Tails of Saturn | Irreel - Unreal for Sega Saturn Homebrew by XL2 Real Hardware @TailsOfSaturn | Uploaded December 2022 | Updated October 2024, 11 hours ago.
XL2s Unreal port to the Saturn running in his Hellslave engine. This is the entry to the Sega Xtreme Sega Saturn 28th Anniversary homebrew competition.
Running on real Hardware. The Game is burned to a blank disc and running on my 60Hz modded PAL Saturn using a Pseudo Saturn Cart. Output via an RGB Scart cable, line doubled in an OSSC and recorded with a USB Capture device.
This is a port of the 1998 PC game and XL2 has done a spectacular job. Everything is just awesome in this
Gameplay
It plays about the same as XL2s previous iteration, HellSlave. You play with Turok style controls, looking with the analogue stick and moving with the face buttons. Movement is fast and fluid, making it enjoyable just to explore the levels. The Unreal weapons have been introduced and feel right. The weight and force of the weapons is conveyed and they feel good to use. The recreation of the Unreal level is very well done as well, it is unmistakeably the start of unreal and, other than graphical cutbacks and despite being a recreation, it hasn't excluded anything that was there and necessary in the original, including the vast scale of the level. All of the story text has been included as well, making this a very complete experience.
Graphics
Amazing. It runs at a decent resolution. Except for the environment mapping on the guns, all the special effects from HellSlave seem to have made it over, but the PC version of Unreal didn't have environment mapping anyway. The new weapons look great and seem to have a higher geometric detail than previously.
The lighting looks gorgeous. Everything is dark and moody, true to the original, and in this dark setting the smooth dynamic lighting looks amazing, particularly over the weapons as you move through the environment. The flare effects from light sources help make all the lighting look even more dramatic. You have reflective surfaces where they are supposed to be and they look great. Even objects and light sources are reflected.
The textures are varied and dripping with detail. There are animated monitor displays including ones that display camera feeds showing your character. Visible text can be read on walls. Transparent glass panels have a subtle texture creating the feel of light distortion as you look through it.
The level itself is huge with vast open areas. The sky is an infinite plane with moving transparent clouds. What's best about all this is the amount going on in the level. Its not just static. As you go through the first part of the level, you are treated to explosions casting lighting effects across the scenery and players weapon. You see player bodies explode, sending 3d chunks and blood particle effects everywhere. Spinning fans make the level feel alive with what appears to be an oscillating lighting effect behind them to simulate how they occlude light on the other side. Once you get outside, your treated to vast views, with a flowing waterfall, a great chasm and a pond in the corner with a transparent surface + animated flowing effects. Collectable items are 3D and rotate, they are also well textured and easy to identify.
Once you encounter the first enemies things get really impressive. First off, the enemies look amazing. The 3D models look great and resemble the ones from the original game. They are animated nicely as well, pointing their guns as they shoot and moving their limbs smoothly as the move about the stage. As you shoot the enemy, blood splatters out of them. Your weapons and bullets illuminate the surroundings, with smooth, coloured lighting sources streaming through the corridors. Honestly this lighting looks very different to the PC original, but I prefer the Saturn effect. You also get multiple enemies on screen at once without much dip in FPS, even with 3 or 4 enemies on screen at once.
Sound
A very good recreation of the originals sound. Wonderful sound effects throughout. The muffled voice over the intercom at the start fades in and out as you move closer and further away from the source. Screams in the distance echo down the corridors while your weapons sound chunky, just as they should. As you pass the various objects in the game you get treated to sirens, electrical buzzing, sounds of wind howling while outside, running water effects and more.
The music is really great too. It sounds like the original to me. Not sure if a similar song has been recreated or the original has been used, but it sounds great and really fits the mood.
Overall
This looks and feels like a professional port to the Saturn. I hope we get more. Really fun to play and a wonder to behold.
You can download it here:
segaxtreme.net/threads/sega-saturn-28th-anniversary-game-competition.25278/#post-183476
Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhPALRBm_hKfLl6QfMNejm0NGA9ke8fMn
XL2s Unreal port to the Saturn running in his Hellslave engine. This is the entry to the Sega Xtreme Sega Saturn 28th Anniversary homebrew competition.
Running on real Hardware. The Game is burned to a blank disc and running on my 60Hz modded PAL Saturn using a Pseudo Saturn Cart. Output via an RGB Scart cable, line doubled in an OSSC and recorded with a USB Capture device.
This is a port of the 1998 PC game and XL2 has done a spectacular job. Everything is just awesome in this
Gameplay
It plays about the same as XL2s previous iteration, HellSlave. You play with Turok style controls, looking with the analogue stick and moving with the face buttons. Movement is fast and fluid, making it enjoyable just to explore the levels. The Unreal weapons have been introduced and feel right. The weight and force of the weapons is conveyed and they feel good to use. The recreation of the Unreal level is very well done as well, it is unmistakeably the start of unreal and, other than graphical cutbacks and despite being a recreation, it hasn't excluded anything that was there and necessary in the original, including the vast scale of the level. All of the story text has been included as well, making this a very complete experience.
Graphics
Amazing. It runs at a decent resolution. Except for the environment mapping on the guns, all the special effects from HellSlave seem to have made it over, but the PC version of Unreal didn't have environment mapping anyway. The new weapons look great and seem to have a higher geometric detail than previously.
The lighting looks gorgeous. Everything is dark and moody, true to the original, and in this dark setting the smooth dynamic lighting looks amazing, particularly over the weapons as you move through the environment. The flare effects from light sources help make all the lighting look even more dramatic. You have reflective surfaces where they are supposed to be and they look great. Even objects and light sources are reflected.
The textures are varied and dripping with detail. There are animated monitor displays including ones that display camera feeds showing your character. Visible text can be read on walls. Transparent glass panels have a subtle texture creating the feel of light distortion as you look through it.
The level itself is huge with vast open areas. The sky is an infinite plane with moving transparent clouds. What's best about all this is the amount going on in the level. Its not just static. As you go through the first part of the level, you are treated to explosions casting lighting effects across the scenery and players weapon. You see player bodies explode, sending 3d chunks and blood particle effects everywhere. Spinning fans make the level feel alive with what appears to be an oscillating lighting effect behind them to simulate how they occlude light on the other side. Once you get outside, your treated to vast views, with a flowing waterfall, a great chasm and a pond in the corner with a transparent surface + animated flowing effects. Collectable items are 3D and rotate, they are also well textured and easy to identify.
Once you encounter the first enemies things get really impressive. First off, the enemies look amazing. The 3D models look great and resemble the ones from the original game. They are animated nicely as well, pointing their guns as they shoot and moving their limbs smoothly as the move about the stage. As you shoot the enemy, blood splatters out of them. Your weapons and bullets illuminate the surroundings, with smooth, coloured lighting sources streaming through the corridors. Honestly this lighting looks very different to the PC original, but I prefer the Saturn effect. You also get multiple enemies on screen at once without much dip in FPS, even with 3 or 4 enemies on screen at once.
Sound
A very good recreation of the originals sound. Wonderful sound effects throughout. The muffled voice over the intercom at the start fades in and out as you move closer and further away from the source. Screams in the distance echo down the corridors while your weapons sound chunky, just as they should. As you pass the various objects in the game you get treated to sirens, electrical buzzing, sounds of wind howling while outside, running water effects and more.
The music is really great too. It sounds like the original to me. Not sure if a similar song has been recreated or the original has been used, but it sounds great and really fits the mood.
Overall
This looks and feels like a professional port to the Saturn. I hope we get more. Really fun to play and a wonder to behold.
You can download it here:
segaxtreme.net/threads/sega-saturn-28th-anniversary-game-competition.25278/#post-183476
Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhPALRBm_hKfLl6QfMNejm0NGA9ke8fMn
