Sega Games- Shining Force II: (1993)

When it comes down to RPG titles of the early 90’s one of the most memorable games for the Sega Genesis was the Shining Force II.   The Shining Force II had included incredible gameplay and graphics for the Sega Genesis and it was also one of those games that some people would argue was better than most Super Nintendo titles in terms of quality.  When Shining Force II was developed by Camelot Software Planning it felt like it stood out from several Super Nintendo RPG tiles such as Final Fantasy & Breath of Fire. While players can to many basic things in the game such as leveling up and equipping characters with armor the battle cutscenes were significantly different from anything one would see in a regular RPG title.  The animation for the battles in Shining Force II were fantastic and players were allowed to have at least twenty members in their party as they progress throughout the game.  Another interesting thing about the Shining Force II included the plot in which a demon ends up controlling a king due to the actions of a thief searching for jewels.

The result of the thief’s actions leads to a war between two kingdoms leaving the heroes to resolve the issue at hand.   Some would agree that the plot for Shining Force II was unique because it was something that felt original and diverted from generic storylines used in RPG titles where players are required to rescue someone.  While going through the game people can play with many characters including Kazin, Sarah, Bowie, Jaha along with many others.  The amount of characters the Shining Force II gives people to play as was another feature that made this RPG title stand out. While other RPG titles limits players to a certain amount characters the Shining Force II allows people to choose several which keeps the game itself interesting while learning how to play it.  When it comes down games for the Sega Genesis the Shining Force II was probably one of the best RPG titles one could come across during the 16 bit era.