[Dame da wa!]

I have been a big fan of Sega Saturn for a while now, owning over 80 games, 95% of which are japanese imports, including Saturn Tomb Raider, which was my initiation into the series. You also may have seen the Battle of the Ports video on YouTube which was by therealbluedragon regarding these two titles, and here are my 2 cents:

My preference for the Saturn version comes largely from the controls. I find the Saturn controller superior in many ways to the PS1 controller for almost every genre, including the Saturn 3D Analog Pad (which had a very unique stick but came too late to be compatible with TR, unfortunately). Turning is much more convenient and the button layout is more straightforward and responsive. Also, I think one grip that some have towards the Saturn version, that being the framerate and the graphics, are the least of my concern. The palette is more of a preference, as some advocates of the Saturn version claim it enchances the muddy and ancient environments of the game. The draw distance is also better. Where in the PS1 version you see blackness about halfway down a shaft, the Saturn version allows you to see all the way down to the floor. This also looks more impressive in the Colosseum stage, where you can see about 90-95% of the environment from afar. The Saturn also handled it rather well, as I didn't notice the slowdown being any worse when this distance was viewed compared to relatively shorter distances in other parts of the game when similar slowdown occurs. The water effects are also notable, where the surface bobs and waves about. Getting back to the framerate issues, I hear this didn't occur in the PAL versions, due to Tomb Raider being initially developed on/in a PAL region. Is this true? Let me know.

So does anyone else here appreciate the Saturn version?

[Katie]

I enjoyed reading this but unfortunately can't add anything as I've only been on PC I'm interested to see if anyone else has tried it!

[thedemon1238]

I'm playing saturn pal version right now. There is framerate issues, but i've never played the other versions and can't make comparison how bad it is. Sometimes, in the big areas the frame rate drops to 10fps, but its not a problem to play the game. Pal version is the very first Tomb Raider release in the market and has many bugs. You can check this video and see one of the impossible to obtain secrets in the cistern level. This is fixed in the ntsc saturn version. (there is a wall stands in your way, and you can't enter the secret room)

[gamerguy475]

hurray for Saturn collectors! I own one and love it but i only have like 6 games for it because they're hard to find, Play n trade usually only has like 3 or so in stock and they're usually sports games. that and i don't know of many good games for it, can you recommended me some?

[dude]

Awww, I'm happy to see this thread. I love Saturn TR but I have to disagree with you about the controls. In my opinion the Playstation's controllers are far superior. Saturn doesn't have enough buttons. The PS joypad was made for TR.

I sometimes play them both at the same time, on the same television, but on a different channel...
Running through levels, looking at things, switching over, seeing how different it is!

Sega Saturn has:
rich colours, (but some buggy textures)
some missing secrets, (the rooms aren't there)
has a 'gamma' option, which is brightness but has no other options (you'll need it, it's dark)
has no pause button (not enough buttons on contoller)
slightly better draw distance (although I didn't much notice)
the honour of being the first TR ever released

The Playstation version is overall a lot more polished,
it has a new move; the handstand
has all secrets
it has more options but no Gamma
graphics are a bit...well 'chalkier'/brighter than the Saturns, but less glitchy.


Both games share the same themed level loading screens, besides the one from St. Francis' Folly - Tomb of Tihocan (levels 5 to 9) - also, on PS1 there's a picture of Lara in her garden on the loading screen for Lara's Home, absent in the Saturn.

So overall I'd say the Playstation one is more like the PC version and you can tell they spent a little more time with it. The Sega version is more like the Beta, a bit unfinished. But it was the first! I'd like to take some screens/video but I don't know how...

There's this one particularly good example I can think of that demonstrates the differences in both games... in the first level, Caves.. you get to the room with the two wolves (scary music plays), in the room with the 3rd secret take a look at the massive circular stone carving on the wall. In the PS1 version it's visable from as far back as you can get, but on the Sega it's a pixelated mess untill you stand RIGHT up close to it.