Sega PC enquiries

(I'm fairly sure this can be considered obscure gaming, but if it's not then please don't hesitate to move it somewhere more relevant. Anyway...)

I've been researching just what Saturn era games were released in the Sega PC range, and I think I'm now quite close to compiling a definitive list. However, there are a few strange examples I'd just like to clear up - hopefully with the help of someone who may own these mysterious titles.

For example, does anyone know if Sega Worldwide Soccer Championship is a port of SWWS '98: Club Edition, or was this simply a repackage of the previous game based on the '97 version? From what I can tell, the box description text claims this is a full-blown sequel, but according to GameFAQs* this was only ever released in Japan so it could be that any US case I've found is simply for a reissue of the original.

Still on the subject of this particular game, the American artwork also mentions improved graphics, with distance fogging and texture filtering options available. As someone who has the far more common SWWS PC, which as I said earlier is based on the Saturn '97 revision, this doesn't seem familiar at all, so I'm inclined to believe it's actually a different thing altogether.

Finally, can someone please confirm whether there was a PC edition of Mr Bones? I'm sure I recall this one from back in the day, though it's possible I'm simply confused with video footage of the Saturn version that may have appeared on either Sega's website or some demo disc. Whatever the case, I'm pretty certain a port was on the cards.

As always, any help solving these mysteries would be very much appreciated.

P.S. Also, just how rare is the Virtual On gold disc for PC? I once saw it being discussed on this very forum, though I don't ever recall a copy being documented with photographic evidence to prove its existence. I'm certainly not doubting that it is indeed real, although with standard copies being hard enough to come by I wouldn't be surprised if nobody here can admit to having this one in their possession. Now that's definitely up there in my list of Sega related holy grails.

* Yes, I realise GameFAQs might not be the most reliable place to look for such information, but I can't find anything about this game elsewhere so for now it's there or nowhere at all!

 

Not sure if this information really helps you in any way but there are some sample discs too (I assume for all the titles). I have these 2 -

 

There was Daytona USA, Daytona USA CE, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Cop 2 just off the top of my head..

 

Let's see what I've got on the list so far:

Baku Baku Animal
BUG!
BUG TOO!
Daytona USA
Daytona USA Deluxe
Enemy Zero
Formula Karts
Last Bronx
Manx TT SuperBike
NBA Action '98
Panzer Dragoon
Panzer Dragoon (NV1 version)
Sega Rally Championship
Sega Rally Championship (Direct3D version)
Sega Touring Car
Sega Worldwide Soccer
Sega Worldwide Soccer Championship/Sega Worldwide Soccer '98 (Japanese exclusive?)
Sky Target
Sonic 3D
Sonic R
Sonic R (second revision - features improved networking and Windows XP support?)
The House Of The Dead
Three Dirty Dwarves
Virtua Cop/Virtua Squad
Virtua Cop (NV1 version)
Virtua Cop 2/Virtua Squad 2
Virtua Fighter
Virtua Fighter (NV1 version)
Virtua Fighter 2
Virtual On
Virtual On (gold disc edition)

Again, please bear in mind that I'm only looking to include Saturn era games specifically, so you won't find other common Sega PC titles from around the same period like Sonic PC, Sonic & Knuckles Collection, Sega Rally 2, The House Of The Dead 2 or Crazy Taxi here.

EDIT: Last updated to include Sega Worldwide Soccer '98.

 

There'e Ecco the Dolphin but I guess you don't want that since it wasn't on the Saturn. If you posted this thread a week ago I could have checked my Sega PC demo discs. They've gone to the land of landfill now though.

Yakumo

 

Are any of those games better than their Saturn counterparts?

 

From what I can remember, Virtua Fighter 2, Virtual On and Last Bronx all have options to use higher polygon count models than their respective Saturn counterparts, while Daytona USA Deluxe (really just a port of Circuit Edition, complete with Japanese-only improvements) has an exclusive track plus Direct3D options. Also, Sonic R received a few minor upgrades as well, such as variable weather features and the networking mode, of course. Actually, now that I think about it, quite a few other titles in the Sega PC range added similar multiplayer functions... too many to mention here, in fact!

 

Sakura Taisen (CD-ROM) 1997
Sakura Taisen XP+ (DVD-ROM) 2003
Sakura Taisen (DVD-ROM) 2007

Sakura Taisen 2 (CD-ROM) 2001
Sakura Taisen 2 XP+ (DVD-ROM) 2003
Sakura Taisen 2 (DVD-ROM) 2006

 

x

 

Special versions of panzer dragoon, virtua fighter, and virtua cop were also released exclusively with Nvidia NV1 based 3d accelerators such as the diamond edge 3d. Incidentally, these cards are shipped with a bracket that provides 2 saturn gameports, allowing for a more authentic experience. Sadly the alliance with Nvidia ended as abrubtly as it started, leaving the NV1 with only two additional games that actually support it (nascar and battle arena's toshiden).

 

I was originally looking to document every different game released in the Saturn era PC range as opposed to revisions of each - if I counted reissues as well, Sega Rally, Worldwide Soccer and Sonic R especially would have dozens of variations listed (based on the many versions in my collection, at least)!

However, since I've already mentioned the gold disc edition of Virtual On, which you could argue is a similarly rule-bending addition, I'll happily make space for those NV1 exclusives. Besides, they were significantly altered to make use of this specific hardware accelerator card, so could therefore be considered unique releases.

Actually, didn't a later build of Sonic R have support for Windows XP and improved net code? This can go on as well, though I'm fairly sure it's not the only example out there... does anybody know of more instances where enough radical changes were made to justify a title being mentioned twice?

 

It came out in a SEGA pack, along with Sonic the Fighters and SEGA Rally. I believe.

 

I have a pack of 10 games that features many of those listed earlier, plus a few non-Sega titles (such as Combat Chess, for example), including the revised version of Sonic R. However, your last comment is the first I've ever heard of Sonic The Fighters making it to the PC - can anyone else confirm the existence of this one?

I was under the impression Sega's policy has always been to focus on releasing software for the PC that was previously available on its consoles rather than converting directly from arcades, which is why most products from this era specifically closely resembled their Saturn and Dreamcast counterparts rather than the coin-op originals.

Also, I believe the reason why Sonic Xtreme was never resurrected as a PC project is because Sega had already rejected the Saturn edition, therefore sealing the fate of this effort as well. On a slightly different subject, I suspect this is also why PC owners never received Virtua Fighter 3... but for once I'm not going there!

 

I recently got ahold of some Sega PC games that came with the NV1 I got today:

Comix Zone
Ecco the Dolphin
Tomcat Alley (Special Bonus Edition)
Merit's Galactic Reunion

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten Ecco the dolphin to run on any of my PC's or OSes.

 

You can try the wizard to get Ecco installed: http://web8.orcaserver.de/ecco/downloads/programs/index.php

As for Anthaemia's original posts, I have some information.

The 10 game Sega pack was probably this one, no Sonic The Fighters on it though: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Xplosiv-10-...S7M2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1320167455&sr=8-6

One more game you can add to the list is the rather rare Sega Rally Direct3D, which was included on an old Orchid Righteous 3Dfx driver set. I managed to get a copy of the driver disc from my friend years ago, here's some screenshots of the Direct3D version:

 

Thank you for that information about the Direct3D version of Sega Rally, but should this really count as a separate edition? Then again, if I can include those dedicated NV1 releases it deserves to be mentioned as well - does anyone know if any other games received a similar treatment? I'm certain there were a few 3DFX exclusive revisions, though I'll wait for confirmation on these...

By the way, that link you included is definitely the same box I got a few years back. I knew it absolutely didn't feature Sonic The Fighters, but I could never remember the exact contents due to its outer case going missing years ago. Because there are so many of those orange "XPLOSIV" label Sega PC titles in my collection, I simply keep them all on the same disc spindle now, so even if I wanted to separate them it's not that easy since they've become jumbled in the mix anyway!

Finally, were there any other compilation discs of software from this period other than the Sega PC Power Demos sampler? I won't be listing this one as it doesn't include full games, though I suspect a few other similar promotional items may exist that combine multiple complete titles onto the same disc (I'd also love a copy of this particular disc, if someone out there could possibly point me in the direction of it).

 

Pardon my ignorance, but does the PC version of Panzer Dragoon support USB input, i.e. can you use the Saturn pad and set it up to work properly or are the controls hackneyed? Cheers.

 

x

 

Plus you can just use a program like JoyToKey to map keyboard buttons to the controller.

 

Anthaemia, you have Sega Puzzle Pack? It has Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Lose Your Marbles and...Columns III, I think.