Saturn Knowledge

Panzer Dragoon
1

Hello all! As some of you may recall from my intro thread, I have yet to play a Panzer game but am very interested in getting every installment.

Well, the time is near. With just a little bit out of my next paycheck, I’ll have enough money to get a Saturn, Panzer Dragoon, Zwei, Saga, and NiGHTS with the 3D pad (which I’ve heard is “essential” to getting the most out of the controls for all of the said games).

So, as is obvious, I’ve never touched a Saturn before… So I was wondering if there is anything I should know about its mechanics and how it runs?

The most nagging thing on my mind is Memory. Do I need to invest in some form of Saturn equivalent of a “Memory Card/Stick”, or is data saved right to the console, or what?

Everyone here seems to know their stuff, so I thought I’d ask, and any information is appreciated (particularly in regards to, again, Memory, as well as things like extra peripherals or whatnot that might be cool).

Thanks for your time! :anjou_happy:

2

Do not buy a memory cartridge. Even the official ones are rubbish, and end up wiping themselves and becoming useless (in my experience). The system has around 400 blocks of onboard memory, which is powered by a CR2032 battery. Since you’re getting a used Saturn I suggest you replace this battery straight away as you’ve no idea how much charge is left in the one already in place. Generally they last about four years. If you truly can’t bear to lose your saves after that time (and you will when you have to replace the battery) then you might get lucky with an official memory cart, but definitely never get a 3rd party one.

I’ll add more when I can think of it.

3

I have an official Saturn memory card, and have since haven’t had any problems. I’d suggest getting one in my opinion.

And if your buying a Saturn, I also suggest you buy Guardian Heroes:

www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gu … rch=Search

it’s another great gem. The game is a unique blend of RPG, and beat em up type gameplay.

To name another few games I think are worth getting:

Christmas Nights- A fun Christmas themed nights game (unlock tuns of extra features by opening presents)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NiGHTS_into_Dreams….

Astal- a wonderful imaginative and colorful platformer

Sonic Jam- Play all your favorite genesis sonic games all in one package

4

Many thanks to both of you! :anjou_happy:

I believe I will invest in an official cart (actually, the only ones I could find were the official ones), and I will be sure to look into those games then, absolutely. I’ve heard great things about all of them (mostly from racketboy.com, I believe). Christmas NiGHTS sounds funny! XD

I am, however, going to have to put NiGHTS on hold.

I’ve determined the overall price (including shipping) of what I need to get:

–Console (that forutnately comes with two controllers, and just about every needed cord under the Sun)
–Panzer Dragoon
–Panzer Dragoon II Zwei
–Panzer Dragoon Saga
–3D Pad
–Memory Cartridge

Total: Around $465

If for any reason that Memory Cart shouldn’t work, I checked into those batteries, and they seem to be easy to get, so it shouldn’t be too much a problem.

Obviously, the bulk of the total cost is Saga, but the particular one I saw on Amazon seems to be very trust-worthy. I always try to pick not just entries that have good ratings, but also those that actually include detail in their descriptions. The ones I found for the three Panzer titles were very honest, listing each and every thing that they included, plus any minor faults (one even went so far as to talk about sticker residue in the top-right corner of the Zwei case, which I know is from price as my copies of Xenogears and Vagrant Story possess a similar blemish). So, I don’t think I’ll get any nasty surprises (fortunately, I never have with Amazon, so tend to trust it)! :anjou_love:

Anyway, wish me luck, and I’ll definitely be looking into those titles soon enough!

Again, thanks very much for the info.

5

[quote=“Shadow”]Do not buy a memory cartridge. Even the official ones are rubbish, and end up wiping themselves and becoming useless (in my experience). The system has around 400 blocks of onboard memory, which is powered by a CR2032 battery. Since you’re getting a used Saturn I suggest you replace this battery straight away as you’ve no idea how much charge is left in the one already in place. Generally they last about four years. If you truly can’t bear to lose your saves after that time (and you will when you have to replace the battery) then you might get lucky with an official memory cart, but definitely never get a 3rd party one.

I’ll add more when I can think of it.[/quote]

I have had way more trouble with my saturns internal memory than the external cart. I love my memory cart =D
i reccomend getting the memory cart and saving your games on both of them (there is a “copy to cart/copy to internal” option on the systems CD audio screen"

As for the NiGHTS pad i don’t see why it is “essential” as i can play with the normal pad just fine, most of the time i even prefer it =) but maybe thats just the retro side of me coming out

6

To me the the Nights analog controller just feels better, it feels more fluid.

7

hmm i guess when you buy everything, just try it with both and see what you prefer. although when you start playing with one you’ll probably just get used to it so might as well start off with the 3D pad

8

if you have an arm and a leg to spare you could try to get
burning rangers
shining force 3
dragon force
bomberman(with the multitap)
i dont know for sure if they are good(i have only played dragon force(which is sweet))
but I hear they are.
also theres dark savior,which I hear is kinda a sequel to landstalker(one of the best games ever(what happened to the PSP version??)
and this would likely help with the memory thing
gamingenterprisesinc.com/

9

I bought a 4 in 1 thing. It’s a memory card, a game shark type thing, and a way to play the import games. I’ve found that even after I replaced the battery, my internal memory still keeps wiping itself clean, so I’ll have to press the reset button every time I save and transfer the save file over from the internal memory to the card.

10

you might want to check that item out, you can copy saturn memory to a pc(i posted the link above)

11

I quite like the official Saturn memory card, it’s reliable, and pretty much an unicum amongst consoles that had memory cards, I could put the savegames of all my games (20+) on it, as opposed to the 5 or so VMS I have lying around for my Dreamcast, or the three Gamecube memory cards for the same amount of games.

12

I have a 3rd party 4 in 1 or something with over 8,000 blocks and never had any problems. definately a must and it cost me only 10 euros

13

Wheeeeee! :anjou_love:

I finally placed my Amazon.com order for the games today! All 4 Panzer Dragoon games (in fact, there were only two Saga offers on there, now down to 1), a Saturn, its memory backup, the 3D controller, Orta’s soundtrack, and even the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus soundtracks! Apparently, I can expect all this by this time next week! Soon, very soon, I’ll be able to finally sink into the glory of the Panzer Dragoon series!

14

I admire you man.That’s quite a risk.What if you don’t like the games ? :wink:

Just kidding!! :anjou_happy:

15

[quote=“Gehpnaet”]I admire you man.That’s quite a risk.What if you don’t like the games ? :wink:

Just kidding!! :anjou_happy:[/quote]

lol That’s what a bud of mine was saying. :stuck_out_tongue: He told me that it was stupid to shell out $250 for “SOME OLD GAME”, and that I should get a 360 instead. I basically said something like “Xenogears is your all-time favorite game, and Panzer Dragoon Saga came out in the same year. Are you saying that Xenogears is bad just because it’s old and not on the 360?” He shut up pretty fast. :stuck_out_tongue:

Anyway, can’t wait! :anjou_love:

16

i have an st-key cart to play imports. the only problem is when i want to play the capcom fighters that require the 4 mb cart. then i have to switch them at the right time in order for it to work.

anyways, good choice with the saturn and have fun with it!

17

YEEEEESSSSS!!! XD

It’s finally arrived! My copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga arrived in the mail today, and I am thrilled to report that thus far the amount of money I spent is not in vain: the condition of it can really only be described as pristine. The casing shows some of your usual, commonplace wear and tear of age, but that’s about it. All four discs are in sublime shape, the manual is beautiful… The seller really did live up to their promise!

Other than that, the Saturn itself arrived! :smiley: A little dusty, but all parts are accounted for, and it’s overall in decent shape.

I do have a slight problem, however. The memory backup and 3D controller haven’t arrived yet, which I guess is no big deal. The problem is that I really want to play all of the games in order! I have no idea when the first two will get here! GAh! I even have off of work today!

All in all though, I’m just glad that the game arrived today, and that it’s in such shockingly good condition! I simply cannot wait to dig in!

18

You could play through the original Panzer without the 3D controller, as it actually works a bit better with the D-Pad (for the other two games I recommend using the analog stick, however). Also, the first game doesn’t allow you to save, so there’s really no need to have access to a memory cartridge.

Of course, without the actual game disc, playing the game will be a tad impossible.

19

I have played all three games and never used the 3-D controller… Heck I do not have one.

20

Like I already said guys, that’s not a big deal. :stuck_out_tongue: The “problem” is that the first two games haven’t arrived (and that holds true for today, as well).