Early Saturn Game Screen shots

[Yakumo]

I was lookingthrough a few old CDs today and found a couple early Saturn game screen shots.

First up is a very early version of Shin Shinobi Den (Shinobi X). none of these stages even made it in to the final game. It's as if its a completely different game. I'd do anything to find a working copy of either of these builds.

Build 1 (you can tell be the energy bars)
http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/7926/ssbeta1screen12li.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/8198/ssbeta2screen27lt.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Build 2
http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/6508/ssbeta2screen12as.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Here is an early title screen from Gale Racer.
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/7836/betagale2wb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Early Daytona Build
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/4420/betadaytona2cq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


The original Panzer Dragoon (Not 32X like some people whould have you believe)
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/4173/betapanzer5vl.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Early build of Virtua Racing that moved at 10 fps !!
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/2666/betavirtuaracing6ey.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


and last of all Gran Chaser (Cyber Speedway)
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/6756/betagran6lv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Yakumo

[Kittyhawk]

Ah! Those are nice. I've seen the early Panzer Dragoon pics before at panzerdragoon.net. Here's a link to the article, The Mystery of the Emerald Dragon (http://www.panzerdragoon.net/articles/the_mystery_of_the_emerald_dragon.php).

[Calpis]

I'm in love with Shinobi build 1.

[sayin999]

you know i just thought about it, but maybe the orignal daytona engine had trouble handling more then 1 car on screen? I as well wish i could play that shinobi beta.

[Yakumo]

I had some really good shots of the Shibobi betas where he was standing in a rocky mountain surrounded by buzzards ! Like I said, the beta versions were nothing like the final game. Why make all those stages and not include them or maybe they are still in the game code and just need to be hacked out?

Yakumo

[Anthaemia.]

Yakumo, have you any idea who was responsible for that early version of Virtua Racing? It doesn't look very much like Time Warner's released effort, resembling something a lot closer to the arcade original (which may also explain the poor frame rate). Could this actually be an early Saturn tech demo by one of Sega's own internal R&D units? Also, it's very reasonable to assume that Daytona was simplified from what is shown in that prototype screenshot because of the difficulty shifting so many detailed models at the same time. Of course, the enemy cars in Sega Rally for the Saturn were of a considerably lower quality than the players vehicle, but a compromise of some kind was always going to be necessary - at least they didn't bother even trying to put in a split screen mode, as I can imagine that would have been truly dreadful...

[Yakumo]

That early Virtua Racing is by Time Warner. I have a video of it in the UK. You should see how bloody awful it looks ! Then again the final game looks awful as well. The 32X version is still the best home version on a Sega console.

Yakumo

[kevster]

yeah Virtual racer for saturn is a let down seems as though they spent to much money on some gitar solo riffs for time bonus then rather making a decent game

[Anthaemia.]

I don't really know how to explain this, but the prototype image of Virtua Racing looks ever so slightly superior to the final version - all the more surprising when you consider that it's by the same developer! Was this yet another early Saturn game to have corners cut during its development? Oh well, at least Time Warner managed to improve the frame rate (though only just)...

[Yakumo]

Time Warner probably originally wanted it to look better but just couldn't get a decent frame rate due to them being shit programmers :lol: That's why they changed it. I would put down a wager that the Time Warner teams responsible for Tama, Race Driven' and Virtua Racing had nothing to do with Taomaru.

Yakumo

[Anthaemia.]

I presume that Taomaru was exceptionally good, yes? As you can probably tell, I've never seen this game before - never mind actually played it! After the disappointment of Virtua Racing, I developed a habit of steering clear (pun not intended) of anything by Time Warner Interactive. Maybe I should give them a second chance?

[SuperGrafx]

The 32X version is still the best home version on a Sega console.



Quoted for truth.

While it wasn't perfect (I'd say 75% accurate), the game was just a blast to play. And felt smoother than the SVP Genesis version. I had this game during my college years and it was played heavily in my dorm.

Well worth the cost of the 32X.

[Anthaemia.]

For some reason, Virtua Racing is one of the few 32X games I can emulate at full speed on my old computer - if only it had all the additional courses of the other versions then it would be absolutely perfect for me (along with VF, which in my opinion wiped the proverbial floor with the Saturn edition)!

[Yakumo]

I presume that Taomaru was exceptionally good, yes? As you can probably tell, I've never seen this game before - never mind actually played it! After the disappointment of Virtua Racing, I developed a habit of steering clear (pun not intended) of anything by Time Warner Interactive. Maybe I should give them a second chance?read all about it on my site and then you'll learn :nod: www.segagagadomain.com The games full title is Shinrei Jusaishi Taroumaru

Yakumo

[wheelaa]

Nice looking copy you have there!

[Yakumo]

Nice looking copy you have there!Yeah, I wonder where that came from ;-)

Yakumo

[hl718]

For some reason, Virtua Racing is one of the few 32X games I can emulate at full speed on my old computer - if only it had all the additional courses of the other versions then it would be absolutely perfect for me (along with VF, which in my opinion wiped the proverbial floor with the Saturn edition)!
The best home version of VF remains the NV1 version. Hands down.

-hl718

[Anthaemia.]

I've heard so much about the PC versions of Panzer Dragoon and Virtua Fighter that were coded specifically for the NV1 card, but where exactly can you find these? Are they included as some type of patch in more recent editions, as I might try finding a Diamond Edge card to see if they really were any better than the normal PC and Saturn games (anything would be superior to my current hardware specifications)! From memory, the standard Virtua Fighter PC was just a port of Remix that allowed you to choose flat shading or texture mapping for the character models and stages. I'm fairly sure as well that VF for the PC lacked a few minor details, such as individual fingers for the players along with the same "backward foot" and "hole in head" polygon glitches present in the Saturn game. As for Panzer Dragoon, I presume its only difference was support for the console's pad, which is made possible by the graphics card's controller input.

[hl718]

The NV1 version of VF was bundled with the card. PD wasn't finished when the card shipped so buyers had to mail in for it later on, making it a harder to find disc. There was also a NV1 specific version of Descent that never shipped -- it didn't look any better than the standard game so it was cancelled.

-hl718

[Anthaemia.]

I've been trying to find all of the possible available Sega PC titles for years (including the various budget releases, reprinted versions and even demos), but never once have I heard about these - could they be more rare than BUG! or Virtual On? I sure hope not or my collection will never be complete, though I might be in luck if I can get a Diamond Edge with the VF still included. As for the rest, does anybody know where to start looking?

[Yakumo]

RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!

The early Saturn screen shots thread is back!

I've come upon some very nice quality (for the time at least) images of early Saturn games.

Starting the new collection is the game that originally started this thread, Shin Shinobi Den. The following screen shots are nothing like the final game. None of these areas feature in the final game as well as all enemies in these shots.

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/4431/shinshinobialpha0.jpg (http://img91.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shinshinobialpha0.jpg)
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/2365/shinshinobialpha1.jpg (http://img91.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shinshinobialpha1.jpg)
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/2145/shinshinobialpha2.jpg (http://img91.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shinshinobialpha2.jpg)
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/8/shinshinobialpha3.jpg (http://img91.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shinshinobialpha3.jpg)

More very early screen shots to follow very soon!

Yakumo

[alphagamer]

man, i'd love to play that beta, too!
thanks for the screenies!

[MentalMan]

Nice on yakumo, these are great. Any idea what year these where from? Maybe something around 1994/95. Very interesting!

[Yakumo]

These shots are from November 1994 !! Shin Shinobi Den wasn't released until 30th June 1995. So these shots are just over half old before the final game was released. Just wait until you see the Dayton shots I've got lined up!! On some parts of the track floor they're using the car's window's textures!

Yakumo

[rod_wod]

I have tons of old sega mags i know ive seen some early saturn stuff in them i will go on a mag hunt see what i can find.
great pics too

[saturn_worship]

post that guys!

AWESOME is the word!

[sabre470]

All these early shots, feel more like Shinobi compared to the final game, good game but still missing something... though much better than the PS2 crap we got a few years ago...

[rod_wod]

not a great find i dont think this panzer pic is anything new i will search again later i know i can find one pic worth showing . but on the other hand i did find some md mcd and 32x stuff but im not sure if its new to the net i will post them on another thread if its worth it i dont want to mess yakumo post up with stuff everyone has seen before. below is the panzer dragoon pic and a list of what i found.

md
akira
kartoon kombat
ardvark
creative antics
prime
interplanetary lizards
steven seagal (dose not look the same as the snes proto)

mcd
the strangers

32x
team wipeout

the games above could be on other systems and they have just used a pic from them let me know what you think.

[Yakumo]

The bottom picture of Panzer Dragoon is not in the final game. Looks to be some sort of test area. Just look at the floor. It's the same texture repeated over and over.

Yakumo

PS: Yeah, best not to post Mega Drive stuff and so on in this thread. I'd like to keep it saturn only.

[rod_wod]

The bottom picture of Panzer Dragoon is not in the final game. Looks to be some sort of test area. Just look at the floor. It's the same texture repeated over and over.


Sure i will look for more tomorrow i have a few more of panzer and some of clockwork knight but im not sure if their early shots i have many more mags to check out.thanks for the shinobi pics i love the energy bar
looks like the one from that pce game ganpei toumaden.

[DevHackr]

Is it possible to get a copy of those without the smeared logo on them?

[Yakumo]

Is it possible to get a copy of those without the smeared logo on them?nope, sorry. I paid to get these so I'd like my site to have a bit of credit :nod:

And one with the show. Next up we have 20% version of Daytona. Yes, that's right, 20%!

Just check out this very early car select screen! The English used is quite interesting.
http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/3384/daytonaalpha0.jpg (http://img194.imageshack.us/my.php?image=daytonaalpha0.jpg)

Here's a shot from a replay or so it seems. Notice the speed counter in the center of the screen. Also there's no background areas yet such as mountains or trees.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/3541/daytonaalpha1.jpg (http://img43.imageshack.us/my.php?image=daytonaalpha1.jpg)

Only two cars available with the yellow one having really bad textures.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/8952/daytonaalpha2.jpg (http://img43.imageshack.us/my.php?image=daytonaalpha2.jpg)

Just check out that wacky floor texture! Know what it is? Yes, that's right. It's the car's window texture! Also the textures on the car while not in place properly seem to be higher quality than those used in the final game.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/4785/daytonaalpha3.jpg (http://img43.imageshack.us/my.php?image=daytonaalpha3.jpg)

Finally a better look at that yellow car's awful textures. Jsut look at the windscreen:oh:
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/2396/daytonaalpha4.jpg (http://img43.imageshack.us/my.php?image=daytonaalpha4.jpg)

More early Saturn game shots still to come :thumbsup:

Yakumo

[7Force]

Nice, I like how they used a wheel instead of a steering wheel on the select screen :lol: What are those textures on the other car anyway? The manual car doesn't look anything like that in the final game!

[MentalMan]

Mission Select :lol:

So you payed for those Yakumo? And now you are presenting them to all of us, very kind of you. :nod:

edit: actually I start to think the build we see in these shots looks more fun then what we got later as Daytona USA on saturn, bah. The only port I ever enjoyed was the Dreamcast one, but even that dosnt came close to the greatness that the arcade version was. Ah well.

[Yakumo]

What are those textures on the other car anyway? No idea but it looks like someone is playing a guitar on the back half of it :lol:

So you payed for those Yakumo? And now you are presenting them to all of us, very kind of you. :nod:Yes, I'm such as nice guy. Actually it's been a while since I presented anything nice here at ASEMMbler so it was time for some goodness. By the way, when I say I paid for the images I don't mean the actual pictures but the source from which hey came. You probably already guessed that though.

actually I start to think the build we see in these shots looks more fun then what we got later as Daytona USA on saturn, bah. The only port I ever enjoyed was the Dreamcast one, but even that dosnt came close to the greatness that the arcade version was. Ah well.To be honest, the first Saturn Daytona was a fantastic game to play. It was so close to the arcade for playability it was uncanny. AM2 did wonders getting the pad controls just right. It's a shame it looked like shit though. Dreamcast Daytona would be good if they kept the original tunes and the original looking cars even as a secret car would be nice.

Yakumo

[rod_wod]

Can't wait we want more i think i may have some cool pics to add.:icon_bigg

[MentalMan]

To be honest, the first Saturn Daytona was a fantastic game to play. It was so close to the arcade for playability it was uncanny. AM2 did wonders getting the pad controls just right. It's a shame it looked like shit though. Dreamcast Daytona would be good if they kept the original tunes and the original looking cars even as a secret car would be nice.
Does this also count for the original release? I could never play the supposed to be enhanced Championship Circuit Edition, also I never saw 60hz saturn daytona.

So honestly my opinion is based on the shit pal release I have flying around haha. It really is a shame it looks like it does, it always makes me depressed. Like the saturn couldnt do better, so therefore the fun gets left behind at the starting line haha. I do have to agree with the controls though, they are ported rather well.

For the DC version's control's, I've never understood why the analog had to be so sensitive. You get used to it but it feels and looks still awkward if you suddenly change the degree of steering or even max it out.

Btw, on youtube a long while ago, I saw a moddet version of DC's Daytona with Arcade sounds! Only audio department had been modified but damn, it did gave a lot of the old "feel" back :nod:

edit: Oh I think i've found it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpQfQzd9cRM

[7Force]

Mission Select :lol:

So you payed for those Yakumo? And now you are presenting them to all of us, very kind of you. :nod:

edit: actually I start to think the build we see in these shots looks more fun then what we got later as Daytona USA on saturn, bah. The only port I ever enjoyed was the Dreamcast one, but even that dosnt came close to the greatness that the arcade version was. Ah well.
The port may look bad, but it plays way better than the later Championship Circuit/Circuit Edition (the handling in that is just boring and there's absolutely no sense of speed), and that's what really matters IMO.

I think a different developer made CCE, and that's why it's nothing like the arcade - it pretty much feels like an inferior sequel than a version of the original Daytona. Of course, it would have been nice to have a real port with better graphics... BTW, it says Mission Select in the final too :110:

[MentalMan]

The port may look bad, but it plays way better than the later Championship Circuit/Circuit Edition (the handling in that is just boring and there's absolutely no sense of speed), and that's what really matters IMO.

I think a different developer made CCE, and that's why it's nothing like the arcade - it pretty much feels like an inferior sequel than a version of the original Daytona. Of course, it would have been nice to have a real port with better graphics...

Thank goodness I wasnt able to play it. Thanks for clearing that up, sound's like a typical 'third party' "enhancement".

BTW, it says Mission Select in the final too :110:
lol! That's awesome, didnt know that. I never noticed it. :nod:

Me choses to fight automatick, lez bettle.

[7Force]

Thank goodness I wasnt able to play it. Thanks for clearing that up, sound's like a typical 'third party' "enhancement".

It's not really that bad, and it's not by a third party (I checked, it's by AM3 while the original was AM2), it just doesn't feel like Daytona at all.

[MentalMan]

It's not really that bad, and it's not by a third party (I checked, it's by AM3 while the original was AM2), it just doesn't feel like Daytona at all.
Ah, yea that is indeed not third party. Didnt even knew there was a AM3, and wiki spits out only this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Rosso) uninformative page.

Oh well. Makes me think back to dreamcast magazine days and a preview of daytona usa 2001, with a little retrospective of the first daytona and its console counterparts, comming to the conclusion there will probably never be any arcade perfect port of daytona.

[Yakumo]

The PAL and US Circuit editions of Daytona are worse than the Japanese version which was released a lot later. The Japanese version does have original music while the US version only has that redone crap. Also the Japanese version had it's handling changed. It's a lot better but no where near the quality of the original. It really is a shame. As for the DC version, the controls just aren't right and those new cars don't say Daytona to me :(

Yakumo

[7Force]

The PAL and US Circuit editions of Daytona are worse than the Japanese version which was released a lot later. The Japanese version does have original music while the US version only has that redone crap. Also the Japanese version had it's handling changed. It's a lot better but no where near the quality of the original. It really is a shame. As for the DC version, the controls just aren't right and those new cars don't say Daytona to me :(

Yakumo
I have the Japanese Circuit Edition, and like you said, the handling is much better but still doesn't feel like Daytona.

When you look at the pretty much arcade perfect Sega Rally port you can't help but think what the Saturn could have really done with Daytona.

[MentalMan]

Reading around on the wiki page of Circuit edition, the US and PAL release does sound incredibly terrible, nearly everything about it.

I dont even know who these 2 ballsacks are that did the new music, neither do I want to find out.

My best friend wants to put a bullet through his head when he hears the "Daaaytooonaaaaa!" song, but for me it's an all time trash classic that shouldnt be changed, neither the handling of cars (other then improvements, but for PAL and US it sounds more like retarding it). Pretty cheesy decisions.

Just like doing Sega Rally for DC with WindowsCE :crying:

[rod_wod]

Here is another shin shinobi beta pic (not very good quality soz)

http://img30.picoodle.com/img/img30/2/5/20/rod_wod/f_shinm_3df3d5b.jpg

[sayin999]

I have a feeling if am2 had a lot more time to develop the game it would of turned out looking a lot better. I agree though that the 1st port developed by am2 plays the best, they somehow figured out how to make the dpad control like the arcade!!! Btw nice Daytona and Shinobi shots.

[VMS]

That looked much more like a proper Shinobi game early on, and not a digitized-graphics festival.

[rod_wod]

Some more cool early daytona pics



look mom one wheel
http://img30.picoodle.com/img/img30/2/5/21/rod_wod/f_1001202m_295366b.jpg


one two no three yellow cars ha ha ha haaaa
http://img30.picoodle.com/img/img30/2/5/21/rod_wod/f_1001203m_ea65499.jpg

the pit crew will be here any minute
http://img34.picoodle.com/img/img34/2/5/21/rod_wod/f_1001246m_f269ff4.jpg


arrr the long and winding road
http://img30.picoodle.com/img/img30/2/5/21/rod_wod/f_1001248m_e8f83f2.jpg

TAKE THE RIGHT! there is bugger all down the left.
http://img30.picoodle.com/img/img30/2/5/21/rod_wod/f_1001249m_fce28ab.jpg

how many cars did you say are in this race :dance:
http://img30.picoodle.com/img/img30/2/5/21/rod_wod/f_1001222m_e0d5a66.jpg

i think i need to get my eyes tested :oh:
http://img30.picoodle.com/img/img30/2/5/21/rod_wod/f_1001207m_b09ce39.jpg

hello ladies check out my big 41 :katamari:
http://img30.picoodle.com/img/img30/2/5/21/rod_wod/f_1001183m_abc71cd.jpg

[MentalMan]

Haha, funny shots indeed. Thanks, rod_wood.

one two no three yellow cars ha ha ha haaaa
There's actually a fourth yellow car to the right, isnt there? :nod:

edit: Is it maybe a misconception from my side, or do I see a huge draw distance on all these early daytona shots? Oh my, if only the final daytona would at least have that, lol.

edit: comming to think about it, the road seem's to be missing a few meters ahead on a few screenshots so I guess that was popping in all along.

[7Force]

Haha, funny shots indeed. Thanks, rod_wood.


There's actually a fourth yellow car to the right, isnt there? :nod:

edit: Is it maybe a misconception from my side, or do I see a huge draw distance on all these early daytona shots? Oh my, if only the final daytona would at least have that, lol.

edit: comming to think about it, the road seem's to be missing a few meters ahead on a few screenshots so I guess that was popping in all along.

It's easy to have a huge draw distance when's there's almost no track detail and no other cars.

[MentalMan]

Of course it is, Im not unfamiliar in how a 3D game engine works.

It was just a thought and i realized that the draw distance is still sucky when looking really close, the track is missing too often and, yes, while having almost nothing on the track :110:

[saturn_worship]

saw the last picture?? is that light sourcing and hi-res? is that saturn? o_O

[rod_wod]

There's actually a fourth yellow car to the right, isnt there? :nod:


Oh yeah but The driver had not seen that car yet too busy checking out the best place to carve a sonic in the wall :katamari: :katamari: ;-)

ps.i like the distance thing going on with these beta pics.

[Anthaemia.]

The "light sourcing" in that last picture is more than likely a result of what happens when journalists stick their camera in front of a screen to get shots the developers would rather not allow the world to see, though considering the clear high resolution it's possible advanced lighting effects were also part of Keiji Okayasu's early Daytona USA prototype on Saturn. Unless better quality images surface I'm not going to assume either way on this one, though I do seem to recall having some footage of a later build (with placeholder graphic text still present, by the way) in my collection somewhere that I would happily share... if only I could find half of my archive - it's been over a year since I moved house and there are plenty of boxes left to organise! Finally, wasn't it the same CS Team behind Sega Rally's conversion that handled Daytona CCE? While credited as AM3 on the box, only arcade producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi was drafted in from the original group to supervise, if memory serves me correctly.

[Druid II]

As far as Daytona CCE goes, the usa/pal version was Circuit Championship Edition, while the japanese versions was simply Circuit Edition. It's a small technicality, but you could classify it as a new game because of this...

The japanese Daytona CE was also released in the PC in the usa, as Daytona Deluxe I think.

[Anthaemia.]

That's right, but Daytona Deluxe has a PC exclusive track as well to make it the definitive version... unless you prefer AM2's earlier Saturn treatment or have the means to perfectly emulate the Model 2 original, that is! With so many options available, who needs Genki and Amusement Vision's 2001 update for the Dreamcast?

[rod_wod]

Ok back to shinobi x. man im telling ya im gonna have to bust this out later all these pics are making me want to play it.i can't remember how much different the final copy is to the beta cos i have not played it for like 8 years or more anyway enjoy this pic.


http://img31.picoodle.com/img/img31/2/5/21/rod_wod/f_1001266m_9aae389.png

[7Force]

That's right, but Daytona Deluxe has a PC exclusive track as well to make it the definitive version... unless you prefer AM2's earlier Saturn treatment or have the means to perfectly emulate the Model 2 original, that is! With so many options available, who needs Genki and Amusement Vision's 2001 update for the Dreamcast?

Was the PC Daytona USA Deluxe really based on the Japanese Circuit Edition? Not that it matters because the PC versions of both Daytonas were completely terrible.

[saturn_worship]

i'm still freaked out by that last daytona pic..looks amazing!

[Anthaemia.]

In order to have Daytona ready for the Saturn's launch, AM2 made several graphical compromises. I can only begin to imagine what could have been if they'd not reduced its frame rate, resolution and draw distance, instead producing something closer to Keiji Okayasu's prototype version. At least VF2 helped silence any critics... along with Virtua Cop as a similarly high quality Model 2 conversion, as well!

[rod_wod]

The spinning car boogie was dropped from the final game..shame really :-(

http://img28.picoodle.com/img/img28/2/5/21/rod_wod/f_1001253m_35d1baa.png

[Yakumo]

The spinning car boogie was dropped from the final game..shame really :-(

http://img28.picoodle.com/img/img28/2/5/21/rod_wod/f_1001253m_35d1baa.pngNo it wasn't. You can crash and spin the cars in the original Saturn Daytona with ease. You can also cause a pile up with CPU controlled cars crashing and spinning. Looks really cool on the replay if you can pull it off.

By the way, fantastic Shinobi shot. Yet another level not in the final game. I tell you, that game must have been near complete before they scrapped the lot in favor of what we have now. I mean, those ealy shots look so good!

yakumo

[saturn_worship]

I'm 80% convinced that the first shinobi build was for the 32X.

[rod_wod]

Cheers:icon_bigg
Last night i gave shin shinobi den another go and its just like everyone has said it is. it dont feel like a shinobi game nor look like one in parts plus the live action cut scenes are not shinobi at all animation would of been best.
when i got to level 2 i could not belive how much better the pic of the cut level would have been the cool orange sky it looks the nuts but i can't tell
if its a level where you just move up through like in the final.

the spinning boogie thing was ment as a joke im sure you know;-)
also can't you get pushed along by the other cars through the whole race too.

[Yakumo]

Time for some more big scans. Today's scans are from a 50% version of Gran Racer which was actually released as Gran Chaser in Japan and Cyber Speedway in the west.

Most noticeable difference is that the HUD is completely different from the final game. Also the ships/cars that you control have no textures at all and to be honest look a lot better than those in the final game. You'll also notice many wire frame polygons everywhere as place holders.

The wire frame on this shot show where the metal grid over the lava should be.
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/7048/gran1.jpg (http://img35.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gran1.jpg)

Looks like the programmers wanted to build out the walls more in the below shot according to those wire frame markers.
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/1092/gran2.jpg (http://img196.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gran2.jpg)

Ooh, nasty generic low resolution wall textures and a lovely clean car.
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/361/gran3.jpg (http://img34.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gran3.jpg)

I have no idea where this shot is meant to be. Looks to be some sort of space city. A lost level maybe?
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/8643/gran4.jpg (http://img34.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gran4.jpg)

Yakumo

[rod_wod]

nice gran chaser pics above.i think the hud is the best part of the game
here are some pre release panzer dragoon.

http://img36.picoodle.com/img/img36/2/5/22/rod_wod/f_1001309m_35d6c5a.jpg

[rod_wod]

http://img31.picoodle.com/img/img31/2/5/28/rod_wod/f_1001270km_dffd99b.png

[M2fan]

Whoah. Those are some strange pics

[Taucias]

To be honest, the first Saturn Daytona was a fantastic game to play. It was so close to the arcade for playability it was uncanny. AM2 did wonders getting the pad controls just right. It's a shame it looked like shit though. Dreamcast Daytona would be good if they kept the original tunes and the original looking cars even as a secret car would be nice.

YES!

These are my thoughts exactly. I remember seeing Daytona on a Japanese saturn running the rolling demo in a Telegames store just after it was released over there and being blown away by Daytona USA's graphics :lol: (I am serious).

But if you look past the dogs dinner of graphics, the gameplay is almost perfect (although the virtua wheel is far too sensitive).

[daytonausa]

YES!

These are my thoughts exactly. I remember seeing Daytona on a Japanese saturn running the rolling demo in a Telegames store just after it was released over there and being blown away by Daytona USA's graphics :lol: (I am serious).

But if you look past the dogs dinner of graphics, the gameplay is almost perfect (although the virtua wheel is far too sensitive).

I totally agree. As you might be able to tell from my screen name here, it's my favorite game for my favorite system :love:.


However, I really hated Championship Edition. The noise of the cars, look of the cars, and steering was totally off, and didn't feel like Daytona USA at all. However, the draw distance was much better.

I'd rather play the Saturn edition than any other version other than that of the arcade. When I have the pleasure of playing the arcade unit, there's no better moment in gaming for me :nod:.

I'd love to have an arcade unit one day. Oh, and don't get me started on the Dreamcast version. It's just not the same...


Very interesting shots. Thanks for sharing these, guys. I'm especially impressed by those Panzer Dragoon shots. I wish the finished game looked like that :drool:!

[rod_wod]

http://img31.picoodle.com/img/img31/2/5/30/rod_wod/f_xcm_42fa0b6.jpg

[Yakumo]

See the car driving on the Sega logo in the above picture? That's the high resolution Saturn tech demo that I had on video. Very impressive I can tell you!

How about these! Actual shots of the production pre-rendered character used in Clockwork Knights.
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/9306/clock1.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=clock1.jpg)
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1818/clock2.jpg (http://img189.imageshack.us/my.php?image=clock2.jpg)

Next we have the original background image designs from Panzer Dragoon!
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/5825/panzer1.jpg (http://img189.imageshack.us/my.php?image=panzer1.jpg)
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/2038/panzer2.jpg (http://img189.imageshack.us/my.php?image=panzer2.jpg)
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/662/panzer3.jpg (http://img189.imageshack.us/my.php?image=panzer3.jpg)
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/5906/panzer4.jpg (http://img46.imageshack.us/my.php?image=panzer4.jpg)

Early Panzer Dragoon screen shots coming soon.

Yakumo

[rod_wod]

Cool pics never seen any clockwork night before i think the ones i have look the same as the final release so i guess they are im not sure.
the panzer art pics are taken from the japanese game guide not a bad book.

[saturn_worship]

great great great!

that and my vf2 pics / scud racer saturn interview are cool..

[daytonausa]

I'd sell off my whole collection of games and systems for one copy of that high resolution Sega Saturn version of Daytona USA :D.

Thanks for the pictures guys. This is amazing to see.

[7Force]

Love those PD backgrounds. Are they actually from the game or concept art/something similar?

[daytonausa]

Love those PD backgrounds. Are they actually from the game or concept art/something similar?

I'm curious about that as well. Also, are those things only 2D and not 3D (the stuff in the water)?

[Yakumo]

The Panzer shots are from a Saturn CG disc. I didn't know but it as others have pointed out, they also appear in the Panzer Dragoon art book. The images use the actual "mode7" floor used in the game with 2D art overlayed on to them.

Yakumo

[saturn_worship]

yakumo do you have more early panzer shots? :)

[rod_wod]

, they also appear in the Panzer Dragoon art book. The images use the actual


I dont think there is a panzer dragoon artbook as i found out i would love one for any of the panzer games or one with art from all of them in. this is the book the pics are also in it has lots of bits of art but their small most of the book is pics of the game as its a guide to help you complete it i only brought this cos someone told me it was an artbook/guide its not.:-(


http://img31.picoodle.com/img/img31/2/5/31/rod_wod/f_PanzerDragom_fe3863c.jpg

nice link

http://pdsoasis.panzerdragoon.net

[Yakumo]

yakumo do you have more early panzer shots? :)yes, somewhere. I'll get them scanned in the future.

[Barc0de]

any hi-resolution PDS:Azel art for Barc0de's desktop? =) 1650x1080 would be perfect if anyone has already done any adjustments/photoshop.

[rod_wod]

http://img30.picoodle.com/img/img30/2/5/28/rod_wod/f_1001338m_839ec68.jpg

[Druid II]

The Panzer shots are from a Saturn CG disc. I didn't know but it as others have pointed out, they also appear in the Panzer Dragoon art book. The images use the actual "mode7" floor used in the game with 2D art overlayed on to them.

Yakumo
huh, which one?

[Yakumo]

huh, which one?The Video CD one. It's called, Saturn CG Collection. Put the disc in to your PC to find some stills.

Yakumo

[GigaDrive]

I have the Japanese Circuit Edition, and like you said, the handling is much better but still doesn't feel like Daytona.

When you look at the pretty much arcade perfect Sega Rally port you can't help but think what the Saturn could have really done with Daytona.


When you say pretty much arcade perfect Sega Rally port, you're talking about gameplay, right? Because, although the graphics are really good for Saturn, and much better than the first Saturn Daytona, Sega Rally is still nowhere near the Model 2 arcade graphics.

*half the framerate: 30fps instead of 60fps
*much lower graphic complexity/detail (fewer polygons)
*lower quality texture-mapping
*lower resolution


Daytona Championchip Circuit Edition and Circuit Edition use a modified Saturn Sega Rally engine.

[GigaDrive]

Somewhat off-topic:

Can you people imagine how utterly mind-blowing the Saturn would've been, if it used Lockheed Martin's Real3D/100 chipset?

Imagine a "Super Saturn" with 12 or 16MB total RAM -- Divided between the CPU and graphics, a PowerPC 603e CPU, and the Real3D/100 which is a geometry processor, pixel processor and texture processor, but all on one chip. For 2D, a combined VDP1+VDP2 single chip.

Give it a 4x or 6x speed CD-ROM. Keep the Saturn's audio subsystem as it was very good.

So the twin Hitachi SH-2 CPU and other not-needed processors, are gone.

1.) PowerPC 603e for CPU
2.) Real3D/100 GPU for 3D
3.) VDP1+2 for 2D
4.) SCSP for audio


It's somewhat more powerful than the following machines
*Sega/Martin Marietta Model 2 arcade board
*Nintendo 64
*3DFX Voodoo Graphics
*3DO M2

It's around 30-40% of the Model 3 arcade board, and used in arcades to replace the Model 2 (unlike the ST-V board) since it's better in everyway.


Let your imaginations be filled with this as an example of the visuals

http://i41.tinypic.com/mhsnxe.jpg

[accel99]

Somewhat off-topic:

Can you people imagine how utterly mind-blowing the Saturn would've been, if it used Lockheed Martin's Real3D/100 chipset?

Imagine a "Super Saturn" with 12 or 16MB total RAM -- Divided between the CPU and graphics, a PowerPC 603e CPU, and the Real3D/100 which is a geometry processor, pixel processor and texture processor, but all on one chip. For 2D, a combined VDP1+VDP2 single chip.

Give it a 4x or 6x speed CD-ROM. Keep the Saturn's audio subsystem as it was very good.

So the twin Hitachi SH-2 CPU and other not-needed processors, are gone.

1.) PowerPC 603e for CPU
2.) Real3D/100 GPU for 3D
3.) VDP1+2 for 2D
4.) SCSP for audio


It's somewhat more powerful than the following machines
*Sega/Martin Marietta Model 2 arcade board
*Nintendo 64
*3DFX Voodoo Graphics
*3DO M2

It's around 30-40% of the Model 3 arcade board, and used in arcades to replace the Model 2 (unlike the ST-V board) since it's better in everyway.


Let your imaginations be filled with this as an example of the visuals



Thats like me thinking about how sega should have held out a little longer and made the dreamcast have naomi 2 like hardware.Wild Riders anyone?

[Segafreak_NL]

:nod:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PCgnLlSIJY

[7Force]

When you say pretty much arcade perfect Sega Rally port, you're talking about gameplay, right? Because, although the graphics are really good for Saturn, and much better than the first Saturn Daytona, Sega Rally is still nowhere near the Model 2 arcade graphics.

*half the framerate: 30fps instead of 60fps
*much lower graphic complexity/detail (fewer polygons)
*lower quality texture-mapping
*lower resolution


Daytona Championchip Circuit Edition and Circuit Edition use a modified Saturn Sega Rally engine.

Yeah, I know "almost arcade perfect" was an exaggeration, but it's just about as close as you can get on the Saturn, which proves Daytona could've been so much better.

Somewhat off-topic:

Can you people imagine how utterly mind-blowing the Saturn would've been, if it used Lockheed Martin's Real3D/100 chipset?

Imagine a "Super Saturn" with 12 or 16MB total RAM -- Divided between the CPU and graphics, a PowerPC 603e CPU, and the Real3D/100 which is a geometry processor, pixel processor and texture processor, but all on one chip. For 2D, a combined VDP1+VDP2 single chip.

Give it a 4x or 6x speed CD-ROM. Keep the Saturn's audio subsystem as it was very good.

So the twin Hitachi SH-2 CPU and other not-needed processors, are gone.

1.) PowerPC 603e for CPU
2.) Real3D/100 GPU for 3D
3.) VDP1+2 for 2D
4.) SCSP for audio


It's somewhat more powerful than the following machines
*Sega/Martin Marietta Model 2 arcade board
*Nintendo 64
*3DFX Voodoo Graphics
*3DO M2

It's around 30-40% of the Model 3 arcade board, and used in arcades to replace the Model 2 (unlike the ST-V board) since it's better in everyway.


That would've also been ridiculously expensive in 1995. Even the regular Saturn was kinda bordering on "too expensive" after the infamous Sony announcement where the Playstation's price was dropped $100.

[GigaDrive]

I agree it would be much too expensive in 1995. but late 1996?
it could've put out of $399, due to:
*chip integration (VDP1+VDP2 in one chip,
Real3D geometry+pixel+texture in one chip, both lowering costs)
*chip shrinkage (50 micron down to 35 micron)
*only having 1 CPU instead of 2 (like Saturn and M2)
*falling memory prices
(remember that's what allowed 3DFX Voodoo1 to be sold for $299 in late 1996)

We're not talking about a generation beyond N64 and M2 or anything, just something that's slightly better than M2.


In a similar way that Matsushita and Sega almost struck a deal over M2, it could've been concievable that Sega and Matsushita could strike a deal over this powerful incarnation of Saturn. If Sega could get Matsushita and Hitachi to mass produce these consoles, it would lower costs further. Matsushita+SEGA together could've beaten back Sony.

By 1997, after a year on the market, the price could be lowered to $299.

Developers would've fully embraced such a system IMO.

Also, if someone mentioned everything that was going into the actually-released Saturn of 1994,1995 but back in 1992-1993, everyone would say it would've cost *more* than the $700 3DO. Afterall, the Saturn was far more powerful than 3DO. And while Saturn wasn't cheap, like N64's $199 or PS1's $299, it still sold for much less than 3DO's launch price. If we remove the mess of Saturn's architecture, fill it with quality custom+off the shelf components, launch it 1.5 to 2 years later in late 1996 (alongside N64, and thus giving Genesis+SegaCD more time in the U.S.) I think a system close to what I'm describing could've been possible.

There was a faction of Sega of Japan's own management that wanted to due something along the lines of this:

Dreamcast is a system born out of Sega's darkest hour, a do-or-die
machine which will decide whether the company stays in the hardware
business. Its precursor, the 32bit Sega Saturn, had been widely
expected to conquer the world with Nintendo's own second next
generation system heavily delayed -- due to the collapse of an
alliance with Sony -- and neither Atari nor 3DO seriously threatening
mass market success.
All that changed with the November '93 announcement of the Sony
PlayStation, a system which would heavily defeat Sega's system and
become a considerable influence on how Sega designed Dreamcast.
Although there had been rumours of Sony producing a console, what came
as a heavy shock to Sega was the technical superiority of the
PlayStation. While the Saturn had been designed as perhaps the
ultimate 2D arcade machine, albeit with a substantial 3D capability,
PlayStation was totally committed to polygons.

Sega boss Hayao Nakayama angrily berated Sega's engineers for their
failings, but it was too late to totally redesign the system if the
1994 launch was too proceed. Instead, Sega added yet another processor
to an already over-complicated design. In terms of raw power, the new
Saturn was much more of a match for PlayStation, but it would never be
an easy machine to program for. The twin CPU design in particular
demanded highly specialised machine code rather than the C most
Japanese developers prefered: barely a year after Saturn's launch a
key Sega manager admitted only one in a hundred programmers would have
the skill to use the machine's full potential.

Ironically, the Saturn's Japanese launch would be Sega's best ever
performance in its home territory. Even a flawed version of Virtua
Fighting was enough to transform the company's traditional weakness in
its home territory. Overseas, however, it was to be a different
matter. Scepticism about the prospects of a CD-ROM machine succeeding
in the cost-sensitive US market meant Saturn was originally partnered
with a low-cost, cart-based system codenamed Jupiter -- principally
due to American scepticism that a CD-ROM machine could be
competitively priced. When Saturn was upgraded, Jupiter got axed in
favour of Mars, an upgrade for Sega's 16bit Mega Drive which was
supposed to protect the company's hugely lucrative US market. In fact,
32X was an unmitigated disaster, drawing vital developer support away
from Saturn and destroying the company's reputation among gamers who
found themselves with an add-on with barely a handful of games.

The Saturn debacle would cost the jobs of Sega's American and Japanese
bosses, beside reducing its US empire to a ruin running up losses of
$167 million in 1997. For any replacement machine the lessons were
clear: a single format, complete user-friendliness for developers and
a new brand -- so low had sunk the once mighty Sega name.

As soon as any console is launched, work is usually underway on a replacement but the Saturn's troubles gave this process an unusual urgency for Sega. By 1995, rumours surfaced that US defence contractors Lockheed Martin Corp. were already deep into the development of a replacement, possibly even with a view to releasing it as a Saturn upgrade. There were even claims that during Saturn's pre-launch panic a group of managers argued the machine should simply be scrapped in favour of an all-new LMC design.

Sega originally entered into partnership with LMC to solve problems
with its Model 2 coin-op board, however by 1995 the relationship had
soured somewhat with the Model 3 board suffering massive delays.
Around the same time, 3DO began shopping around its 64bit M2 system.
According to informed sources, Sega's Japanese bankers had brokered an
unwritten deal whereby Matsushita would manufacture M2 units, while
Sega would concentrate on the software. M2 devkits were supplied to
Sega in early 1996, with initial work reputedly concentrating on a
Virtua Fighter 3 conversion for M2's launch.

Sega's M2 project soon fell apart however. 3DO's Trip Hawkins blamed
corporate ‘egos' for the collapse, while Sega insisted its engineers
were unconvinced M2 was the breakthrough technology they needed.
Instead, the company was increasingly preoccupied by the PC market --
unlike Nintendo, it was fully prepared to convert its games onto the
format and in mid-1995 it had entered into a partnership with PC
graphics card manufacturer nVidia. Under the terms of the deal, Sega
would supply ports of key Saturn titles exclusively for the nVidia PC
graphics card. At the time, pundits wondered if Sega might be
switching from Saturn to nVidia as its principal platform.

By 1996, this speculation was ebbing away as two clear frontrunners
emerged in the PC graphics market: VideoLogic's PowerVR and 3Dfx's
Voodoo chipsets. Sega approached both companies to be partners in two
parallel Saturn 2 projects, each of which having minimal if any
knowledge of the other. The 3Dfx-Sega of America project was codenamed
Black Belt, while the VideoLogic-Sega of Japan system was known as
Dural. Although console development is usually shrouded in total
secrecy, Saturn 2's development coincided with the rise of the
Internet and Black Belt soon became a popular topic of gossip. For a
time, many presumed Black Belt was the only new Sega system.

All this changed on July 22nd, 1997, when 3Dfx was informed them Black
Belt was cancelled. It was a shattering blow -- "Our contract with
Sega was considered to be gospel right up until we received the call,"
admitted marketing manager Chris Kramer. Two months later, 3Dfx issued
a lawsuit against Sega while blaming VideoLogic's Japanese backers,
NEC, for bringing influence to bear on a decision which would
otherwise have gone to 3Dfx. An initial burst of publicity soon gave
way to highly confidential discussions which settled the lawsuit away
from the public eye in August 1998.

For outsiders, 3Dfx had always been the favoured partner due to their
leadership in the PC market, moreover Sega let it be known the
decision to cancel wasn't due to either performance or cost reasons.
What may have been a factor is 3Dfx's very strength made it a
difficult partner for Sega, VideoLogic's second-place status obviously
made it the hungrier partner. Moreover, whereas 3Dfx see themselves as
creating a new gaming platform around their Voodoo hardware and Glide
software, VideoLogic were much more eager to use Microsoft's Direct3D
API.

Whatever the reasoning behind the decision, the PowerVR decision
further dampened excitement about a machine soon to be redubbed
Katana. In January '98, UK trade newspaper CTW ran a savage onslaught
upon the new format: "When one looks at a format owner that actually
struggles to garner interest in its latest hardware announcements, you
know it''s in trouble. From Black Belt to Dural and Katana,
journalists have leapt into headline mode, but the level of
disinterest elsewhere is palpable." Commenting upon the latest
redundancies in America and Britain, Dinsey wondered whether the
company was "giving up and trying to re-invent itself as a PC
publisher."

In May, Sega gave its response with the official announcement of its
new system, its specifications and that controversial name: Dreamcast.
The marketing campaign began with the announcement of the marketing
campaign and its $100 million budget for each territory: America,
Europe and Japan. Sega boss Shoichiro Irimajiri put the cost of
hardware development at $50-80 million, software development at
$150-200 million, which with marketing added up to half a billion
dollars.

The PR statements were suitably bullish: "Dreamcast is Sega's bridge
to world-wide market leadership for the 21st century" commented Sega
US VP Bernie Stolar. "I am confident that Dreamcast will become a de
facto standard for digital entertainment" claimed Sega chairman Isso
Okawa. However, it was at E3 itself that the tide really began to turn
for Sega with bravura software demos finally earning the machine
journalists' respect. Post E3 reports were full of adoration , as
impressed by the restoration of Sega's old self-confidence as the raw
processing power on show. Dreamcast's launch date was set as November
20th and this time all Sony can threaten is the announcement of new
hardware -- 1998 is Dreamcast's alone.

From E3 onwards, Sega orchestrated a careful drumbeat of
announcements, including the launch of the VMS unit on July 11th to
tie-in with the Godzilla movie and a much hyped August 22nd PR event
for Sega's old mascot in Sonic Adventure. In September, Sega ran an ad
showing MD Eiichi Yukawa being abused by members of the public who
preferred Sony -- and promising all would change with Dreamcast's
arrival. And so it is, everything now rests with the machine and its
software.

[Taucias]

$400 would have been too expensive still. It is, even now.

[Druid II]

What the Saturn would've needed was having more RAM from the getgo, instead of as an upgrade cart.

Also, any kind of graphics upgrade would've worked in the place of the mpeg card slot, provided they can fit it there.

[Taucias]

And keep it cool.

[rod_wod]

Hi here are some more saturn pics for you to enjoy.



virtua fighter 2 proto

http://img38.imagefra.me/img/img38/2/7/27/rod_wod/f_41151m_0435527.jpg




http://img38.imagefra.me/img/img38/2/7/27/rod_wod/f_41152m_ed586b3.jpg




http://img28.imagefra.me/img/img28/2/7/27/rod_wod/f_41150m_c93bcec.png



shinobi

http://img38.imagefra.me/img/img38/2/7/27/rod_wod/f_37298m_0fa3b83.jpg


http://img38.imagefra.me/img/img38/2/7/27/rod_wod/f_37299m_25b7059.jpg


http://img38.imagefra.me/img/img38/2/7/27/rod_wod/f_37297m_bc7191e.jpg


Dark Saviour proto (maybe)

http://img38.imagefra.me/img/img38/2/7/27/rod_wod/f_496m_daac090.jpg


Faradoon (unreleased maybe) we may know this by another name now

http://img38.imagefra.me/img/img38/2/7/27/rod_wod/f_11988803062m_9c25dab.jpg

[Yakumo]

Nice fine! Always nice to see more beta Shin Shinobi shots! The ones in pink are from the final games but those below are from the early build. I'd love to see that in motion. It just looks so much better than what was released in design at least.

Never heard of Faradoon either so that's another to add to the unreleased list.

I really need to get scanning some of the other stuff I have for you guys and gals.

Yakumo

[rod_wod]

Cool cheers i thought some of the shinobi pics may be the final copy of the game but i was not sure i also would love to play the beta too.
i can't wait to see your scans man :nod:

[Juste]

I think title of Faradoon (Faradoon: The Legend of Dragon Castle) changed to Monica no Shiro.

[rod_wod]

You could be correct i found this
http://midikey.egloos.com/3380810

[rod_wod]

Oh the saturn sonic saga the game that never was.

pics are form sonic fighters arcade witch was also planned for the saturn at one point i think.

http://img29.imagefra.me/img/img29/2/7/29/rod_wod/f_16flnqjm_f3d3dd8.jpg

[Ollie]

Yup, also notice how early those screens are, with the Blue and Yellow floor, different rings, scenery, etc.

[Anthaemia.]

Sonic The Fighters is still one of the few possible Saturn conversions mentioned back in the day that we don't know much about, since it was listed for release as late as May 1998 while sources close to developer AM2 claim it was cancelled much earlier and dissolved into the Fighters Megamix project. On the other hand, it's also been claimed on various occasions the game was never intended for a home conversion, the first instance of this being its inclusion as part of the Sonic Gems Collection years later. Those pictures were from a very early Model 2 build, though of course they're important to anyone remotely interested in the production of this particular title. I'd personally love to hear more from those who worked on it, such as Daichi Katagiri, Hiroshi Kataoka and Takashi Iizuka to find out exactly what happened once and for all, though especially the latter since he may be able to shed new light on his planned cameo appearance that never came to be... and to think if it weren't for hackers we'd probably never have known about this!

[7Force]

That reminds me of something I scanned a long time ago, but didn't even remember I had until now:

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/7818/stfsaturn.th.jpg (http://img6.imageshack.us/i/stfsaturn.jpg/)

It's from a European Saturn catalog, from a section for upcoming games (don't remember which catalog right now, but I know I've got it around somewhere). I think it's from about 1996, since Daytona USA: CCE is listed as upcoming.

[saturn_worship]

sega planned it for saturn at some point for sure..look at fighters megamix...sonic the fighters was half done there!

[Yakumo]

Sonic the Fighters as we all know was even listed witha release date on the official Japanese Sega homepage at one point.

Yakumo

[Barc0de]

can't say you missed out much. Sonic the Fighters is a mediocre game bordering on bad.

[7Force]

I've had this theory that the menu graphics in the Sonic Gems Collection version of StF were lifted from the unfinished Saturn port. It's probably completely wrong, but makes sense considering how much of a rush job SGC was, with every other game in the collection ported from the PC versions.

Also, the intro music of StF is the best part of the game. I think if I had paid $50 or so for a Saturn port of it, I'd be pissed at paying that much for a shallow crapfest of a fighting game. On the other hand, it would've made Sonic R look good.

[rod_wod]

panzer dragoon proto demo vid (saturn)


http://img30.imagefra.me/img/img30/2/7/31/rod_wod/f_txeda0um_d39ed44.jpg


http://img30.imagefra.me/img/img30/2/7/31/rod_wod/f_txeda0vm_3d090c1.jpg


some closer pics of the above

http://img30.imagefra.me/img/img30/2/7/31/rod_wod/f_txeda0wm_8eeecf1.jpg


clockwork night proto demo vid (saturn)

part of what looks like an intro

http://img30.imagefra.me/img/img30/2/7/31/rod_wod/f_ehrv22m_3f9018f.jpg


http://img30.imagefra.me/img/img30/2/7/31/rod_wod/f_ehrmhkm_e44102a.jpg

http://img30.imagefra.me/img/img30/2/7/31/rod_wod/f_ewaf5pcm_678fd5e.jpg

http://img30.imagefra.me/img/img30/2/7/31/rod_wod/f_ehrmhmm_7c2510a.jpg

[Anthaemia.]

Those early Clockwork Knight screenshots are actually from the SGI-rendered prototype video that was presented at the Winter '94 CES, and the very same clip is hidden in Clockwork Knight 2 (but for some reason not the PAL version). Also, is it just me or do those Panzer Dragoon images look as if they're either sourced from a dreadful-quality tape or even the rumoured interim Saturn design that was later resurrected as the Nintendo 64? I've read in the past they could be of the 32X build, though I can't believe for one second the original footage was that blurry - neither of Sega's 32-bit platforms had that kind of texture filtering capacity! Then again, there are certain similarities with Scavenger's tech demo of the same period so perhaps it could be possible after all...

[rod_wod]

some are tech demo's i reckon but their all saturn showcase games
maybe not playable but running off saturn hardware i dunno. also the pics are not much better in the magazine.

[Anthaemia.]

Clockwork Knight, Panzer Dragoon and Victory Goal were all presented at the Winter '94 CES running in video form as pre-rendered Silicon Graphics workstation tech demos. The fact many of those screenshots perfectly match their respective footage sources - a few in the correct order! - confirms this without any doubt. Of course, there are prototypes for all three games based on their actual Saturn code, as I briefly saw the former back in the day. Also, it should be noted that both Panzer Dragoon and Clockwork Knight are rumoured to have started off as 32X projects, so it's possible there may be clips of these games in that period of their respective production cycles out there as well.

[Barc0de]

The SGI-based SEGA console that later got pitched to nintendo was not materialized until much later. SEGA were selling the idea at that point loosely based on the MIPS 4300i. Thus, you won't find any screenshots of games for that platform because there was no platform at the time, just a cheap version of the MIPS 4K to build around.

[Anthaemia.]

Thanks for that information, but do you have a more accurate idea of when the SGI hardware concept was first pitched so that we can produce a better timeline of the Saturn's development?

[Barc0de]

from wikipedia:

The N64 owes its existence to Silicon Graphics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Graphics) (SGI) and MIPS Technologies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIPS_Technologies), who were responsible for the R4300i microprocessor and the 3D graphics hardware used in the N64. SGI had recently acquired MIPS Computer Systems, and the two worked together to create a low-cost real-time 3D graphics system. The SGI project was originally offered to Thomas Kalinske (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kalinske), then CEO (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_executive_officer) of Sega (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega) of America, by James H. Clark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_H._Clark), founder of Silicon Graphics. Sega of Japan's evaluation of the early prototype uncovered several unresolved hardware-issues and deficiencies. They were subsequently resolved; but not before Sega had already decided against SGI's design.[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_64#cite_note-4) Nintendo expressed interest in SGI's work, and "Project Reality" was born
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_64

visit the page and go for the numerical footprints,there should be dates cited..

in other words see when "SGI acquired MIPS" date and forth..

[Yakumo]

Also, is it just me or do those Panzer Dragoon images look as if they're either sourced from a dreadful-quality tape Remember that Sega Video that I'm always going on about? Well, that's where that British mag got those images from. It is NOT a 32X build or a Saturn build. Those Panzer Dragoon shots are 100% CGI. What those shots don't show you is that the dragon ends up flying in to a cave. The shots in that Magazine are the same quality as the video I have / had. Coincident? No, not really. My source of the video also had connections within EMAP and supplied them with the same tape. So any BS they print about some magical trip to Japan or behind closed doors secret preview is just that, BS :lol:

Yakumo

[rod_wod]

More daytona
1 pic in the right bottom corner

http://img27.imagefra.me/img/img27/2/8/1/rod_wod/f_fqehr63m_7ff1b38.jpg

[rod_wod]

split realities
2D action/rpg looks great also for psx


http://img27.imagefra.me/img/img27/2/8/3/rod_wod/f_yxwpbcswm_b98eaac.jpg

and again

http://img27.imagefra.me/img/img27/2/8/3/rod_wod/f_w4q5gm_c873a1f.jpg

http://img27.imagefra.me/img/img27/2/8/3/rod_wod/f_d0em_e919b69.jpg


This looks like a publicity stunt to me by peperami (below)

http://img27.imagefra.me/img/img27/2/8/3/rod_wod/f_t8sn8pm_8b12e98.jpg


aftermath more unreleased 2D action

http://img27.imagefra.me/img/img27/2/8/3/rod_wod/f_vnnnjm_e5abc9a.jpg

[Yakumo]

More great scans :thumbsup: The game called Hordlings was released under the title of The Horde

Yakumo

[7Force]

There was actually a bad Peperami-based point and click game called Animal released on the PC (and for some reason, the game's website from 1996 is still online (http://www.microtime.co.uk/animal/index.html)), but it was released by Ocean, not Acclaim...maybe the game changed publishers at some point?

[rod_wod]

Cheers guys.arrr the hord of course it was i will replace it with another unreleased game.