Shining Force

[Darko]

I started playing through Shining Force last week after I found a copy of the remake on GBA last week for $5.00 (since it's a remake I'm posting this in the Classic section).

Wow! This game is pretty amazing. I can't believe I never played it before now. I was always an SNES guy, so maybe that's why. The story is probably one of the best I've seen in an old school strategy RPG. It's easy to follow and I'm finding it enjoyable. My only complaint is probably that you collect about a billion characters and it's becoming difficult for me to choose who I want to take into a particular battle. I'm only in chapter 4 so I'm sure there are many more coming my way.

Are there any other Genesis games that can touch Shining Force? I'm really interested in learning more about them if there are. I'm guessing that this was the first game to use the 3D-ish battle perspective? I'm probably wrong, but I can't think of any pre-SF that used it off the top of my head. Guess I know where Golden Sun borrowed the idea from now.

Looks like it's on the iPhone/iPad now too. Seems reasonable considering the play style.

Does anyone else have a thought on Shining Force?

[bones11]

Shining Force rocks, it's my favorite strategy RPG series, and really too bad the current series went to an action RPG format. Have personally played Shining Force I and II on the Genesis, Shining Force on the Game Gear, and Shining Force CD on the Sega CD. Still need to play Shining Force on the Saturn, hear that is very good as well. For kicks check out http://www.shiningforcecentral.com/ for scoop on the entire series.

[Vlcice]

Shining Force is definitely one of the great Genesis games. The sequel is even better. The Game Gear games (and the Sega CD remakes of the first two) aren't as good, but they're definitely worth looking into.

I pimp it at about every opportunity, but look up Monster World IV. It's about my favourite Genesis game ever. It's an RPGy semi-open world platformer, and all around awesome. It only came out in Japan, but there's a great translation patch.

[NE146]

I loooove Shining Force. But I think I'm more attracted to the battles rather than the RPG town roaming elements, which I guess is why I always dug Shining Force CD / GG versions.

I don't know about any other Genesis titles like it.. but if you haven't tried Vandal Hearts on the PSX, it's a near cousin.

[Swamperon]

Shining Force is a truly amazing game/series. It's more enjoyable than Fire Emblem and faaaar superior to Final Fantasy Tactics.

After you've played the remake, if you can, check out the original. Some of the changes they made are... disagreeable.

SFII is good, though I dislike the open ended structure of the game as opposed to chapters. The Gamegear/CD spin-offs are pretty good if you're really into the battles and they also expand on the story of the first game.

SFIII is one the best games on the Saturn, (I've yet to play a SRPG that tops it). It takes everything good about the series and improves upon it. You'll just have to pay a pretty penny to get a copy.

Don't bother with any games post SFIII, they're not made by Camelot and range from utter tosh to boringly mediocre. Although Shining Soul has a few fans I believe.

EDIT: Oh and the Golden Sun comment, they're made by the same company! :)

[j_factor]

Its spiritual predecessor is Warsong. Not as good, but still worth playing.

[Darko]

Hey guys, thanks for the suggestions so far. I'm going to check out the rest of old school series for sure.

I'm also going to check out Vandal Hearts (I actually think I have it in my collection somewhere), Warsong and Monster World IV.

And yeah Swamperon, I guess I should have noticed that Camelot put out both games :/

[Aussie2B]

Monster World IV is an absolutely lovely game. Nothing like Shining Force, but I'll definitely back up the recommendation. It's a lot more straightforward than previous Monster World titles, so you could just as well forgo the fan patch and play the real deal. It's also available on PS2, which is an excellent buy because it's a full collection of the Monster World series and it gives the option to switch games to English for the games that saw Western release. If you have the means to play Japanese PS2 games, I highly recommend it, and that way you'd also be able to play Wonder Boy in Monster World, another great Genesis game (although I personally prefer the Turbo Duo's Dynastic Hero version).

Anyway, back to Shining Force, a lot of fans prefer the original over the remake, so I'll also back up the sentiment to give the Genesis version a try. Then you may as well play all the others in the series because they're all great. And when you've exhausted Shining Force, give Feda on Super Famicom a try. It's basically a Shining Force rip-off, except it actually has some of the same staff. Camelot wasn't the sole creator of the first Shining Force; they also worked with Climax Entertainment. Some members left Climax at some point and started Matrix Software, and you can see some similarity between their games. Feda was made by another company named Max Entertainment, which I guess must've been another company started by former members. I wish somebody could straighten out the history of these companies someday.

[allyourblood]

I love the older entries in the Shining Force series, including SF, SFII and SFCD. I think Shining Force II is my absolute favorite. I was pretty much addicted to that game for at least a week. I haven't played it in a few years, but it's one of those titles you can put away for a while, bring it back out and enjoy the story (and gameplay, of course) all over again.

[Natty Bumppo]

Master of Monsters for the genesis is worth a look - quite a bit different than shining force but it is a very good strategy rpg.

Dark Wizard for the Sega CD is also worth a look - it is quite a bit more complex than the shining force games - but you have a much bigger army - 40 units eventually that (with the exception of three main characters (and one other you need to finish the game)) you can pretty much customize to your heart's content.

[Snapple]

Speaking of, nice Shining Force avatar Natty.

Jogurt is the strongest most overpowered character in RPG history, and that's all you need to know about the game.

[Swamperon]

Speaking of, nice Shining Force avatar Natty.

Jogurt is the strongest most overpowered character in RPG history, and that's all you need to know about the game.

So true. I don't use him though as I think he's a game breaker and takes away all of the challenge.

[Natty Bumppo]

Speaking of, nice Shining Force avatar Natty.

Jogurt is the strongest most overpowered character in RPG history, and that's all you need to know about the game. Thanks - I have always been fond of Pegasus knights (or a sky lord in this case - same difference though).

I have always considered Jogurt and Kiwi to be essential members of the force to have around if you run low on provisions.