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> It's a shame that there isn't a bigger market for games like this outside
of Japan. I can't blame Sega for not wanting to lose money;
Sega are merely supplying demand. Sega took the Shining Force
series in a new direction by making Shining Force Neo an
action/RPG instead of making a strategy/RPG with modern graphics like Fire
Emblem which angered a lot of fans. It was heartbreaking, but such
is life. However, it is good to see that Sega haven't given up on this
series yet. The Shining series has become more mainstream no doubt but
maybe we can steer it back in the right direction. If not, then we always
have the original games.
> Shining Blade is basically a real time strategy game like
Valkyria
Chronicles with anime artwork but set in a medieval fantasy world.
Sadly the game only revolves around a small group of characters unlike
traditional Shining Force games. Characters move in real
time and when a character attacks with melee or ranged attacks the game
focuses on their attack. The graphics look great for the platform. I can't
complain. The graphics are colorful and solid and thus immerse you in the
game.
> This is the next step in the evolution of strategy/RPGs according to
some people but I disagree. The older games were turn-based. In Shining
Force III you moved characters across a grid map and took turns
to move with the enemy, and when a character attacked, the screen would
show them attacking in a more fully realized 3D environment. I liked Mystaria
more in this respect because the camera would zoom in on your characters
and show them attack instead. It was more seamless.
> Shining Blade is not a turn-based strategy/RPG like the
Shining
Force games of old. Shining Blade is played much more in real time
and is far less tactical. For better or for worse. This isn't meant to
be a criticism of Blade; I am merely highlighting the fact that it's not
the next step in Shining Force's evolution. It's a different game. But
maybe that's the price it had to pay to become successful. Companies have
a right to make games for people who actually buy their products. I can't
criticize the graphics. Whether you like the gameplay or not is subjective.
> The characters look like they came straight out of an anime. One thing
that will grab anyone's attention are the female characters. The women
are hot as hell. The artist is Tony Taka, a famous Hentai/erotic anime
artist (aka anime porn for the uninitiated). He knows how to draw eye candy,
that's for sure. The women are very beautiful indeed. It's hard to take
your eyes off them especially the white haired elf girl Altina. However,
the art seems generic.
> Maybe it's just me but the game screams mainstream. The women look like
porn stars and the men look like metrosexuals. The men don't look like
men. Men should look battle hardened and mentally independent in a medieval
fantasy world because that's what they would have to be in order to survive,
but alas, you won't find that here.
> Of course, I'm not expecting realism from this game. Perhaps it's not
meant to be. Nonetheless, Shining Blade has some of the traditional
art of the previous Shining games such as centaur knights which will please
older fans. While the art isn't ideal (this is subjective), I can't complain
about the quality. |
