User Reviews (1 - 11 of 21)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Great RPG from a great system

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 16, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Sega Genesis is probably the 2nd best video game system ever made (behind Nintendo and maybe behind Intellivision) and their RPG games are also some of the best. Shining Force very well could be Sega's best. You start as a young man who is called upon to save the workld from the Evil's of Dark Dragon. Through the 8 chapters of the game you'll fight 30different battles, picking up all sorts of companions (29 in all) to fight with you along the way (they range form Magicians, Healers, Archers, Warriors, Flyer's, Knight's to worthless idiots). As you get stronger you have to buy better weapons, get better spells, and get promotions, find special objects and secrets and kill certain foes. Certain fights are better suited for certain fighters, I'll leave that to you to find whio is good in what areas, but this is a must have RPG from a great game system.

GO SHINING FORCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: November 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is by far the best RPG game i have EVER played!!!! but be warned this game can be quite frustrating example: last night i was playing and about 2 or 3 rune nights left and i attacked 1 with Max (main character...you can name him whatever you want) and his turn came up, he attacked me and i lost...it was SO frustrating!!! but the game is really fun, the music is just wondeful! it is scary how good it is compared to other games around that time. i have sega smashpack 2 and thats how i play it, i oringally saw it and it said sonic 2 included and i just HAD to buy it, i saw the sreecnshot for shining force and said "I don't like these types of games" i didnt play shining force for a while then i decided that that was the only game i hadnt played and so i tried it and i was blown away!!!!! overall a really great game the graphics are ok but who cares about that because the gameplay, music, and battle system makes up for that! because of this game i now like turn-based games! ^_^

WOW

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is the very first rpg i ever played on a console....It is also the first rpg i ever beat. Actually its the first game i ever beat period.It was long....harrowing....challenging and wonderful.I would play it over and over again using different parties and finding different things. (Like the bikini that Tao can wear, mind you it only changes her sprite and not the artwork during her battle scenes but still its kinda funny) I ended up losing my copy rather stupidly...the classic someone borrowed it then moved away deal.however...i reccomend this game to ANYONE and oh yeah....Some one on here mentioned not to get Gong...get him he doesnt use weapons cause hes a monk and he hits DECENTLY hard hes good to get you going till you can find someone to replace him. He is also your hardest hitting healer.Lowe is ok but slow. Gong will smack the crap out of people. thank you and goodnight

AWESWOME!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Yet another review by Sonic. Shining Force is what brought me to the light of RPG gaming. It has a great storyline, intense battles, and a whole lot more! It'll have you slaming your controler (or in my case, keyboard) to the ground and stomping all over it! In that instance, I would reccomend the Sega 6-button Arcade Contoller. I played this game on the Sega Smash Pack for my PC and want it for my recently aquired Genesis. Unfortunately, Amazon is out of used copies of Shining Force. Oh well. Check out the Sega Smash Pack to play it on your PC.

Pros:
Fun RPG Game
Good Music
Awesome Graphics

Cons:
Anger Spurts (Have an extra controller)
Hard to find
Ussually Expensive

-Sonic

A classic game that is a must have for any Genesis owner

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: October 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is the second title of the incredible Shining Series, following Shining in the Darkness. The game itself is a little on the aged side, but it has great gameplay, great control, and is all around really fun. Shining Force is the game that really took the Shining Series in a new great direction (other than Shining the Holy Ark and Shining Wisdom) of epic battles across a vast world with armies of monsters. The cast of characters you control is more imaginative than even Final Fantasy ever has been, as is the variety of maps, items, and magic. Warriors, Priests, Wizards, Knights, Clerics, Monks, Dragons, Archers, Wolfmen, Robots, Mages, Sorcerors, Paladins, Samurai, Ninjas, Chipmunks and more are all under your control as you chose where, when and how to fight your enemy, using the terrain to your advantage (hopefully...) The control scheme is very simple, with menus to select all the actions similar to Final Fantasy or Phantasy Star, which is as effective today for strategy games as it was twenty years ago. While not as long as the epic Shining Force II, Shining Force is actually quite a long game concidering how long the average Genesis game was. Not only that, but Shining Force has a deep storyline that (while it is only part of the Shining Series story--go to shiningforcecentral.com for more) is surprisingly engaging for adults and children alike. Shining Force was a must have for any Sega fan or any RPG fan. My suggestion, however, is to go out any purchase the remake of Shining Force for the Game Boy Advance. it is the exact same game, only on a handheld system--this at least gives some justification for its being visually inferior because it is for a handheld.

The Light is shining on this one

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: August 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game rocks. The graphics are great (for genesis anyway) and the soundtrack is the best I have heard in a video game. The strategy rpg elements are a lot of. this game makes me want advance wars. this game should be purchased by anyone with a genesis

Buy it

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: July 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

My dad introduced me to video games when I was four. My aunt was living with us at the time, and when she moved in she brought along her Genisis. My dad rented this game over and over and over for me so I could finish it. I was five or six when I actually wrapped it. No lies. I'm sure I didn't understand it, but I loved it, and I never gave up. Shining Force is a classic RPG. The music and gameplay are fabulous, and even playing it just recently, after so many years, I was still impressed. The music, the characters... Everything joins together to make an incredible game. Shining Force was the first RPG game I ever played, and I rank it right up there with the Suikoden series, and the two Lunar games.

The best RPG by Legolas

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 4
Date: March 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Note: I play shining force on Sega smash pack2. This game a great and unique RPG. Now UNLIKE some RPGs instead of battle starting when touching a bad guy this is what happens: you walk into an enemy then hit a button, there will be some options 1 is attack then select an enemy that's in range then you see a cut scene that's kind of like this: Hans attacks and inflicts 5 points of damage
He gains 78 exp. Points and 12 coins here' s a tip you know that guy that stands by that stump? That's gong don't talk to him he'll join the shining force but he has no weapons he just uses a spell called heal also in battle when you attack there's no turn based battle your guy just attacks and the enemy doesn't attack same with enemies if an enemy say a Rune knight it just attacks and your guy doesn't do any thing You'll love this game as much as I do. This is Legolas saying goodbye

An Incredible RPG

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: January 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Shining Force Is The best RPG and is full of magic. The thing I liked most about this Game is the graphics and music. Despite the fact that it is "Rare", It is found often here and it is expensive at times. Next to Sonic The Hedgehog and Mega Bomberman, It is my number 1 game and will remain popular to me for years to come. Bad News is it has up to ten years battery life and will need a new one so around now it's life is pretty much dead if you bought it in 1993 or 1994. So buy a Genesis and Pick this and Shining Force 2.

The Greatest RPG Game in the history of RPGs

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: November 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

OK. You've just stumbled upon what is possibly one if the greatest RPG console games ever created. Some would argue that Shining Force 2 is a better game than this original, but being a purest of heart, I've got to stick to the classic. Shining Force is a classic amongst classics. I can recall playing this game for hours on end, siting in a dark room with my friends, and strategizing on the best way to take on General Elliot. I can recall my awe as I finally discovered what lay beyond the Gate of the Ancients and the secret of the Chaos Breaker. This was a game ahead of its time. It was for the Sega Genesis console system, which for all of you PlayStation gamers may seem prehistoric. But Sega pushed the limits of that 16 bit gaming system with this game and created a legend that paved the way for 11 more games to follow in it's footsteps, as well as pull from the fire a previous game. The legacy of Shining Force is the stuff of legends. Weather you're a first time player, or an old timer fan, this game is one of the best purchases Amazon has to offer.

Game Play - Let's talk about Game Play. The game came out the summer of 1993 and it was the very first tactics based game of its kind. Not only is it the first, but it is still the best. Why you might ask? I'm glad you did. Because with Shining Force you don't get a puny five characters at your disposal. You don't get a mere eight. No my friend. With Shining Force you get a whopping 12 characters to control on the screen in a fantasy chess battle. Added to the enemy forces, that can be up to 40 characters on the screen at one time, giving even a master strategist something to think about before making a move. Not only do you get to control 12 characters in your force, but also you can choose from over 25+ character that include werewolves, centaurs, and dragons. There are even three hidden characters. All of the character contributes something unique to the story (except for Yogurt, but he does supply some comic value) and drastically change the strategy of the game if included in your fighting force.

Walking around town gives you full freedom to wander and talk to whom you like. You can gain money, story information, and purchase weapons and items. Battles are your basic (but revolutionary at the time) strategic turn based battle system, where each character moves once per turn. The order of the move depends on the speed level of the character. And once each character has moved, the cycle starts all over again. For every action, each character will gain experience points and climb in levels. Most characters can even get promoted to a different character type, dramatically changing their appearance and statistics.

Music and Graphics - the graphics on this game are somewhat limited to the 16 bit capabilities of the Sega Genesis. But those capabilities are pushed to the limit. Each attack in the game has a battle animation where you get to see the characters in full anime style fulfil a function. There are some great scenes done in this way, included the final blow against the final boss. The music was just great. The score for this game plays like a score to a movie. It was so good; I went out and bought the import soundtrack on line as soon as I heard that it excited. And when the music and anime style artwork work together during the end credits, there is nothing you can do but sit there an take it all in. It is amazing.

Story - And finally we get to the story. I was saving the best for last because I am a down right sucker for a good story. Contrary to what other reviews may have you think, the story in this game does NOT take a back seat to any other element. Like any good RPG game, it is the driving force. Right now, a lot of the elements may seem very cliché. But in 1993, this game was revolutionary and one of the first games to have such a story. Indeed, those cliché story elements have become a cliché BECAUSE of this game. The story is that you are Max, a young man who wants to be a knight. But when the ruthless Kane kills your mentor and king, you must leave your home of Gardiana and start on a journey through the land of Rune to discover the secrets of the Ancients to save your world. The story is filled with intrigue, twists, and surprises along the way and is split up into eight chapters similar to reading a book. The bulk of the story is something that I really can't give away. It must be something experienced. But I can promise you; it will be an experience that you will not soon forget. And of course, you are in for a big surprise in the special epilogue scene following the end credits.

This is a game that all other games aspire to be and it is one that should not be missed by any RPG lover out there. I highly recommend it to any one who loves RPGs or just really loves a good story. Good luck.

Review Page: 1 2 3 Next 

Actions