New Review Posted: Shining Force Neo

Daniel Weissenberger · 12-07-2005, 12:15 AM

Mike Bracken reviews Shining Force Neo

"Mention Shining Force to gamers who came of age in the 16-bit era and you're likely to see them smile fondly as they recall memories of two of the best strategy RPGs ever to grace a home console. In an age where RPGs (Role-Playing Games) were a niche genre at best, the Strategy RPG was like the kid in your class who ate the paste—even the other nerds didn't want to hang out with him. That's all changed now, as the RPG has become a dominant genre in the industry, and the strategy RPG enjoys a major renaissance as well. What better time for a new Shining Force title, right?"

The rest of the review can be read here.

Hypatia93 · 12-07-2005, 10:23 AM

Awesome, Mike! Me want some!

(Well, eventually.. *sigh* Admittedly, I have so much on my plate I'm enjoying right now, especially DQ8, and that alone will take me forever..) I mean, I loved Diablo and Diablo II back in the day. (Is that still a valid use of the term? It really doesn't seem /that/ long ago. Hmm.. )

So, which of the Shining Forces (and on which systems) do you consider /the/ best? (You mentioned them in the first paragraph, iirc.) I'm wondering, b/c /so/ many people I know speak of the Shining Forces as the ultimate in strat rpg experiences.

Jason Karney · 12-07-2005, 01:24 PM

...criminally underrated Record of Lodoss War on the Sega Dreamcast. I, and about twenty other people, played that game...

That makes you, me, and eighteen others.

I've got Neo on my Christmas list, and this review makes me glad it's there.

--Jason

Mike Bracken · 12-07-2005, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hypatia93

So, which of the Shining Forces (and on which systems) do you consider /the/ best? (You mentioned them in the first paragraph, iirc.) I'm wondering, b/c /so/ many people I know speak of the Shining Forces as the ultimate in strat rpg experiences.

Well, it's hard to pick really. I guess if you forced me, SF3 on the Saturn is probably my favorite, but we only got the first chapter (of the three that were released in Japan), so you're sort of missing out.

The two Genesis versions were great back in the day. You could always play the updated version of the original for the GBA--that's probably the easiest to get.

Mike B.

Brad Gallaway · 12-07-2005, 05:40 PM

Just for the record, i'd say that Shining Force II on Genesis is probably the best one (of the SRPGs) IMO... although the other two Mike mentioned are also good.

however, i'm going to have to disagree with Mike on SFNeo... i didn't finish the game but i played a chunk, and what i saw was not at all to my liking. the story and cutscenes were absurdly dull, and the gameplay itself was really substandard. it has a lot of "Shining" elements to it, but the game as a whole left a bad taste in my mouth. my advice would be to try before you buy.

machine · 12-08-2005, 02:29 PM

I'm with Bracken on this. I loved Lodoss War and I love this game. I can definitely understand how someone could not like it though - pure dungeon crawlers like this don't appeal to everyone.