Should I start with Shining Force 1 or 2?

[MrPopo]

So the most correct order would be SF1 -> SF CD -> SF2?

SF1 -> SF Final Conflit -> SF2

SF CD doesn't really bridge stuff; there's a little bit of "what happened in Guardiana" but it mostly focuses on the Cypress area. Watching the opening up to the first battle of SF CD is enough for the story between SF1 and SF2. SF Final Conflict is the big bridge between the two, as it's set in SF2's continent but features several of the characters from SF1.

[brunoafh]

SF CD is still worth playing, though. It's a great game.

[Redifer]

Yeah and get this: You need a RAM Cart for your Sega CD in order to play all 3 stories on Shining Force CD. You need save files for the first two to open up the third one and for whatever reason that I can't understand, the save files are HUGE! Shining Force CD does not have towns to wander through. The only thing in the game is battles, that's it. You can reorganize your party and stuff like that between battles, but it is all done on a single screen.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Yeah and get this: You need a RAM Cart for your Sega CD in order to play all 3 stories on Shining Force CD. You need save files for the first two to open up the third one and for whatever reason that I can't understand, the save files are HUGE! Shining Force CD does not have towns to wander through. The only thing in the game is battles, that's it. You can reorganize your party and stuff like that between battles, but it is all done on a single screen.

Good thing I don't plan to buy a Sega CD again unless I happen across a cheap model 1.

[Xeogred]

When I'm finally ready to hit up an old Sega RPG I think I'll flip a coin between this and Phantasy Star, haha.

[Jmustang1968]

When I'm finally ready to hit up an old Sega RPG I think I'll flip a coin between this and Phantasy Star, haha.

This for sure. SF2 was one of the first RPGs I have every played and really got me into the genre.

[Xeogred]

Yeah, I'm happy to hear 5-15 minutes is an average length for the SF battles as well. Doesn't sound bad at all to me.

[D.D.D.]

So SF is a strategy game. I'm not into them so much, if I like X-game, I would like Shining Force.

[BoneSnapDeez]

If you want to consider the larger series as a whole (The Shining Series), you could play Shining In the Darkness first.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shining_%28series%29

[Xeogred]

Yeah and get this: You need a RAM Cart for your Sega CD in order to play all 3 stories on Shining Force CD. You need save files for the first two to open up the third one and for whatever reason that I can't understand, the save files are HUGE! Shining Force CD does not have towns to wander through. The only thing in the game is battles, that's it. You can reorganize your party and stuff like that between battles, but it is all done on a single screen.

I missed this post earlier, but are the other SF games different from this or something? Can you explore towns in the other games?

I love how the first Arc the Lad games did that, at least 2 did it really well with a lot of towns and dungeon exploring, mixed in with a SRPG battle system, they pulled it off pretty well. Every other SRPG I've played is 110% purely menu driven though.