> Shining Resonance is the newest addition to the Shining series and unlike the last few Shining games which were made for the PSP and arcade, Resonance is a PS3 game. I'd like to see Shining Blade and Shining Ark converted to the PS3 as well but I'm not optimistic about that. The PSP Shining games seem to be made solely for Japan as opposed to everyone because handheld games are way more popular in Japan due to people using trains more etc; it's a different market. Beggars can't be choosers so Resonance will have to satisfy fans of the series who want something that isn't held back by the limitations of the PSP.

     > The game seems to be a real time action/RPG where you can switch characters? The jury is still out on whether this will actually be good or not. I assume the game is being made with Japanese gamers in mind first and foremost rather than being aimed at everyone. The Shining series is only successful in Japan so it's only logical that Sega would focus there. It is what it is. Nevertheless, action/RPGs are popular everywhere so Sega might see its potential, assuming it's good. We shall see. Time will tell. 

     > The first thing that strikes me is the art. The women are beautiful. The artist is Tony Taka, a famous/infamous Hentai/anime porn artist, like in Shining Tears, Shining Blade and Shining Ark, so this shouldn't be surprising. I prefer the darker art of the original Shining Force and Landstalker drawn by Yoshitaka Tamaki but there's no denying that this is quality artwork. The art is generic but it's brought up to a high standard nevertheless. 

     > The art of the new games is consistent. Now these games can be identified by their art alone. 

     > I am honestly surprised by how much the Japanese console market has shrunk over the last decade. Japan has twice the population of the UK but hardly anyone plays consoles. It seems that people mostly play handheld consoles in Japan. This will polarize games on the PS3 there because in order to make it worth people's time, games will have to be truly great.

     > I generally dislike Sony. It's not because they killed Sega. It's because Sony is ruthless and disingenuous (meaning Sony lies with the truth or avoids it). Making a better product is one thing. Making an inferior product then claiming that it's better with numbers that are possible in theory (or CGI) but not in practice and relying on brand recognition to sell it is another. Sony did this with both the PS2 and the PS3 and people fell for it. I don't even refer to Sony as a they in the plural sense because all I see is a soulless money making machine. I'm glad that Sony was forced to compete more with Microsoft. Having said that, however, I'd happily forget the past and buy a PS4 if it meant that I could play Shining Force IV with modern 3D graphics. There might not be much hope of us seeing that but even fading hope is hope nonetheless...

     > Camelot were the original creators of the series and the series has never been the same without them. Camelot named their company after the mythical kingdom of Camelot that was a utopian kingdom of knights located in Britain. Whether it was merely a story or not, it inspired people for generations. Medieval fantasy transcends borders and reaches people everywhere and seems to have timeless appeal. The fact that this series is still alive is proof of that.

     > Many people are content with graphics that aren't state of the art which means a new Shining Force game could be made with a much smaller budget than a modern RPG. I wish that Sega would just hire Camelot again... but having said that, Sega have the talent and the money to make a new Shining Force game. They just lack the will.