that counts the same for the PCE in term of "really amazing stuff" > e.g. Sapphire in '95, which even toped anything on any 16-bitter at that time (Neo Geo exclusive).
Yeah, not really. Yoshi's Island is more impressive from both an artistic, and technical level. Granted the subject matter is different, and the game's can't really be compared. Scrambled Valkyrie is also nicer looking, for the most part. I would even say that Assault Suit Valken, and R-Type III are better looking than Sapphire. Sapphire is rather bland and boring too often. Also, the gameplay is just middle of the road, and the sound is actually kind of average, and in some cases verging on horrible.
Honestly, while Sapphire is impressive in many ways, I also have a "its not *that* great" attitude about it since there are several other PCE shooters I like more, graphically and otherwise, like Star Parodia, and Gate of Thunder.