Players are the winners as Sega finally gets around to adding more games for Saturn.

While everyone else is standing in line for a Nintendo 64 or sizing up a PlayStation, Sega is quietly doing what it should have done a year ago: sending some darn good games to its ailing Saturn.

Sales for Sega’s 32-bit flagship are picking up, but it still lags behind Nintendo 64 and Sony’s PlayStation in gamers’ respect. Despite a few blockbuster titles such as Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter and Sega Rally Championship, Saturn has yet to cause the kind of public stir that Nintendo and--to a lesser degree--Sony have.

Sonic finally debuted on the Saturn with Sonic 3D Blast. The name sort of says it all. It’s the same old sneaker-wearing hedgehog, but now he can move all over a range of nice-looking courses. Also available on Genesis, this Sonic looks and plays best on Saturn.

It’s tough to describe the courses. Imagine Sonic’s old two-dimensional courses, with their twists and turns and loops. Now imagine all those stretched out into three dimensions. Sound crazy? It is. And tough to navigate.

For a game with as many crazy turns as a plate of spaghetti, Sonic’s control should be more refined. Lining up enemies or knocking down walls sometimes takes several attempts because of the difficulty in lining Sonic up with his target. Sega’s analog controller helps, but not much.

In all, though, a stellar game.

*

Virtua Cop II: The same goes double for the sequel to Virtua Cop, the imaginatively named Virtua Cop 2. With the light-gun attachment, Virtua Cop 2 delivers fast-paced arcade-style shooting with a minimum of splatter. Unlike many other shooters, the Virtua Cop series stands out as a sophisticated and mature game that doesn’t revel in the gory details.

Bad guys fall down when they get shot. Their chests don’t explode in a burst of red.

Like the original, the sequel pits players against a whole army of thugs. This time, though, the action unfolds at high speed on city streets and in subway tunnels. The background action is beautiful and adds a distracting degree of realism to the shootouts.

Another nice feature of the sequel is the difficulty in distinguishing between good guys and civilians. In the first Virtua Cop, it was easy: Bad guys wore black suits and sunglasses while civilians dressed all in white. This time around, the differences are subtle. Here’s a hint, though: Only the bad guys shoot at you.

*

Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition: Speed may kill, but it sure is fun. Sega’s sports division turns out some dandy racing games. This enhanced version of Daytona USA outshines the original in almost every way.

It should, considering it’s been nearly 20 months since the first one--a geologic age in the video game world. The courses are crisper and the terrain fills in more quickly. Response seems a little sharper, too.

One small thing that makes a big difference: The pit crew voices have changed. They’re not nearly as annoying as the originals.

* Staff writer Aaron Curtiss reviews video games every Thursday. To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send letters to The Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth, CA 91311. Or send e-mail to: Aaron.Curtiss@latimes.com