"Pandamonium is the most interesting, cutting edge video game documentarian on the internet right now" Barack Obama

That Steven Spielberg quote is actually real, but it was not said in regards to Bug!. That was Mr Spielberg's reaction after playing Pebble Beach Golf Links.

@PandaMoniumReviews

Жыл бұрын

FACTS

@jordanbisasky4586

Жыл бұрын

"do you think Spielberg could put it inside Craig Stadler's" :P jk

I can understand why 90s gamers lost their minds over Bug and gave it high review scores, because I saw Bug on an in-store Sega Saturn demo kiosk in 1995, and it turned my world upside down. It looked unbelievable. Long after we left the store, I was still thinking about it.

@BlasterBand

Жыл бұрын

Back then, we all thought anything and everything 3D or pseudo-3D was amazing.

@thomaspleacher2735

Жыл бұрын

@@BlasterBand Yes. It's why Faceball 2000 for the Gameboy cast a spell on me as a kid even though it's unplayable today.

@planescaped

Жыл бұрын

@@BlasterBand I dunno... kid me hated Ocarina of time and FF7 because they weren't Link to the Past or FF6. :P

@AliC202

Жыл бұрын

@@planescaped hating on cheap 3D games is fair but I think kid you was just stupid

@pferreira1983

Ай бұрын

It still looks great. Very unique in style.

5 Minutes original review now become an hour extended review ?? This is another level of dedication that we appreciated very much ...

@BlasterBand

Жыл бұрын

I hope to see more videos like this that go into the real nitty-gritty about how the games were developed.

@Mitsuraga

2 ай бұрын

Panzer Dragoon really deserves a more in-depth look.

30:15 really good Tim Rogers impression tbh

That opening was jaw dropping. And that transition to the theme song is the best you've ever done

@wussup12345

Жыл бұрын

The opening theme is so fucking corny tho. Makes me wanna shoot bro in da face

I love how your reviews are more so full on documentaries rather than actual reviews. Not that you don't have good critical analysis of games, but that your reviews are so much more than just critical analysis. Going on a 5 minute tangent about Spielberg's false quote is just a single example of how in depth an interesting your reviews are.

"Sonic Jam overworld" That's a desperate reach to put some shine on SEGA. Loved the video.

@BrySkye

Жыл бұрын

You say that, but it was kind of a big moment in the Saturn press. There had been a lot of criticism about what the Saturn was really capable of by that time, and I remember Sonic World, as it was, getting a lot of attention about its smooth performance, reasonably tight controls and I specifically remember praise about what passed for a transparent water effect. It's a vague memory but I seem to recall some hyperbole from the UK Official Saturn Magazine making comparisons to it being the Saturn's first true moment to show something that could rival Super Mario 64. Which was indeed a reach, but probably a slightly more relevant remark to the European audience, saying as the N64 and Mario 64 didn't launch here until March 1997, so Sonic Jam was only about 6 months later. Close enough to cling to a hope of relevancy that it would lead to something greater for the system.

@balohna

Жыл бұрын

I thought it was more to emphasize just how mediocre Bug is compared to other 3D platformers. Super Mario 64 alone practically made everything before it obsolete.

I've always been curious if Bug! had any influence on Sonic Xtreme, as a lot of Sonic Xtreme's leaked footage looks like Bug! but with a fish eye lens on the camera.

@ABlob

Жыл бұрын

Well, we know now that Real Time was also working on Sonic X-Treme itself at some point. That one build by Real Time that somehow surfaced to the public decades later reused an already existing level (Jade Gully Act 2, if I recall correctly?), had no fisheye lens and used very simplistic run and jump controls, and that was kind of it. I assume that Sega probably asked Real Time to save X-Treme after Sega Technical Institute started struggling on that game, and then that attempt wasn't good enough for one reason or another, or they gave up entirely on it before Real Time could do anything good with it...? Was the Real Time version after the Project Condor phase of Sonic X-Treme failed? (The Project Condor phase was an entirely new 3D game; the version with Sonic as a 3D model (on the Saturn this time, not the 32X)) I do wanna know what's going on with that Real Time version of Sonic X-Treme though. Where did that take place on the timeline of X-Treme versions? Why did it not go through? Guessing isn't good enough when you could theoretically ask the developers themselves.

The "quote" has been removed from Wikipedia. :) STILL WORKING ON SEGA RALLY in case you were wondering. Thanks for watching. This comment was heavily edited, the original was a comment about the then upcoming live premiere of this video.

@dominict1981

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for all your hard work 🙏🏼

@thomaspleacher2735

Жыл бұрын

I get really excited every time I see a new upload is on the way from you. Can't wait for Sega Rally!

@segamon

Жыл бұрын

The Sega Rally video will be awesome, I'm sure!

@ricardoediza2690

Жыл бұрын

Yo

@Fallsy83

6 ай бұрын

Really enjoyed your virtua cop vid lasted me a few days you seem to have slowed down with your uploads your not thinking about giving up are you?I hope not as I am running out of your videos to watch really appreciate all the hard work your putting in brings back loads of memories from when I had my Saturn I really enjoyed Saturn bomber man with it's 10 player windscreen mode 😊

If Spielberg isn’t gonna be interviewed here, I’m telling Chairman Segata on you

@aortaplatinum

Жыл бұрын

Spielbug

@ricardoediza2690

Жыл бұрын

Guess who going to jail tonight

“Ma, take me to Jack in the box, I want the Bug toy in my kids meal” No person has ever said this

@segamon

Жыл бұрын

I got that Bug toy as a kid. I also got the other Sega toys at Jack as well. I think that I did ask my mom for that Bug toy. 😆

@icystorm9

Жыл бұрын

I want the Bug toy!!

@DarkEmissary617

4 ай бұрын

I would have been honored to have been the first to say that. Bug is awesome and I do thankfully have 2 of his only figure.

I feel seen for perhaps the first time in my life. Incredible work my guy. Bug! had an outside influence in my life as a kid, I could not get past the 3rd world no matter how hard I tried and so I sent a literal letter through the actual mail to Sega explaining how unfair I thought the game was. I still have fond thoughts of the game to this day though, it's got that 90s charm to it

@PandaMoniumReviews

Жыл бұрын

Yo, thank you so much for the contribution - and that is incredible that you actually sent a letter to Sega about Bug’s difficulty. (As you should!) The difficulty on many Sega Away Team games is unreasonable.

Dude, I can't stress this enough, your videos are fucking incredible. You deserve like 3000x the views and subs you get. I always look forward to watching these when they drop. May Segata bless you.

I can't stress how much i look forward to these. Thank you Mr. Panda, sir.

@joshuasanderson7359

Жыл бұрын

Agreed!!

Despite its flaws, Bug! was one of my favorite video games on the Saturn.

It's amazing that I recognized Bug as revolutionary and uninteresting when I was 13 years old. I went straight from being a Sega diehard to a Playstation owner.

@tiredastired

Жыл бұрын

i remember not liking it even at around half that age. my biggest curiosity in following this series is eventually pinpointing the last saturn game i got, i really wanna remember what broke me lol

This video is incredible. The editing and research dedicated to “Bug!” for the Sega Saturn. People need to see this. You played and got footage for Normie’s Beach Babe-o-Rama for this video.

@tiredastired

Жыл бұрын

some of us play and get footage for normie’s beach babe o rama every damn day

Dude, your comedic timing and taste is amazing. The little nod to Boomerang with the wind up Bug is *Chef's Kiss*

Wow! I saw your tweet looking for info on the Spielberg quote a while back, glad to have stumbled across this video for closure.

Still the undisputed champion of KZread Saturn content.

Just wanted to say i absolutely love your videos! serious in depth research and review of these Saturn games. My young daughter and i adore playing sega saturn together. we currently are playing nights into dreams. perhaps you will still be making these videos by the time she's fully grown in your quest to review every U.S. Saturn game and we will remines together about the good old days of playing saturn together while watching your reviews and hearing the back stories of these games. BTW she likes bug as well but my god is it infuriating. I think its hard as an adult for a young kid its a temper tantrum inducing nightmare! give me mario 64 for the little one any day of the week! Keep up the work and much love from us saturn fans

@PandaMoniumReviews

Жыл бұрын

Loved reading the story, I hope you and your fam continue to enjoy this console’s wonderful library. Thank you for passing it down to the next generation.

The Sega Saturn has always been a curiosity for me. I remember wandering around in Myst and playing Daytona USA on my half-brother's Saturn and then I never saw it again. Learning about the blunders of Sega and the infighting of US and Japan Sega branches that lead to a promising console to lose steam from the beginning is such a delight. Can't wait for the rest!

I've never had a Sega console, and have never played the vast majority of the games you're reviewing so I have absolutely no nostalgia towards them whatsoever. And yet I always find myself glued to the screen for each new review, just because they're so fascinating, and well made. Additionally, as someone who's currently working in the games industry, it's really heartwarming to see someone put so much effort into creating content that talks about the industry's history. Kudos to you, Mr. Panda Man

Thank you for opening the packaging on the Bug! Jack in the Box Action Figure 🙏🏽

I'm part of the problem. I've been giving the Spielberg "quote" for years. Absolutely incredible, thanks for going the extra mile.

Fun fact! This is one of the best channels on KZread.

Wow, an hour-long plus review of Bug! that is...really good, has amazing footage and is entertaining the whole way through. Why doesn't this channel have more subs!? Thanks for the heads up about the Japanese version. Had no idea it was so different.

Fun fact: I actually got a Yoshi wind-up toy for Easter this year. It also stopped working soon after I got it, though in this case, it at least lasted a few days. Still, that ending bit about the Bug wind-up toy breaking after two windups reminded me of that thing.

I bought a Saturn in Japan because I love your videos PandaMonium! I already had so much fun playing and am looking forward to play some more.

Thanks for using that Casiopea midi. Really enhanced the magazine scores segment.

Once again, amazing video. Literally one of the best series on KZread. In general, I find the whole video game documentaries/retrospectives to be an annoying trend on KZread, as most of them are just unnecessarily long and bloated game reviews that repeat themselves again and again, but yours are different. Your last 5ish videos have done a phenomenal job at showcasing the insane video game landscape of 1995 and the pure incompetence of Sega as a company. Your ability to dig deep into these games to tell us the story of the Saturn is impressive. I didn't realize Bug! had that much relevant history to the Saturn. I also love how you have been including the programmers and designers of these games as first hand sources. These guys finally get their voices heard and it gives a whole other perspective of video game design in the mid 90s. I always learn something about the Saturn in these videos and it just makes me want to start collecting for Saturn and learn more about it. I just have a few comments that I wanted to share. You did mention it, but I think its worth reenforcing when you said that Super Mario 64 was why people don't remember many of these mid 90s platformers like Bug! Super Mario 64 was one of the nuclear bombs in video game history and Bug! was one of its casualties. Just in its demos, it obliterated nearly every single platformer at the time and it changed platformers forever. And the ones that survived, like Crash Bandicoot, had to make significant improvements just to compete(which ended up being a great for Crash because Crash Bandicoot 2 is one of pinnacles of the PlayStation). There is a reason why the N64 survived even though it suffered from the blunder of not having nearly enough games released in it's first year. Why does that problem sound familiar? I also wanted to defend Sega's decision for the 32X. In hindsight, yes it was a foolish decision. But think back to 1994. The Genesis was starting to slow down sales wise, the Jaguar was boasting superior hardware capabilities(lol), and Donkey Kong Country was right on the rear view mirror. They also had internal knowledge that the Saturn was way behind development wise. They had a lot of pressure to do something. I understand the justification to bolstering the Genesis until the Saturn was ready. In theory, it would have given Sega breathing room to do the Saturn correctly and if they did the 32X correctly, Sega wouldn't have felt the need to chaotically rush the Saturn. The 32X also gave amazing ports of Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter, which shows that the 32X was capable of great games. I wonder if Sega didn't lay off 2/3 of their employees, if the extra bandwidth would have prevented the 32X from being a disaster, which may have prevented a lot of the mistakes of the Saturn? Anyways, you have been on a roll. You are doing a great service to the Saturn's history. I am looking forward to more of this series(crossing my figures for a Virtual Hydlide Revisit, because there is 0 info on that game and I find it fascinating). Thanks for your hard work.

This will sound familiar by now. I don’t ever comment on YT videos. The games you are reviewing are average at best. The videos are 90min at least. And yet your work is amazing. Thank you for going so deep in your research. It’s so much fun to watch 👏👏👏

Your videos continue to be an inspiration Panda! Albeit I won't be making saturn content but I will always strive for this quality and style with my analysis-type videos when I get to them. Thanks for your amazing work!

@PandaMoniumReviews

Жыл бұрын

Best of luck with your projects! Excited to see your vids.

I really love how at some point, you started interviewing the developers. That was a really good idea. It brings a perspective that no other game reviews have.

I never expected to see such an in-depth documentary on Bug! of all things, but this was a fantastic watch. Thanks for the video.

I played through it a couple of years ago and liked it a lot. I liked the 3D maze design of the levels. It just looks cool at times.

Bug never resonated with me, but I love how you turn every game you review into a huge piece of video game history. Thank you for your hard work.

Was getting worried but the world is good again with your videos sir.

Still the most criminally overlooked channel on this site.

1:03:38 yep, exactly what I did back in the day to work around the save file deletion : copy it to a backup cartridge after beating a world. It did make the game more enjoyable once I discovered that.

In a way, Bug didn't need a video as long, well documented, cleverly written, and creatively edited (not to mention fun to watch) as this one. But after watching it, well the game deserved it. You almost made me want to pop the disc in my Saturn to give it another chance (I don't have the time to do it at the moment, but still). Incredible work, lot of research that pay off. Still, I love the Saturn and its games, and I have some sort of a biais for "obscure" and forgotten games (including bad ones), but I wasn't exactly thrilled to watch an hour documentary about Bug! in the first place. And yet, this is amazing. Just discovered your channel, and I think you rocks. Keep up the good work on this series of reviews, I will be here to watch them. Every single one of them. Cheers from France.

Another unbelievable video, what else can you say, bravo 🙌

Your presentation style is really great. Thank you for your passion for saturn

I was really into insects as a kid. It was like my thing. We got the Saturn and we picked up bug along with a couple other games. I thought for sure that goes into my favorite game of all time. And then I played it I remember wanting to love it so hard, but I just couldn’t find myself enjoying it even back then I wasn’t sure at the time if I was bad at video games But I quickly realized that bug was just not a fun game and it was a hard pill to swallow. Honestly, my favorite part of the game was seeing sonic sprite in the little mini game. That was the first time I saw sonic on the Saturn. And in a weird way honestly, that’s kind my favorite part of bug to this day! Excellent video. I don’t think I ever made it past world 3.

Thank you for making all of these, can't wait for Sega Rally!

Dude, your quality is unmatched. I just wish you did more than 2 videos a year...but I guess that comes with the quality.

@PandaMoniumReviews

Жыл бұрын

Just need more free time, adult life be crazy.

@gurriato

Жыл бұрын

Only one hundred more years to go.

@josephrowe2202

Жыл бұрын

@@PandaMoniumReviews yes, I understand. I'm a 41 year old tech guy. I know. I wish you could do this full time, you're great and the best Saturn KZreadr in existence. I bought the Saturn in 95 and bug! Was one of my first games. So much promise, but Jesus it was difficult

@planescaped

Жыл бұрын

I am really looking forward to when we finally get a Shining Force 3 or Dragonforce video personally. The only Saturn games I actually still own. Also two of the best games on the console.

@josephrowe2202

Жыл бұрын

@@planescaped if you look back on it hindsight...the Saturn was the best of that gen. I also think PlayStation won handedly and probably should have. But Sega should have been #2

Subs have nearly doubled since I started watching this channel. Quality has increased EXPONENTIALLY. Thank you for another banger papa Panda 🐼

Fantastic video as always! This level of video game journalism is just not found anywhere else. Never thought this little gem from childhood would carry so much history and intrigue. Thank you for sharing so much great information!

I must have watched the original review of this 3 or 4 times. It's so incredible that there was so much more to say about this bug game. This was such a fascinating era of video game history and I'm glad we have someone so insightful to uncover it for us. Great vid panda!

Only 5 minutes in and you are already knocking it out of the park with both the presentation and investigation, fantastic work.

This is an incredible video. You deserve a lot more clicks.

Wonderful video! I'm glad to see someone on KZread who actually gathers accurate info.

I just know that the "Sonic Xtreme gets canceled" episode is gonna be so insane when it eventually comes out

I wasn't allowed to have game consoles until I was 11, when the Gamecube game out. So for a few years in the late nineties, one of the only opportunities I had to play non-PC video games was when I went to my Aunt's house a couple of times a year. She had a Saturn. Her favourite game for the console was Bug!. As a kid who only had a few fleeting hours with the console, it was really easy for me to enjoy Bug!. The cartoony nature of the game and 3D level design drew me in. But I was never able to even surpass the first level 🤪. Still, to be honest, my only experience with 3D platformers up to that point was playing Sonic 3D Blast for PC. So, to some extent, I was enjoying the novelty that Bug offered some years after Bug had already been surpassed by superior platformers. So it was....

@PandaMoniumReviews

Жыл бұрын

Love the story. :)

Another home run of a video by Pandamonium!

I like your theory about the difficulty difference between American and Japanese titles from this period...the first Panzer Dragoon stands out to me as an example. That game also seems to have like 3 or 4 revisions in both regions...and the game "supports" the analog controller in the last revisions.

Fantastic video! Very well put together, this deserves more publicity! Very well done :D

Bug! ❤️ The scene where bug got hit on the golf course was incredible.

The Boomerang channel theme playing while winding up the Bug Jack in the Box toy made me smile.

This isn't just reviewing, this is an in-depth history as well. Great video!!

Loved watching it .. and loved it even more watching again.. thank you for the quality content … honestly , you single handedly inspired me enough to get a Fenrir

Seriously! What absolutely phenomenal work putting this together! You are a champ to have brought to major interest the history of these games. Love it!

This video is such well edited and so detailed! Keep up the good work! Also 55:55 hurts me lmao. Poor Astal… underrated even back then…

I really appreciate these episodes. You do an excellent job pulling together various media to create a really nice documentary. Keep up the killer work.

So glad I just found this channel, I just got to the cut to the intro song and holy crap I can tell I’m gonna spend a loooooong time devouring the content here

Death crimson music? Lmao man you’re such a trip, in the best way. Masterful at this, truly one of the best at this. Among my favorites.

The "Let's Discuss the Contradiction" music got me rolling

In Bug Too, one of the greatest AI to Player insults EVER, was when those little green ghosts the early levels grab you and scream, "Looooserrr!!" 😅

Wow!!!!!!!! So much incredible gaming history!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great video, as always. You know, maybe part of the problem with Bug! aging well had less to do with the 3D platformer format as a whole and more to do with the missed potential with Bug! as a whole that existed within the game itself already. You even seem to admit that the game gets better later on, and it's almost as though maybe they should've gone for more of a puzzle or exploration angle than an action one.

Hahaha, thank you so much for the “cracking the seal” joke. Also, the 1+ hour documentary this is. Really awesome stuff.

12:40 I had no idea Bug! was the result of a fierce three way competition to see who could make the worst Sega Saturn game.

@planescaped

Жыл бұрын

Lol. Competition sure was tough.

Seeing a new one of these drop is always a bladdy treat. Thanks so much for these and keep it up! Looking forward to Sega Rally.

I’ve only recently gotten into the Saturn because of panzer dragoon and sega rally, but your videos have insane production quality, and research, not to mention the interviews. You, action button, and tehsnakerer out here making whole movies Looking forward to you talking about all 5 versions of rally championship on Saturn for 10 hours.

I can't imagine the difficulty developing games in that era building your own engine in assembly... In my assembly college class I felt accomplished adding and subtracting numbers lol Seems like Jaguar, 32X, Saturn were all doomed with poor dev kits?

That transition into your intro was smmmooottthhhh

fun fact Mr panda I own the JP copy of bug 1 and too and the Japanese version of Bug 1 doesn't seem to actually have that weird 3 save restriction the US version had

Man, your videos are always so well done and well researched. Personally I was a NES/Genesis kid and I have only seen 1 Saturn in my entire life, well besides playing Resident Evil on one at Kids R Us. While I might have adopted the PlayStation and went down the Sony route (I did have a Dreamcast at my dad's house) because of yours and others channels I have a lot of respect for the Saturn.

I love video essays about miscellaneous games! Keep it up!

Damn, this is quite the review, the added sections really explain a looooot about bug. I have it and I kinda knew something was off about the level design, this video really explains it. edit : Also the intro and that boomerang bumper reference? *chefs kiss*

this feels like a legit documentary bud - i haven't seen your current stuff yet but i hope you pursue this long format further

You got the Tim Rogers hair down 1:1, well done lol

Holy crap I just noticed the Boomerang reference when you opened the windup toy

This is one one of the best documentaries ive ever seen. Fantastic stuff well done!

Best channel on KZread.

Another great video. I hope you revisit the first panzer dragoon in this much detail one day.

Always an event when a new Panda video is uploaded.

30:15 yoooo I understood that reference! Tim Rogers is another of my favorite reviewers-turned-exhaustive-researchers-creating-ridiculously-in-depth-video-breakdowns-of-everything-about-and-surrounding-a-game

I always look forward to your videos. This was quite a ride.

you earned yourself a new subscriber, fantastic video!!

This is one of the best videos I've ever seen. An absolutely fantastic documentary, instant subscribe, cant wait to see what you put out next!

I used a memory card to have more "continues" because after every level I copyed it to the memory card. Loved that game.

Another fantastic video. The story, the game, the whole industry at the time. What great coverage and endlessly entertaining. Your work truly is one-of-a-kind! Keep it up!!! As much as Sonic is a true mascot of Sega in general, I think Craig Stadler has really grown to be a true mascot of the Saturn. I have fond and psychologically scarring memories of Bug! on the Saturn. It was one of the games I got when I first got the Saturn. I gave it a fair shot, but could never beat it. I now hear the Japan version calling.... :)

Thank you for making this!!! I’ve been looking for Bug! content

I'm from Kansas and always wondered why I never saw a Sega Saturn in person growing up. Looking at that map at 47:39 it makes sense now.

Man I love this channel! Great work man!

Really enjoyed the depth of the deep dive into Bug!! It's always great to get into the story behind the games we grew up with.

@PandaMoniumReviews

6 ай бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Happy to shed some light.

Amazing documentaries. Glad I found this channel

This is the video! This is the video that's going to do it for PandaMonium! This and the ham croissants!