Shining Force IV

Sorry I haven’t updated the blog in awhile, but it’s about time for another version of ‘Games that should be developed’. Hopefully I’ll get to some more reviews to post on soon. The younger generation might not know about the Shining Force franchise, but former owners of the late great Sega Genesis might know about this amazing series. Shining Force was one of the first, (if not the original) console turn-based strategy games. To this day it remains an amazing title, despite its age.

Shining Force introduced many compelling elements that set it apart from many games of its genre. Perhaps the most unique was the combat perspective. Whenever a combat action took place, a mini animation took place in which you could see the action executed up close.

These animations made each encounter seem more intense then most modern TBS game encounters, which always maintain the same combat perspective. Shining Force also introduced the Promotion system. Once your character reached level 10, you could choose to promote them to a more prestigious combat class. The interesting thing about this system was a newly promoted character was typically weaker for a few levels then they would hit what I call a ‘growth spurt’ and start acquiring high stat gains per level. This system made you really consider when it was best to promote your characters so that your entire team wasn’t too weak to handle an upcoming battle.

Shining Force also had many interesting combat units. There were centaur-like melee classes known as Knights who used lances for up close combat but could also use spears for ranged combat. There were also Birdmen who had advanced movement capability due to their ability to fly. There were also many other single units that stood out, namely: Zylo the werewolf, Bleu the dragon, Adam the cyborg, Hanzo the ninja, and of course the overly powerful Musashi the samurai. Considering the fact that there were over 30 playable characters in this game, many of them were intriguing enough to remain memorable throughout all these years…

I know Sega has continued the ‘Shining Force’ name with some of their newer PlayStation 2 titles. I was extremely excited to play the 1st one, but was very disappointed when I picked it up. Now don’t get me wrong, I liked this game but it was no Shining Force. Basically this game is an action RPG title; this isn’t a bad thing, but it really has no true relation to the original Shining Force series. So if anyone at Sega happens to see this…please bring back the true Shining Force! The TBS genre has evolved immensely since Shining Force (the Final Fantasy Tactics franchise is an excellent example), but as the innovator of this genre, I know you guys can adapt to the times and make an amazing true Shining Force title. Even it’s a hand-held title, that will suffice!

Chrono X

Many RPG gamers that used to have a Super Nintendo are familiar with the Chrono franchise. The first installment of the Chrono series, Chrono Trigger, is somewhat iconic; it has already been ported to the PS1, and an enhanced port will be available on the DS in the near future. An fine example of a classic RPG, Chrono Trigger was based on the premise of time travel, and the associated consequences. As far as I know, the Chrono franchise was the first game to incorporate team attacks, and may have been the first turn based RPG to incorporate enemy positioning as a strategic element of game play. Despite its innovative combat mechanics, Chrono Trigger was simplistic at its core and could be easily picked up and played.

The second installment of the Chrono series, Chrono Cross, was not as popular as the first (at least among my peers), yet was a solid title. Rather than focus on time travel, Chrono Cross was based on two parallel worlds, and their connection to one another. Chrono Cross also featured innovative combat mechanics, incorporating multiple options per player turn, and replacing magic points with consumable (per encounter) spells, known as elements. Chrono Cross also featured a large number of playable characters, over 40 if I remember correctly.

Both of these titles were amazing in their time, and I am saddened that a 3rd installment of this franchise has yet to be created. When reviewing the information I found on wikipedia, the chance of a new Chrono title being developed looks pretty slim….Nevertheless, Square-Enix, please consider continuing the Chrono series. I’m sure you’ve heard many similar requests and they’re are probably pretty meaningless at this point, but allow me to support my request with legitimate reasoning:

1.) The Chrono series fan base is vast; this is evident considering the amount of copies sold, and all of the websites that are still dedicated to this franchise despite its age. Remember, Chrono Trigger introduced many casual gamers to the RPG genre, and that same age group has become a significant part of the current electronic entertainment market. More then likely this title would turn a profit.

2.) I understand that it would be difficult to re-unite the original dev teams, and using a new dev team may take away from the series original appeal. This is a valid concern. However, if it were possible to mobilize even a few of the original developers (writers in particular), I’m sure your talented staff could maintain the charm that endeared the Chrono series to our hearts. Even if this wasn’t possible, just make sure that your new dev team has an intimate knowledge of the original game’s story lines and their associated themes. As long as these elements are consistent, I’m certain that fans will appreciate the work created by another team. Don’t forget that Chrono Cross was much different then Chrono Trigger; I could find few connections between the two games, yet I can appreciate Chrono Cross in its own way.

3.)The RPG genre needs you!!! There are few RPGs that were as innovative as either of the Chrono games. I’m sure if you were to make another Chrono title, the combat mechanics involved would be a breath of fresh air for all RPG fans craving something original. Alternatively, elaborate and improve the previous combat mechanics. I personally would like to see an emphasis on group techs again. You can always contact me (admin@generaldhade.info), if you would like to hear any of my ideas of what can be done in regards to combat design.

So, Square-Enix, please consider the aforementioned supporting statements, and create another addition to the Chrono franchise