Layer Section & Galactic Attack - Sega Saturn Review
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 12 фев 2023
- Ported from the Taito F3 System by Ving, it was nearly everything you wanted in a vertical shoot'em up.
I'm now on Patreon! Help support the channel.
/ segalordx
Check out my Sega Lord X merchandise page!
segalordx.threadless.com/
If you would like to support the channel directly:
www.paypal.me/segalordx
Head over to Facebook to hear me ramble about various things:
/ segalordx
I'm now on Twitter!
/ sega_lord_x
Opening "Sega" jingle is from Astal for the Sega Saturn.
Ending Music during the credits is from Batman for the Sega Genesis.
SLX Logo
By: Jan Neves
RUclips Page - / jan3d
Intro by Evan S.
portfolio.tsestudios.com/
Episode Notes:
1. Arcade captured from MAME. Saturn from real hardware.
2. PS2 version on Taito Memories. Xbox version on Taito Legends 2.
3. There's also a prequel in this series called RayCrisis.
4. The S-Tribute version on modern platforms has a rewind and save state feature that makes it infinitely easier.
5. This is one of my favorites on the Saturn. Shienryu is really the only vertical shooter that tops it IMO.
6. Hitting the L shoulder button will get rid of the HUD if it's bothering you.
7. To start the game with 8 credits instead of the usual 4, on the title screen hold L+R+Left+C on the control pad, and press start. 
Игры
Playing this in Japanese arcades were great enough. When I saw Layer Section on the Saturn in a Japanese game store, I said a loud resounding "YES" and yoink it was mine for my Japanese Saturn. I play this on M.A.M.E., my Egret ii mini, and soon I will be playing in on the Ray's collection for the Switch. Such a great shootemup.
Shmups were often either too hard for me as a kid, or too boring. But Galactic Attack was different. I absolutely loved it! And played it again and again throughout the years!
Schmups are ridiculously hard most of the time but they can be so fun
lately I've been balls deep in RType for Master System and I can't even beat the first level but I can't stop playing, same with Fantasy Zone for Gamegear.
One of my favorite Saturn shooters and I am stoked for the upcoming Ray'z Arcade Chronology!
True story back in 1994 a Taito exec was visiting the company I was working for. He secretly told us that Taito was releasing Gunlock/Rayforce for the Saturn. I couldn't believe it since it was my favorite arcade shmup. I got it on release and played it nonstop for weeks until I beat it.
weeks to beat it?
@@Vvewa yeah the last two levels are crazy hard and you only get 4 credits.
@@Vvewa Yes...WEEKS!!! (I remember sitting playing this game with rolled down blinds in the middle of the summer, a couple of hours every day for almost a month) .....good times!
The composer of Ray series, Tamayo Kawamoto, who also composed many famous Capcom games like Black Tiger, Forgotten Worlds and Ghouls 'n Ghosts, what a talent.
This and Guardian Heroes are the reason I will never forget my Saturn.
I love Galactic Attack sooooo hard. One of my most common "retro comfort-games". It's one of the shooters I show people that say they aren't into shooters. The music, the art, the gameplay... *Chef's kiss*
Good review! I love shmups and this one definitely has been on my "must-play" list for awhile! The Sega Saturn was definitely the system for high-quality shmups, but you usually had to import a number of them! I can't believe how gorgeous this game looks even decades later!
It is a shame there was a bias in gaming magazines towards anything 3D back in the mid to late nineties. Honestly, even as a kid, it felt really unfair and ignorant that they would just bash 2D games on the fifth-generation consoles! The funny thing is, many of these 2D games have aged much better than the 3D games of their time!
It's not often to see a relatively unknown third party Saturn developer master VDP2 like this one apparently did. Even Sega themselves rarely showed this level of proficiency with it. Wow.
I wish the developer made background/plane engine for Sega and 2nd parties to use.
I was also starved for new Saturn games when I bought Galactic Attack. I believe that it was the first 32-bit 2D shmup that I ever played, as my local arcade was pretty crap, only having a few old shmups. I quickly got addicted to it, especially with the lock-on mechanic that I loved in Panzer Dragoon, and even turned our 27" CRT on its side in order to play it right! Anyway, it ended up being one of the last few great 2D vertical shmups, before the genre was perverted into "bullet vomit" and stopped being fun. I still own it, along with Darius Gaiden, which I also love. Acclaim did few things worthy of praise, but bringing these two games out in the West were two of them!
One of my Saturn all-time greats.
My favorite was Sonic Wings Special
Great game! Also, if you press the L or R shoulder button (I forget which one) you can clear the screen of all the ammo/health bar/stats and just have the clean screen with the graphics.
I was about to mention this as I was a bit shocked that it wasn't brought up in the video. Provides a lot more screen real estate if playing in Saturn mode.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOUR REVIEWS. ITS HONEST AND PRAISED WHERE WORTHY, AND DOSEN'T PULL PUNCHES ON FAULTS. I BASE SOME OF MY GAME PURCHASES ON YOUR SPOT ON HONEST REVIEWS. THANKS!
Rented this game on a whim in early 1996 and didn't realize how much I needed it. One of my top 5 shmups to this day.
This is one of my all-time favorite games. It's so polished, and the level design is cinematic and inventive. I also love the music, which is almost like a movie soundtrack with the music complementing what's happening in the stage. A ton of great ideas were packed into this game. But yeah, it's punishingly difficult. Another great review!
I'm hot sure if you've reviewed Gekirindan, but it's another great 2-D shooter from that mid-90s period when Taito could do no wrong.
I remember getting this along with a Saturn itself in 2002.
Didn't think much else of the game but it drew me and as soon as I started to play it.
So glad that I got it again on the Switch xD
Truxton on Genesis, Galactic Attack on Saturn & Sturmwind on Dreamcast.
My go-to shooters.
Although Cannon spike is right there also
I love the story to the Layer Section game. The same story line may connect multiple titles in the arcade. Different arcade games utilizing different weapons to combat the same boss enemy. That way you can come out with arcade titles that are in the same genre which last 6 months or so and the slight variation is exciting, rather than the consumer getting bored, they see as a sequel which is distinct, and they want to play to see how the story ends. Astro Warrior, Layer Section, Bomber Raid, etc... can be all part of the same war being fought different ways at different locations. Time for a generational game change upgrade to these types, and the best way to do it is offer multiple titles! Same thing as Age of Ultron!
When you think of Layers, you think of Shrek with that one particular scene where Shrek says “Layers! Onions have layers.”
This has always been one of very top favorite Saturn games. I remember I used to flip my CRT on it's side to play the vertical mode. Hell, even to this day, I'll prop up my flat screen against the wall vertically to play it that way. It's SO much better than playing in regular mode or vertical mode with a horizontal screen. Such a great game.
I managed to snatch this boy up along with Darius Gaiden from the bargain bin at Toys'R'us for super cheap. I'd never heard of either but they blew my mind when I brought'em home.
Zuntata were master's of their craft, the games that they did soundtracks to tended to have some of the best game music out there. Rayforce/Layer Section is a prime example of excellent Zuntata music, and the game is awesome.
Own the Saturn version, got it on Taito Legends 2 PC, and on the PS2 by way of the Taito Memories Japanese collections.
I've never even heard of this game! Holy cow is it beautiful! It looks like it's a modern tribute game, I love all the scaling in it too, especially when those land pieces fall back to the ground.
I loved titles like this and the soundtrack? Perfect!
omg this game rocks with speakers. the explosions was bananas!!!! this is a must have for saturn fans
I love this game, and I'm so glad it was my first shoot'em up. The graphics, the sound, the gameplay are all great. I still have the Saturn version from back in the day. I'm glad it's been/being ported.
32 bit systems really shine with 2D games. A lot of 2D games from that era still hold up today, particularly the SHMUPs and JRPGs.
Today is my birthday and I've been rockin' with SLX for a couple of years now! This video is amazing! The Sega saturn was something I missed out on growing up so seeing its content here is always a delight. Thanks for the content and memories. Through the good days and bad I always enjoyed hearing SLX takes on games. it's always fun to tune and see what's new! This channel is amazing! Awesome content brother! Keep it up and have a great Holiday with your family and friends!
This is one of my favorite Saturn games
This is the kind of game that's a ton of fun even if you don't beat it.
I agree. An average player can easily see the first 4 to 5 stages of this, and they are the best stages in the game.
@SegaLordX It's actually a thorn in my side that I've never finished this game. I've died on the final boss so many times. I can beat Einhander but not Galactic Attack. I'll probably give it another shot one day. Ugh.
I just found Galactic Attack this weekend. Very cool game.
I loved this in the day. Especially the music.
I really miss those days.
One of my personal favorites.
I was recently debating whether my next shmups should be either Galactic Attack or Darius Gaiden. I went with the latter and oh my God, it is brutal 😅 will definitely pick this one up next. It looks beautiful
I don't remember what drove my brother to purchase this way back in the day, but this was definitely in our top 10 Saturn games. We spent countless hours on this and always came back for more.
8:34 He's right. I turned my CRT on it's side to play Gamecube Ikaruga back in the day in arcade mode and it started turning the bottom edge of the screen purple after a couple plays. I think it might've been the magnet in the speaker. It got better, but those things don't grow on trees anymore.
Galactic Attack is an impressive port! I didn't know the arcade mode can only be played in Tate!
I played the two sequel games; raystorm and ray crisis. the music to this franchise is as always amazing.
Polygons kind of took away from the beauty of the series in my opinion. The 2d mastery was impressive.
@@nufiya999 I somehwat disagree that the polygonal look was 'lesser' but i have to agree the 2d art was amazing. I love the ships from Raystorm.
If I’m doing top 10 lists for the Saturn this invariably ends up on there somewhere. It was truly perfect in every way. The “less is more” feel of the weapons upgrade system absolutely captivated me and I still find it more enjoyable than a lot of more expensive, more hyped shmups. I have a good sized Saturn library and Layer Section always competes for my time.
Good video. Galactic Attack is a good Saturn shoot 'em up that I had a lot of fun playing.
Galactic Attack is one of my all-time favorite shooters. It has such a beautiful look that is the perfect embodiment of arcade games of the early '90s. I'd call it one of the most if not the most underrated Saturn games, and I prefer it over Radiant Silvergun or Battle Garegga.
Yo me compré la Taito Egret II mini principalmente por este juego, creo que es la forma definitiva para jugarlo, gracias al modo tate y su arcade stick... Y cabe en cualquier sitio!
For some reason I never heard of that game. It looks and sounds (and probably plays) better than most games released today.
Im glad to see that some Saturn games are coming to Switch. The 90s aesthetics in games and anime Its just superb. I hope to see the Magic Knight Rayearth rpg and the Parodius series coming to Switch too.
Sega lord x have the most knowledge on arcades. Respect.
I absolutely love Layer Section. Ever since I got my copy, almost a year ago, it's one of the Saturn games I keep going back to. It definitely rewards persistence, and punishes complacency. All this time and I've only ever made it to the 6th stage boss a few times. That 6th stage is just brutal. Great vid.
This looks like a great game to me.
I stupidly sold this one since I felt like I had so many shmups, but I would love to return to it. A lot of people tout it as one of the better Saturn shmups, and it is legit one of the only good ones under $50, so that counts for something.
so now i have to fire up the saturn to play some galactic attack. it has been a while.
Thanks for this... I had this game fall 97' for the Saturn. The Toy's R Us by my house used to always have sales on Saturn games-
I always loved the music in this game!
Purchased Galactic Attack many years ago from Electronics Boutique in my local mall for 19.99 still have the lil sticker on the case. Didn't know anything about the game, only that it was cheaply priced. I loved the game from day one. It's near perfect imo. Recently purchased it again in Layer Section. Price was right once again so I had to get it. My Japanese games collection is growing.
I also have my first Japanese Saturn console coming in the mail as I type this.
I simply love Sega and the Saturn.
Solid review on this gem of a shmup.
I played a lot of Layer Section on PC. I had my "shmups fever" stage where I played every shooter I could find, like Raiden 1 on PS1 (it's not very good on PC) and Raiden 2 on PC (my favorite) or Raiden DX on PS1, Strikers 1945 1 and 2 on PS1, Donpachi and Dodonpachi on PS1 too (or was it PS2?), Ikaruga on Dreamcast, Raiden 3 on PS2, Mushihime Sama on PS2, and lots more. I was obsessed with this kind of games.
Binging your Saturn videos while Im in Japan and building my first Saturn collection. Thanks so much and Happy New Year!
Happy new year! And thank you!
Hey SLX, thanks for being such an amazing tour guide to all things Sega. My personal Sega experiences ended when my Sega CD and 32X became obsolete. I felt jipped by Sega and moved into the PC gaming world. I really liked how you mentioned the other platforms that you can play this game on. Keep up the great work. Per chance have you played the Panzer Dragoon remake that came out on PC in 2020? I'm sure you have put if you haven't, you might want to give it try. Cheers!
I have a big soft spot for Galactic Attack. I found it at a thrift store, it was I think my third ever Saturn game, and I didn't know much about it other than it being a shmup.
I was pretty thrilled when I started playing it. I could tell I had stumbled onto something of real quality
I always picked Saturn mode because I couldn't deal with the sideways aspect of arcade mode, despite the enhanced 2D FX, which I didnt realize the enhancements were there bitd anyway. And forget turning my 27 inch CRT on its side. I loved Galactic Attack and Darius Gaiden, both were phenomenally well-designed and entertaining 2D shooters.
I had this one shortly around 2016. To bad I had issues with the disc but damn, was a great game.
TOP CONTENT, X - instantly clicked this!
Absolutely love this beautiful 2D shmup.
Zuntata soundtrack ftw
Absolutely love Layer Section. Played it constantly at the arcades back in the days and nowadays its one of the shmups on Saturn I keep coming back to play. I have preordered the RayStorm collection thats coming out next month and I can’t wait to revisit all games.
This is my favorite shooter on the saturn. The look feel and sound are just amazing. The firs time i parted the atmopshere and took out the ground troops on the floating city, i was in love. The opening scene with the pilot aleays git me into the game. Anime was so mysterious and rare back then. I searched out anything anime back then.
I still play this game on iPad from time to time.
Turning a CRT TV on its side should be safe if you do it carefully and when it's cold. If you've been using it let it cool for half an hour before swithching positions (and same before turning it back to horizontal).
For what it’s worth, most consumer level TVs can be turned on their side, so long as you make 200% sure the screen is level and STABLE after you do it (most are not shaped to go tate-mode naturally), AND you have a reliable way to degauss the screen (most will do it with a power cycle).
I worked in TV and monitor repair for 13 years and most CRTs are not TATE ready. As you said, if most are not shaped for it then most are not ready for it. Not to mentioned many lack the structural integrity to do it.
@@SegaLordX Yeah, the internals are solid state but the screen is still glass and heavy, so if it falls off your table while sideways, it’s not gonna play Dodonpachi anymore XD
When I bought the game in 2021 on eBay, it was $60. Other awesome shooters, like Dodonpachi and Soukyugurentai, were easily over $100 dollars at the time.
Dude, I love your passion for the Sega Saturn and its games. I had that same passion at around 14! I wanted the Saturn to win the console wars so bad. While that didn't happen, I still have fond memories of the Saturn.
I'm so happy that the F3 is under development as a MiSTer core. This and Elevator Action Returns are so good!
These new thumbnails are lookin sick
Hey, SLX 🖐️ I guess you may find this info quite interesting: I specificslly checked out the PC version which is also called Layer Section, and thats for a good reason: perhaps you wouldnt believe it but its utterly based on the Saturn version 😲 not the original arcade, not even the PS1 port, nosiree! However, unlike the Saturn's port the Win95 version's got English text even though theres no trace of any of the export releases. A weird one indeed.
Loved this game! I feel like they probably could’ve gotten that moon effect too but maybe not enough time
I've had this for my Japanese Saturn for almost a year and love playing it almost daily.
Good day mr. Lord X, would I be able to request an in depth review of both cotton2 and cotton boomerang? Thanks for being the best channel on YT
You probably just saved multiple tvs with that warning about not turning crts on their side. Loved this game, and glad Acclaim stepped up to publish it in the west. Even if it probably didn't do so great sales wise.
Tate mode 4 life. I don’t care if I have to turn my tv sideways or see a chiropractor for the krink in my neck, it’s just far superior.
Looks awesome. I’m pretty sure I have a burned copy of this but never played it yet
Another great video with great analysis. You have the perfect voice for narration too! Also, do more GameSack collaboration vids, please.
I came across "Galactic Attack" on Sega Saturn in a pile of loose disc only Sega Saturn games one week at my local flea market. The guy selling them wasn't a dealer or collector for that matter, and didn't know what they were worth. Well after going through all of them and realizing they were ALL Sega Saturn games, I wanted the whole lot. I think I paid $20 or $25 for the pile of all the Saturn games. To give you an idea of the other games in this lot, it included: Sonic 3D Blast, Thunder Strike 2, Daytona USA, Sega Rally Championship Plus Netlink Edition, Cyber Speedway, WWF WrestleMania The Arcade Game, Virtua Fighter 2, Black Fire, Break Point Tennis, NBA Jam T.E., and the "bootleg sampler" demo disc. I still to this day can't believe how lucky I got with that find!!! Still own all of them too today!!
I´ve waiter for so long for this review. Thanks!!!!!!
there's no need to determine if it's something I want in my collection; I already have it! Love seeing this game get some attention, it's one of my favorite shmups of all time, and definitely a must own for the saturn. Great video! More folks need to see this.
Thanks for the cheat code, it’s a beast of a game to beat so I’ll give it a run with that! 😂. I’d like to hear your thoughts on Battle Garrera in a future episode. Have a great week!
Got this original JP copy for my modded saturn a few weeks back..one of the best shooters on saturn
I missed out on shmups as a kid. Trying to get into them as an adult this game so far has been the most appealing. This game is a masterpiece.
I was a couple decades late in getting a Saturn, but Galactic Attack was the first game I picked up. Also, M2 is developing a port of the entire Ray series which comes out in March for Switch and PS4 (in Japan only) that comes out in March. It even includes a HD Remaster of Ray Force and Ray Crisis in addition to the original arcade versions.
Thank you lord X for making a video on this game. I remember spending hours playing Galactic Attack on my Sega Saturn.😀😁🎮🕹
I love the Sega intro 👍
Great review SLX! I love this game but damn is it difficult! I gotta use that code at some point because the farthest I got with 4 continues was the half way point of Stage 6. Great video as always.
'Raystorm' 🥰 for PSX
Great video
I love seeing a pro play a shoot em up bcuz I suck SO HARD
It was awesome 😎
Thanks buddy! Never really got into shmups for some reason.
I appreciate how this game has both a proper tate mode and one where you can just play it as a horizontally scrolling shooter. Yeah, the HUD is going to be on its side, but at least it's still playable with the arcade graphics if you can't rotate your screen.
Looks like I need to dust off my Saturn and play this game again.
Galactic Attack looks awesome. 😀👍🎮
I'll have to check this out on Steam. This looks like a great game!
The Demo for this game is on PS4 folks.Thanks Segalordx you've talked me into buying it. 😀
Forget LCD. If your CRT has a degauss ring around the tube, just power cycle it in portrait mode, and you're good to go.
Nice coverage of the Saturn port! RayForce shows that great stage design is king. It was really bold for Taito to go back to Xevious limitations while games at the time follow Toaplan’s bomb formula to a tee.
For those who want to challenge the game without continues, be very careful since the port made it faster to gain the 2 extends, at 500k and 1mil. Sounds great, until you realize that means it will raise your rank much earlier than the arcade default’s 1mil and 2mil. There is no option to change this.
I wish I were good at shooters. They're so damn pretty and I love the special effects and explosions
Great game! Thank you for video! We need MORE Saturn))
The replay value comes from learning and mastering the game's scoring system. All 3 games in the Ray series focus the scoring on the lock-on system. The more lock-ons you can achieve, the higher the score multiplier for each destroyed enemy, with a full lock-on garnering the highest multiplier. If you can delay gratification and not just spam the laser, you can rack up much better scoring by doing full lock-ons whenever possible. There are situations where you can't, but more often than not, there are ways to maximize this. That does mean single credit play, but obviously, the more time you put in, the more immediately you learn the stages and can get through them with fewer deaths.
RayForce RayStorm and RayCrisis are all awesome games I love this series Though I started with the last game and worked backwards cos RayCrisis was available to me first
Just picked up a jp copy of this and Darius Gaiden! Good timing dude :)