Lord Spencer's Gaming (and other stuff) Blog

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...

Other than the fact that it is part of the illustrious Shining series, and one of the few RPGs on the Saturn, I don't think that there is anything much remarkable about Shining the Holy Ark (other than such a grammatical mess of a name). It's a boring by-the-numbers First-Person RPG that does little to stand out. 23: Shining the Holy Ark: Year: 1996 in Japan, 1997 in NA. Genre: First-Person RPG. Publisher: Sega. Developer: Camelot Software.

In their top 100 Saturn games , Retro Sanctuary didn't have much quality in the 80s. There were a couple of sports games competing against other consoles' titles, and there was an ambitious port of an early PC FPS. That was generally the case for some of the games, with inferior ports of Arcade or PC games. Also, at 81, there is Camelot's first game on the Saturn. Shining Wisdom could have been a much better game if not for some weird design choices. Astral Superstars looked like an interesting fighting game, though.

Sega's Shining series has always been one of many genres and possibilities. It started as a dungeon crawler RPG, and it thrived as one of the best SRPG franchises in the 16-bit generation. As such, it was only natural that it takes a stab at the action adventure genre dominated by Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series. Shining Wisdom is the result. A game set in the Shining universe, but with gameplay that is similar to Zelda without being a direct clone. What is most apparent, though, is that this is a game made for the Genesis, but was late enough to be released on the Saturn instead. 81: Shining Wisdom: Year: 1995 Japan, 1996 NA. Genre: Action Adventure. Publisher: Sega, Working Designs. Developer: Camelot Software.