Shining Force on Dreamcast

[Mark Asher]

I got my kids a DC compilation CD with 12 games or something on it, and one of them is Shining Force. They're playing it at a friend's house and they love this game, but they can't figure out how to save. Any ideas? I know there must be a way to save.

Also, any recommendations for good DC RPGs? That's what they love playing with this friend of theirs. They've played Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia, and are playing through Grandia 2 right now.

Thanks!

[Tom Chick]

Also, any recommendations for good DC RPGs? That's what they love playing with this friend of theirs. They've played Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia, and are playing through Grandia 2 right now.

Hey Mark, what did they think of Shenmue? I absolutely *loathed* that thing, but I'd be curious what kids think of it.

-Tom

[Matthew Gallant]

How can you hate the Shenmue? It's so spiffy and quirky.

[Mark Asher]

My twin boys have played through Shenmue three times. They love it. There's just something about it that tickles them. They are eagerly awaiting Shenmue 2 for the Xbox.

I know they like calling people on the pay phone for some reason.

They like to fight.

Not sure what else.

[Kahlil Gibran]

You save the game in churches. Find a priest. Can I get an amen?
Shining Force rocks. I wish they'd make Shining Force 4 already....


Mark, what are the other 12 games in the compilation?

[Andy A.]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2000-11-15

It's funny 'cause it's true.

[Dave Long]

Love, sustenance and entertainment... these are the necessities of life when you're tracking down your father's killer!

Sounds like your kids have hit the big three RPGs on the DC. Lesser ones include the two Evolution games and the very low rated Time Stalkers. There wasn't much else that made it out before the end of the system's life. However, they do have another of the Sega greats on that Smash Pack disc, Phantasy Star II.

Here's all that it contains...

Sonic The Hedgehog, Golden Axe, Shining Force, Wrestle War, Streets Of Rage 2, Columns, Virtua Cop, Vectorman, Phantasy Star II, Altered Beast, Revenge Of Shinobi, Sega Swirl

You can pick up a Sega Genesis pretty cheap if you want to get them the sequel to Shining Force. There's also the rest of the Phantasy Star series, III and IV. You'd need a Sega Saturn and a reasonable amount of dough to get Shining Force III Chapter I. Chapter II and III were never released in the US. If they really dig RPGs (and it sounds like they do), the Playstation is loaded with them. Vagrant Story, Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy VII through IX, Legend of Mana, Saga Frontier I and II, Final Fantasy Tactics, Front Mission 3... and that's just from Square! A cheap PSOne can be had for $30 or less or you can of course play these on a PS2. The SNES is also a great choice for RPGs as a lot of today's most popular series started life there.

BTW, I should have noted that there is apparently a GameBoy Advance Shining game coming out this year too. I just looked it up... Shining Soul...but it's more of an action RPG than a strategy one like Shining Force.

--Dave

[Mark Asher]

Ok, they say they tried the church and it doesn't save. Here's Brian to explain:

"We talk to the priest. He asks us if we want to save? We say yes but when we continue the game later we have to start all over again."

I suspect they're missing something. Any ideas what they are doing wrong?

[Matthew Gallant]

Perhaps there is something on the menu when you select one of the 12 games that lets you set up your VMU to act as a game saver.

[Dave Long]

One of the guys I work with has the Smash Pack. When he gets back from lunch, I'll ask him how you do it. If he doesn't know, I'll try to borrow the game from him and try it myself. I'd like to play Shining Force again anyway. :-)

If that's too long to wait... I just checked GameFAQs. One of them claims you can save the game. They say it has it's own game save. Is there a menu available before you start playing any of the titles where you can create a game save for each game individually? That would be my guess as to how it's implemented. This FAQ makes it sound like each game needs its own save.

--Dave

[Tom Ohle]

Shining Force ranks among my top 5 games of all-time... Shining Force 2 is in there, as well... I wish they'd do a port of Shining Force 3 (all chapters) for Xbox or Dreamcast... man, that'd make me happy.

[Dave Long]

It should have been ported to Playstation as should many of the great Saturn titles. Sega could sell a lot of units on PSOne if they brought the right titles to that system even now.

Unfortunately, that probably won't happen.

--Dave

[Tom Chick]

Ok, they say they tried the church and it doesn't save.

In this secular age, a lot of people find that to be the case.

-Tom

[Robert Sharp]

The church is always the place to save in shining force. That's the only way I know. That is a great series, one of my all-time faves. However, I heard the smash pack didn't translate it (or any of them) very well. I still have Shining Force 1-3 (yes, even 3, the U.S. version and part 3 of the Japanese..don't have part 2 though). All great games.

[Anonymous]

"In this secular age, a lot of people find that to be the case."

Okay, that was fucking hilarious.

[wumpus]

Perhaps in a slow-pitch softball sort of way.

[Dave Long]

OK Mark, I've got the manual right in front of me. I'll be trying it myself tonight but here's the instructions for saving in Shining Force on the DC Smash Pack...

When you choose one of the games from the Game Select screen, an extra menu will appear with a variety of options. You can return to this screen at any time by pressing A,B,X,Y and Start on the DC controller. From that menu you can choose SAVE GAME. NOTE! You must save within the game and then at this menu to properly save the game!

It's saving the cartridge state to the VMU. It's real emulation behind the scenes.

This is all in the book, so if the kids have the book, they can just follow the instructions printed there and they'll be set.

--Dave

[Mark Asher]

Thanks! They don't have the book because we bought the game used for $15.

[Jason Cross]

I heard a rumor that there's a Shining Force 4 on the way to the Xbox. Just a rumor, and I wouldn't put much faith in it.

Skies of Arcadia was pure joy turned into ones and zeros and burned onto a Dreamcast disc.

[Dave Long]

Skies of Arcadia is so good I'll buy it again on the Gamecube.

--Dave

[Doug Erickson]

No you won't. The Skies of Arcadia port is being done by the same group who did the abysmal Grandia 2 PS2 port. Keep far, far away from it.

[Dave Long]

Ugh... didn't know that. I guess I'll have to rent it first instead. *sigh*

I could just play it again on the DC. It looks so pretty in 640x480 on the monitor.

--Dave

[Dave Long]

So last night I played most of the games on the Smash Pack.

TEH MUSIK IS HORRABULL!

My god... I can't believe how bad the emulation is on these games when it comes to sound and music. Your kids are really missing out, Mark. The Genesis originals contained some of the best music of any games on the system. Streets of Rage 2 is just broken and that's criminal. Yuzo Koshiro's score for that game was techno before techno was cool. That music went on to be used in clubs it was so good. It's so horribly deformed in the Smash Pack that the game is ruined.

The others weren't much better. This compilation doesn't do anything for the memory of the Genesis. I HIGHLY recommend finding the original Shining Force and Phantasy Star II if possible for the original console. A Genesis can be had for $20 and these games for maybe $30 or $40 (or less if you scour your local shops). I suppose the Smash Pack will do if that's all you have, but man, this is a travesty. Emulation gone bad is a terrible evil.

--Dave