Electronic Gaming Monthly's Top 11 Games in Sega's Shining Series

Shining Wisdom (Saturn)

#11

“I haven't seen anything new in a while in the RPG world, and Shining Wisdom keeps up the status quo. Besides having a nice color palette, this game looks like it belongs on a 16-bit system. Some of the conversations in the game are really wordy and useless. At points, I stopped talking to people just to avoid scrolling through the text. I also prefer turn-based combat versus this Zelda-style of live combat, but that's just a personal preference. The quest is linear; you access every place in a certain order. Plenty of secrets are hidden about the large maps, but besides that, there's not much to excite an RPG enthusiast.” (5.5 out of 10)

Shining Force EXA (PlayStation 2)

#10

“The constant interruption by the castle-defense scenarios [other critics] speak of doesn't bother me so much. What's irritating is that they add ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to the game. Had they offered a different gameplay experience, maybe something more strategic than the rest of the game, they'd be worthwhile. Perhaps even a throwback to the old Genesis Shining Force series? As is, most of the exact same hack ‘n slash schlock interrupts your main game, making EXA supergeneric and forgettable.” (5.7 out of 10)

Shining Tears (PlayStation 2)

#9

“I was wary at first of this RPG's dialogue-bubble-heavy pseudo-cut scenes and Lord of the Rings-lite storyline of magical rings, an amnesiac ring-bearer, and the ring's dark, hidden powers. But an easy-to-learn combat and customization system helped me swallow that stuff and have a right good time. The cartoon graphics rank up there with the babiest of any games', and it's all droopy eyes and anime cliches. But you can save anywhere or enter and exit battles as needed – nice touches that make this one user-friendly.” (6.2 out of 10)

Shining Force Gaiden: The Sword of Hajya (Game Gear)

#8

“A nice RPG offering for the portable system. Although it is scaled down from the 16-bit big brother version, this one keeps almost all the same elements. There are several hours of gameplay in this one, with the music and graphics taking first chair. This is the type of game made for the portable system when you take a long trip.” (6.8 out of 10)

Shining Force II (Genesis)

#7

“A worthy follow-up to the first role-playing game, with bigger areas to explore and characters to meet. This will definitely appeal to fans of the first one, and to RPG fans in general. It assumes you've played the first Shining Force, but the story could use a few more twists and turns. The music is very good, as is the easy-to-follow control configuration.” (6.8 out of 10)

Shining Soul (Game Boy Advance)

#6

“If you've ever wondered what PC hit Diablo might play like if it were handheld, and a lot cuter, then look no further than Shining Soul. With four distinct playable character classes, a massive collection of uniquely cool items to find, and four-player link action at the ready, the game is eminently playable, and more importantly, replayable. All the hacking and slashing SHOULD get old after a while, but the infamous “quest for stuff” kept me going for the long haul.” (7 out of 10)

Project X Zone (Nintendo 3DS)

#5

“Project X Zone brings together more than 200 characters from various Namco Bandai, Capcom and Sega properties and sets them loose in a wild-and-wacky strategy RPG filled with fan service and clever cameos. There's just one problem: Monolith Soft seems to have taken their combat pacing from Goku and Freeza's legendarily drawn-out clash on Planet Namek. These battles are as long as a baeball game – in real time! Still, the fighting game-style confrontations definitely keep things interesting, and this one's certainly worth considering if you're a fan of tactical RPGs or seeing Frank West, KOS-MOS and Tron Bonne combine to beat down evildoers.” (7 out of 10)

Shining Soul II (Game Boy Advance)

#4

“The amount of shine added to Soul's sequel is ... well, almost enough. This action-RPG easily surpasses its predecessor with diverse environments and a wide variety of character types. Also, I'm always a sucker for a game resembling Phantasy Star Online, where I can team-up with buddies to conquer beasties and discover ultra-rare weapons. Yet, too few identifying scrolls in the beginning of the game leaves you flat broke, and while the story is a step up from the original, this narrative could still use some work.” (7.2 out of 10)

Shining the Holy Ark (Saturn)

#3

“This game is a little King's Field mixed with stock RPG battles and a great storyline. The entire game is 3D, with excellent rendered characters as friends or foes. The one feature that impressed me the most was the seamless tie-in of cinemas and actual gameplay. Only the command interface hurts as you wade through tons of screens to heal yourself.” (7.75 out of 10)

Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon (Game Boy Advance)

#2

“For those with enough geek cred to remember the first Shining Force when it hit the Genesis in 1992, this refurbished version may be something of a letdown. Developer Sega AV (aka Amusement Vision) replaced the formerly dark graphics with Super Nintendo-style pastels, and the game has a few tiny enhancements (mostly to make it easier for modern players), but compared to Advance Wars and other GBA originals, Resurrection will seem old-fashioned and heavy on the fighting. It's still a classic, and addictive if given the attention it deserves, but it could've done with still more sprucing up.” (7.8 out of 10)

Shining Force III (Saturn)

#1

“Shining Force III takes everything that made the Genesis games great and pumps it up to the next level. The 3D engine is great (some of the best graphics the Saturn has ever seen) and the music and story are top-notch. Kudos to Sega for doing such a nice job on the translation. The battles are perfectly balanced throughout, even at the end, and they're a lot of fun to play. Sega, please give us Scenarios 2 and 3.” (8.9 out of 10)