Saturn Lands in America!

… and skids off the runway

11 May, 1995 marked the opening day of a brand new, annual industry event – the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3. Here, companies big and small showcased their forthcoming products to entice retailers to carry their wares and to generate positive coverage in the video game press. The big three – Sony, SEGA and Nintendo – all held press events at the show. SEGA was up first, and at the conclusion of his keynote address, a confident Tom Kalinske fired the opening shot of the great American 32-bit wars. He declared that due to extraordinary consumer demand, the SEGA Saturn, current worldwide sales leader of the 32-bit generation, had secretly shipped 30,000 units to select retailers nationwide for immediate release. Initially scheduled for release on 2 September 1995 – “Saturnday” – SEGA launched this sneak attack to head off surging rookie contender Sony and their newfangled PlayStation. Debuting at ‘Between USD $399 and $449’ – which, in 2020 dollars, is between USD $675 and $760 – the North American Saturn was not a cheap new system. However, SEGA had launched ahead of the competition before, and the strategy had worked in the past. Tom left the stage to a pleasant round of applause. SEGA, once again, was first.

Many Americans have gone to the extent of paying $800 and more for SEGA Saturn units from Japan. We’ve decided to bring the product to market earlier than scheduled to meet the high consumer demand, to refine our marketing strategy over the summer, prior to the important fall season, and to get a head start on the competition.

Tom Kalinske, CEO, SEGA of America, in the E3 Press Release

Soon came time for Sony’s keynote. Sony executive Olaf Olafsson gave his lecture, showcasing the approach Sony would take deploying the PlayStation. At one point, he turned the lectern over to Steve Race to discuss pricing, and as the crowd braced for a boring financial presentation, Mr. Race simply leaned into the mic and uttered the now-infamous Saturn-killing ‘speech’: Two Ninety Nine. That was it; he walked off the stage, and the crowd went wild. If Kalinske and SEGA had fired a respectable first salvo in the great American 32-bit war, then Sony had countered with a nuclear bomb.

Two Ninety Nine

Sony’s Steve Race, moments after SEGA announces Saturn is now available at retail

Still, SEGA and Saturn were in stores NOW, whilst Sony was still months out. Gamers who thirsted for true 32-bit gaming from a mainstream player could turn to Saturn right there and then, and dive into six games available immediately. As with our look at the Japanese launch, let’s explore what was available Day 1 for hardcore American gamers with money to burn:

Virtua Fighter

The 1995 localization of the 1994 port of the 1993 arcade game, Virtua Fighter had nowhere near the impact in America that it had in Japan. Whereas Japanese gamers were wowed by Virtua Fighter’s technical gameplay and novel polygon-based action, American players at the time preferred flashier, auto-combo games in the vein of Mortal Kombat 3 and Killer Instinct. Never available as a standalone retail release and bundled with every American launch edition Saturn, Virtua Fighter came in a standard jewel case and an instruction ‘booklet’ that unfolded into a rectangular poster. The game itself is an excellent translation of the groundbreaking AM2 arcade game, featuring all the moves, gameplay and fantastic soundtrack of the coin-op original. Unfortunately, the game did not perform especially well visually, suffering from a reduced polygon count, running at half the framerate of the arcade cabinet, and exhibiting polygon tearing, especially in replays. Eagle-eyed players also noted the shocking polygon clipping of the edges of the ring furthest from the camera, exposing the scandalously short draw distance of the graphics engine. Still, the B-Univ soundtrack rocked, and most importantly, the gameplay was vintage SEGA – instantly playable in both solo and two player, addictive, and offering depth for experienced players.

With PlayStation’s Battle Arena Tohshinden looming as a comparison, Virtua Fighter fell victim to being the wrong game at the wrong time for the wrong audience, despite being arguably the far better title. In Japan, this was the triple-A launch day killer app, but in America… Overall Launch Score: C, for Competent. It’s a great game that had zero mass market appeal in America.

Fun Fact: The game was so lambasted in gaming circles for not looking as good as the comparatively shallow Tohshinden that SEGA of America opted to send all registered Saturn owners a free copy of the much more technically competent, ST-V based Virtua Fighter Remix, mere months after the Saturn’s launch. In Japan, both Virtua Fighter and Virtua Fighter Remix were full-price, standalone retail games.

Clockwork Knight

First released in late 1994 in Japan and then brought over for the American launch, this title was an early attempt at establishing a platforming mascot for the Saturn. Starring toy soldier Sir Tongara Pepperauchu the Third, the player tries to free Fairy Princess Chelsea, whose signing midnight voice awakens all the toys in the ‘kingdom’ (house). Without the Princess to sing, the toys will never wake again. The game itself is a very standard 2D side scrolling adventure laden with vibrant color and copious 3D effects not generally possible on 16-bit systems. There are four levels, each subdivided into sections, along with a final fifth boss level and some bonus rounds.

The game is charming at times and plays well enough, yet doesn’t showcase the Saturn’s advanced processing power all that well. Overall, Clockwork Knight is not a bad game – rather, a generic one that doesn’t stand out or try anything new. Overall Launch Score: C, for Common. Did not differentiate itself sufficiently during a time where 2D platformers were a dime a dozen in the gaming industry. It was quickly surpassed by other early platformers such as Astal, Bug!, Rayman, and even Clockwork Knight 2. 

Fun Fact: Rumor has it that the game was intended to be much longer but had to be cut in order to meet production timelines. Shortly after Clockwork Knight’s release, Clockwork Knight 2 materialized. The sequel offered refinements to the Clockwork formula rather than any new ideas or departures from the first game, and indeed, to begin the game, the player selects ‘Play Part 2’. In Japan, both games were eventually released as a set.

Daytona USA

Benefiting from high name recognition in the West thanks to the mega-popular arcade original, Daytona USA wound up being the best-selling Saturn game of 1995 in North America. The home version of the highest grossing arcade of the 1990s sounded and played like a dream, but suffered badly in the visual department in the downconversion to the Saturn. The game runs at 20 FPS and features upper and lower borders, a short draw distance and a fairly basic presentation, and is for one player only – hallmarks of a rushed development cycle by a team unfamiliar with the hardware. However, it plays exceptionally well – the handling feels great and the drifting is intuitive. Track designs are legendary, and Takenobu Mitsuyoshi belting out DAYTOOONAAAAA vocals is classic SEGA. Passing the Sonic Wall, the Virtua Dock, or the giant statue of Jeffry really lends the sense that SEGA dominates the universe we game in.

During the summer of ’95, Daytona USA was the high watermark for racing games in the home. Yes, there were rumblings about a flashy game called Ridge Racer looming on the Fall gaming horizon, but there and then, Daytona was the only game in town. Flawed though it was, it did a great job in bringing the arcade experience to the home, especially when coupled with the Arcade Racer steering wheel. Releasing this game at launch had the short-term benefit of selling Saturns on the strength of name recognition… however, four months later when Ridge Racer released, Daytona USA unfortunately served to fuel the perception that the Saturn was underpowered. Overall launch score: B, for Brilliant and Botched at the same Bloody Time. The game itself was great, and being so high-profile, it sold well… but whilst it was a must-own for traditional gamers, it aged VERY quickly when Ridge Racer arrived in September.

Fun Fact:  The Japanese ‘demo disc’ of the original Daytona USA is rumored to feature – get this – Battle Cable support! Grab a friend, then find two displays, two Saturns, two copies of the demo disc, plug in the Battle Cable and prepare for full-screen head to head action! Now if we can just get this little tidbit confirmed…

Read our full review of Daytona USA here.

Panzer Dragoon

This game came out of nowhere to headline the American launch. A completely new IP by rookie SEGA project manager Yukio Futatsugi, this game more than any other showed Western gamers what to expect in the leap to 32-bit. A captivating CGI FMV intro, sensational game world rendered in full 3D, and a stunning techno-synth Redbook soundtrack that was miles ahead of the Genesis and SNES audio capabilities. The game’s art style was heavily influenced by acclaimed French artist Moebius and oozed a stark, post-apocalyptic personality. The story was delivered in such a way that in between intense play sessions, gamers were clamoring to learn more about Keil and the blue dragon, the Empire, and the mysterious bio-weapons roaming the land. What happened to decimate the world they inhabited? Who built the Tower and what was its’ purpose?

Technically, the game ran at a respectable 20 FPS and generated relatively simple yet artistically effective play environments. For a game that began development on unfinished hardware, Team Andromeda wisely kept the environments simple enough for the Saturn to render – and that, perhaps incidentally, gave the game its iconic desolate feel. The gigantic bosses were a sight to behold. Moments like the Episode 3 behemoth of a boss leaping into the sky and thundering down within a hair of the dragon, or the gargantuan Episode 5 battleship tumbling on the forest floor after being dispatched, were breathtaking in scale and artistic execution. The game was scored by Yoshitaka Azuma and gameplay was timed to the music for maximum dramatic effect. The game was by no means perfect, but was by far the best indication of what to expect from the Saturn going forward. Once players got a taste of Panzer Dragoon, it was very hard to go back to 16-bit gaming. Overall launch score: A, for Amazing! Exactly what was needed to showcase how 32-bit was a leap over 16-bit.

Fun Fact: Team Andromeda quickly became more and more proficient in working with the Saturn’s hardware – so much so that just before the game was completed, the Team managed to push the game engine to run at a solid 30 FPS. However, this put the music out of sync with level progression, so the smooth 30 FPS mode was left in as a hidden mode, accessible once the game was completed.

Read the full Panzer Dragoon expose here.

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Deion Sanders. Mario Lemieux. Joe Montana. Evander Holyfield. These were some of the endorsements SEGA flaunted to successfully market Genesis sports games. Indeed, the SEGA Sports brand became a huge system and cartridge seller, and SEGA was looking to continue that trend on the Saturn. It is odd, perhaps, that the first athlete to appear in a Saturn sports game wound up being… Craig Stadler!

Pebble Beach Golf Links is a simulation-style golf game created by T&E Soft. All 18 holes of the picturesque Pebble Beach near San Jose, California, are included in the game. The title features all the customary golf game options such as tournament, stroke, and match play, along with skins matches, practice, and even the option to watch the CPU play. Graphically, Pebble Beach Golf Links is a competent mix of digitized, sometimes animated assets (trees, crowds, golfers and caddies) against the 3D backdrop of the course itself. Up to four players can play at a time.

This game was released just before on-the-fly cameras became standard in golf games, so it looks quite dated today. Camera angles do not move as they track the ball; instead, gamers see a progression of still angles with the ball being the only moving object. Striking the ball involves stopping a moving pointer on an ark at just the right moments. The gamer must also consider wind speed, distance, incline of slope, and so on. This is a very solid golf game that worked well in 1995.

Craig Stadler is the unwitting star of the game. He acts as a ‘virtual coach’ who encourages you and dishes out soundbites, which of course are hilarious to experience today. Gamers can even play against him for the ultimate in video game golf cheese. Overall launch score: C, for Craig Stadler. It’s a solid golf game, but let’s face facts: no one was going to buy a Saturn to play a golf game.

Fun Fact: The game was eventually ported to arcades (!) in Japan on SEGA’s ST-V Titan arcade board, and renamed The Great Shot: Pebble Beach Golf Links. Some of the overlay graphics were cleaned up and are now large, bright, and very attractive. Also, in some instances, the camera actively follows the ball, which really modernizes the experience.

Bonus Fun Fact: The game was ultimately re-worked and released as Valora Valley Golf. Same engine; hellish, fantasy environments. Playing golf beside an erupting volcano? +3 points! No Craig Stadler… -100 points.

Petition: Please click here to sign our petition to have Craig Stadler included as a character in Super Smash Bros. He would be a POWERHOUSE.

Worldwide Soccer

An odd choice for a launch title, considering soccer is not a major sport in North America. The original Japan League Victory Goal received a hasty, bare-bones re-working and localization, removing the Japanese League teams and replacing them with international squads. Bearing no FIFA or any other license, the players and stadia are fictional and generic. The swift re-tooling of the game led to various sloppy discrepancies such as the title screen showing SEGA International Victory Goal, whereas packaging and promo material called it Worldwide Soccer.

The game itself was well-reviewed, with some even calling it the best soccer video game of all time at that point. It plays with an arcade flavor rather than a full-on simulation, and supports up to four players, using the 6-Player multi-tap. Passing is very ‘clicky’ but otherwise the action is smooth and swift. The player can select from three camera angles and various weather conditions for each match. On offer are quick one-off Exhibition matches, seasons of 11, 22, or 44 matches in World League or S League mode, tournament play in Cup mode, and a good old fashioned penalty kick shootout option.

For the launch of their most important piece of hardware in years, it is unusual (read: poorly planned) for SEGA to have chosen soccer – not football, basketball, baseball or even hockey – to headline their lucrative SEGA Sports brand. Another case of great game, wrong audience. Overall launch score: C, for Crazy to Launch a New System in America with Soccer as the Leading Sports Game.

Fun Fact: For reasons unclear, Worldwide Soccer – along with its’ two sequels – would feature a special ‘Backup Utility’ in the options menu. The utility is a feature-rich save file manager, superior to what is available on the stock Saturn BIOS. Reading both the onboard and cartridge memory as well as both partitions of the floppy disc drive (if installed)*, it allows for sorting of files, showing the save date stamp, displaying vastly more files on-screen at a time, and copying multiple files at once. 

The Demo Discs

There were three demo discs available at launch.

SEGA Saturn Choice Cuts was a collection of somewhat grainy video files of twelve upcoming games. A short description introduced each game from the selection menu. Generic music plays during video playback. There is no voiceover to describe the features of each game as the videos play, nor is any music from the featured games used in the clips. This disc became exceptionally dated when the first PlayStation demo disc became available, featuring playable samples of games and attractive, clean graphics.

Thankfully, the Bug! and Panzer Dragoon demos fared much better. Bug! Playable Preview consists of one level from Reptilia, one from Quartia, and the bonus Dragonfly Express. Bug!’s levels are long and challenging, so gamers got a good amount of play time from the demo.

Panzer Dragoon Playable Preview features the entire Episode 2 for gamers to blast through. Not as long as the Bug! demo, but then Panzer Dragoon itself isn’t an overly long game. Still, a playable preview disc is far, far superior to a grainy video clip featuring crap rock music.

Fun Fact: The Bug! demo comes in two flavors: a green-label and a black-label disc. The contents of the discs are identical.

There they are: six games and three demo discs that were available as of the 11^th of May, 1995. Despite the behind-the-scenes turmoil at SEGA, hardcore gamers got two excellent arcade translations, a stunning original IP, a competent platformer and two pretty good sports games – even if they were not mainstream American sports. Perhaps not the spectacular start gamers had hoped for, but the first six games led the way with a promise of gaming excellence to come.

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How NOT to Launch a Console

Whilst the Japanese launch was well-timed, featured a system-selling killer app, was well stocked and consequently well-received, the American launch was a self-destructive mess. Launching during a traditionally low sales period in the industry with a high price tag, no killer app and in very limited quantities and storefront locations, the Saturn fell far, far short of its’ retail potential. The surprise move caught third-party publishers unawares and knocked them out of the high-sales launch window, angered retailers who did not receive any of the early allocation of Saturns, and forced SEGA had to draw on games that were available at that moment to put on store shelves – games that were not at all tuned for the American market. Meanwhile, Sony watched from the sidelines, taking notes and perfecting their September roll-out. Privately, Kalinske had opposed the May roll-out, knowing that the extra four months would result in a much cleaner launch. Ultimately, Japan’s Hayao Nakayama overruled him. By the day of the PlayStation launch, despite a lack of compelling software, limited retail availability and a high price tag, the Saturn had sold an impressive 80,000 units in North America… but Sony’s machine had pre-orders at just over 100,000, and sold an estimated 130,000 units on day 1. Whilst some of the very best games of the generation – and indeed of SEGA’s entire software history – would materialize on the Saturn in the next few years, North American market leadership is something SEGA had squandered forever.

I felt that we were rushing Saturn. We didn’t have the software right, and we didn’t have the pricing right, so I felt we should have stayed with Genesis for another year. I recognize that our volumes would have gone down, but I think we would have been a much healthier company.

Tom Kalinske, former CEO SEGA of America, in an interview with sega-16.com, July 2006

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Head for Saturn – The Marketing that completed the Circle of Strange

SEGA employed the services of two marketing firms simultaneously for the Saturn launch: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners managed the video component whilst The Mednick Group handled print.

Goodby prepared the memorable Theater of the Eye commercial spots. Featuring various parts of the body represented as cinema patrons and operators, the ads portrayed how SEGA Saturn sent the senses into overdrive. The ads were well-received and were even nominated for an industry award, yet in retrospect, were perhaps too ‘far out there’ to effectively sell the Saturn.

Mednick handled all print advertising – in magazines, billboards, bus benches etc. The ‘Head for Saturn’ campaign was their creation. The SEGA Saturn logo was created by the firm, as was the packaging. SEGA’s direction was to ‘make it look expensive’.

For an in-depth interview with Mr. Ken Loh – designer of the Saturn logo, American Saturn font, and mastermind behind the ‘Head for Saturn’ print campaign – we invite you to listen to our podcast chat with him. Find out what it was like working with SEGA in the 90s, how Barbara Moore became forever immortalized in Saturn lore through the ‘naked lady’ ad, and how Ione Skye and Ice Cube were the first of what was to be a list of spokespeople who would wear the infamous rings around their heads.

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Control Yourself!

One important aspect of the American launch was the alternate style of controller employed by SEGA of America. The Japanese Saturn launched with what many now herald as the finest 2D controller of all time, but for the West, SEGA commissioned a new design. The logic behind the move was that Western gamers’ hands were larger than their Japanese counterparts, so a bigger controller was called for. The resultant pad, product code MK-80100, is certainly attractive and aesthetically pleasing, but there are functionality issues… The thickness of the pad prevents a comfortable grip, the d-pad is stylish yet less responsive, and most noticeably, the shoulder buttons only really click when pressed a certain way. Playing games like Panzer Dragoon which call for frequent shifting L and R was cumbersome due to the temperamental response of the shoulder buttons. Games requiring complex rolling moves – Mortal Kombat 2, Street Fighter: The Movie – were also impacted by the unusual concave design of the d-pad, preventing comfortable thumb placement.

A few months after launch, SEGA tested the waters with the original Japanese controller. Marketing the controller as an Arcade Control Pad, it was literally the original grey Japanese controller re-labelled as American product MK-80114 and packaged in North American boxes. It was then briefly sold exclusively at a few Toys R Us locations only. When it was well received, SEGA of America committed to the design and released the black version of the pad we all know and love, under product code MK-80116. Today, the grey MK-80114 controller, complete in American box, is exceptionally rare.

In 2019, Retro-bit partnered with SEGA to bring these controllers to market again, ensuring that Saturn fans are well-tended with their gamepad needs and marking the first time since the late 1990s that official Saturn hardware came to market. These were followed in 2020 by wireless controllers, which were equally well received.

Once ’round the merry-go-round

Overall, from a consumer standpoint, the launch was perceived as relatively successful at the time. During summer 1995, Saturn provided the most cutting-edge, sensational gaming experience that could be had. Yes, the pricing, choice of games, performance of those games, retail distribution arrangements, and unusual advertising would eventually all point to a squandered opportunity by SEGA to gain a significant foothold in North America, but gamers were generally satisfied while the Saturn was the only console on the block. Even when PlayStation launched, game for game, Saturn had the better gameplay experiences… but Sony managed their product far more competently than SEGA did. Sony’s arrival on the video game scene marked the beginning of a great expansion of the industry, where the medium moved from a small, dedicated user base to a much wider, mass-market one. Saturn became a beacon for the dedicated gamer who loved the arcades, Japanese gaming culture, obscure peripherals, and 2D gaming. And here, 25 years later, the Saturn continues to maintain that small, hardcore band of adherents, for whom the gaming experiences that the launch ushered in have always been perfect.

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‘* The Saturn BIOS is not quite able to handle the Floppy Disc Drive natively, requiring the FDD Operator Disc to properly interface with the unit. If this interface is built into the BIOS, then the game’s Backup Utility displays the Expanded RAM just fine. To date, this has only been achieved in emulation.