Best Saturn Shining game

[Zz Badnusty]

You guys should definitely invest in the official Saturn Back-Up cart, mine hasn't failed on me once yet.

My Pro Action Replay 4-in1 is always in the cart-slot.
It's a shame it isn't easier to just swap that out for the official Back-Up cart when playing domestic games. Unfortunately both of my US Saturns suffer from finicky cart slots. I seriously haven't used the official Back-UP cart since maybe 1998. Ever since I got the PAR, that's all I have ever used.

The silly thing with me losing my game save is that I didn't even think about the game save. I just unpacked my Saturn, got the PAR out, seated it in the slot a few times until it worked, played some Radiant Silvergun, Liquid Kids, Elevator Action^2 Returns, Soukyugurentai, Gun Frontier, ...you know all those ports I'd been missing; then settled into Shining the Holy Ark.
Just started the game and after that first hour and ten minutes or whatever it is before you can even save, I just saved without considering where it was stored. Subsequent nights I just continued my game not thinking about it. Then one night that "Set Language" screen popped up - I don't think I realized the implications until I was on the next screen setting the internal clock.
It had probably been around 2005 or 2007 when I'd last given the batteries in my Saturns any thought.

One thing for sure. Besides instances of "user error" like this one, I much prefer the Saturn game save system over the Playstation's memory cards.
Having the internal memory for games I'm actively playing, and then one big external cart for archiving saves is much better than a dozen loose small capacity cards. I hate having to find Playstation game saves among my many cards. On Saturn, I have a PAR filled with saves from every game I might play.

[StarMist]

--

[Zz Badnusty]

What's the problem here?

Read the next sentence after the point where you quoted me.

[Baloo]

OK Guys, so I'm playing through Shining Force III right now and I must say this game is handing my ass to me on a silver platter. Fun stuff, but it is hard! Maybe I'm just doing something wrong, but I'm only up to the 3rd battle and I've lost each battle at least once. The 3rd one is ridiculous, the knights show up halfway through the battle and once that happens you're dead.

Anyone have any experience with this game? I need some tips!

[sheath]

Always form a staggered line with your troops and try to get the environment bonus each turn. Never let anybody out on their own and try to make enemies come to you in such a way that you can surround each of them without letting yourself get surrounded. This usually works for me, but I'll still lose a character or two sometimes, especially when they are brand new and behind the rest of the force in experience.

[Genesis Knight]

The cheap CG prerenders in Shining Wisdom make me want to gag. Honestly I dislike all of the Saturn Shining games, and much prefer the Genesis trilogy of games.

[synbiosfan]

OK Guys, so I'm playing through Shining Force III right now and I must say this game is handing my ass to me on a silver platter. Fun stuff, but it is hard! Maybe I'm just doing something wrong, but I'm only up to the 3rd battle and I've lost each battle at least once. The 3rd one is ridiculous, the knights show up halfway through the battle and once that happens you're dead.

Anyone have any experience with this game? I need some tips!

Along with sheath's suggestion, before killing the last enemy, retreat (egress) to church. Do this once a battle (or more) to do a little level grinding.

[Zz Badnusty]

Use strategy!

[Baloo]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm up to the second chapter, and didn't realize that you could level grind in Shining Force III. I'm so used to Fire Emblem where there is no towns, and once a character dies they're dead, and you can't retreat from a battle or level grind. Now that I know that EXP carries over from each battle whether you win or lose, the Retreat option makes a lot more sense now.

This game is really fun, can't wait to get to the end!

[StarMist]

@ Baloo = didn't know you were unfamiliar with the series altogether. I never got into the Saturn versions (that makes us two odd Saturn devotees), but if their exp works the same as every other's you should be sharing out kills according to who needs most exp for the next lv. Ie kills give 48 down to 30 depending on one's character's lv vs the foe's (exp can drop even less if you're way overleveled--so watch that as leveling up can defeat its own purpose), and exp requisites reset after each lv so you always need 100, eg 99 + 48 does not = lv up with 47 exp towards the next, so when a character has in the upper 80s exp make him attack a foe he won't kill, heal somebody, use an antidote, etc.

[Baloo]

Yeah, this is my first foray into the Shining series. I have Shining Force CD as well but my Sega CDX is broken at the moment, and I got Shining Force III on the cheap, $40. Though the disc is a little scratched, and has given me a couple of problems. Even gave me a disc read error in the middle of the battle, and yet it still kept on going with some code text on the screen!

[sheath]

Oh man, I have such fond memories of Shining Force CD. I like it better than the Genesis games actually, but I still haven't managed to land a CiB copy for a price I'd be willing to pay.

[jerry coeurl]

I just finished Shining Force CD the other night (Book 3), and it really is awesome. One of the best arguments for owning a Sega CD, I think.

Started playing Shining Wisdom right afterward and it took a little while to click, but now I'm really enjoying it. I like how the game kinda plays like a mix between Zelda and Ys, but still maintains a unique feel. I also like the look of the game, it reminds me a lot of Wild ARMs for the PSX. As far as other action/adventure games on the Saturn, I also own and have beaten Legend of Oasis, which I do enjoy a great deal, but so far I feel that Wisdom is the better game.

I'm about 8 hours in maybe, just got the Spring Shoes and I'm about to head into the Fire Dungeon. Wish I didn't have school tomorrow so I could stay up and play for another couple hours!

[jerry coeurl]

I finished Shining Wisdom last night and I really enjoyed it. It's the best Zelda-esque game I've played aside from Link's Awakening. I think reading that so many here had issues with the game made me lower my expectations going in, so when I didn't have any complaints of my own I just really started to dig it. The only thing I can really begrudge it is the soundtrack, which is kind of lackluster besides a couple standout tracks. And I guess having to access the menu all the time to switch items might be annoying to some, but it didn't really bother me. Obviously the game could have used a little more polish but overall it was a charming little game and I had a great time with it. I'll definitely be hanging on to my copy.

If this is generally considered the worst Shining game on the Saturn then I'm really looking forward to Holy Ark and SFIII!

[Baloo]

I finished Shining Wisdom last night and I really enjoyed it. It's the best Zelda-esque game I've played aside from Link's Awakening. I think reading that so many here had issues with the game made me lower my expectations going in, so when I didn't have any complaints of my own I just really started to dig it. The only thing I can really begrudge it is the soundtrack, which is kind of lackluster besides a couple standout tracks. And I guess having to access the menu all the time to switch items might be annoying to some, but it didn't really bother me. Obviously the game could have used a little more polish but overall it was a charming little game and I had a great time with it. I'll definitely be hanging on to my copy.

If this is generally considered the worst Shining game on the Saturn then I'm really looking forward to Holy Ark and SFIII!

I know a lot of people complain that the US translation by Working Designs isn't the best, and that the Sega of Europe translation is much better. Which one did you play? I hear it takes place in the same kingdom as "Shining in the Darkness"