DESPITE BEING MADE BY A BRAND-NEW TEAM AND FIRST-TIME DIRECTOR, PANZER DRAGOON DID NOT FEEL LIKE A FIRST FLIGHT. IT SOARED WITH THE CONFIDENCE OF A STUDIO ALREADY IN COMMAND OF ITS VOICE, EXPANDED THE SHOOTER GENRE, AND HINTED AT THE FUTURE CINEMATIC POTENTIAL OF VIDEOGAMES

SEGA’S 32-BIT CONSOLE WAS THE GO-TO SYSTEM IF YOU WANTED SENSATIONAL SHMUPS TO PLAY AT HOME. HERE WE PICK OUT SOME OF THE SATURN’S BEST EXAMPLES, JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE DEEP POCKETS!

Alongside rivals Mastertronic, Firebird dominated the 8-bit budget market during the Eighties. As a result, there are plenty of games from the publisher that you may have missed. Retro Gamer takes a look at some of those games across several systems. How many did you play?

TOKYO XTREME RACER captures the stylish spirit of street racing

Rolling around at the speed of sound in ONCE UPON A KATAMARI

The sublimely silly MEGABONK makes fighting the armies of darkness a riot