The final installment on the Saturn and its a shame such slick design was restricted to a Japanese-only release with the entire engine having been delicately tweaked into this masterpiece by Sega’s finest craftsmen.
A splendid, sprawling epic cocooned in a wonderful threads of Shining Force story. Lovingly crafted sprites reminiscent of the halcyon era of the Super Famicom.
Fantasy style RPG tribute to the Final fantasy series with cute sprite based town roaming cut with detailed monster stand offs. An emotive story and that classic Super Famicom look make for a fine role playing game.
A fine RPG with plenty of game references in the Super Famicom controller which appears in one of the many locales and in game characters called Akihabara. Its hard not to see the 16 Bit era as one of the golden ones for RPGs, especially on the Super Famicom. And Enix use all their experience to cut loose and add some humour to their fine RPG engine.
Buxom belles make up the cast for this point and click adventure with 3D battle scenes that captures the fun of the original anime series. The characters are well modelled and as an anime release the cut scenes are sumptuous. The full voice cast does wonders for the entertainment value too.
Old school RPG with plenty of combat potential to beef up the players posse of vagabonds to turn them into valiant warriors, especially with some well spent gold down the local armoury. Fans of the 16 Bit era RPG genre will lap this up.
Epic action RPG adventure with the emphasis more on hack and slash rather than anything too cerebral. The RPG elements involve boosting your attributes through collecting crystals defeated foes leave behind. Beautiful graphical style in the style of a Hong-Kong fantasy flick.
Sample of the Devil Summoners Soul Hackers and Ronde releases from Atlus on the Saturn. One for the collectors wishing to flesh out the fine structural skeleton of the Saturn.
Sample of the Devil Summoners Soul Hackers and Ronde releases from Atlus on the Saturn. One for the collectors wishing to flesh out the fine structural skeleton of the Saturn.
Very interesting results of Square focusing purely on the action RPG and platform gameplay of this title, without the CG graphics we have come to expect. The results are an incredibly playable title – a real joy to savour with plenty of humour. The bosses are skillfully crafted and the use of the clock to alter playing environments a clever touch.
Imaginative quest with seven different players selectable, each with their own story intertwined with the others in the cast making for an excellent replay value. Combat is particularly strong with development of a player’s skills possible through practise of the same techniques. A high degree of in game freedom to truly explore the fantasy world.
Imaginative quest with seven different players selectable, each with their own story intertwined with the others in the cast making for an excellent replay value. Combat is particularly strong with development of a player’s skills possible through practise of the same techniques. A high degree of in game freedom to truly explore the fantasy world.
A more compact quest than the open gaming world featured in the initial instalment with players savouring the action through different time lines that cross each other adding to the replay potential. Painstakingly beautiful gaming world that is full of vibrancy thanks to the 2D graphics. Executed with that distinctive Square class that the developer exudes.
A more compact quest than the open gaming world featured in the initial instalment with players savouring the action through different time lines that cross each other adding to the replay potential. Painstakingly beautiful gaming world that is full of vibrancy thanks to the 2D graphics. Executed with that distinctive Square class that the developer exudes.
Join Tom, Jim, Amy and best buddy Huck for an all American adventure, at least as seen from the eyes of the game’s developers Square. Illustrated by Katsutoshi Fujioka with some fine box art and solid cartoony sprites in game.
Breath-taking graphics and around sixty hours gameplay make this one for the true RPG fan. Enix return to form with real time battles and a bravery meter which builds up through successful attacks and defences, rewarding players with bonuses if they can resist the temptation to use it on an opponent.
Breathtaking graphics and around sixty hours gameplay make this one for the true RPG fan. Enix return to form with real time battles and a bravery meter which builds up through successful attacks and defenses, rewarding players with bonuses if they can resist the temptation to use it on an opponent.
Atlus has a fair hand for RPGs and reciprocates its fans love in this opus. The isometric graphics look like they are hand drawn and blend seamlessly from the sweeping opening scene. Voice acting is of a high standard as one may expect from such a pedigree publisher. Savour every XP scrap.
Lavishly illustrated avatars full of emotion (especially where Genki is concerned as we seem to keep upsetting the ladies with our choice of retorts) and detailed backgrounds. All very appropriate for the exquisite isometric perspective gameworld that will see players battling from rogue sailors on a galleon what looked like washed up ghosts from Pacman on a beach.
Fine, frantic RPG with colourful as the avatar representatives with plenty of special moves in the combat to surprise even the most seasoned of RPG veterans.
Contains two playable demos of about one hour of Tengai Makyo II (including the lavish introduction sequence as well) and about two hours of Dragon Slayer. Nice little sample of two very good RPG’s.
This version has more going for it that didn’t make the cut for the English language release. Jammed full of Chinese cultural references, or at least Chinese culture from a Japanese perspective, it can be pretty zany at times.
This version has more going for it that didn’t make the cut for the English language release. Jammed full of Chinese cultural references, or at least Chinese culture from a Japanese perspective, it can be pretty zany at times.
An RPG of fine fettle which takes a realistic approach in that the hero must get sufficient food and rest to stay alive. Items add to the weight lugged around and slow the progress down. And any overnight sortie out of the relative safety of the town requires sufficient planning to survive. The visuals are small so its possible to see a wide area of the gaming world at once. The soundtrack is sublime too to make up for any disappointment with the small-scale sprites. Plenty of heart in this one.
A dream collaboration between Square and Nintendo gives Mario the fondest of farewells in this last SFC release from the plump Italian plumber. Brings next generation levels of graphical prowess to the humble 16Bit console but as ever with the big N the focus is intently on deliriously fluid gameplay. And as you might expect from the Kyoto company, the game eases you in gently with controls fit for those unfamiliar with Square’s RPG-ing world. Draws on the massive potential of the Mario universe with the emphasis firmly on fun and the balance favoured on action.
Enjoyable RPG with well-drawn visuals and a pleasant soundtrack. Uses the first person perspective outlook well blended with standard third person perspective aswell to keep the visuals varied. The Mega Drive isn’t over burdened with RPG’s and Vermillion makes a welcome addition with imaginative bosses and dramatic battles.
Beautiful RPG where participants get to choose their character and their accomplices, but perhaps the local Inn is not the best place to round up focused fighters.
Played as a dog piloting a mecha suit in order to round up rogue felines who have been getting a bit aggro, Tail Concerto is a real treat and not just for the canine club. The game tags on some RPG elements but the emphasis of the action is most firmly placed on the 3D platforming sections. Still its always good fun to rummage through someones possessions to try and find a useful item, even if not recommended in real life.
