Website Temporary Closed

Hello everyone. We are moving to a new, bigger premises so website ordering will be closed for the next month while we move everything to our new building, reorganise and do a full stock take. We will not be taking any orders or able to reply to any messages during this time. We will be open again at the start of December. Many thanks. Console Passion

Sega Saturn

Sega Saturn, as with nearly all consoles, was initially released in Japan. On November 22nd 1994, the Saturns' launch date, over 150,000 machines were sold, and this number rose to half a million by the time Christmas arrived. It continued to sell well, and it is estimated that over five million consoles were sold in Japan, making it a more successful machine there than the Nintendo 64.

The Sega Saturn was released in early 1995 in the United States, and shortly after in Europe. This was ahead of its previously announced release date of 2nd November 1995, and was dubbed 'Saturn-Day' by the video game press. Most people saw this 'rush release' as an attempt to secure some of the market before Sony released its already hyped Playstation, the 32 bit rival to the Sega Saturn.

[collapse collapsed title=read more...]

The Sega Saturn received a 'lukewarm' reception in the states, and this can be put down to two main factors, cost and marketing. The Saturn cost $100 more than the Playstation, which at $400 made it too expensive for most gamers. But the main factor for the Saturns' poor start, and ultimately its decline altogether was Sonys' experience in the PR department. This last factor is definitely the reason the Saturn failed in the UK; Sega basically had no marketing for the Saturn and solely relied on its reputation and the success of the Megadrive.

Even before the Playstation was released in the US, Sony had been hyping its console with regular TV adverts, billboard posters and adverts in game magazines. This had already whetted the American gaming publics' interest, and when the Playstation was released it almost immediately out-sold the Saturn at a ratio of 2-1. But the real stroke of genius was the audience that Sony decided to target once the Playstation had gained a foothold.

At this time, games consoles & video games were still perceived by many people as nerdy - something kids played on their own in their bedrooms, or beardy 'dungeons and dragons' type folk played over the internet! Sony took a risk and decided to try and make its new console seem appealing to the twenty-something's. They used popular recording artists in their game soundtracks - Psynogsis' Wipeout game featured The Prodigy & The Chemical Brothers to name but a few. They placed advertisements in gentlemen's magazines such as GQ and FHM. They produced games aimed at a more mature audience; Tomb Raider being the most obvious example along with Resident Evil which also carried a 15 certificate. The risk worked.

Sony had tapped a previously unexplored market, and effectively changed the face of video games altogether. Gaming was now seen as more of a social thing, rather than a solitary thing. It was seen as cool to be into video games. People openly discussed the latest game releases, and even popular TV shows such as Friends had references to the Sony Playstation. But it also changed other things. Unlike die-hard gamers, the new breed of fickle gamers wanted quantity over quality, and despite the fact that the Saturn had produced some quality games, it was the sheer number of games on the the Playstation that eventually ended the ill fated Saturns' life.

But even the amount of games on the Playstation could be put down to Sega and the Saturn itself. The machine was initially designed for 2D games, while the Playstation was built for 3D polygon games, something gamers were now demanding as standard. This lead Sega to redesign its internal architecture in a hurry, but the end result was something game developers found messy and time consuming. The Playstation had always been built with 3D games in mind, and as such contained many of the techniques used to generate 3D effects within its hardware i.e. light sourcing, transparency etc. The Playstation also had built in video & audio compression routines, something the Saturn programmers to include within the software.

This encouraged many software developers, especially the smaller publishing houses, to favour the Sony Playstation as they found it difficult to get to grips with Sega's hardware and dual processor technology. The outcome was a switch to Sony by some of the biggest names in the business - the most well known being Squaresoft who introduced their Final Fantasy series to the Playstation, and in a lot of people's eyes, increased the popularity of RPG's with one single move.

The Saturn was eventually taken off the market in 1999. When the Dreamcast was released in 1998 it is said that the Saturn virtually disappeared from the shelves overnight in favour of the new 128 bit machine. It had never achieved the success that Sega had hoped for in the Western market, and most people view the machine as a failure. While there were a number of very well written games produced for the console, due to the lack of popularity for the system they remained 'undiscovered' by many gamers until the recent advent of retro gaming. 

[/collapse]

Crimewave

Facebook
Box: 
yes
£10.00
Manual: 
yes
£10.00

Crimewave is a fast and frantic driving based shoot-em-up. You will need first class driving and combat skills coupled with razor sharp reflexes to enjoy features like eight high-powered vehicles, eight battle zones, a vast array of High-Destruction weaponry, single player or split screen action.

Croc - Legend of the Gobbos

Facebook
Box: 
yes
£24.00
Manual: 
no
£24.00

Help Croc, the crusading crocodile, rescue his peace-loving Gobbo friends from the grasp of the evil magician Baron Dante. Guide him through a beautifully rendered 3D world, on a free wheeling, free roaming adventure against the evil Baron and his Devilish assistants - the Dantinis!

Command and Conquer

Facebook
Box: 
yes
£12.00
Manual: 
yes
£12.00

Command & Conquer, the PC game of the year continues it's quest for world domination on the Saturn. Build better bases, unite or divide your forces, develop and utilise guerrilla tactics and a wealth of potent electronic hardware in your attempt to crush the opposition. Every action can so easily trigger a fast and violent reaction. Every real time battle can so easily rage long and hard. Do you have the agility and stamina to keep up the pace?

Courier Crisis

Box: 
yes
£0.00
Manual: 
yes
£0.00

As a bike messenger, peddle like mad through a sprawling metropolis. Features 20 Skill levels within five action packed neighbourhoods. Ride real BMS tricks and mountain bikes by GT Bicycles. 250 delivery missions, high speed thrills, and pukka freestyle excitement.

Clockwork Knight

Facebook
Box: 
yes
£20.00
Manual: 
yes
£20.00

Stunning cinema-quality CGI rendered characters and graphics create this amazing 3D toy world. As the clock strikes midnight Pepperouchau springs into life armed only with a sword and split-second timing. Tackle treacherous furniture, huge household items and wind-up villains to save kidnapped princess before dawn.

Clockwork Knight 2

Facebook
Box: 
yes
£32.00
Manual: 
yes
£32.00

Fiendishly difficult from start to finish, the follow up to the Sega Saturn classic launch title takes view-changing 3D graphics to new heights of sophistication, as you sprint through stunning stage, packed with power-up and bonus rounds.

Christmas Nights into Dreams

Facebook
Notes: 
This is the CD only in the jewel case
Box: 
yes
£10.00
Manual: 
no
£10.00

When dream becomes soul-chilling nightmare, you're the key as you fight for Nightopia's sanity. Thought Artificial life, super-fluid views, real-time 3D, free character movement and supersonic speed were impossible? Get real. Anything's possible in a dream!! This is the Special Limited Edition Christmas demo version of the game Nights into Dreams!

Chaos Control

Facebook
Box: 
yes
£14.00
Manual: 
yes
£14.00

You have been chosen to reel the attacks of the Kesh Rhan extra-terrestrials who are threatening Earth. In command of a space fighter you will travel through universes in full screen synthesised images, going from the island of Manhattan to the heart of a virtual reality computer, reaching ultimately the pitfalls of outer space. Quick, take the controls, there is not a minute to be wasted.

Casper

Facebook
Box: 
yes
£30.00
Manual: 
yes
£30.00

Use your ghostly skills to solve over 20 complex puzzles, find secret passageways, hidden clues and locate pieces of the dismantled Lazarus machine in order to bring Casper back to life. Based on the hit movie, including some of the same great 3D animation and hilarious gags. Wage a battle of wits with the ghostly trio: Stretch, Stinky and Fatso as they harass, torment, chase and trick you.

Bust-A-Move 3

Box: 
yes
£12.00
Manual: 
yes
£12.00

One day, Bubble Worlds magical master of mischief, Dunk, cast a mysterious spell. And with a sudden flash of light, eight characters from eight other game worlds found themselves suddenly transported to Bubble World. It's up to you to send them home!

Syndicate content