It was not easy to be a SEGA Saturn fan. Almost every success of the 16-bit blockbuster Genesis was undone through a series of poor decisions, from marketing to treatment of third-party publishers. The botched surprise launch. The prohibitive pricing. Those horrid game cases. It was almost as if SEGA wanted to lose the generation to the then-upstart PlayStation. And it did, crushed under Sony's brilliant selling power that reintroduced games to a mainstream audience that had largely ignored vids since the fall of the Atari 2600 -- and the entire industry -- in 1984. The Nintendo 64 also outpaced the Saturn by a large margin, thanks to incredible games like Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time.

Remember when mags were stacking screenshots of the icky-looking pack-in Virtua Fighter up against the PlayStation brawler Battle Arena Toshinden? That's when I first wondered if SEGA wasn't in for trouble, even though VF (and later, Virtua Fighter Remix) played circles around the shallow Toshinden.

It's not like SEGA didn't put out any effort. Hardcore gamers loved titles like the Panzer Dragoon series, NiGHTS, the hard-to-find Burning Rangers, and Guardian Heroes. Fans of SEGA's fantastic arcade games were treated to great ports, such as Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Cop, and SEGA Rally. (Daytona USA played well, but served as revelation that the Saturn was not the mightiest polygon-pusher.) But catering to only a fraction of the core crowd willing to sit out major third-party releases just to play SEGA's first-party offering was a losing strategy.

If you want to pinpoint the moment SEGA was doomed to be out of the hardware game, the Saturn launch is it. But even though the system under-performed (it didn't tank) and some of its best games were harbored only in Japan (ahem, Radiant Silvergun), it is home to some very, very cool games that still play like a million bucks, even if they only look like a hundred.

Dragon Force helped fill a pitiful void in the Saturn library: RPGs. Localized for America by the famous (infamous) Working Designs, Dragon Force is a strategy-RPG extravaganza that features hundreds of sprites on-screen at the same time (the Saturn was a very capable 2D machine) fighting in epic battles. At the start of the game, you select a general out of a cabal of six and then view all machinations from his perspective. This essentially means you can play the game six times with different outcomes and story lines. The massive map and real-time management elements boost this incredibly comprehensive strategy game into the stratosphere. It's a rare find now, but for fans of the genre, the search is worth the effort.



The 32-bit generation was marked as the great passing of 2D games, but nobody told SEGA. Astal is a brilliant, gorgeous side-scrolling adventure game that is memorable for its captivating look and methodical platforming. As the super-strong Astal, you must pound through hundreds of crystalline enemies to rescue Leda from the evil demon Jerado. Astal is aided by a bird companion that can interfere with enemies and bring back items. The game came out early in the Saturn's lifespan and was largely ignored -- no thanks to the garish box art. But those that did take Astal home cherished this beautiful example of a fading genre.



Saturn Bomberman is easily one of the top ten multiplayer console games, thanks to its huge 10-player fields that were loaded with laughter and mayhem. The single-player game is a fine Bomberman specimen, but with multitaps (the Japanese version shipped with one shaped like Bomberman's head) the 10-player game steals the show. The game features sharp visuals even when the camera is pulled back far enough to see the whole stage and it is arguable that no Bomberman game since this edition has controlled as well.



Sure, the Saturn Stunner light gun looks ridiculous in your hand -- it was bright orange and freakishly bulky. But it is pin-point precise, making the home port of Virtua Cop an arcade fan's dream. This three stage game is a tad short since it is an arcade port, but with another player, Virtua Cop has incredible replay value. The sequel, Virtua Cop II, is also fantastic on the Saturn, but the original game's pacing and wonderful crap dialog puts it over the top. Who didn't love shooting up all those black-suited thugs in the shipyard over and over?



SEGA's arcade ports on the Saturn improved over time -- something made quite obvious by the jump between launch title Daytona USA and SEGA Rally Championship. While not even close to being a pixel-perfect port, this higher-res racer replicates the arcade game well enough to keep those quarters in your pocket. Tearing through the muddy tracks as your navigator offers advance intel on upcoming corners (or is he making a pass at you -- "Long medium right, baby?") is immensely enjoyable, even if the game shipped with only three tracks. Awesome music ("Game over, yeah!") just sweetens the deal. Yes, the Dreamcast version is much better and the current-gen sequel -- which, shamefully, none of you bought -- is stunning, but this Saturn arcade port was one of the top reasons to stick by SEGA as it flailed through the 32-bit days.



The original Panzer Dragoon that flanked the Saturn at launch was nothing short of revelation. But this sequel improves on almost everything, offering better graphics, smoother animations, changing dragon forms, and branching routes. The latter two features bounce Panzer's replay value through the ceiling, especially when coupled with the new Berserk attack system that practically turn your dragon into a winged army when unleashed on a horde of incoming monsters or airships. The art direction has little equal in videogames, as the Panzer universe is a thing of true beauty. Panzer Dragoon Orta for the original Xbox is even more handsome, if you can believe that. One of the best vids of the entire generation.



The recent Wii release almost took a little of the shine off NiGHTS nostalgia, but spend a little time with the original and you'll be reminded of why this game is such a beloved cult classic. Everything falls into place just right, from the soundtrack to the atmosphere, as you help Claire, Eliot, and the titular NiGHTS soar through dreamworlds (and nightmare boss battles) to collect Ideyas. The analog controller lets you swirl and twirl through the colorful skies, performing wonderful acrobatics. NiGHTS wasn't enough to stave off the coming of Super Mario 64 (or even Crash Bandicoot), but for a select group of SEGA loyalists, NiGHTS was reward enough for sticking with the Saturn.



Sporting another terrible box that worked overtime to keep players away, Treasure's Guardian Heroes is one of the most prized Saturn games. This beat-'em-up is anything but a rote copy of Streets of Rage or Final Fight. As one of five heroes, including a lumbering skeleton in magical armor, you push through thousands of enemies that walked the lands. Combos, big hits, and experience points give this bruiser real depth. The branching story lines keep you coming back. And the game looks as good as it plays, featuring some astounding hard-drawn sprites and gorgeous backdrops. This is one of those games that might be almost as fun to watch as it is to play, especially when that skeleton roars to life just as it runs through a stack of enemies with its behemoth of a sword.



The original Virtua Fighter port that shipped with the Saturn looked rough -- really rough. SEGA tried to make up for it with Virtua Fighter Remix, but the best apology was Virtua Fighter 2 -- a game you could shove in the face of any PlayStation owner with absolute glee. This technical fighter is a perfect arcade port, save for the slightly downgraded graphics, but even those are a knockout on the Saturn. VF2 sports high-res graphics (750x575) that made it the sharpest game of the entire generation. Virtua Fighter 2 was flanked by a few other brawlers, such as Fighting Vipers and the kinda-silly Fighters MegaMix, but this stands head and shoulders above all 32-bit fighters. All of them.



You cannot possibly be surprised by this. Panzer Dragoon Saga was the swan song to end all swan songs, an ultra-rare twilight release for the Saturn. The game practically sent the system off like a Viking burial. Spanning no fewer than four CDs, Saga tells the tale of the young Edge and his mystical dragon. Whereas games like Final Fantasy VII rely on battle-tested turn-based combat, Panzer Dragoon Saga fuses the on-rails shooting action with RPG sensibilities, making this dark, solemn game wholly unique. It is the gem of the generation and a very rare find since so few were manufactured in America. But if you manage to snag a copy, covet it. It is as good as they come for hardcore gamers.



These are just the top 10 SEGA Saturn games -- making an 11-20 list would be pretty easy, too, thanks to great titles like Manx TT Super Bike, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Shining Force, Baku Baku, Virtual On, Darkstalkers, Clockwork Knight 2, Burning Rangers, and Iron Storm. Which games were your favorites on the Saturn? Hit the comment section below and let us know. Maybe we'll compile a Reader Top 10...?