Shin Force | Sega Dreamcast Review
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Shin Force ~ Dreamcast ~
 Climax Landers / Time Stalkers
Jocelyn
Reviewed
08.01.2002
Publisher
Sega
Developer
Climax Ent.
Format
1x GD
Origin
Import/Domestic
Available
Sep. 19, 1999
(Japan)
Mar. 29, 2000
(USA)
Exclusive
Yes
Difficulty
Normal
Dimensions
3D
View
1st/3rd Person
Genre
Dungeon/RPG
Player(s)
1
Options
Backup 16-123
VGA Box
Requires
n/a
Importable
60%
Intro:
     > Time stalkers is developed by Climax, the people who worked on Shining Force and Shining the Darkness as well as other RPG classics for Sega systems.  The character Pyra in this game is from Shining the Darkness and the character Lady is from Ladystalker.  Climax was already one of my favorite developers before this game came out and they have shown their capacity to create inspired games for gamers who would rather participate in entertaining themselves than be entertained.  This turn-based RPG follows six heroes who are trapped in a sort of fairyland that is made up of "pieces" from various time periods, both real and fictional.  The lead character is Sword who is kinda the dude with the bad attitude that you know and hate from all those Square games you have played.  The overall story is not the strong point of this game, but the various substories are all quite interesting and fun to complete.
Graphics:
     > Timestalkers is a first generation Dreamcast game and, unlike Soul Caliber, it does show.  The character models are above average and most of the monsters are rather good, but you won't find yourself spending too much time gawking.  The overworld is an amalgam of "pieces" that is more notable for its awesome graphical style than its technical prowess.  This is not to say that it is unattractive, it just isn't awe-inspiring.  Stylistically I love the architectural mode of the fountain square and the oddity that is Noiman's Piece, which is on the back of a floating turtle.  The dungeon graphics are probably my favorite.  Although they are randomly generated they still look quite nice and the battles take place right in the dungeon view.  When you get close to an enemy it either engages you in combat, or, if it's less aggressive, you may choose whether you wish to fight it or avoid it, and then your characters and the enemy just move into battle formation.  One thing that may bother some about the graphics is that the characters are quite weird looking and the character portraits are a bit ugly (to my tastes anyway).  However, the people are very interesting.
Control:
     > No problems here.  All of the characters play very differently with Pyra being the best at magic, Rao the best for brute strength and everyone else falling somewhere in between.  Nigel is perhaps the most well rounded character and also my favorite.  You only use one hero at a time in dungeons, but you can recruit up to two monsters into your party to bring that total up to three.  Monsters are captured with the "capture" command used in battle.  The lower the capture percentage the higher there loyalty is to you, or their tendencies to do as you say.  Captured monsters are also more powerful if your character has high charisma.  Monsters are stored in the capsules you carry with you or can be grazed in an expandable monster house.  Every weapon you find has its own set of techniques that open up once you have high enough stats to master it.  This makes the weapons (which all have different graphics) more diverse than the basic attacks and hit percentages alone.  When you enter the dungeons, you will always be at level one like in the ancient dungeon in Lufia 2.  When you get to the end of the dungeon, you may obtain a new title (if you got enough levels) that allows you to master and register more spells and skills.  Spells and skills must be registered before you enter the dungeon (and capsule monsters must be taken out) and then skills must be selectively locked so that you can learn some earlier.  This system was confusing to me at first, but I have grown to love it, it is highly customizable and more strategic than what you would normally find in a straight RPG.  If you are still with me, it's on to…
Sound:
     > My favorite music in the game is the theme music, which is delightfully corny, and the music from the downtown dungeon.  Every character has their own theme music and I found all of the dungeon music to be great, which is good since you spend a lot of time in the dungeons.  The sound effects are good, too.  Excellent overall.
Fun:
     > With hundreds of items and over 70 monsters to capture, along with a percent found/captured system, this game is perfect for completionists and collectionists.  I've played for many tens of hours and not come close to getting all of the items, especially the elusive legendary items.  Legendaries are great fun in themselves.  You can pay the blacksmiths to have them improved, to have spell and skill packs added, and to have the mastery requirements lowered.  Your weapons are as powerful as you make them.  Just great.  You can also spend money to have the carpenter improve your house and monster house.  There are rare items you can display in your exhibit room called collection items.  This game has five VMU mini-games (some of them actually fun!), one of which is an editor for your VMU screen graphic, which is entertaining if you like to create stuff with big pixels.  Another one is Yogurts Big Adventure, featuring Yogurt!  I will note that according to other reviewers this game can be completed in less than 10 hours.  I have not verified this as I have too much fun with the game to just rush through it.  I will suggest that you entertain yourselves as the developers left it open to you to take infinite quests from Noiman and strive for a 100% complete game.  You can continue your game after completion as well and will want to, as there is something very valuable in the dollhouse at this point.  There is a lot more I could tell you about this game, but I hope this is enough to get you interested.  It seems to sell for about $10 these days.
Bottom Line:
     > I call this the RPGers RPG.  If you like getting items and collecting things, as well as a very strategic and challenging system, check this one out.
Ratings:
Overall: 9.3 | Graphics: 7.8 | Control: 9.8 | Sound: 9.5 | Fun: 10
~ Jocelyn ~
Necromancer
Reviewed
04.09.2000
Publisher
Sega
Developer
Climax Ent.
Format
1x GD
Origin
Import/Domestic
Available
Sep. 19, 1999
(Japan)
Mar. 29, 2000
(USA)
Exclusive
Yes
Difficulty
Normal
Dimensions
3D
View
1st/3rd Person
Genre
Dungeon/RPG
Player(s)
1
Options
Backup 16-123
VGA Box
Requires
n/a
Importable
60%
Intro:
     > Climax Entertainment has a seasoned history with RPGs for Sega consoles.  First they created Landstalker (Genesis), then Dark Savior (Saturn), and now Time Stalkers for the Uberconsole.  The first two were action/RPGs while Time Stalkers is more of a dungeon/RPG (much like Evolution).  In other words, get ready for random dungeons, plenty of items, and optional battles.

     > I wouldn't bother with the import version (Climax Landers) for a few reasons.  First, the dialogue is in Japanese.  Second, Sega of America is tweaking the game engine for America.  Finally, my importability rating isn't very good.
Graphics:
     > Granted, Time Stalkers can be classified as a first generation title in the graphics department.  However, I think they're very good nonetheless.  The Time Stalkers world is very large and your sight distance is great.  Each building, fountain, tree, dungeon, etc. isn't constructed of a million polygons, but the textures look good and frame rate is rock solid.  The characters are nicely detailed and have lots of attack animations.  Just like Evolution, the dungeons are randomly generated and look repetitive as well.

     > Time Stalkers has 4 views: cinematic 3rd person in the villages; first person in villages; 3rd person behind in dungeons; and floating 3rd person in dungeons.  For the most part they work well -- occasionally something will get in the way though.  You also get two maps to choose from in dungeons (full and partial).  I like using the full map even though it's centrally placed in a HUD format.

     > As usual, the Dreamcast comes through with some gorgeous effects.  Whether it's water falls, torches, lighting, shadows, lava, smoke, flame, or magic -- it all looks great.  My favorite is the various flame spells, which yield very realistic effects.
Control:
     > Time Stalkers' gameplay really shines.  You basically, walk around town, talk to villagers, enter dungeons, fight monsters, gain treasure, and beat the end of dungeon bosses.  There are side quests, VMU downloads, and the ability to capture monsters (which can be added to your team) as well.  An interesting feature is that your team starts at Level 1 every time you enter a dungeon, while your class eventually advances.  You have to reach certain levels and attributes to use certain items, techniques, and magic.  The addition of a hunger meter is different as it goes down when you search and must be replenished with power-ups.  As you complete dungeons and talk to various people, new areas will open up for exploration.
Sound:
     > Excellent, as expected from Sega/Climax.  If there's one thing you can count on in a Sega RPG, it's the notion that its music will be great.  Included are various lively, and mood generating songs to enjoy throughout your adventure.  Time Stalkers sound effects are very good too.  The only thing missing is some voice for the cut scenes.  Oh well, at least the attacks, magic, etc. get the job done.
Fun:
     > Time Stalkers will provide hours of RPG exploration, action, battles, and fun.  You can assume control of six main characters while interacting with over 30 characters and 73 monsters.  Throw in some VMU games (which must be earned) and you have a bona fide Sega hit.
Bottom Line:
     > I liked Time Stalkers better than Evolution mainly because of gameplay -- so get Time Stalkers first, then Evolution.  It's nice to see that Climax continues to provide Sega gamers with great RPG fun.  Time Stalkers is Sega's first RPG for the American market.  Since it's a dungeon/RPG, it'll be a good prelude to the real deal -- that being the impending arrival of Phantasy Star Online, Eternal Arcadia, and Grandia II.
Ratings:
Overall: 8.8 | Graphics: 8.2 | Control: 9.0 | Sound: 9.5 | Fun: 8.5
~ Necromancer ~


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