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Saturn: Unrivalled for modern shootemup conversions... Sega's Saturn console is a much maligned beast. While it failed badly in Europe and the US, it was always popular in Japan, perhaps because they got a better selection and variety of games. Saturn titles often failed to make the trip to the west, and this included dozens of modern shooter conversions - Battle Garegga, Strikers 1945, Salamander 2, Shienryu, Soukyugerentai, Thunderforce V, and Layer Section to name a few.

For many dedicated arcade and shootemup fans, the Saturn remains a prized machine, it's 2D sprite shunting capabilities far exceeded those of the Playstation. But with the western love of 3D, this wasn't enough to keep the masses happy, and the machine died quickly in America and Europe. Fortunately, picking one up very cheap is the result! Good luck in finding imports!

[NOTE] : Many thanks to Grant Windsor for compiling an utterly MASSIVE list of Saturn shooties, filling in many blanks and adding a stackload of games!! I've nicked his format of orientation listing for this one, so you can check out which shmups fall into which category.


Vertical Scrolling
GAME COMPANY INFORMATION
Arcade Gears: Gun Frontier Xing  
Batsugun (review 1)
Batsugun (review 2)
Banpresto (Toaplan original) The original manic shmup? Some seriously HUGE firepower and incredibly difficult gameplay...
Battle Garegga Raizing/Eighting 1988, fantastic superdetailed WWII shootie, cunningly crafted gameplay
Blastwind Tecnosoft Rare vertscroller with some split path gameplay. very manic and typical Technosoft...
Bokan To Ippatsu Doronboo Kanpekiban Banpresto  
Capcom Generation 1: 194X Capcom Slightly measly pack of the WW2 shootemup series... where's 1941 and 19XX I want to know!!
Capcom Generation 3 Capcom  
Detana! Twinbee - Yahoo Deluxe Pack Konami Pack of the Twinbees and Twinbee Yahoo, the hard to find arcade game...
Donpachi Atlus Fantastic manic vert scroller by Cave. Three hundred bullets a second!
Dodonpachi Atlus Excellent sequel to the above, even more manic than the first!
Game Paradise Jaleco 1997, very clever tour-de-force shooter set in an arcade
Gekirindan Taito Timetravel based vert scroller. Quite decent for a rainy day...
Guardian Force Success Very nifty tank shooter with weapons utilising the rotating turret
Gunbird Psikyo Very good semi-cute em up, lots of gameplay and top difficulty
Kingdom Grandprix, aka Shippu Mahou Daisakusen Raizing/Eighting 1994, brilliant little racing - shmup crossbreed!
Kyukyoku Tiger 2 Plus Naxat Soft Excellent early helicopter based Raiden em up
Rayforce (review 1)
Rayforce (review 2)
Taito Best out of the trilogy, excellent manic vert scroller. (aka Galactic Attack & Layer Section)
Layer Section II, aka Raystorm Taito Slightly poorer [but still great] sequel to the above, done in polygons.
Planet Joker Naxat Soft  
Radiant Silvergun Treasure The most AWESOME vert scroller ever created. A work of genius, and a must have!
Shienryu Warashi Typical vertscoller, not too bad but not too good either...
Skull Fang Data East 1997, unofficial sequel to Vapor Trail
Sonic Wings Special Mediaquest 1996
Soukyugerentai, aka Terra Diver Electronic Arts (developed by Eighting/Raizing ) The second best shmup on the Saturn. unfeasibly hard, excellent weapon system, and now so hard to find it's not funny.
Space Invaders Taito No introductions needed for this one.
Steam Hearts TGL "Slightly watered down in sexuality" version of the very rare hentai shooter on PCE CD...
Strikers 1945 Atlus (developed by Psikyo) World War 2 based shmup with lots of mecha (okay...)
Strikers 1945 II Atlus (developed by Psikyo) Sequel to the above, with more mecha and better gameplay...
Terra Cresta 3D Nichibutsu 1997, bleurgh
Twinkle Star Sprites ADK Brill puzzle inspired shmup. Attack you opponent by wasting chains of baddies!

Horizontal Scrolling
GAME TITLE COMPANY INFORMATION
Arcade Gears: 3 Wonders Xing   
Cho Aniki Kyukyoku Otokonogyakushu (errr... just Choaniki) NCS/MASAYA Butchbloke shooter, carried on from the PCE CD series. Ack...
Cotton 2 Success Sequel of the SNES Cotton, still starring that really cute witch
Cotton Boomerang Success   
Darius II Taito 1996, a sequel to Darius, not really worth it unless you're a big fan or a collector
Darius Gaiden Taito 1995, super cheap Darius, but has pretty graphics
Fantasy Zone Sega The original super cute horizontal scroller
Gokujyou Parodius Da! Deluxe Pack Konami Twinpack of Paro and Ultimate Paro, very rare now, and highly recommended...
Gradius Deluxe Konami 1996, nice two pack of Gradius and Gradius 2 Gofer
Hyper Duel Technosoft Technosoft's second arcade game, improved Macross mechanics with classic Thunderforce gameplay
Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius Konami Much imporoved version of the third in the series, original on SNES
Kaitei Daisensou (aka In The Hunt) Imagineer (Irem original) Saturn version of the arcade original
Macross: Do You Remember Love? Bandai A shmup made off the famous anime series...
Metal Black Ving, original by Taito 1996, apparent sequel to Gun Frontier, even though they have nothing in common...
Sengoku Blade Psikyo Sequel to the arcade Sengoku Ace, horizontal scrolling
Sexy Parodius (psx review) Konami Fourth in the series, very cute cartoon women abundant here. Also PSX version...
Sol Divide Psikyo Shmup where you're a human character, quite poor game
Super Dimension Fortress Macross Bandai Visual Another shmup made from the famous anime...
Thunderforce Gold Pack 1 Technosoft Stuffed to the brim with Thunderforce 2 and Thunderforce 3. Worth hunting down!
Thunderforce Gold Pack 2 Technosoft Jam packed with Thunderforce AC and Thunderforce 4 - the best out of the two, and rare as hell!
Thunderforce V Technosoft Fifth in the series, made a trip into 3D and kicks lots of ass! Also on PSX as Thunderforce 5 Perfect System, the poorer cousin...

Other Shmups
GAME TITLE COMPANY INFORMATION
Arcade Gears: Image Fight and X-Multiply Xing Really sought after duo pack of Irem arcade games X-Multiply and Image Fight
Dezaemon 2 Athena Awesome create-a-shmup game! REQUIRES a Saturn backup cartridge.
Konami Antiques MSX Collection Ultra Pack Konami Huge pack of classic Konami MSX shooties
Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus Konami Salamander, Salamander 2 and Lifeforce in one. Worth having for Sala 2 alone!
Tempest 2000 Atari (?) Super trippy vector shootie

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