the home what we're doing next year in the arcades." In 1993, Sega restructured its internal studios in preparation for the Saturn's launch. To ensure high-quality 3D games would be available early in the Saturn's life, and to create a more energetic working environment, developers from Sega's arcade division were asked to create console games. New teams, such as
20449-401: The next three years. Third-party game development suffered because Sega took a long time to release software development kits . Other factors affecting sales included the high launch price of the Mega-CD in Japan and only two games available at launch, with only five published by Sega within the first year. On October 15, 1992, the Mega-CD was released in North America as the Sega CD, with
20618-404: The next". Retrospective feedback of the Saturn is mixed, but generally praises its game library. According to Greg Sewart of 1UP.com , "the Saturn will go down in history as one of the most troubled, and greatest, systems of all time". In 2009, IGN named the Saturn the 18th-best console of all time, praising its unique game library. According to the reviewers, "While the Saturn ended up losing
20787-498: The planet's moon into an earthlike world, and transported the survivors there. These included not only humans but also a race of "beast-men", and another race of elf-like beings skilled in wielding magic. The only elf-like being depicted in Lunar is Ghaleon, who is a confirmed member of the Vile Tribe in "Lunar: Vane Hikuusen Monogatari", which is mysteriously classified here as a "fourth race", despite there being only three. There
20956-422: The popular arcade game, sold at a nearly one-to-one ratio with the Saturn console at launch and was crucial to the system's early success in Japan. Though Sega had wanted to launch with Clockwork Knight and Panzer Dragoon , the only other first-party game available at launch was Wan Chai Connection . Boosted by the popularity of Virtua Fighter , Sega's initial shipment of 200,000 Saturn units sold out on
21125-481: The popularity contest to both Sony and Nintendo [...] Nights into Dreams , the Virtua Fighter and Panzer Dragoon series are all examples of exclusive titles that made the console a fan favorite." Edge noted that "hardened loyalists continue to reminisce about the console that brought forth games like Burning Rangers , Guardian Heroes , Dragon Force and Panzer Dragoon Saga ". In 2015, The Guardian ' s Keith Stuart wrote that "the Saturn has perhaps
21294-471: The previously announced North American date, on July 8, 1995, at £ 399.99. European retailers and press did not have time to promote the system or its games, harming sales. The PlayStation launched in Europe on September 29, 1995; by November, it had already outsold the Saturn by a factor of three in the United Kingdom, where Sony had allocated £20 million of marketing during the holiday season compared to Sega's £4 million. The Saturn's U.S. launch
21463-475: The problems were caused by certain games excessively seeking to different tracks on the disc (as opposed to continuously playing / streaming), leading to overheating of the motors which repositioned the laser head assembly. As early as 1990, magazines were covering a CD-ROM expansion for the Genesis. Sega announced the release of the Mega-CD in Japan for late 1991, and North America (as the Sega CD) in 1992. It
21632-417: The prospect of "a good 3D Sonic game" on the Saturn as "a 'What if...' situation on a par with the dinosaurs not becoming extinct". IGN ' s Travis Fahs called X-treme "the turning point not only for Sega's mascot and their 32-bit console, but for the entire company [and] an empty vessel for Sega's ambitions and the hopes of their fans". Dave Zdyrko, who operated a prominent Saturn fan website during
21801-811: The region. Similarly, only the first of three installments of Shining Force III was released outside Japan. The Saturn's library also garnered criticism for its lack of sequels to high-profile Genesis-era Sega franchises, with Sega of Japan's cancellation of a planned third installment in Sega of America's popular Eternal Champions series cited as a significant source of controversy. Later ports of Saturn games including Guardian Heroes , Nights , and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers continued to garner positive reviews. Partly due to rarity, Saturn games such as Panzer Dragoon Saga and Radiant Silvergun are noted for their cult following . Due to
21970-417: The same period in 1996; shipments in North America declined from 800,000 to 50,000. Due to the Saturn's poor performance in North America, 60 of Sega of America's 200 employees were laid off in late 1997. I thought the Saturn was a mistake as far as hardware was concerned. The games were obviously terrific, but the hardware just wasn't there. —Bernie Stolar, former president of Sega of America, assessed
22139-448: The same time, there had been "a remote possibility" they could have "become the standard instead of triangles [...] if somehow, magically, the Saturn were the most popular console of that era." Speaking more positively, former Working Designs president Victor Ireland described the Saturn as "the start of the future of console gaming" because it "got the better developers thinking and designing with parallel-processing architecture in mind for
22308-446: The strongest line-up of 2D shooters and fighting games in console history". Retro Gamer ' s Damien McFerran wrote: "Even today, despite the widespread availability of sequels and re-releases on other formats, the Sega Saturn is still a worthwhile investment for those who appreciate the unique gameplay styles of the companies that supported it." IGN's Adam Redsell wrote "[Sega's] devil-may-care attitude towards game development in
22477-449: The surprise release, including Best Buy and Walmart ; KB Toys , which was not part of the early launch, responded by refusing to carry the Saturn and its games. Sony subsequently unveiled the retail price for the PlayStation; Olaf Olafsson, the head of Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), summoned Steve Race to the stage, who uttered "$ 299", and then walked away to applause. The Saturn's release in Europe also came before
22646-502: The system's commercial failure and hardware limitations, Saturn projects such as Resident Evil 2 , Shenmue , Sonic Adventure , and Virtua Fighter 3 were cancelled and moved to the Dreamcast. At the time of the Saturn's release, Famicom Tsūshin awarded it 24 out of 40, higher than the PlayStation's 19 out of 40. In June 1995, Dennis Lynch of the Chicago Tribune and Albert Kim of Entertainment Weekly praised
22815-578: The system's complexity as a weakness. Four critics in Electronic Gaming Monthly ' s December 1996 Buyer's Guide rated the Saturn 8, 6, 7, and 8 out of 10 and the PlayStation 9, 10, 9, and 9. By December 1998, EGM ' s reviews were more mixed, with reviewers citing the lack of games as a major problem. According to EGM reviewer Crispin Boyer, "the Saturn is the only system that can thrill me one month and totally disappoint me
22984-587: The system's lifespan, said: "I don't know if [ X-treme ] could've saved the Saturn, but [...] Sonic helped make the Genesis and it made absolutely no sense why there wasn't a great new Sonic title ready at or near the launch of the [Saturn]." In a 2007 retrospective, producer Mike Wallis maintained that X-treme "definitely would have been competitive" with Nintendo's Super Mario 64 . Next Generation reported in late 1996 that X-treme would have harmed Sega's reputation if it did not compare well to contemporary competition. Naka said he had been relieved by
23153-535: The time was greater storage ; CDs offered approximately 160 times more space than Genesis/Mega Drive cartridges . This benefit manifested as full-motion video (FMV) games such as the controversial Night Trap . The Sega CD game library features acclaimed games such as Sonic CD , Lunar: The Silver Star , Lunar: Eternal Blue , Popful Mail , and Snatcher , but also many Genesis ports and poorly received FMV games . Only 2.24 million Sega CD units were sold, after which Sega discontinued it to focus on
23322-406: The unsuccessful market to a lack of direction from Sega with the add-on. According to Bayless, "It was a fundamental paradigm shift with almost no thought given to consequences. I honestly don't think anyone at Sega asked the most important question: 'Why?' There's a rule I developed during my time as an engineer in the military aviation business: never fall in love with your tech. I think that's where
23491-443: The working CD units until the last minute because they were concerned about what we would do with it and if it would leak out. It was very frustrating." Latham and Sega of America vice president of licensing Shinobu Toyoda assembled a functioning Sega CD by acquiring a ROM for the system and installing it in a dummy unit. The American staff were frustrated by the Sega CD's construction. Former senior producer Scot Bayless said: "[It]
23660-493: The world. Compared to its predecessor, Eternal Blue features twice the text and over four times the amount of original animation. Working Designs handled the English localization once more, releasing the game in September 1995 in North America. While the game was well received, it sold less copies than The Silver Star , which was mostly attributed to it being a late release for the platform. Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
23829-446: Was a critical and commercial success, becoming the best selling title on the platform in Japan, and second highest-selling overall. Lunar: Eternal Blue was first released on December 22, 1994, in Japan for the Sega CD. Taking place a thousand years after the events of the first game, it follows Hiro, a young adventurer, and Lucia, a girl from the far-away planet Blue Star, as they try to stop an evil, all-powerful being from destroying
23998-460: Was accompanied by a reported $ 50 million advertising campaign including coverage in publications such as Wired and Playboy . Early advertising for the system was targeted at a more mature, adult audience than the Genesis ads. The early rescheduling yielded only six launch games (all published by Sega) because most third-party games were scheduled around the original launch date. Virtua Fighter ' s relative lack of popularity in
24167-412: Was also a fourth race of people who would later come to be known as "The Vile Tribe" after they rejected Althena's teachings. She was forced to banish them to an area of Lunar called "The Frontier", a barren wasteland where even Althena's magical power could not reach. They became enemies of Althena and her followers for thousands of years. To protect Lunar, Althena created four intelligent Dragons –
24336-410: Was ambitious about what CD-ROM technology would do for video games, with its potential for "movie graphics", "rock and roll concert sound" and 3D animation. However, two major changes were made towards the end of development that dramatically raised the price of the add-on. Because the Genesis' Motorola 68000 CPU was too slow to handle the Sega CD's new graphical capabilities, an additional 68000 CPU
24505-504: Was announced on September 24, 2024 that is currently set for release during Spring 2025. This collection contains Silver Star Story Complete and Eternal Blue Complete . It is set for release on the Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Windows , Xbox One , and Xbox Series X/S , which will be produced by GungHo Online Entertainment . Lunar: Sanposuru Gakuen was first released on January 12, 1996, in Japan for
24674-404: Was cancelled in early 1997. Sonic Team started work on an original 3D Sonic game for the Saturn, but development shifted to the Dreamcast as Sonic Adventure . STI was disbanded in 1996 as a result of changes in management at Sega of America. Journalists and fans have speculated about the impact a completed X-treme might have had on the market. David Houghton of GamesRadar described
24843-561: Was chosen for reasons of cost and efficiency. The chip has a calculation system similar to a DSP [ digital signal processor ], but we realized that a single CPU would not be enough to calculate a 3D world." Although the Saturn's design was largely finished before the end of 1993, reports in early 1994 of the technical capabilities of Sony 's upcoming PlayStation console prompted Sega to include another video display processor (VDP) to improve 2D performance and 3D texture mapping. Sega considered making CD-ROM-based and cartridge-only versions of
25012-438: Was critical of the Saturn library's lack of "fresh ideas" and "precious few high-profile franchises", in contrast to what he described as Sega's more creative Dreamcast output. Sega has been criticized for its management of the Saturn. McFerran said its management staff had "fallen out of touch with both the demands of the market and the industry". Stolar has also been criticized; according to Fahs, "Stolar's decision to abandon
25181-404: Was designed with a cheap, consumer-grade audio CD drive, not a CD-ROM. Quite late in the run-up to launch, the quality assurance teams started running into severe problems with many of the units—and when I say severe, I mean units literally bursting into flames. We worked around the clock, trying to catch the failure in-progress, and after about a week we finally realized what was happening." He said
25350-497: Was expensive, so several alternatives helped bring Sega's newest arcade games to Genesis, such as the Virtua Processor chip used for Virtua Racing , and the 32X add-on. Development of the Saturn was supervised by Hideki Sato, Sega's director and deputy general manager of research and development . According to project manager Hideki Okamura, the project codenamed Saturn started over two years before announcement at
25519-433: Was first released on April 12, 2002, in Japan for the Game Boy Advance . The game is a remake of The Silver Star , largely based on Silver Star Story Complete , with some alterations. The English localization was handled by Ubisoft , with the game releasing on December 10, 2002, in North America. Due to limitations of the cartridge format, many features standard to the series such as voice acting and FMV were omitted, with
25688-463: Was first released on August 25, 2005, in Japan for the Nintendo DS . Taking place a thousand years before the events of The Silver Star , the game follows Jian Campbell, a young delivery boy and adventurer who must save the world from the rising menace of the Vile Tribe. Notably, it was the first game in the series to be released in Europe. It received mixed reviews The Lunar series has spawned
25857-407: Was first released on July 23, 1998, in Japan for the Sega Saturn. The game is a remake of Eternal Blue with an expanded scenario and improved graphics and sound, much like Silver Star Story Complete before it. A PlayStation version followed on May 27, 1999, with an English release by Working Designs arriving a year later, on December 15, 2000. It received generally positive reviews. Lunar Legend
26026-416: Was first released on June 26, 1992, in Japan for the Sega CD . The game follows Alex, a young boy from a small town who dreams of one day becoming a great hero like his idol, Dragonmaster Dyne. Making use of the CD-ROM format, the game features CD-quality music, full motion video and voice acting. Working Designs handled the English localization, releasing the game in December 1993 in North America. It
26195-496: Was first released on October 25, 1996, in Japan for the Sega Saturn . A version with higher-quality video via the Video CD card add-on was released a year later. The game is a remake of The Silver Star with an expanded scenario and improved graphics and sound. While the original Sega CD version included roughly ten minutes of animation, the remake features fifty minutes of new, fully animated cutscenes by Studio Gonzo . The game
26364-473: Was incorporated. This second CPU has a clock speed of 12.5 MHz, faster than the 7.67 MHz CPU in the Genesis. Responding to rumors that NEC planned a memory upgrade to bring the TurboGrafx-CD RAM from 0.5 Mbit to between 2 and 4 Mbit, Sega increased the Sega CD's available RAM from 1 to 6 Mbit. This proved to be a technical challenge, since the Sega CD's RAM access speed
26533-475: Was initially too slow to run programs effectively, and the developers had to focus on increasing the speed. The estimated cost of the device rose to US$ 370, but market research convinced Sega executives that consumers would be willing to pay more for a state-of-the-art machine. Sega partnered with JVC , which had been working with Warner New Media to develop a CD player under the CD+G standard. Sega of America
26702-504: Was interesting but probably misconceived and was seen very much as the interim product it was." Kalinske said that the Sega CD had been an important learning experience for Sega for programming for discs, and that it was not a mistake but not "as dramatically different as it needed to be". Sega Saturn The Sega Saturn is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of
26871-400: Was more expensive to manufacture. I thought the world of [Hayao] Nakayama because of his love of software. We spoke about building a new hardware platform that I would be very, very involved with, shape the direction of this platform, and hire a new team of people and restructure Sega. That, to me, was a great opportunity. —Bernie Stolar on joining Sega of America After the launch of
27040-460: Was not informed of the project details until mid-1991. Despite being provided with preliminary technical documents earlier in the year, the American division was not given a functioning unit to test. According to former executive producer Michael Latham: "When you work at a multinational company, there are things that go well and there are things that don't. They didn't want to send us working Sega CD units. They wanted to send us dummies and not send us
27209-513: Was not supportive of the Saturn, deciding it was poorly designed, and publicly announced at E3 1997 that "the Saturn is not our future". Though Stolar had "no interest in lying to people" about the Saturn's prospects, he continued to emphasize quality games for the system, and later said that "we tried to wind it down as cleanly as we could for the consumer". At Sony, Stolar had opposed the localization of Japanese games that he decided would not represent PlayStation well in North America, and advocated
27378-458: Was not the only company of the period to "muddy its waters" with a CD add-on, and highlighted some "gems" for the system, but that "the benefits offered by the Sega CD had to be balanced against the fact that the add-on more than doubled the price (and complexity) of the [Genesis]." In a separate article for 1Up.com , Parish praised the Sega CD's expansion of value to the Genesis. Writing for Retro Gamer , Damien McFerran cited various reasons for
27547-440: Was packaged with an instruction manual, control pad, stereo AV cable, and 100 V AC power supply consuming approximately 15 W. One very fast central processor would be preferable. I don't think all programmers have the ability to program two CPUs—most can only get about one-and-a-half times the speed you can get from one SH-2 . I think that only 1 in 100 programmers are good enough to get this kind of speed [double] out of
27716-487: Was ported to the PlayStation on May 28, 1998, with an English release by Working Designs arriving a year later. A Windows version was released for the Japanese and Korean markets, with a North American release eventually scrapped. It received generally positive reviews. Versions for iOS and Android were released in 2012 and 2024 respectively, as Lunar: Silver Star Story Touch . Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete
27885-519: Was positioned to compete with the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, but the combined system and Mega-LD pack retailed at too expensive a price for most consumers. Aiwa released the CSD-GM1, a combination Mega Drive and Mega CD unit built into a boombox . The CSD-GM1 was released in Japan in 1994. The Sega CD supports a library of more than 200 games created by Sega and third-party publishers. Six Sega CD games were also released in versions that used both
28054-571: Was released in 2009. All the Lunar: Hyper Applications was first released in July 1999, in Japan for Windows. Rather than being a traditional game, the CD-ROM contains a variety of software for Windows-based operational systems, as well as wallpapers, art galleries and a digital daifugō card game with characters from Silver Star Story and Eternal Blue . Lunar: Dragon Song , known in Japan and Europe as Lunar Genesis ,
28223-596: Was unveiled to the public at the 1991 Tokyo Toy Show, to positive reception from critics, and at the Consumer Electronic Show in Chicago in mid-1991. It was released in Japan on December 12, 1991, initially retailing at JP¥ 49,800. Though the Mega-CD sold quickly, the small install base of the Mega Drive in Japan meant that sales declined rapidly. Within its first three months, the Mega-CD sold 200,000 units, but only sold an additional 200,000 over
28392-491: Was useful for releasing collections of games, "just doing cartridge games on a CD-ROM was not a step forward". According to Thorpe, the Sega CD's games did not display enough advancement to justify the console price for most consumers. He felt that FMV games, targeted toward more casual players, were not enough to satisfy hardcore players. Near the time of its release, the Sega CD was awarded Best New Peripheral of 1992 by Electronic Gaming Monthly . Four separate reviews scored
28561-431: Was working on Nights into Dreams , Sega tasked the U.S.-based Sega Technical Institute (STI) with developing the first fully 3D entry in its popular Sonic the Hedgehog series. The game, Sonic X-treme , was moved to the Saturn after several prototypes for other hardware (including the 32X) were discarded. It featured a fisheye lens camera system that rotated levels with Sonic 's movement. After Nakayama ordered
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