Shining just as bright 15 years later.

User Rating: 9.5 | Shining Force: Kamigami no Isan GEN
Shining Force was far and away the best turn based strategy role-playing game on the Genesis, and is considered by many to be the greatest SRPG of all time. That title has been well earned considering how well this game holds up after 15 years. While the main story of the game has been done to death over the years (ancient evil returns and it’s up to a young warrior and his small ragtag crew to stop it) Shining Force is broken up into chapters with different towns that all have in some way come in contact with the army you're sent to stop. The towns range from familiar and welcoming, to cold and bizarre, all of which help the story feel fresh the whole way through.

The gameplay is straight up strategy role playing standard, none of the crazy gimmicks today’s games throw in. Don’t take that the wrong way though, Shining Force may not have reinvented the genre, but it has perfected the basics to a level that is unparalleled. While at your army’s headquarters you can choose which members you wish to have fight during battles. There are just over 30 characters in the game. During battles you control up to 12 characters, ranging from mages to dragons. You strategically move them into the best position to take out your enemies, then issue an attack command to each individual character during their turn. Nothing ground breaking, nothing confusing, just the basics done flawlessly. The Wii-remote offers fantastic control and is also your best option for playing this on the Wii. At 800 Wii points ($8US) this game is a steal. This game is a true classic in every sense of the word, (top quality, definitive, always fashionable, generally accepted). If you haven’t played it before you should definitely check it out.