Poll of the Day > I'm playing the "Shining" Genesis RPG games on the PS3 collection

(+) Yeah! (+)

I wanna be familiar with the series before the PS4 game is released in July. I'm starting with Shining in the Darkness.
This is my first time with the series. Questions for anyone who has played them.

1. How long are the 3 Genesis games, Shining in the Darkness, Shining Force 1 and 2? Is the level cap 99, 100, or higher?

2. Do they have multiple endings?

3. Was there ever any good games after Sega Saturn or do they all suck? The one's I looked up seem to all have quite mediocre reviews.

4. Does the story get good?
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1.) I've played I and II. They are fairly long games, roughly 30-40 hours. More if you are the grinder/perfectionist type. I'd say II is significantly longer than I. In the first you can level up to level 20, get promoted which sets you back down to level 1, and then I believe go up to 99. In the second you can go up to 40, get promoted, then go up to 99.

2.) I don't believe so, no.

3.) Sorry, I can't answer that one.

4.) I can't speak for Shining in the Darkness, but I and II are fairly standard good vs. evil stories. Nothing particularly breaking the mold, but not necessarily bad either.
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Shining in the Darkness has basically the same kind of storyline. The stories between the three also don't overlap much.

I didn't get too far on the PS2 Shining games. The gameplay was completely different and wasn't fun for me. Shining the Holy Ark and Shining Force III on Saturn were good though.
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LanHikari10 posted...

1.) I've played I and II. They are fairly long games, roughly 30-40 hours. More if you are the grinder/perfectionist type. I'd say II is significantly longer than I. In the first you can level up to level 20, get promoted which sets you back down to level 1, and then I believe go up to 99. In the second you can go up to 40, get promoted, then go up to 99.

I see, thanks. I'm pretty sure I've played a game with a similar system but I can't remember what that was O_o

HelIWithoutSin posted...

Shining in the Darkness has basically the same kind of storyline. The stories between the three also don't overlap much.

I didn't get too far on the PS2 Shining games. The gameplay was completely different and wasn't fun for me. Shining the Holy Ark and Shining Force III on Saturn were good though.

I missed out on the Saturn and Sega hasn't re-released a single game on Saturn AFAIK. They've been all over the Genesis and Dreamcast with re-releases but no Saturn. Sucks because I'd like to play Shining Force 3 and Panzer Dragoon Saga.

Are you both gonna try Shining in Resonance eventually? I may pre-order it.
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I really hope they make a Shining Force III collection. I'll likely get Resonance too.
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HelIWithoutSin posted...

I really hope they make a Shining Force III collection. I'll likely get Resonance too.

I just don't get why Sega can't at least remake some of their Saturn games. No remasters, remakes, nothing since the Saturn died. It's like Sega literally erased that console from history.
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Ferarri619 posted...

HelIWithoutSin posted...

I really hope they make a Shining Force III collection. I'll likely get Resonance too.

I just don't get why Sega can't at least remake some of their Saturn games. No remasters, remakes, nothing since the Saturn died. It's like Sega literally erased that console from history.

Yeah, I don't get it either.
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Nights into Dreams...
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Shining in the Darkness dungeon is breaking my balls, such a damn maze.
I'm on the Cave of Stregth atm. X_X
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I don't know how I managed to get through that thing without a map lol.
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Theyre really fun but theyre almost too long honestly
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HelIWithoutSin posted...

I don't know how I managed to get through that thing without a map lol.

YES, I had to look at one of the old maps in the FAQ page for the game.
Even Youtube vids don't really help for this game. Just mazes where everything looks the same. X__X
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Well I got through the Cave of Strength. I found out Pyra has a spell that lets you see a map, though it sucks because you can't zoom in and out or anything, you can only see part of the map everytime you use the spell. Still better than nothing though.
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I like shining in the darkness, but I don't like the shining force games..

I'm weird

I played 1 and 2. Never played 3 cause it was incomplete and I just didn't bother with it. there were 3 chapters and they only released chapter 1 in america.

Isn't Shining in the Darkness that generic dungeon crawler game?
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Revelation34 posted...

Isn't Shining in the Darkness that generic dungeon crawler game?

Pretty much. My game had game-breaking glitch at the end last night. This. :/

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/586454-shining-in-the-darkness/75893875

Looked around the internet and someone on Steam had the same problem with the game.
I watched the ending on Youtube and am now moving on to Shining Force.
I guess Shining Force will probably be the first Genesis game I ever beat. Playing the PS4 Genesis collection now.
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Shining force 2 is one of the greatest RPG's of all time. I loved that game so much I kept re-renting it from blockbuster until I beat it lol.
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Ferarri619 posted...

Pretty much. My game had game-breaking glitch at the end last night. This. :/

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/586454-shining-in-the-darkness/75893875

Looked around the internet and someone on Steam had the same problem with the game.
I watched the ending on Youtube and am now moving on to Shining Force.
I guess Shining Force will probably be the first Genesis game I ever beat. Playing the PS4 Genesis collection now.

I played it but never got that far in it I think. I probably went into it thinking it would be like Shining Force since I knew the same people made it.
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Revelation34 posted...

I played it but never got that far in it I think. I probably went into it thinking it would be like Shining Force since I knew the same people made it.

Shining Force is the prequel to Shining in the Darkness.
I'm a few hours into Shining Force and wow, this game is way better. Lol
The story is like Breath of Fire to me, even though the gameplay is different.
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Ferarri619 posted...

Shining Force is the prequel to Shining in the Darkness.
I'm a few hours into Shining Force and wow, this game is way better. Lol
The story is like Breath of Fire to me, even though the gameplay is different.

Well It was years ago and on an emulator. I really don't remember it much. I want to eventually get the full Genesis collection on steam. I only have the ones that were given away for free.
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Ah, so many good memories of this series! I would never have gotten into Fire Emblem if not for Shining Force, and I played my original copy of SF1 so many times that the save data gave out.

Ferarri619 posted...

I just don't get why Sega can't at least remake some of their Saturn games.

There might a technical reason for this. Sega claims to have "lost the source code" for Panzer Dragoon Saga, among other things, but that seems disingenuous.
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Is the only way to grind in this game to die and then restart?
In Disgaea for example you could replay scenarios but I don't see a way to grind here besides dying over and over, or maybe using an Angel wing to exit the level.
I'm on Chapter 2 right now.
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Ferarri619 posted...

Is the only way to grind in this game to die and then restart?
In Disgaea for example you could replay scenarios but I don't see a way to grind here besides dying over and over, or maybe using an Angel wing to exit the level.
I'm on Chapter 2 right now.

You don't have to die, the main character has a spell called Egress that warps you out of the battle. But, yes, the only way to grind is to redo the current battle you're on.
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I_Abibde posted...

There might a technical reason for this. Sega claims to have "lost the source code" for Panzer Dragoon Saga, among other things, but that seems disingenuous.
-- I Abibde / Samuraiter

Ok somebody claimed something similar to this in a different thread and they didn't provide a source.

HelIWithoutSin posted...

You don't have to die, the main character has a spell called Egress that warps you out of the battle. But, yes, the only way to grind is to redo the current battle you're on.

How do you get experience at all then?
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Revelation34 posted...

How do you get experience at all then?

When a character attacks/kills an enemy or heals/buffs a character, they get xp. Then, before finishing that battle, cast egress and redo it if you want to grind.
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I discovered the Shining series via the PS3 collection, and now Shining Force I & II are among my favorite games. Just be aware that it's one of those series where the genre can change wildly between games. I wish somebody would make a legit tactical RPG Shining Force 4. It would be better than those Fire Emblem games.
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Revelation34 posted...

Ok somebody claimed something similar to this in a different thread and they didn't provide a source.

I managed to dig up this link:

https://venturebeat.com/2017/09/21/sega-should-revive-panzer-dragoon-saga-on-pc-next/
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Shining Force 2 is one of the best games ever made. I still play it every few years.
Great atmosphere, exploration, and battle system
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I_Abibde posted...

I managed to dig up this link:

https://venturebeat.com/2017/09/21/sega-should-revive-panzer-dragoon-saga-on-pc-next/

"But the biggest issue in drumming up success for an HD remake or even a sequel is that most fans know that Sega lose the source code for Panzer Dragoon Saga."

Article also makes a claim without actually sourcing it.
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Revelation34 posted...

Article also makes a claim without actually sourcing it.

Yeah, I noticed that, too. The lack of an original source for that is peculiar.
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I_Abibde posted...

Yeah, I noticed that, too. The lack of an original source for that is peculiar.

Somebody probably made it up one day and then it spread.
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Shining Force I and II are great. Never liked Shining in the Darkness much though.

Ferarri619 posted...

Revelation34 posted...

Isn't Shining in the Darkness that generic dungeon crawler game?

Pretty much. My game had game-breaking glitch at the end last night. This. :/

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/586454-shining-in-the-darkness/75893875

Looked around the internet and someone on Steam had the same problem with the game.
I watched the ending on Youtube and am now moving on to Shining Force.
I guess Shining Force will probably be the first Genesis game I ever beat. Playing the PS4 Genesis collection now.

An excellent port for the genesis I never see mentioned is Might & Magic 2. If you want a hard-ass old school dungeon crawler give that a shot, TC.
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The first person view turned me off Shining in the Darkness.
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