psOne vs Saturn

[Mel]

Well I started buying a couple of saturn games, and even though Saturn has the best controller in the universe, I find that there's quite a few non-exclusive games, and psone games that I prefer.

So the question is, should I collect psOne rather than saturn?

What do you prefer?

prepares for onslaught of sega fanboys

[Vicman]

This is a Sega forum so obviously there'll be some major Saturn bias but if you're price conscious I'd go with PSX collecting. Saturn games can get QUITE expensive whereas only a few PSX games go for a lot. If you're looking for a small batch of really great games and don't mind paying out the wazoo then go with Saturn collecting. But if you want a bunch of really great games aswell as a TON of good games for reasonable prices then collect for the PSX.

[crazyjoedavola]

This is a great question that I've thought about recently. During the time of the PSX/Saturn I had a real bias against Sony, so I never got a Playstation and opted for the Saturn. I built up quite a nice collection of games including a bunch of imports. About four years ago, I got desperate for cash and sold off all of my Saturn stuff. I thought about getting another one, but most of the games I want cost much more than I want to spend.

So now that I'm a little older and not so down on Sony, I'm thinking about checking out the Playstation. I did some looking on ebay and found that both used systems and games are quite reasonable.

I still love the Saturn, and there's a bunch of great games that were released in the US that can be had for very little money. It's mostly the imports that are outrageous, although some of the very last US releases weren't produced in large quantities and they can be a bit more pricey.

[Vicman]

You can get an original PSX with extras on ebay for $10-15 easy.

[Mel]

You can get an original PSX with extras on ebay for $10-15 easy.

Yes, and my saturn went well over $40. I have both at this point, but I'm not sure which games I should get next...

[Russman]

Personally what I would do is consider the strengths of each consoles 2D library. I would not pursue either system for their 3D games as I feel both machines have aged poorly and the 3d is proving to be quite bad. 3D just doesn't age well, just look at the early PSX games that everyone drooled over, like Warhawk, that game is a complete eyesore now, same with Twisted Metal.

[16bitter]

At the time I'd definitely say that the PS was better -- most especially as far as games released here. But I've come to appreciate the Saturn more and play it far more consistently today than I do my PS. I think it's aged better by virtue of being a far more 2D-driven machine, yet so many of these games were left in Japan ignoring the Saturn's strength.

Playstation almost plays like a curiosity today overall, due to the fugliness of the 3D-dominated library. There are some gems left that have stood up to the test of time though -- such as Jumping Flash! which I still love the hell out of.

There are also some late-gen games I want for PS that dropped off my radar due to the DC. I do far more buying for Saturn now though, but I missed alot of its library at the time of release.

And like the SNES versus Genesis, if you're into RPGs the grey box beats out the black. I've just started playing Chrono Cross, and it seems pretty cool.

I don't think the PS deserves the bashing it sometimes takes today as far as library -- the games are ugly as it stands but were amazing in their period.

[Drixxel]

There are some gems left that have stood up to the test of time though -- such as Jumping Flash! which I still love the hell out of.

Oh man, as far as 3D platforming goes, Jumping Flash! 1 and 2 are incredible. I remember being so amazed by the carnival levels in the 3rd world of Jumping Flash!.. those rollercoaster tracks felt so insane from a first-person perspective. It's good to hear that at least somebody else out there loves the game. The nonexistance of a Jumping Flash! 3 is utter insanity.

[dementia]

The nonexistance of a Jumping Flash! 3 is utter insanity.

Well, Psygnosis disbanded a while ago, so...

Anyway, they're both excellent consoles. I prefer the Saturn, but in my opinion you can't go wrong either way. The PSX even has it's share of excellent 2D exclusives (Panzer Bandit, Harmful Park, Gradius Gaiden).

[16bitter]

The nonexistance of a Jumping Flash! 3 is utter insanity.

Well, Psygnosis disbanded a while ago, so...

JF! was developed by an internal portion of SCE Japan, I believe. Psygnosis was a Europian company partially bought by SCE -- they had nothing to do with Jumping Flash that I'm aware of.

[Drixxel]

I was on the verge of posting more or less the same message as that above, but then realized how much more fun it would be to actually play Jumping Flash! rather than talk about it. And oh, let me tell you, it was fun indeed.

I kept myself current with coverage of Saturn game releases during the mid to late '90s, but having never owned one I've played very few Saturn titles. The PlayStation got much of my love and money during that period.. but I don't regret having chosen the PlayStation, since there were (and are) so many games that enthralled me on it. I plan to start amassing a Saturn army fairly soon.. there are so many games I've wanted to play for years now.. NiGHTS, Dark Savior, Virtual On, Guardian Heroes, Astal, Darius Gaiden, Shinobi Legions, the Panzer Dragoons.. etc. etc.

I say collect both, Mel.

[dementia]

JF! was developed by an internal portion of SCE Japan, I believe. Psygnosis was a Europian company partially bought by SCE -- they had nothing to do with Jumping Flash that I'm aware of.

haha, I had no idea

[Vicman]

Here's a nice list for the PSX if you're interested Mel:

Ape Escape
Arc the Lad 1,2,3
Castlevania Symphony of the Night
Chrono Cross
Crash Bandicoot
Crash Team Racing
Dragon Warrior VII
Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX
Final Fantasy Tactics
Grand Turismo 1&2
Grandia
Lunar & Lunar 2
Metal Gear Solid
Oddworld Abe's Oddysee & Exodus
Parappa the Rapper
Parasite Eve 1&2
Persona 1&2
R-Type Delta
Resident Evil DC&2
Silent Hill
Silhouette Mirage
Soul Edge
Strider 2
Suikoden 1&2
Tactics Ogre
Tenchu 1&2
Xenogears

Really there's a bunch of 2-D & 2/3-D games on that list that some of you are forgetting about. It's heavy on the RPG's but that's what I loved about the PSX.

[j_factor]

There was a Jumping Flash 3.

Both Playstation and Saturn are good systems. Personally, I feel Saturn has the superior library, but Playstation certainly has its share of goodies. I see no reason to limit yourself to one or the other. Get both.

Ignore the nonsense about older 3D games "aging badly". I've got the current systems and I've got the 32-bit systems, and I probably have more fun with the older 3D games. Sometimes boundaries provide for creativity. I'll take the original Syphon Filter over The Omega Strain any day.

[Drixxel]

There was a Jumping Flash 3.

Robbit Mon Dieu, yeah.. new developer, dramatically different game structure, abadnoment of the franchise monicker, focus more on wacky cutscenes than gameplay, hideous visuals.. bahh, a Jumping Flash! 3 that is not! But good call, j_factor.

And to strengthen the current idea, yes, lots of good shit exists for the PlayStation, 3D or otherwise. Games are both cheap and common for the most part, so good lord, start collecting.

[Dartagnan1083]

It really boils down to the games you want to play.
For me, there really aren't that many PSX games that interest me, so I favor the Saturn.

For you, it may be different.
as for the whole 'price' factor, both systems have nice games that suffer from inflation (*cough* Suikoden II).

Whatever decsision you make, be sure to check out the other as well.
neither system deserves to be ignored.

[lordofduct]

Im very ermmm, outdated on this topic.

See, I played my Genny/SegaCD up until the Dreamcast release. I didn't get a Saturn until my senior year of highschool AFTER the DC.... and I didn't get a PS until the release of PS2 (my buddy got a PS2 and gave me his PSX). How I will put it then is my experience with it prior to owning them, as I had much experience as a videogame repairer of these systems for my friends.

PSX is EASY to fix, easy to find parts for, BREAKS ALL THE TIME, and has a large beyond all oblivion of some of the trashiest craptastic games. BUT, it also has some damn good games on it too.

Saturn doesn't break as often, but when it does oh damn is it a pain to fix. Cause if it breaks it is something really major (SEGA has always made some damn durable consoles... I remember draggin my SEGACD/Genny combo all over town as a kid and dropping it a lot. Still works today). Game wise though it also has a lot of junk out there, BUT when it has a good game the game is GREAT. This library holds some of the greatest titles I have ever played on ANY console.

Today I own just about every console known to the Americans. I play my Saturn the most, if I head to my living room to turn on a console the first place I reach is the Saturn. Gems like Guardian Heroes, Radiant Silvergun, PDS, PD/zwei, Sexy Parodius, Dragonforce, CastlevaniaX, Dark Savior, Nights, amongst a pile of other very stellar games just make this thing addictive.

So in conclusion... GET BOTH! I'm a SEGA fanboy, but I don't forget my Playstation or Nintendo... they get a lot of play too.

[Mel]

Here's a nice list for the PSX if you're interested Mel:

Ape Escape
Arc the Lad 1,2,3
Have it: Castlevania Symphony of the Night
Have it: Chrono Cross
Crash Bandicoot
Crash Team Racing
Dragon Warrior VII
Have it: Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX
Have it: Final Fantasy Tactics
Grand Turismo 1&2
Grandia
Lunar & Lunar 2
Metal Gear Solid
Oddworld Abe's Oddysee & Exodus
Parappa the Rapper
Parasite Eve 1&2
Persona 1&2
R-Type Delta
Resident Evil DC&2
Silent Hill
Silhouette Mirage
Soul Edge
Strider 2
Suikoden 1&2
Tactics Ogre
Tenchu 1&2
Have it: Xenogears

Really there's a bunch of 2-D & 2/3-D games on that list that some of you are forgetting about. It's heavy on the RPG's but that's what I loved about the PSX.

But does the saturn hold its own in RPG's as well as it does in fighters? I've only played a handful of saturn games, but I've played a lot of psone. I still think I would sway to psone (read FF7)

...

If times were hard i'd sacrifice my saturn long before the psone.

[Demonic Weasel]

The Saturn has got some great RPG's.

Shining Wisdom
Shining the Holy Ark
Shining Force 3 1
Shining Force 3 2
Shining Force 3 3
Remakes of both the Lunars
Mystaria/Blazing Heroes

That's just a few, I can't remeber the rest right now, but it's RPG selection is great, among some of the best RPG's I've ever played.

[Drixxel]

Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean
Dark Savior
Legend of Oasis
Magic Knight Rayearth
Panzer Dragoon Saga

..just to name a few on top of those Demonic Weasel noted. Many Saturn RPGs stayed in Japan, but I'd say there's enough available on this continent to keep you busy for quite some time. If you really must settle on one over the other (Playstation vs. Saturn), well.. I don't see the point, but hopefully you've seen enough of what the Saturn library has to offer to think it worthwhile.

[David J.]

The main problem with the Saturn is that many of the good games can cost an arm and a leg. Only one game I want costs an arm and a leg (over $50) and I have my mom looking for it!

This stuff isn't going anywhere so patience will carry you a long way. For example, a game store an hour away had a lone 1st party Saturn backup cart loose for $20. Almost two years later, I got one for $3 at the pawnshop due to an error. So if you can wait a while everything will be within grasp.

[Melf]

PSone + LCD screen= hot sex.

I love 'em both. The Saturn has some great games on it, but then so does the PSX. The Saturn is much harder to collect for, due to the high price of many games.

[Demonic Weasel]

The games are always worth it though.

[Vicman]

Alot of the Saturn's best games never got translated into english. Since Mel's interested in RPG's I'd say the PSX pretty much owns in that department as the U.S. saw a tidal wave of RPG's after the success of FFVII proved the genre to be a viable one.

[j_factor]

Saturn games really aren't that expensive in general. The only expensive Western games are RPGs (which are expensive everywhere), a few '98 releases that had tiny print runs (fuck you Bernie Stolar), and a small enough number of other games to fit entirely within parentheses (Mega Man X4, Street Fighter Collection, Bomberman, Lunacy, Guardian Heroes, Iron Storm, Winning Post). Everything else is reasonable. The Japanese market has additional expensive games (a bunch of shooters and some fighters, plus Super Tempo and Castlevania), but it has tons of cheap games too.

Uh. My point is that if you don't go after the usual suspects of PDS, Radiant Silvergun, Guardian Heroes, et al, you'll find plenty of good Saturn games for cheap. Also, there really aren't that many crappy games for Saturn, so if you see a cheap price tag on a Saturn game you're not familiar with, you can feel free to take it, knowing that chances are it won't suck.

[Demonic Weasel]

Just because many of the RPG's are in Japanese doesn't mean that it loses in that department. In fact, I've played some Japanese RPG's and not being able to understand what's being said really has just been a very minor detail to me.

Anyway, I would definitely put my vote on the Saturn.