The SEGA Saturn version of Marvel Super Heroes was released in 1997. After the great Saturn version of X-Men Children of the Atom, hopes were high that this port would also be a high-quality arcade conversion. Sadly this wasn't to be, and the Saturn version of Marvel Super Heroes is quite disappointing. The most obvious problem with this version is how slow it is -most matches will run in slow motion. Large characters like Juggernaut and Blackheart will cause the game to crawl, and even projectiles -especially the beam types -also slow things down. The port also doesn't have the extra game modes the Saturn port of CotA had, like the survival mode.
The most obvious problem with this version is how slow it is -most matches will run in slow motion. Large characters like Juggernaut and Blackheart will cause the game to crawl, and even projectiles -especially the beam types -also slow things down. The port also doesn't have the extra game modes the Saturn port of CotA had, like the survival mode. The Saturn version has an option to use a 1-Meg RAM cartridge. This cartridge was only released in Japan, but the option is in all versions of the game and a Japanese cartridge will still work on American and European machines. But even using this doesn't help, as whilst it adds more animation frames (such as Magneto waving his arms about when stationary) it doesn't fix the slowdown. In fact it seems to make the performance of the game even worse, meaning it's better to play it without the cartridge.
The bosses can be played as in this version. Thanos' ending, which was glitched in the arcade version and displayed the wrong text, now works properly here. The Japanese version also lets you play as Anita, who now has her own portrait at the character select and versus screens (Thanos is still displayed during the win quote screen though). The Saturn version, despite all of the flaws, was the best way to play Marvel Super Heroes until 2012, when Marvel Vs. Capcom Origins was released. But as Origins got delisted, the Saturn version, sadly, is currently the best way to play this game on a console as of 2024.