Lord Spencer's Gaming (and other stuff) Blog

As we approach the supposed pinnacle of Saturn video games, we still see the familiar issues plaguing the console in its top 20-11 games as per the Retro Sanctuary list . At this stage, it should only be natural that there are at least two obviously great games, which Dragon Force and Shining Force III are undoubtedly. Yet, for the remaining eight, three games were never released outside of Japan, and five games, whose position is arguable in the list, either because there is a better port somewhere else or simply because the game has aged badly, even if it was considered very good in the past. Usually, at the end of my console review cycle, I choose a list of my top 10 games for the console. I know that I am going to struggle to choose my list for the Saturn, and it's not going to be because of an abundance of options. Please enjoy:- 20- Hyper Duel (1996): Japan-Only Genre: Shmup Publisher: Technosoft; Developer: Technosoft. Here is another Japan-only Shmup that raised the envy...

Out of every 10 platformers on the SNES and the Genesis, only one was good, and it was most likely not made for the Genesis. Generally, playing any random platformer at that time that isn't made by Nintendo is a huge gamble with your time. The gulf in class between the great platformers we remember from that time and the rest of the filler games is as deep a the Grand Canyon. Both Clockwork Knight games are not at the rock bottom of that canyon (that spot is reserved for Bug! ), but they are deep enough for you not to waste your time playing them. R2: Clockwork Knight 1 & 2: Year: 1994 & 1995. Genre: Platformer. Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega.

Long-time gamers probably associate the Shining Force name with quality TRPGs. In fact, in one-sided competition between the Genesis and the SNES days, the two Shining Force games were the only games on Sega's console not to have a superior parallel for it on Nintendo's. Since the Fire Emblem series did not get localized at that time, the Shining Force games were clearly the champions of the TRPG genre then. As such, you would imagine any discussion on this series to be focused on a TRPG series. However, the Shining Force series is actually called the Shining series. While it was most well-known for its TRPGs, it actually started as a dungeon-crawling RPG, and then changed genres from Tactical to Action RPGs, and then to JRPGs. After the third Shining Force strategy game, the series started releasing ARPGs of middling quality, and the series still survives in some form today. But wait, isn't this blogging series supposed to be about dead and gone franchises? Well, tha...

The second Shining Force game, and the one that cemented the series's TRPG direction, is basically a bigger and better version of the first game. That's not to say that it's not a different game with a different story, but it does make it seem like the first one was a test run to make the sequel. Bigger in both size and scope, the game does suffer a little from length, but that's only a problem if you don't like what it gives you in the first place. Shining Force II may be the best TRPG in the 4th generation. 8: Shining Force II: Year: 1994. Genre: TRPG. Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sonic! Software Planning.

The Shining Force series is generally considered Sega's counterpart to Nintendo's own SRPG series, Fire Emblem . For as long as the two games existed together, the Shining Force series actually had more of a Western presence. Unfortunately, the series was one of the many victims of Sega's exit from the console market. However, its games can still be enjoyed today. While the series initially started as an unfortunate dungeon crawling game. It changed gears into an TRPG with the second game, and it was an excellent start to the series. 43- Shining Force: Year: 1992. Genre: SRPG. Publisher: Sega. Developer: Climax Entertainment, Sonic Software Planning.

This is one game on the Saturn I played, knowing pretty much that it would be good. After all, both Shining Force games on the Genesis were very good and are among the top 10 games on that system. Yet, it appears that Camelot Software had much higher ambitions for the game than merely being good. Years before the Tactical RPG behemoth, Fire Emblem , experimented with different storylines and perspectives with Fates and Three Houses , Camelot planned to release Shining Force II I in three parts. This ended up crafting a game with a rich and complex storyline, one that could have been seen as a great competition to the RPGs of the PS1. However, due to the decline of the Saturn, Sega of America decided they were only going to localize the first of those three games, thereby depriving Western gamers of the rest of the story and what could have been a legendary game for the system. Still, it is a testament to its quality that even with a third of its story with no possibility of continua...

My story with Dragon Force began a long time ago, maybe two or three years after its release, and I didn't know its name then. At the time, I saw some distant cousins of mine playing a weird device in my grandfather's house that was neither a PlayStation nor a Nintendo 64. My young self saw them playing a game with excellently detailed 2D graphics. The music attracted me, and the battle scenes were mesmerizing. To my 9-year-old self, the game looked glorious. One image stayed long in my memory. The special move where shockwaves go through the enemy force. Other than that, I had no idea what the name of the game or even the system it was in. To my surprise, while playing it now for the first time, I realized this was the same game I fell in love with, only a day's glance. As it turns out, that love, which was borne from pure instincts, was fully justified. Dragon Force , despite not quite reaching a fully glorious level, is a very good game. 16: Dragon Force: Year: 1996. Ge...

At the top 30 games mark, the Retro Sanctuary Top Saturn games list must be expected to deliver some stellar games. Based on the three games I gave in-depth reviews of, I can say that all of these games may be historically important in one way, but not all of them are worth playing today. One of the best games I played on the system, Guardian Heroes , even has a modern remaster that, unfortunately, devalues playing the original game. Maybe I am not qualified to write a report about these 10 games since the best of the lot are Japanese-only Shmups, but I can write enough about them for anyone interested in playing such ports. One clear thing is that many of the Saturn's best games were never ported west, especially many of the games that fans of the system still celebrate today. Please enjoy:- 30- Worms (1996): Genre: Artillery Strategy Game Publisher: Ocean Software; Developer: Team 17. At this stage, there is nothing new to say about Worms , a classic that appeared in nearly every...

  Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away is one of my favorite films ever. It was a favorite since I watched it with my family way back in 2003 in cinemas for the first time by mistake; my parents were only open to watching an anime film because it had Disney’s illustrious release credentials on the title. Only years later did I discover that it wasn’t ever a Disney film, and learned about the true majesty of Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki’s work. To this day, this is easily one of my most-watched films, and the movie still feels fresh every time I watch it. This is a big reason why writing these thoughts may prove to be challenging if I want to keep them the same length as my previous ones. Just like watching every time watching Spirited Away seems to reveal new things, I feel like every time I write will focus on different things. That’s because the film is flooded with ideas, with every screen meticulously filled with details that are impossible to catch in a single viewing, but let us tr...