Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention

[Mega Drive Bowlsey]

One of my favourite ever games and, along with it's sequels, easily one of the greatest RPG's. The hours we spent on this one as kids! Protecting Arthur until he got tougher, keeping poor old Lowe out of harms way so he could heal me, wondering what the hell Domingo or that weird little chipmunk thing wearing a helmet actually were and the excitement of discovering the ninja Hanzo by complete accident! The battles were perfectly balanced and although some characters took an age to level up you could always use the egress spell to retreat and then have another crack at leveling up a particular character. My favourite knights to take into battle were always Pelle and Ernest personally but if you looked after him (he starts off with next to no HP) and leveled him up well, Arthur surprisingly turns into one hell of a warrior!

[miked]

I have recently played thru both SF 1 & 2. Even thou passing around items like a madman in the first one drove me nuts...I still feel the first one is better then the sequel. It actually bugs me that more people don't fell this way!! Of course these games aren't played for their story line; but the second one is so loosely thrown together IMO. Yes, there is more exploring to do; but I don't find that a plus as there are many times you have no idea where to go. I realize the internet is there with all the answers; but that takes the fun out of the game. The characters are better in the first, and I feel overall SF2 drags on. Also games that aren't released in a clamshell lose 1/2 a point.

[Mega Drive Bowlsey]

I have recently played thru both SF 1 & 2. Even thou passing around items like a madman in the first one drove me nuts...I still feel the first one is better then the sequel. It actually bugs me that more people don't fell this way!! Of course these games aren't played for their story line; but the second one is so loosely thrown together IMO. Yes, there is more exploring to do; but I don't find that a plus as there are many times you have no idea where to go. I realize the internet is there with all the answers; but that takes the fun out of the game. The characters are better in the first, and I feel overall SF2 drags on. Also games that aren't released in a clamshell lose 1/2 a point.

I loved the exploring in the sequel but I definitely take your point that at times it was difficult to know where to go, especially back in the day. Sometimes it added to the sense that you were really exploring the world but other times it just frustrated you. On the flip side of the exploring aspect I'm currently playing through Shining Force CD and that game has no exploring at all, just battles, loads and loads of awesome battles that are tied together with one big storyline, and I absolutely love it. So in summing up, for me at least, rather than the exploring aspect which I do enjoy it's actually the addictive battles, strategy and awesome soundtrack that keeps me coming back to the Shining Force series.

[miked]

I also feel like shining in the darkness doesn't get the love it deserves!! That game is soooo good! No one ever mentions it along with the SF games?? I know the combat is completely deferent then in shining force, but the animations, characters, and some of the menu's are very much related to SF. If there is anyone out there that hasn't played Shining in the Darkness; SHAME ON YOU!! In my opinion, first to worst in the series- SF1, Shining in the darkness, then SF2.

[Mega Drive Bowlsey]

I also feel like shining in the darkness doesn't get the love it deserves!! That game is soooo good! No one ever mentions it along with the SF games?? I know the combat is completely deferent then in shining force, but the animations, characters, and some of the menu's are very much related to SF. If there is anyone out there that hasn't played Shining in the Darkness; SHAME ON YOU!! In my opinion, first to worst in the series- SF1, Shining in the darkness, then SF2.

I'll hold my hands up and say that although I've played Shining in the Darkness I wasn't a fan of the first person perspective and so struggled to get into it. I do remember though that the main villain was Darksol who came back to play the main villain in the first Shining Force game. Or was that his son? One had his name as two words, Dark Sol and the other one word, Darksol. Oh I can't remember, anyway the only RPG's played in a first person perspective that I got into and really enjoyed were the Elder Scroll games Oblivion and Skyrim.

[Gogogadget]

I also feel like shining in the darkness doesn't get the love it deserves!! That game is soooo good! No one ever mentions it along with the SF games?? I know the combat is completely deferent then in shining force, but the animations, characters, and some of the menu's are very much related to SF. If there is anyone out there that hasn't played Shining in the Darkness; SHAME ON YOU!! In my opinion, first to worst in the series- SF1, Shining in the darkness, then SF2.

Shining in the Darkness is also extremely dated and pretty much requires you to draw maps just to play the game.

It isn't bad, it's just the actual level of commitment to just playing the game is pretty high and I can see why that would turn some people off.

[miked]

ok, its fair to call Shining in the Darkness dated...and there is no way to get thru the dungeons without the use of maps. But, I would argue that adds to the charm because of the little extra commitment the maps require. It reminds me of a better time when my life was simpler that I actually had the time to draw a map for a game!!

[Gogogadget]

It reminds me of a better time when my life was simpler that I actually had the time to draw a map for a game!!

Thats half the problem for me, I spend more than enough of my life dealing with figures and paperwork.

Just give me a gun to point at guys in different coloured uniforms and i'll use my brain some other time.

[Mega Drive Bowlsey]

Thats half the problem for me, I spend more than enough of my life dealing with figures and paperwork.

Just give me a gun to point at guys in different coloured uniforms and i'll use my brain some other time.

Oh to be a kid again eh? Christ, life was simple then. Well relatively speaking, I hated school but loved playing on the Mega Drive with mates. Oh hang on, I still do that. I never did grow up.

[Phexar]

I do remember though that the main villain was Darksol who came back to play the main villain in the first Shining Force game. Or was that his son? One had his name as two words, Dark Sol and the other one word, Darksol.

It was his son. Darksol was the villain in Shining Force, and later in the (Japan only) Game Gear game Shining Force: Final Conflict we find out about his son, Mephisto. Mephisto later grows up and calls himself Dark Sol after his father, and becomes the main villain of Shining in the Darkness.

[Mega Drive Bowlsey]

It was his son. Darksol was the villain in Shining Force, and later in the (Japan only) Game Gear game Shining Force: Final Conflict we find out about his son, Mephisto. Mephisto later grows up and calls himself Dark Sol after his father, and becomes the main villain of Shining in the Darkness.

Ah I see, thanks for the info.

[Gogogadget]

Oh to be a kid again eh? Christ, life was simple then. Well relatively speaking, I hated school but loved playing on the Mega Drive with mates. Oh hang on, I still do that. I never did grow up.

Lets go mine and eat pizza and watch wrestling. Conversations i've found myself having with mates at both 7 years old and 24 years old.

[miked]

"Lets go mine and eat pizza and watch wrestling"...What do you mean by the term "mine"? The other two terms I am very familiar with Although, watching wrestling has now become watching football. Wrestling and video games are definitely two things that were waaaaaaay better back in the late 80's thru 90's.

[Mega Drive Bowlsey]

"Lets go mine and eat pizza and watch wrestling"...What do you mean by the term "mine"? The other two terms I am very familiar with Although, watching wrestling has now become watching football. Wrestling and video games are definitely two things that were waaaaaaay better back in the late 80's thru 90's.

It's an English expression. "Let's go mine/let's go back to mine." means "Let's go back to my place/house." As in what I would often say to my mates "Let's go back to mine, get pissed and laugh our arses off at Night Trap on the Mega CD." Good times!

Oh and I agree with wrestling being way better in the early 90's. I used to watch WWF round my mates house as a kid, my fave wrestler to this day was The Million Dollar Man, Ted Dibiase. "Everybody's got a price! Hahahahahahaaaaaa!"

[miked]

Thank you for the culture vocabulary lesson Here in the states we would say- "Let's go hit the packy up, chill at my crib, and get our game on." The million dollar man was your fav???!!! he was soooo obnoxious! Personally, I preferred Jake the Snake, Dusty Rhodes, and the Bush Whackers!! Actually, Ted was pretty cool looking back...the wwf used to have so many awesome personalities. Now its unwatchable. The n64 wrestling games are how I get my wrestling fix in. They are still as much fun 4 players now as they were when released.