forums.shiningforcecentral.com/i … topic=3577
There will be a translated ROM of Final Conflict, Im definately playing this one, although its legally dubious, can it really be so bad to emulate such an old game, not releasaed in this ocuntry and with on a very obsolete console?
I had no idea there was a GameGear SF game. It looks quite neat in those screenshots too! Thanks for posting this!
There are actually three Game Gear Shining Force games believe it or not. Final Conflict is the third one that was released, but it was never translated into English, whereas Shining Force Gaiden 1 and 2 were remade and translated for the Mega CD.
I haven’t actually played through any of the Game Gear Shining Force games, but from what I hear they play similar to the Megadrive games but without the walking around bits between battles.
Our friend Tadashi Takezaki actually expressed an interest in remaking Shining Force Final conflict. Sega might even perceive a translation hack as something that could deprive them of a potential sale. Perish the thought!
The game is set between Shining Force 1 and 2, and basically rewrites some of the history of the series to further tie all the games together. In that game we discover what happened to Max from the original Shining Force, and we also discover the origins of Mevyle/Mephisto from Shining In The Darkness (a game which is now set after Shining Wisdom). Although Darksol from Shining Force was originally meant to be Mephisto (known as Dark Sol in the English version of SITD) to give him a little more background, Camelot changed everything for no apparant reason. I still remember the huge debates I had with everyone over at SFC regarding this topic. Yeah, it was essentially me versus the entire Shining Force community. >:)
So not only do we have poor translations throwing continuity out of the window and Camelot rewriting history, but now Sega has decided to recreate everything in its own image (see the bastardised story of the Shining Force remake to see what I mean).
You know, Shining Force Neo has been confirmed for an American release, yet no one cares! Where did everyone’s enthusiasm go I wonder? I’m sad to say that this series is dead to me now. It’s a shame really because I was once one of its biggest fans. Moogie and everyone else are simply clinging to the remnants of what once was because they fear where letting go will take them.
Geoffrey, forgive me for being blunt, but whenever you start lamenting about the “death of the Shining series” I can’t help but feel it’s just that one little magic word, “Force”, and its application to a Wisdom-style game, that got up your nose and since then you’ve been transfixed by it like someone with an obsessive-compulsive disorder. 
What would Marcus from Babylon 5 say? Of course: Do you think silent meditation would work better?
You’re right in that I wouldn’t care even half as much if Sega had called Shining Force Neo something else. Shining Force has always been synonymous with turn-based battles… until now. Canceling a turn-based RPG directly in favor of developing an Action/RPG also grates on my nerves more than you know because I’ve seen it happen before. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that Interplay went under after making such a stupid mistake. Even then, people defended Interplay. Action/RPGs are more profitable they said. Hardcore fans mean nothing to Interplay, they said. Sound familiar? Good riddance to Interplay, I say.
We’ll have to let SF Neo’s sales figures be the judge of it. However… if it does kill the series as we know it, then you can sure as hell bet that I won’t be pleased. Nothing and no one will stop me from voicing my displeasure.
Well from reading that interview in Sega Voice on the production of the game it sounded that the team leader did n’t want to make a SRPG he wanted the action to be more fluid. Sega has never really been strict
like Nintendo has on how to handle their franchises but now the Sega manangement is basically the Sammy one now maybe they will be more strict on Sega’s future franchises and how they are portrayed. Which is a bad thing as well as a good thing.
Sega should ask the Panzer team to develop a new, true Shining Force game. I truly hope they didn’t have a hand in the creation of Shining Force Neo.
No i think they’re too busy working on PDS 2. Besides not even Sega had that much to do with SFN. I’m not really bothered because it’s being made for a shit console anyway. I’ll check out the SF mobile games as they seem to be more in touch with the original series than NEO is.
Yeah, the PS2 is certainly a questionable piece of hardware.
Personally, I think the Neo team never intended to even try to develop a Strategy/RPG. Instead, they simply tried to do what they do best.
Sega should give the job to a more capable team in my humble opinion. The Panzer team springs to mind… if they aren’t busy working on a new Panzer game of course. I bet they could not only develop a great Shining Force game that’s true to its roots, but make it look better than SF Neo in the process. 
[quote=“Geoffrey Duke”]Yeah, the PS2 is certainly a questionable piece of hardware.
Personally, I think the Neo team never intended to even try to develop a Strategy/RPG. Instead, they simply tried to do what they do best.
Sega should give the job to a more capable team in my humble opinion. The Panzer team springs to mind… if they aren’t busy working on a new Panzer game of course. I bet they could not only develop a great Shining Force game that’s true to its roots, but make it look better than SF Neo in the process. [/quote]
Yes it’s starting to look that way and I’ve mentioned it before. If Sega was as strict as Nintendo this would have never have happened. The only good thing now is that Sega has a more visble commander in cheif and he seems very no nonsense. The problem is GD is that your prediction of the game
being popular may happen as it’s got two good reviews from Japan’s leading
game mags. If the game is a smash hit , Sega will just keep making more games of SHINING FORCE NEO which will validate that asshole’s decision that changing the style of the game to create his personal Kingdom Hearts was warranted. Feh.
I like the way you put that.
I’m just going to expect the worst so that I won’t be disappointed.
[quote=“Geoffrey Duke”]
I like the way you put that.
I’m just going to expect the worst so that I won’t be disappointed.[/quote]
Its not pessimism its realism, or at leats thats what I always tell myself lol
RPGFan has recently published a full interview with Tadashi Takezaki:
rpgfan.com/features/intervie … ndex6.html
[quote=“RPGFan”]Q: Sega has revived its world renowned Shining Force series, but why is it that Shining Force Neo is being developed as an action RPG, and not a strategy RPG like previous installments. Furthermore, is there a possibility, that Sega will announce a new Shining Force strategy RPG in the future?
A: Because nowadays the strategy RPG Shining Force (editor’s note: Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon, the GameBoy Advance remake of the original Shining Force) can be played well enough on the GameBoy Advance, when we create [a game] for PlayStation 2, we want to create a game content, which makes [full] use of the PlayStation 2’s capabilities and as a result of the members of the development team doing some trial and error [tests], it turned out to be a 3D action game with a character formation and map-captured strategy style a la Shining Force Neo. Since we have created an exciting and at the same time refreshing action RPG, I really hope all of your readers will play the game as well.
Furthermore, if we talk about the future of the Shining series, since the series from the very beginning has featured various RPG genres, I believe, the possibility of a new simulation RPG being developed at some point exists. In this case, the previous game system will probably evolve.[/quote]
He claims that strategy RPGs don’t make full use of the PS2’s power and yet he claims that a new strategy RPG is possible in the future. Well if such a game is possible in the future, why the hell isn’t it reasonable to make one now that makes “full use of the PlayStation 2’s capabilities” instead of Shining Force Neo? Unless the next generation of consoles magically become more suited for strategy RPGs again?
ps2.ign.com/articles/588/588262p2.html?fromint=1
Read the lcosing comments, it seems even the mainstream press is coming to the sane conclusion lol
Sega must enjoy torturing us. 
SF Neo was just released in Japan, so we will know soon if sacrificing the turn-based gameplay of the older games for a real-time combat system was worth it.
The truth of the matter is, the Shining Force series has already been taken into the 3D realm with great success, and the series can only benefit from the power of the current generation consoles. You only need to look at Shining Force 3 to see how the series could go forward.
For a game that supposedly doesn’t take full advantage of the GameCube’s power and belongs on a hand-held console by Tadashi Takezaki’s inane logic, the new Fire Emblem sure as hell looks better than Shining Force Neo. I doubt that the new Fire Emblem game could even be fully replicated on the PS2. He is clearly trying to make vain excuses to hide the true reasons for turning SF Neo into Action/RPG, and those reasons revolve around the fact that today’s breed of Action/RPGs are simply more marketable than “simulation RPGs”. He should at least have the decency to be honest about it.
[quote=“Solo Wing Dragon”]RPGFan has recently published a full interview with Tadashi Takezaki:
rpgfan.com/features/intervie … ndex6.html
[quote=“RPGFan”]Q: Sega has revived its world renowned Shining Force series, but why is it that Shining Force Neo is being developed as an action RPG, and not a strategy RPG like previous installments. Furthermore, is there a possibility, that Sega will announce a new Shining Force strategy RPG in the future?
A: Because nowadays the strategy RPG Shining Force (editor’s note: Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon, the GameBoy Advance remake of the original Shining Force) can be played well enough on the GameBoy Advance, when we create [a game] for PlayStation 2, we want to create a game content, which makes [full] use of the PlayStation 2’s capabilities and as a result of the members of the development team doing some trial and error [tests], it turned out to be a 3D action game with a character formation and map-captured strategy style a la Shining Force Neo. Since we have created an exciting and at the same time refreshing action RPG, I really hope all of your readers will play the game as well.
Furthermore, if we talk about the future of the Shining series, since the series from the very beginning has featured various RPG genres, I believe, the possibility of a new simulation RPG being developed at some point exists. In this case, the previous game system will probably evolve.[/quote]
He claims that strategy RPGs don’t make full use of the PS2’s power and yet he claims that a new strategy RPG is possible in the future. Well if such a game is possible in the future, why the hell isn’t it reasonable to make one now that makes “full use of the PlayStation 2’s capabilities” instead of Shining Force Neo? Unless the next generation of consoles magically become more suited for strategy RPGs again?[/quote]
But in a way he’s basically saying that the PS2 can’t handle a Sega made
SRPG. I have noticed some sort of snobbery with Sega developers in concern
of the PS2 platform. AM2 refused to port SHENMUE 2 or any other significant titles apart from VF4, AM2 has hardly made any other games since Sega become third party,Smilebit once said that JET SET RADIO could never be replicated on the PS2 and Overworks abandoned porting SKIES OF ARCADIA
to the machine as well. Sonic Team was no less but ordered to start developing games for PS2 and stop focusing on Nintendo so Sega would make more money.
In the old regime I think the developers got away with a lot but under this
Sammy management that won’t happen anymore.
Just an FYI: the PS2 port of Skies wasn’t being done internally… so it has nothing to do with Sega “snobbery.” 
[quote=“Geoffrey Duke”]Sega must enjoy torturing us. SF Neo was just released in Japan, so we will know soon if sacrificing the turn-based gameplay of the older games for a real-time combat system was worth it.
The truth of the matter is, the Shining Force series has already been taken into the 3D realm with great success, and the series can only benefit from the power of the current generation consoles. You only need to look at Shining Force 3 to see how the series could go forward.[/quote]
YOu know though I actually liked the STHA/SF3 story arc better than the SF1, 2 and CD one. The Soul 1 + 2 story line was a joke. I just wish they would get Camelot back, but not much chance of that
I’m still certain that Sega is more capable of making Shining Force IV than Camelot ever was.
Unfortunately, if the Sakura Taisen and Shining project manager himself doesn’t see a future for “simulation RPGs” (a genre Sega helped pioneer) on any of the home consoles, then we might as well abandon all hope.