July marks 30 years since the launch of the Sega Saturn console in Europe, and so began three years of its steady decline. Hurriedly released to take on the Sony PlayStation, Sega was in panic mode and simply didn’t know how to compete in the then-new 32-bit era.
However, one of the system’s few shining lights was the exclusive Sega Saturn games. From Burning Rangers to Panzer Dragoon, the Sega Saturn console managed to forge a small legacy in its short life, with many gamers still regarding it as a great system for arcade-perfect conversions and Sega at its whackiest.
The Escapist recaps
- Nearly 10 million Sega Saturn consoles have been sold worldwide since its launch in 1995.
- The system was a direct sequel to the popular Sega Genesis / Mega Drive.
- Some of the best Sega Saturn games include Nights and Panzer Dragoon.
- Fighters Megamix is a crowning achievement in the fighting game scene.
- The Sega Saturn was replaced by the Dreamcast in 1998, the company’s final console.
Burning Rangers
Developed by Sonic Team and released in 1998, Burning Rangers was created as a way of letting players save people, rather than destroying enemies, like how its previous games like Sonic and Nights, would. Set in the future, you control a team of firefighters in this third-person shooter where you have to rescue civilians by collecting several crystals across various levels.
It feels as though a return of Burning Rangers is long overdue. There’s a unique charm to the game that sets it apart from plenty of other third-person shooter games in 2025. Being able to fly across a futuristic landscape in 4K, while rescuing people with a jetpack and backflips with the great music playing in the background, would be a breath of fresh air on the PS5 and Switch 2.
Nights
Another game developed by Sonic Team, this was made once the team, featuring Sonic creator Yuji Naka, had completed developing Sonic and Knuckles for the Sega Genesis in 1994. With the sole aim of creating a game where the player can fly, Naka, along with Sonic designer Naoto Oshima, came up with Night, released in July 1996.
Players take control of Elliot and Claris across seven levels, where items must be collected to rack up points, to summon Nights. This is where players can fly in a 2.5D landscape to collect ‘Mares’, as well as defeat bosses, ultimately facing off with the main antagonist, Reala.
Despite a sequel coming out in 2007 for the Nintendo Wii, it’s the original that made its mark with players in 1996. The music, the design, and more felt like a next-generation game for the Saturn, and was arguably the console’s killer game when a mainline Sonic entry was looking unlikely.
A Nights remake could elevate the idea of being in dreams, with visuals and music dictating how Nights could fly through a bunch of levels with the same design inspirations that Naka and Ohshima had in mind with the original, as well as the potential for a mixed reality mode that could take advantage of devices like the Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro.
Panzer Dragoon
Despite a remake of the first game coming out in 2020 for consoles and PC, there should be another attempt that honors all three titles instead, but one that also looks to the future. This on-rails shooter made its mark on the Sega Saturn in 1995 thanks to its fantastical soundtrack, story, and graphics that felt like an evolution of what Argonaut gave with Star Fox in 1992.
A new remake should keep the on-rails aspect, but also implement the RPG elements that its most-acclaimed entry, Panzer Dragoon Orta, offered back in 1998. Mounting a dragon to fly to different areas in the game, as well as using the beast to unlock doors, triggers, and more, could open up a new narrative that could be reminiscent of The Last Guardian from 2019.
Die Hard Arcade
A title that began development as an excuse for Sega to use the newly acquired Die Hard licence, Die Hard Arcade is a fantastic side-scrolling beat ’em up that showcased how another one of its franchises, Streets of Rage, could have worked in 3D. With quick-time events across the game, combos, and plenty of items to collect, Die Hard Arcade became a classic.
Whether Sega can acquire the Die Hard licence again or start with Dynamite Cop, it’s a perfect time with Streets of Rage 4 receiving critical acclaim back in 2020, and a new Shinobi entry coming later this year. Set this new game on another cruise ship, but perhaps set levels on different parts of the ship, like the engine rooms, a far bigger restaurant, and more.
The weather plays a part in this game, too, where snow and heavy rain can manipulate how enemies react and use these changing conditions to their advantage.
Fighters Megamix
Granted, Super Smash Bros. is the de facto when it comes to crossover fighting games, but Sega arguably did it first. Fighters Megamix, developed by AM2 and released in 1995, was a crossover of Virtua Fighter and Fighting Vipers, but that wasn’t all. As you played through the different modes to unlock characters from Daytona USA, Virtua Cop, and Sonic the Fighters.
Fighters Megamix was an underrated hit, but a title that disappeared into the past. With Sega now on a mission to revive its past franchises, the timing couldn’t be more perfect to bring back Fighters Megamix, but on a far bigger scale.
Since 1996, we’ve had Phantasy Star Online, Shenmue, Yakuza, and more titles make their mark. To have characters from each of these titles in a remade Fighters Megamix would be great to show new and existing players other franchises from Sega’s past.
Ask The Escapist
Despite selling around nine million units worldwide, the Sega Saturn’s biggest flaw was its lacking distribution and short turnaround from reveal to release, which damaged consumer faith in the product.
The final console made by the company was the Sega Saturn, which launched in 1998 before being discontinued in early 2001, when the hardware manufacturer pivoted to being a third-party software developer.
Sega Saturn consoles have become sought after, particularly in the US, for the system’s exclusive game library. The machines can vary massively in condition, and that’s why you can find them from $80 to $300 on the used market.