15 Best Sega Saturn Games of all time

Gaming has improved so much in the last couple of decades, mainly because of the great consoles that have built a foundation for today. One of them is the Sega Saturn, an all-time classic console that paved the way during the rise of the gaming industry. It was a fantastic gaming platform for its time (1994-2000), housing some of the most iconic games within its era. That said, here are our top 15 best Sega Saturn games of all time.

Best Sega Saturn games that still hold up today

15. Sega Rally Championship

Sega Rally Championship is an arcade-import-to-console game that features racing on different tracks with non-realistic handling and physics. Although it doesn't strive for realism, the game is a ton of fun, which is what retro games are all about. Overall, Sega Rally Championship is one of the pioneers in the arcade racing industry, cemented itself as an OG in the myriad of racing games.

14. X-Men vs. Street Fighter

X-Men vs. Street Fighter is a fantastic and action-packed 2D fighting game that pits the characters from both franchises. The wide array of iconic crossover characters and their signature moveset make this a truly exhilarating experience. The game hits a special place in our hearts, and the nostalgic graphical approach of the game makes it truly one of the best Sega Saturn games of all time.

13. Virtua Fighter 2

The Virtua Fighter series is the first of its kind, as it pioneered the genre of 3D fighting games. The sequel, Virtua Fighter 2, does a stellar job of elevating the first Virtua Fighter's mechanics to the next level. It pushes the boundaries of 3D fighting games, making it a classic game everyone remembers from childhood.

12. House of the Dead

House of the Dead is a horror light gun shooter that's entertaining and addictive to play. It's a fun game where you keep shooting zombies until you progress throughout the game. The mechanics and graphics at the time are fantastic and completely immersed players in the game. Who would ever forget fighting the Magician at the end of the game?

11. Castlevania Symphony of the Night

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is arguably one of the best games in the series. It has a fantastic control scheme and epic boss fights, making the game highly replayable. Do you want more on why this game is legendary? The term "Metroidvania" was inspired by Castlevania (and Metroid)! As the iconic game in its genre, players must backtrack through previous areas upon learning new abilities to traverse different locations.

Related: Best FPS games on Core

10. Virtua Cop 2

Virtua Cop 2 is one of the best arcade rail shooter games on the Sega Saturn. What makes this game special is the multiple paths you can choose upon each playthrough, increasing the game's replayability. The game also has various weapons, which you can find as drops from the objects you destroy while eliminating enemies.

9. Sonic Jam

Sonic Jam is a collection of classic Sonic games. From Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, and Sonic 3 to Sonic and Knuckles, the collection offers a lot of content for Sonic fans. Ironically, this "museum" of Sonic games highlights how the series fell into a series of setbacks. The game also performs well on the Sega Saturn. Framerates are great, and the Sega Saturn's upgraded hardware helped render a higher-quality gaming experience.

Related: How to unlock Rouge the Bat in Sonic Speed Simulator

8. Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition

The lack of third-party games for the Sega Saturn hurt the console's launch. That's why Sega decided to port their famous arcade game Daytona USA to improve the console sale. Although this version of Daytona has far less content than the arcade version, it still gives you plenty of nostalgic fun.

6. Dragon Force

Long-time RPG fans consider Dragon Force a great game that demands hours of attention. It offers an excellent hybrid between strategy and role-playing games, enhancing the experience. While the story is solid, the large-scale battles make the game an enjoyable and unique experience. It immerses the players in what it feels like to command and strategize during a war.

5. The King of Fighters 97

The King of Fighters for the Sega Saturn is a game that fans welcomed with open arms. With that in mind, KoF '97 has more gameplay and team customization, quickly making it one of the best iterations of the game upon its release. The excellent soundtrack and character artwork defined KoF '97's identity in the fighting game industry. The energetic stage design also immensely helped the game in terms of immersion.

4. Guardian Heroes

Although everyone completely disregarded Guardian Heroes upon its release, it was only a matter of time before it found its footing as an excellent beat 'em up game. The interesting twist of being a fantasy beat 'em-up made it appealing to fans since it was an unorthodox approach to the genre.

Many characters have a wide range of moveset, sometimes requiring the player to do a half-circle movement with the directional buttons. It borrowed distinct aspects from the RPG genre, including narrative choices, leveling up, and even upgrading your character's skills. Guardian Heroes is truly a one-of-a-kind game that blends multiple genres perfectly.

Related: Best JRPGs on Nintendo Switch

3. Panzer Dragoon Saga

How awesome would riding a dragon and shooting your enemies out of the air be? It has a simple gameplay design, but Panzer Dragoon Saga made the best out of it. The game lets you look around and target enemies in four directions, making it a memorable rail-shooter experience. Panzer Dragoon Saga is an exciting game to play, and you should give it a try. That's especially true if you're a Game of Thrones fan. Dracarys!

3. Nights Into Dreams

Old consoles were best known for platforms, and one of the best was Nights into Dreams on Sega Saturn. The game mechanic may look familiar because the authors are Sonic Team. So everything you know about Sonic, you can use in the Nightopia dream world where the game takes place. Just like most platform games of the time, Nights into Dreams is also 3D, which gives the game a modern feel, although it's pretty old.

2. Metal Slug

Metal Slug is another iconic game in the run-and-gun 2D sidescrolling genre. You go into the game guns blazing and eliminate enemies while trying not to get hit by any of them. The game also has random rewards for weapons that you can use to aid you in battle.

The character sprites look great and are a 1:1 copy of the Neo Geo counterpart. Metal Slug also offers an excellent sound design with quality voice lines and sound effects. Metal Slug is a nostalgic game you should try on the Sega Saturn emulator.

1. Saturn Bomberman

Lastly, who can ever forget about Saturn Bomberman? Saturn Bomberman has players fill the shoes of a character who can plant bombs and explode seconds after dropping them. It is a simple idea that turned into an iconic series. While there's nothing too special about the story mode, having ten-player multiplayer in battle mode creates a night of mayhem for you and your friends. 

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