1997
One of the last games released for the Sega Saturn in the West, Shining Force III was the last traditional strategy RPG Shining Force game released and featured a ground-breaking scenario system, where actions in one scenario can affect another through your save data, which could range from getting certain items in the other scenarios or even affect which party members you could get.
Alas, this only worked if you had access to Scenarios 2 and 3, which were never released in the West due to the ailing lifespan of the Saturn, meaning western players missed out on the coolest aspect of the trilogy, which could only be experienced if you imported scenarios 2 and 3.
Last year, I finally got to experience the grandeur of the trilogy in full thanks to fan-translations, and while the 3D graphics haven’t aged as well by modern standards, the accessible strategy RPG remains as timeless as it’s ever been, with some interesting gimmicks thrown in to keep things fresh - especially in Scenario 3, like the lighthouse battle.
The scenario system itself still remains innovative even to this day and hasn’t really been replicated since, which still warrants intrigue even by modern standards.
Alas, this only worked if you had access to Scenarios 2 and 3, which were never released in the West due to the ailing lifespan of the Saturn, meaning western players missed out on the coolest aspect of the trilogy, which could only be experienced if you imported scenarios 2 and 3.
Last year, I finally got to experience the grandeur of the trilogy in full thanks to fan-translations, and while the 3D graphics haven’t aged as well by modern standards, the accessible strategy RPG remains as timeless as it’s ever been, with some interesting gimmicks thrown in to keep things fresh - especially in Scenario 3, like the lighthouse battle.
The scenario system itself still remains innovative even to this day and hasn’t really been replicated since, which still warrants intrigue even by modern standards.
1996
It’s inevitable for different media to draw inspiration and influence one another, and Dragon Force was released in the wake of Mel Gibson’s Braveheart Oscar win in 1996, and captured the same spirit of the movie’s epic battles with a side-scrolling battle system with armies that could go up to 100 troops on each side - each unit individually rendered.
For me, no other battle opening sequence in the 32-bit era was as epic as Dragon Force at its best - with the battles starting with the general’s dialogue before scrolling through the entire battlefield over both armies (which were epic when it was 100 vs. 100 battles), to the opposing general and ending by a loud battle roar to commence the battle - the epic-ness of that sequence gave me chills even after 8 playthroughs with all 8 playable characters, and remains one of my favorite moments in gaming!
For me, no other battle opening sequence in the 32-bit era was as epic as Dragon Force at its best - with the battles starting with the general’s dialogue before scrolling through the entire battlefield over both armies (which were epic when it was 100 vs. 100 battles), to the opposing general and ending by a loud battle roar to commence the battle - the epic-ness of that sequence gave me chills even after 8 playthroughs with all 8 playable characters, and remains one of my favorite moments in gaming!
1998
Is any game worth 1,000 USD? The single-most expensive standalone Sega Saturn game and one of my Sega Saturn ‘grail’ games.
Spanning 4 discs that bring a unique game world that involves a rider and their dragon taking the fight to an empire that was only peripherally hinted at in the first 2 games, one with its own lore, landscape and language to life - the game clocks in at a relatively modest 25-30 hours (despite the 4-discs) to really flesh out the world-building with cinematics and voiced speech - in the game’s fantasy language.
The semi real-time battle system is my favorite aspect of the game, which smartly adapts and turns the radial camera system from the main Panzer Dragoon series on its head, into one that focuses on positioning your character to avoid enemy hit zones while waiting for your turn to act, reminiscent of Final Fantasy’s ATB system.
Originally conceived as a Final Fantasy killer for the Sega Saturn (that was a term that was thrown around a lot in the 32-bit era), the game faced multiple delays in development and by the time it made it out in the West, the Sega Saturn was on its last legs and thus only 20,000+ copies were printed - as a result driving the current prices for the game beyond 1,000 USD.
Perhaps no game is worth 1,000 dollars, but for 32-bit era JRPG fans, Panzer Dragoon Saga still stands as an interesting testament of that era with a setting and battle system still unique - even by modern RPG standards.
Spanning 4 discs that bring a unique game world that involves a rider and their dragon taking the fight to an empire that was only peripherally hinted at in the first 2 games, one with its own lore, landscape and language to life - the game clocks in at a relatively modest 25-30 hours (despite the 4-discs) to really flesh out the world-building with cinematics and voiced speech - in the game’s fantasy language.
The semi real-time battle system is my favorite aspect of the game, which smartly adapts and turns the radial camera system from the main Panzer Dragoon series on its head, into one that focuses on positioning your character to avoid enemy hit zones while waiting for your turn to act, reminiscent of Final Fantasy’s ATB system.
Originally conceived as a Final Fantasy killer for the Sega Saturn (that was a term that was thrown around a lot in the 32-bit era), the game faced multiple delays in development and by the time it made it out in the West, the Sega Saturn was on its last legs and thus only 20,000+ copies were printed - as a result driving the current prices for the game beyond 1,000 USD.
Perhaps no game is worth 1,000 dollars, but for 32-bit era JRPG fans, Panzer Dragoon Saga still stands as an interesting testament of that era with a setting and battle system still unique - even by modern RPG standards.
Grossing over $500M USD on mobile, as a Final Fantasy fan, I’ve always been curious about Granblue Fantasy, but never got to properly giving the universe a shot until now.
With a snappy 15-20 hour main campaign, a pretty standard JRPG world but beautifully realised with high production values, and a crew of pretty stereotypical anime / JRPG characters but earnestly written that they come across on the right side of charmingly - the game serves as a nice introduction to the Granblue universe. The equivalent to JRPG comfort food that doesn’t overstay its welcome and serves as a good respite between the other JRPG heavy-hitters this quarter.
For players that want a little more there is a multiplayer mode reminiscent of Monster Hunter - but arguably with less deep and challenging combat.
The Deluxe edition comes with a nice art book and soundtrack to round off the package. Apparently, the game has already sold 1M copies in 11 days.
With a snappy 15-20 hour main campaign, a pretty standard JRPG world but beautifully realised with high production values, and a crew of pretty stereotypical anime / JRPG characters but earnestly written that they come across on the right side of charmingly - the game serves as a nice introduction to the Granblue universe. The equivalent to JRPG comfort food that doesn’t overstay its welcome and serves as a good respite between the other JRPG heavy-hitters this quarter.
For players that want a little more there is a multiplayer mode reminiscent of Monster Hunter - but arguably with less deep and challenging combat.
The Deluxe edition comes with a nice art book and soundtrack to round off the package. Apparently, the game has already sold 1M copies in 11 days.