Top 50 Video Games: Number 16

#16: Shining Force
System: Sega Genesis
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1992
Players: 1


Evil aspirations for world domination aside, the enemy does have flare.


Shining Force is the first strategy/roleplaying game I ever had the pleasure of playing. It mixed turn-based, chess-like combat with RPG elements like equipment, spells and experience levels. This is a genre that has been largely ignored over the years I'm sorry to say. Now that my Genesis is no longer functional and my Shining Force game is on the west coast with Tom, I'm thankful indeed for ROMs and emulation. Not everyone uses them for evil.

Initially the game reminded me of Neverending Story - it begins with a child sitting and reading the story of the game you are about to play. In that story you play a teenager who has been charged with the task of saving the world. It's been done once or twice. All things considered, the story is pretty well done if unremarkable. The meat and potatoes here is the gameplay. Each combat takes place in a different area, pitting your army (up to 12 characters) against the enemy. There are infantry, archers, cavalry and everything in between (even a werewolf.) Much like in chess, you reap what you sow. Set things up well and you'll be succesful. Play carelessly and you'll be in for a tough time.


Our hero takes a swing at a goblin.


Apart from the combat, the other feature of the game I liked was the sheer number of party members to be found. Some characters would join your party naturally over the course if the game, but some had to be found by searching nooks and crannies and speaking to everyone you see. There was a robot, a dragon, a samurai, a, um, rhino in a big funny steam powered suit, a funny little helmet-wearing dog named Jogurt and many other assorted freaks who could join the Shining Force. I love collecting things. There are 30-some characters in all, though only 12 can be in battle at a given time. When visiting a town, they'd all be sitting around headquarters talking - one of my favorite RPGs Suikoden took this idea and ran with it.

Shining Force II - also for the Genesis - more than lived up to the original. The game also had a sequel for the short-lived Sega Saturn. It inspired a few similar games over the years, though very few were worthy of the original. They recently released the original Shining Force game for the Gameboy Advance. It's an exact port of the original game with a few new characters and battles added. Viva la Shining Force!