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System: Sega Genesis | Released: 1994 |
| Developer: Sonic Co. | Publisher: Sega |
| Genre: RPG | Players: 1 |
| Game Medium: 24 Mbit Cartridge | Reviewer: Mystik |
The sequel to a revolutionary game, it improves in every area, and quite an improvement it is! Visually it's bright, colorful and stunning, a pleasant improvement over the prequel, though some dislike the more cartoony look compared to the first one, you gotta admit it looks better. It sounds great, too. Loads of fitting, rather catchy tunes, whether in battle or during dramatic scenes, the music leaves an impression. The gameplay is very much the same as the first one; if anything, it's a TAD easier, which actually makes it POSSIBLE for the average gamer to beat a harder difficulty this time around.
The biggest difference between this game and the one before is that the plot progression does not advance in chapters. It's possible to go everywhere you've been before (except one area, for reasons obvious within the first several hours of playing). There is, thankfully, even more focus on the plot in this entry, and the story itself is deeper and more epic. Thought you delved into the bowels of “oh shit!” with the first one? This one steps that up in a frighteningly cool manner. Apparently Dark Sol and Dark Dragon, the nasty baddies from the first game, were acquainted with each other 1000 years ago, where they competed for supreme reign in the darkest of battles. The actual victor, however, was a third and final combatant, the ultra-powerful Demon Lord named Zeon. Regardless of victory, all were somehow sealed in some hidden realm. As you saw in the first game, Dark Sol freed himself and took his chances trying to combine his might with that of the other loser, Dark Dragon. Both feared Zeon, for obvious reasons. And lucky for the Hero (default name is Bowie in this one. Yay for David fans!), he gets to challenge this evil demon that's being released by a possessed King of a neighboring kingdom to his websitehome of Guardia. Why Bowie? Well, it doesn't help that the crystals of Light and Dark, which were holding Zeon's prison sealed until a rascally rat named Slade pulled them out as seen in the game's intro, have an attachment disorder to poor Bowie, essentially forcing him into his position of guy-who's-gotta-kick-Zeon's-ass. Luckily he's got a few close friends, and other willing allies, right by his side. The story is easy to love for it's simple bad-vs-good element that's written out in an attractive way. Once you pop, the fun don't stop...or something like that.
Overall, Shining Force 2 still stands as one of the best, if not dominant, games in the Strategy-RPG genre. Put down FF Tactics and Fire Emblem and immerse yourself in the addictive world of Shining Force. You'll never look back. This game barely misses a 5 simply because the Strategy-RPG genre is a very hard one for the average gamer to enjoy, meaning that most Halo and Gran Turismo fans will take one look at this game and shrug it off instantly.
Score: 4/5
