Games Database
PC
Compilation
| Viewed: | Combination Combination | Genre: | Compilation |
| Media: | CD | Arcade origin: | No |
| Soft. Co.: | Xplosiv Software | ||
| Publishers: | Xplosiv Software
(GB) |
Released: | 2 Nov 2001
(GB) |
| Ratings: | 11+ |
Summary
The Xplosiv Top Ten pack is best described as a best of Sega Saturn PC ports with a few strange extras thrown in for good measure. The pack includes Virtua Cop 2, Sonic R, Sonic 3D, Sega Worldwide Soccer, Panzer Dragoon, Virtua Fighter 2, Cricket Captain 2000, Combat Chess, Timeshock Pro Pinball and Sega Touring Car Championship.
All the Sega titles are the PC ports of the Saturn titles of the same name and make up the bulk of quality in this pack. Like the Dreamcast, the Saturn hosted some fantastic titles, but never managed to capture the imagination of the masses, partly due to its shocking launch price.
Virtua Cop 2, the game that took on and beat Time Crisis, is the first of the games and plays well, despite lacking lightgun support. All the levels from the arcade have been included and as such, this conversion will please fans of the series.
Sonic R was the third appearance of Sonic on the Saturn and was developed (and ported) by Traveler’s Tales. The game is essentially Sega’s answer to Mario Kart and features all the famous Sonic characters in Micro Maniacs-style Shank’s pony racing action.
Sonic 3D, also developed by Traveler’s Tales, is a strange game. Not 3D in any way, Sonic 3D sets Sonic down in an isometric version of his side-scrolling ring collecting Robitnik-bashing universe. It handles well and moves along at the blistering pace that has been a trademark of the series since its inception.
Sega Worldwide Soccer was the forerunner to Sega’s acclaimed Virtua Striker series and was the culmination of everything the company had learned making Master System and MegaDrive soccer titles, such as World Soccer and World Championship Soccer. A solid football title featuring real players, this game is interesting, if not for its stand alone playability, then for its place in the history of the genre.
Panzer Dragoon was the killer app boasted by the Saturn and still stands as one of the greatest games of all time. Set 100 years in the future, Panzer Dragoon offered a fully explorable 3D environment for the first time on a home console. Essentially a shooter with knobs on, Panzer Dragoon is a must-play title for any serious gamer.
Virtua Fighter 2 is another port from the Saturn and, though only running at 320x200 resolution, is smooth and arcade complete. The game features eleven fighters, ten instantly selectable and one hidden, with a combined move count of just over 2000, a staggering amount by anyone’s standards. Also cool in the PC port (carried out in 1997, by the way) is the way that in expert mode the computer learns your fighting style. It is then able to use your style against you, while being able to block your attacks. Cool, huh!?
In a somewhat unexpected break from all this Sega retro stuff, there’s the awfully English Cricket Captain 2000, developed in house by Empire Interactive. The game is a cricket club management sim that features licensed players, clubs and competitions.
Combat Chess sees Empire take the torch from Interplay in the animated computerised Chess race and storm home to victory. This is a chess game that can be played in classic mode or with loads of animated gore. Cool and intellectually challenging.
Next up is Timeshock Pro Pinball, the award-winning port of Cunning Developments’ PlayStation game of the same name. Timeshock is like a pinball game on steroids and comes equipped with a bevy of tables and viewing angles. The game is equipped with a level designer and features a ground-breaking physics engine.
Last and by every means least is Sega Touring Car Championship, a port of the Saturn version of Sega’s worst ever driving game. The trip to PC did this game no favours at all, with it still as bad to look at and play as it ever was on Saturn or arcade. This game was rapidly overtaken by Sega’s excellent Sega Rally and Daytona games and banished from the arcades very quickly.
Don’t let that one fly in the ointment put you off this pack. This is a collection of some of the finest games from the mid 90’s and is a brilliant excuse to replay classics such as Panzer Dragoon and Sonic R. Combat Chess is pretty cool too!
<ul>
<li>Games featured in 10 pack
<li>Virtua Cop 2
<li>Sonic R
<li>Sonic 3D
<li>Sega World-wide Soccer
<li>Panzer Dragoon
<li>Virtua Fighter 2
<li>International Cricket Captain 2000
<li>Combat Chess
<li>Pro Pinball - Timeshock!
<li>Sega Touring Cars</ul>
All the Sega titles are the PC ports of the Saturn titles of the same name and make up the bulk of quality in this pack. Like the Dreamcast, the Saturn hosted some fantastic titles, but never managed to capture the imagination of the masses, partly due to its shocking launch price.
Virtua Cop 2, the game that took on and beat Time Crisis, is the first of the games and plays well, despite lacking lightgun support. All the levels from the arcade have been included and as such, this conversion will please fans of the series.
Sonic R was the third appearance of Sonic on the Saturn and was developed (and ported) by Traveler’s Tales. The game is essentially Sega’s answer to Mario Kart and features all the famous Sonic characters in Micro Maniacs-style Shank’s pony racing action.
Sonic 3D, also developed by Traveler’s Tales, is a strange game. Not 3D in any way, Sonic 3D sets Sonic down in an isometric version of his side-scrolling ring collecting Robitnik-bashing universe. It handles well and moves along at the blistering pace that has been a trademark of the series since its inception.
Sega Worldwide Soccer was the forerunner to Sega’s acclaimed Virtua Striker series and was the culmination of everything the company had learned making Master System and MegaDrive soccer titles, such as World Soccer and World Championship Soccer. A solid football title featuring real players, this game is interesting, if not for its stand alone playability, then for its place in the history of the genre.
Panzer Dragoon was the killer app boasted by the Saturn and still stands as one of the greatest games of all time. Set 100 years in the future, Panzer Dragoon offered a fully explorable 3D environment for the first time on a home console. Essentially a shooter with knobs on, Panzer Dragoon is a must-play title for any serious gamer.
Virtua Fighter 2 is another port from the Saturn and, though only running at 320x200 resolution, is smooth and arcade complete. The game features eleven fighters, ten instantly selectable and one hidden, with a combined move count of just over 2000, a staggering amount by anyone’s standards. Also cool in the PC port (carried out in 1997, by the way) is the way that in expert mode the computer learns your fighting style. It is then able to use your style against you, while being able to block your attacks. Cool, huh!?
In a somewhat unexpected break from all this Sega retro stuff, there’s the awfully English Cricket Captain 2000, developed in house by Empire Interactive. The game is a cricket club management sim that features licensed players, clubs and competitions.
Combat Chess sees Empire take the torch from Interplay in the animated computerised Chess race and storm home to victory. This is a chess game that can be played in classic mode or with loads of animated gore. Cool and intellectually challenging.
Next up is Timeshock Pro Pinball, the award-winning port of Cunning Developments’ PlayStation game of the same name. Timeshock is like a pinball game on steroids and comes equipped with a bevy of tables and viewing angles. The game is equipped with a level designer and features a ground-breaking physics engine.
Last and by every means least is Sega Touring Car Championship, a port of the Saturn version of Sega’s worst ever driving game. The trip to PC did this game no favours at all, with it still as bad to look at and play as it ever was on Saturn or arcade. This game was rapidly overtaken by Sega’s excellent Sega Rally and Daytona games and banished from the arcades very quickly.
Don’t let that one fly in the ointment put you off this pack. This is a collection of some of the finest games from the mid 90’s and is a brilliant excuse to replay classics such as Panzer Dragoon and Sonic R. Combat Chess is pretty cool too!
<ul>
<li>Games featured in 10 pack
<li>Virtua Cop 2
<li>Sonic R
<li>Sonic 3D
<li>Sega World-wide Soccer
<li>Panzer Dragoon
<li>Virtua Fighter 2
<li>International Cricket Captain 2000
<li>Combat Chess
<li>Pro Pinball - Timeshock!
<li>Sega Touring Cars</ul>