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Saturn Fan
Magazine Vol. 13
197 pages, near-mint condition |
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Mr Bones back
cover advert |
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A pensive Nakoruru poses on the cover of Saturn Fan
Vol. 13, originally published for the week of July
11, 1997. The first ad upon flipping the cover is a
2-pager featuring Sonic Jam and the white Sega Saturn
console followed by another 2-page ad for EA's fighting game
Rabbit.
In 1997, Sega was in the midst of their Sonic Project campaign and
SFan checks out Sonic R for its first article. Next up,
a tiny 2-page look at that year's E3 which was held in
Atlanta, GA. E3 planners would return to Atlanta in 1998 before
taking the convention back to Los
Angeles. Small photos are thrown in for Croc, Indy 500,
Sonic games and even a look at Print Club (Purinto
Kurabu) coin-op machines which were wildly successfully
in Japan in the late 90s. Something must have been lost
in translation because Print Club fell far short of expections when they were tested in America. Print Club
hardware was based on the Sega ST-V arcade board and a
Mitsubishi Dye Sublimation printer was used for
rendering the final product.
In the Sega Dynamic Preview section, readers get an eyeful of Last
Bronx, Sega Touring Car Championship, Panzer Dragoon RPG
(Azel), and J-League Tsukuuru 2. Japanese magazines tend
to show very clear screenshots of games and this credo
is exemplified in this issue with sizable shots. A few
other previews in the issue include Soul Hackers, Ronde,
Street Fighter Collection, and Dead or Alive. DOA
debuted on the Saturn and eventually became Tecmo's
flagship franchise on the PS2 and Xbox.
A 21-page pull-out guide is included in every issue which checks
out Samurai Spirits RPG, which was released on the
Saturn, the Playstation and the Neo-CD in 1997. The
guide takes readers through the
game in spoiler-free detail with information on bosses,
integral events, and other useful data which are all
collected in a handy booklet.
A 9-page article on Dokyusei 2 shows off some near-nudity and a subsequent
piece on Sentimental Graffiti details where to meet
girls in the game. A 5-page spread on Yuno treats
readers to gratuitous screen captures of girls in
lingerie. Addition yellow label game coverage includes Dragon
Knight 4, Graduation S, and Roommate Summer Vacation.
Bulk Slash, Thunderforce V, Virus, Chaos Seed,
Langrisser IV, and many others are featured in the
"Continue to Report!!" section which checks out games
that have already been released but demand additional
attention and miniature guides.
Reviews are located towards the back of the magazine - Dokyusei 2
earns a 7.6 and Bulk Slash garnered only a 6.6. There's
seven other games reviewed in the issue but many of them
scored quite poorly. The issue closes with a preview of
upcoming games including Ultraman 2, Herc's Adventures,
Noon and about 10 others.
NCS prices each issue at US$7.50 which includes shipping with Media
Mail + Delivery confirmation within the USA. |
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