mega man 8: saturn vs playstation

[Da_Shocker]

Capcom, who was behind the PlayStation's first million-selling game (Resident Evil) allegedly threatened to not release the highly-anticipated Resident Evil 2 after being denied permission to release their 2D games in the US [2]; SCEA eventually caved in to the pressure and allowed Capcom to release X4 in the United States (the game had already been released in Japan at that point) in order to secure a release for Resident Evil 2. The Sega Saturn version of X4 was not delayed and was available in North America on its initially planned release date.

That sounds like a crop of BS lol.

[Thenewguy]

Thought I 'd add this to the thread

I quote -

"Treasure's cult-favorite shooter was one of the most critically acclaimed games on Saturn, but as it turns out, the game was also developed for PlayStation 1. "There was a PlayStation version, but Sony rejected it," says Treasure head Masato Maegawa. "SCEA rejected it, and once it gets rejected it gets really difficult to make happen. I have a version of the game, actually... The paper I got basically just said 'rejected' on it."

[JRedmond3]

Yeah, I remember reading something in a magazine about SCEA being real assholes when it came to releasing 2D games. Not 2D but I think they also lead to the cancellation of Working Designs port of the PS2 Goemon game. Considering some of the garbage that is out for the PS1/2, I'm not sure why they decided to go against the 2D/Niche genres, if anything you'd think they would want those types of games because against the N64/Xbox/GC it's something that set Sony apart. It's not like having a broader selection makes people think less of the system(s), I'm not sure who the idiot behind that logic was.

[j_factor]

Thought I 'd add this to the thread

I quote -

"Treasure's cult-favorite shooter was one of the most critically acclaimed games on Saturn, but as it turns out, the game was also developed for PlayStation 1. "There was a PlayStation version, but Sony rejected it," says Treasure head Masato Maegawa. "SCEA rejected it, and once it gets rejected it gets really difficult to make happen. I have a version of the game, actually... The paper I got basically just said 'rejected' on it."

So it didn't get released at all because SCEA rejected it? Don't they usually make the Japanese version first before even sending it in to SCEA for approval? Silhouette Mirage came out in Japan long before the US (and the US version sucked -- thanks, Vic). Most of their games were published by ESP in Japan, which doesn't exist in North America.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

If you are talking about Radiant Silvergun I heard that a PS1 port was attempted but quickly abandoned as it it was decided a PS1 port would have been of very bad quality compared to the Saturn game due to the lower amount of RAM and lesser sprite capabilities. I think Vic Ireland may have been quoted as saying someone they were working with attempted it but said it looked like crap.

[kool kitty89]

If you are talking about Radiant Silvergun I heard that a PS1 port was attempted but quickly abandoned as it it was decided a PS1 port would have been of very bad quality compared to the Saturn game due to the lower amount of RAM and lesser sprite capabilities. I think Vic Ireland may have been quoted as saying someone they were working with attempted it but said it looked like crap.

PSX kicks the Saturn's ass in pure sprite (object) pushing abilities (texture mapping and blitting speed far higher than Saturn's VDP1) and the RAM shouldn't have been a major issue either. (some cuts probably or trade-offs with BG detail, but reasonable enough overall)

It would have been the multi-layer 2D backgrounds and additional VDP2 effects that would have been tough to simulate on the PSX as it would have to be done with 2D textures ("sprites") and polygons for any warping effects used. (thus also eating into sprite performance as you'd effectively be generating all the BGs with "sprites")

A lot of trade-offs with the systems in 2D, but it's VDP2 that makes the Saturn... and for games with simpler BGs (fewer layers) the PSX is far more competitive.

[Thenewguy]

So it didn't get released at all because SCEA rejected it? Don't they usually make the Japanese version first before even sending it in to SCEA for approval? Silhouette Mirage came out in Japan long before the US (and the US version sucked -- thanks, Vic). Most of their games were published by ESP in Japan, which doesn't exist in North America.

Take it up with Masato Maegawa, the head of Treasure, its a literal quote from him.

Who knows, maybe someone decided it was only worth releasing worldwide or something, and when the US said no they decided not to bother at all.

[j_factor]

Take it up with Masato Maegawa, the head of Treasure, its a literal quote from him.

Who knows, maybe someone decided it was only worth releasing worldwide or something, and when the US said no they decided not to bother at all.

That really does not make sense in light of the Japan-only Saturn port.

[Thenewguy]

That really does not make sense in light of the Japan-only Saturn port.

It doesn't matter, Masato Maegawa said it therefore either

1. Its true, and there were extenuating circumstances
2. He, and a lot of the other developers are lying for some reason.

In regards to possible reasoning -

Radiant Silvergun was already available in Japan for the Saturn -> the Saturn was popular in Japan but not popular enough outside of Japan for niche releases -> The PS1 was huge outside of Japan -> they made the PS1 version so they could bring the game to the west -> SoA turned it down for sale in the US -> they didn't see the point in releasing the niche game just in Japan where Radiant Silvergun was already available in a superior form on a system popular with shmup enthusiasts in a good sized market.