Shining Force II

"A simply amazing game, in a series with many ups and downs..."

Shining Force 2

The 2nd in the Shining force series, this game is a total and utter masterpiece. In my opinion, Sonic Team created what is not only easily the best rpg on the Genesis, but a contender to the title of best rpg ever. So, having read a preview of this game, testifying that is was (thankfully) an improvement on its the first in line, I rushed out to my local game shop and bagged a copy of Shining Force 2....

Graphics:
Well, this is one of the games top points, as it is beautifully colored, and has a nice, friendly atmosphere to the newcomer. Each character has their own miniature, and full sized version for combat screens. The various locations are well designed, and easy to get around. It is obvious to see that the developers put a lot of time into carefully designing the individual places, as they are all quite unique.

Game play:
The controls are very easy to pick up, and are really very simple. A being the action button, and B Cancel. The game is very addictive, and I played it every day for as long as it took me to complete it. Even after you have completed it, you sometimes feel like going back and training up a bit more, just so you can look stronger to you friends. If there is one slight problem with playing the game, it would have to be the lack of some kind of airship (or truck?) to get around the towns ect. As the game is mainly split onto two continents, it tends to take about 15 minuets to get from the very distant locations to other far off places.

Sound:
This is, if anything, the games only down point. The music gets dull and repetitive, and the sound effects are nothing special. The world map has a loud, banging sound which can give you a bit of headache, so just turn the volume down and stick some music on while your playing, you will enjoy it much more.

Replay-value:
Well, the game lasts an AGE. it takes long enough to complete, and isn't exactly easy at points. There are quite a few puzzles, which had me stumped for a while. if you do manage to finish it, you get a special reward, which if followed by a nice, if slightly predictable ending. With around 50 characters, and so many secrets, you will never get bored of this game. Just wait, some Sunday afternoon, you'll have nothing to do, and decide to play a bit of sf2, but you will end up playing more than just a bit.

Overall:
Overall, this is an amazing game, one of my all time favs. Great game play, graphics and lifespan make up for the lacking sound. This game has a nice, smooth sense to it, and is nice and relaxing to play. The storyline, in my opinion is large improvement on the first, and you become involved with a lot of the characters, quite a few of which are pretty likable. Unlike a lot of rpg's from this time, Shining Force 2 doesn’t scream 'Manga' with big heads, small bodies and weird features like sushi eating games. It is just a good old medieval 'romp?' and will thoroughly entertain you. If you like old school rpg's, you’ll like this. If you don't, you’ll still like it.

9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/18/01, Updated 01/18/01