Software:Shining Force CD

From HandWiki
Short description: 1994 video game
Shining Force CD
European box art
Developer(s)Sonic! Software Planning
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Yasuhiro Taguchi
Producer(s)Shugo Takahashi
Hiroyuki Takahashi
Designer(s)Shuji Shimizu
Tatsuya Niikura
Ayumu Shindo
Programmer(s)Yasuhiro Taguchi
Kenji Numaya
Yutaka Yamamoto
Artist(s)Hiroshi Kajiyama
Masayuki Hashimoto
Fumihide Aoki
Writer(s)Shugo Takahashi
Composer(s)Motoaki Takenouchi
SeriesShining
Platform(s)Sega CD
Release
Genre(s)Tactical role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Shining Force CD (シャイニングフォースCD) is a 1994 tactical role-playing game developed by Sonic! Software Planning and published by Sega for the Sega CD. It is a remake of the games Shining Force Gaiden and Shining Force Gaiden II, originally for the Game Gear. Although the game went largely unnoticed upon release in 1995, it has gained a cult following and is considered to be one of the best titles released for the Sega CD.

Gameplay

Top: Wendy preparing to move.
Bottom: A battle taking place.

The gameplay mechanics are identical to those of the Shining Force Gaiden games. The player progresses through a series of turn-based tactical battles interspersed with short cutscenes. Between cutscenes, the player is allowed to save the game, promote characters, resurrect fallen characters, and sometimes buy and sell weapons and healing items.

Shining Force CD is divided into four "Books" that can be played sequentially or separately. The first two Books contain the adapted versions of the Gaiden games. The other two Books are new scenarios exclusive to Shining Force CD that continue the story of those games.[3]

Only Books 1 and 2 are available from the beginning. Book 3 is unlocked by completing Books 1 and 2, while Book 4 can be accessed by completing Books 1-3 and finding a hidden item in Book 2. Character stats from Books 1 and 2 can be carried over to Book 3 by saving the game on a backup RAM cart since the Sega CD's internal memory is not enough to keep all the data files. Character stats from Book 3 can similarly be transferred to Book 4.

Plot

Book 1

The ambassador of Cypress, Woldol, pays a visit to Guardiana (erroneously written as "Gardiana" here) and presents a jeweled box as a gift for Queen Anri. Opening the box places her under a sleep spell, which Woldol declares that only King Edmond of Cypress can awaken her from. Guardiana launches an invasion of Cypress in retaliation, but a month passes and no word is heard from the Guardiana army.

The player controls Nick, a visitor, who is chosen to be the new leader of the Guardiana Shining Force. The party travels to the kingdom of Cypress to rescue Guardiana's captive soldiers and find a way to cure Queen Anri. On their journey, they are joined by members of the Cypress resistance force, who are fighting to free Cypress from the influence of Woldol, who murdered the rightful king and installed Edmond as a puppet ruler in service to the evil god Iom. The Guardiana army also learns that Nick is, in fact, the son of the late king.

In a final assault on Cypress's castle, Edmond is killed. Nick battles Woldol using the Sword of Hajya, which can only be wielded by those of the royal bloodline of Cypress and is the only weapon which can break Iom's power. Though victorious, Nick is infected with a venom that turns his right arm to stone. With Queen Anri cured by Prince Nick's actions, Guardiana becomes Cypress's ally.[4]

Book 2

Cypress and Guardiana are now at war with Iom, a nation devoted to the evil god of the same name. The player now assumes the role of Deanna, a young man found wounded by the cliffs near Cypress's castle by two young Cypress soldiers, Natasha and Dawn. Nick and his troops depart to battle Iom, leaving Mayfair (a former member of the Cypress resistance) and several soldiers in charge of the castle. Once recuperated, Deanna joins them on guard duty, and though shy by nature, he begins to bond with Natasha.

An Iom agent steals the Sword of Hajya from the castle. A small team of young soldiers left to guard the castle, led by Natasha and guided by Mayfair, set out to hunt down the thief and reclaim the Sword of Hayja. Their pursuit takes them to the neighboring kingdom of Emild, whose ruler has been sacrificed to Iom and replaced with the shapeshifting general Gordon. They recover the Sword of Hajya from Gordon, but immediately after a mysterious benefactor informs them that Prince Nick was defeated and taken prisoner.

Natasha's force now heads to Iom to rescue Prince Nick. Their mysterious benefactor repeatedly comes to their aid but refuses to identify himself. They learn that Warderer, the king of Iom, is sacrificing members of royalty to Iom in order to summon the god to their world and that he intends to make Nick the next sacrifice.

When the Cypress force confronts Warderer, General Hindel of Iom rescues Nick. Nick explains that Hindel betrayed Iom in order to save Deanna, Hindel's brother and that the Cypress force's mysterious benefactor was sent by Hindel. Deanna had in fact been wounded by a Cypress soldier while serving in an invading force from Iom. Following this revelation, an enraged Warderer kills Hindel and sacrifices himself to Iom, thereby summoning the evil god. Nick and his men defeat Iom, sending him back to Hades. With the war over, Natasha and the others return to Cypress with Prince Nick. Deanna ultimately decides he must return home to Iom, despite his love for Natasha and the new friendships he has formed in Cypress. But Natasha, who has fallen in love with Deanna, insists on going with him.[4]

Book 3

The player again assumes the role of Nick. Several months after Iom's defeat, Prince Nick's coronation ceremony is interrupted by an old woman named Dava. She asserts that Nick is unworthy of being crowned king and kidnaps Queen Anri. To prove himself worthy of the crown, Prince Nick must lead the Cypress army and his friends from Guardiana to rescue the lost queen.[4]

Book 4

Nick and his friends are visiting the most historic museum in Cypress when the exhibits of Nick's greatest enemies suddenly come to life.

Release

Shining Force CD was released in Japan in July 1994. At this time, Sega of America stated that they had no plans to release the game outside of Japan,[5] but they later changed their minds, and the game was released in both North America and Europe. The localization of Shining Force CD is a generally more accurate translation than its predecessors, Shining Force and Shining Force II, though some changes were made. The characters Hanzou and Musashi, who previously appeared in Shining Force, are referred to in Shining Force CD's localization as "Higgins" and "Rush", respectively.[6] Also, in Book 2, Mayfair inexplicably refers to Ruce as "Scavenger".[4]


Reception

On release, GamePro gave Shining Force CD a mixed review. They praised the quality of the strategic gameplay and graphics perspectives but were critical of the fact that the game doesn't significantly differ from its predecessors Shining Force and Shining Force II in either of those elements.[7] A reviewer for Next Generation, while concurring that the game differs little from its predecessors in the mechanics, felt that the new content was enough to keep the game fresh even to fans of the series. Citing the exciting battles, detailed fight animations, and sense of exploration, he deemed Shining Force CD a must-have for Sega CD owners and gave it four out of five stars.[8]

Retro Gamer included this "almost overwhelming" and "epic" title among their top ten Mega CD games.[9] Though Next Generation listed all the Genesis and Sega CD entries of the Shining series collectively as number 77 on their list of the "Top 100 Games of All Time", they made special note of Shining Force CD as "one of the largest RPGs ever made".[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Work in Progress: Shining Force CD". Computer and Video Games (EMAP) (161): 29. April 1995. https://retrocdn.net/images/5/5b/CVG_UK_161.pdf. 
  2. ↑ "Software List (Released by Sega)" (in ja). Sega. https://sega.jp/history/hard/mega-cd/software.html. 
  3. ↑ Retro review, Defunct Games.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Game Script, Shining Force Central.
  5. ↑ "Shining Force CD". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (63): 94–95. October 1994. 
  6. ↑ Character name translations, Shining Force Central.
  7. ↑ "Shining Force CD". GamePro (IDG) (81): 96. June 1995. 
  8. ↑ "Dazzling". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (6): 110. June 1995. 
  9. ↑ "Top Ten Mega CD Games". April 11, 2014. http://www.retrogamer.net/top_10/top-ten-mega-cd-games/. Retrieved 25 May 2015. 
  10. ↑ "Top 100 Games of All Time". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (21): 44. September 1996. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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