Phantasy Star or Shining Force

[dsheinem]

I've never played more than five minutes or so of any game in either of these series, and thought I'd give them another shot since they appear on the new Sega Genesis collection. I realize that they are different genres of RPG, but I'm not picky as long as the game is fun and the story is interesting.

So, which series would you recommend I try? Additionally, is there any reason to play them in any order other than by their release date?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I think Shining Force is more entertaining. And I would play them in order, but thats the way I am, you dont really have to though.

[Hatta]

Both are excellent, but I think Shining Force stands up better today. Phantasy Star is a pretty hardcore, old-school, random enemies, dungeon crawling JRPG with an excellent plot. The combat is essentially braindead too, you can just let your party fight it out automatically and win most battles easily. There's a lot of grinding, which is ok if you're aware of it. I like it myself, that's just the style of game it is. There is a degree of continuity between the titles, so make sure you start with the original on the SMS. It's the best 8-bit console RPG I've played.

Shining Force I played through a long time ago, and I liked it a lot. There are a ton of characters, and the battle system is lots of fun. You actually have to think your way through a battle. That alone makes it worth playing. As for the plot, I don't remember much of it.

So to summarize, Phantasy Star was memorable mostly for the plot. Shining Force was memorable mostly for the battle system. They're both excellent games.

[spiritplx]

I have played through Phantasy Star 2,3 and 4 as well as Shining Force 1 and 2 (so all of the games from both series on the Genesis).

If you are only going to choose one, I would definitely go with Shining Force. SRPGs with RPG exploration elements are not common, whereas Phantasy Star games are just typical JRPGs.

To be fair, the stories are not so great in any of them games, although the Phantasy Star games are a little more unique than the typical "save the world from the ultimate evil" stories you get with Shining Force 1 and 2. I know a lot of people like the Phantasy Star stories, but they are nothing spectacular.

One thing about Phantasy Star is that it has your typical JRPG random battle system. Although you get into battles very often, and when you are in dungeons (basically mazes, although they get easier with each game it seems) it becomes very disorienting when you go from the dungeon map to battle and back to the map.

Phantasy Star was innovative for its time for some of the games' elements, which while nice, doesn't really distract you enough to forget that it is a typical JRPG. The magic system is a bit confusing, because the names of the spells are not intuitive. If you use a guide though, this is not a problem.

I think that Shining Force is so enjoyable because it breaks up the constant battles of most SRPs with exploration of towns and the world map (at least with 2 you get the world map). This is a nice element because you do not feel like you are just constantly fighting battles with no break. Shining Force also has a promotion system, which lets you determine when you promote your characters (promote early to get better stats more quickly, or promote later to get a few more levels in before promotion). SF2 adds the ability to use secret items when you promote to gain access to 'secret' classes (some members join as these secret classes).

As far as the order goes, feel free to play these in any order you like. SF1 and 2 do not really reference each other (with the exception of a few books you might read to give some tidbits about the game's lore). The PS games are basically the same. No vital information is lost if you play these out of order. You just won't get a few references that are made (unless you read the game's lore outside of the game), but you won't miss anything important.

Well, those are my thoughts on the subject. I am looking forward to other people's opinions on the two series. Maybe I can finally understand why people enjoy the PS games so much. It will be interesting to hear from others who have played all 5 games as well.

[sakicfan84]

In my opinion Phantasy Star 4 is the best game of either series followed by the two Shining Force titles. PS4 might have the most interesting story of any 16 bit RPG that I've played.

As far as the order goes, feel free to play these in any order you like. SF1 and 2 do not really reference each other (with the exception of a few books you might read to give some tidbits about the game's lore). The PS games are basically the same. No vital information is lost if you play these out of order. You just won't get a few references that are made (unless you read the game's lore outside of the game), but you won't miss anything important.

There is a whole lot more of a connection between Phantasy Star games than there is between Shining Force 1 and 2 or really any of the Shining Force games. Events from previous games, such as what happens during the climax of Phantasy Star 2, are referenced a lot in the games. If you haven't played the games prior to PS 4, you really won't understand the significance behind the identity of a certain character and the information that is given about that particular character, the history behind a certain weapon you receive and the person who gives you that weapon, and you won't really won't know anything about the old man that you meet on Dezoris. You miss out on a lot of little things and some pretty big things.

The original PS games (1-4) tie into the same world more than any other series that I have personally played. You won't really not just get a few references, you really won't understand the significance behind a lot of important pieces of the plot. Yeah, the game can definitely be played without playing any of the prior games, but in my opinion, it would detract from the experience.

[brickiemart]

Phantasy Star can be summed up with one word, grinding. To accomplish any major advances in any of the games you’re going to have to walk in circles looking for random encounters for exp. Don’t get me wrong I love parts 1, 2, and 4, just be ready for the old-school level grind. The Shining Forces are great too, they are very similar to the Fire Emblem games. If you want to experience a great example of what console rpg-ing use to be like, go for Phantasy Star (my favorite is the first one), otherwise go for Shining Force.

[MrPopo]

Also, since no one has mentioned it yet, I'd recommend you avoid Phantasy Star III, as it is only tangentally replated to the main Phantasy Star storyline. And you don't even find out the relation until near the end of the game. 1, 2, and 4 form a continuous narrative.

That said, I prefer the Shining Force games. Phantasy Star sits on the early end of console RPGs, so they have a lot of grinding, not knowing what half the spells are (Phantasy Star 2 and 4 are horrible at this) and not knowing what your upgrades are without a guide. The ability of the game to point you to where to go next is spotty at best. The story is a bit more unique, as there is a lot more sci fi, which you don't see often. It still gives you swords, but they're laser swords.

Shining Force ends up faring petter through the test of time, in my opinion. The town exploration aspect really helps bring it more towards the RPG side of strategy RPG, and the battle system, while simple, does have some features to keep you on your toes, such as common area of effect magic.

[the7k]

It's too bad Sega of America never thought bringing the Sega Ages versions of Phantasy Star I-IV on PS2 would have been a good idea. The graphics were greatly improved (About PS1 quality, in the Suikoden II range) and a lot of the grinding was reduced.

As it stands, Shining Force is one of the greatest Genesis games I've played. If I ever found Phantasy Star at a flea market, you'd damn well believe I'd pick it up, but Shining Force is a must-have. It pretty much introduced the whole Tactical RPG concept to the West, and it still holds up pretty well against modern TRPGs. (Whether that's a "Shining Force was ahead of its time" statement or a "TRPGs just haven't changed a whole lot" statement is up to you, I guess.)

[arion]

If you want a traditional jrpg go for Phantasy star if you prefer tactical rpg's go for Shinging Force simple as that.

[molotovwars]

I haven't played the Phantasy Star series, but Shining Force introduced me to SRPGs and was the first time I truly appreciated and really enjoyed an RPG, not even knowing it was its own sub-genre of games.