#shining force cd

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'Shining Force CD' was released on the Mega-CD 30 years ago today in Japan. Support us on Patreon

[tourneys-by-me]

Multiple Elements Character Tournament - Round 1 (B) 4/12

Alina Starkov: Light and Shadows

Domingo: Ice, Fire, and Lightning

Propaganda under the cut

Alina Starkov: The Sun Summoner (it gets dark when she says it does) who can also do a little shadow magic which she yoinked from her shitty ex

[bancho-zx]

[claire-starsword]

Shining Force - Bloodline of the Sacred Dragons chapter 2-7

[tisbore]

I’ve only played SFCD once, I need to play through it again. Here’s Gyan!

#shininginktober #inktober

[videogamesskies]

Shining Force CD (Sega CD) (1994)

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Mega CD - Shining Force CD

Title: Shining Force CD / シャイニングフォースCD

Developer/Publisher: Sega / Sonic! Software Planning / Seraphic / Rit's Co. Ltd. / Winds / Twofive

Release date: 22 July 1994

Catalogue No.: G-6036

Genre: Strategy RPG

If there is one single, great tragedy with Shining Force CD, it’s that so few people ever actually got around to playing it. At the time, the series was just getting on its feet, and the Mega CD itself was still struggling to obtain some decent sales, which it may or may not have ever gotten (depending on who you ask). This combination of sad factors led many to overlook one of the better strategy/RPGs out there. Let me echo the voices of those who stand behind this forgotten classic and sing the praises of everything Shining! Ok, maybe that’s bringing it on a bit thick; you get the picture though. Why, just look at what Sega gave us. Both Game Gear carts (Shining Force Gaiden [1992] and Shining Force Gaiden II [1993]) together on a single disc, with an extra exclusive battle. Four books, 53 battles. How can you not like this? I’ve owned and beaten all the games in this series, and after going back to it, I gained a new respect for it. Not everything is to my liking, I can say that flat out, but the package as a whole is a winner and one solid ride.

What’s not to like? For one thing, the treasured town dynamic has been removed. No longer can you explore and chat with villagers. The game has basically been reduced to the fighting sequences, with some story tossed in for good measure. The plot is now mostly told on the field, and it at least still maintains the same sense of urgency and tongue-in-cheek doomsday atmosphere that the others had. Let’s be honest, none of the bad guys in the Shining Force games have ever been truly menacing, and the CD installment doesn’t detour from that at all.

The adventure opens twenty years after the conclusion of the first Shining Force, with the land of Gardiana having been rebuilt by Luke, Lowe, and Ken; all of whom now serve Queen Anri. Ambassadors from Cypress (not the island nation, mind you) present a gift to her that explodes into a fog upon opening, sending Anri into a deep sleep. A marvelous quest to save her ensues, which culminates with the start of the second chapter, seamlessly attached. Book II’s end in turn sets the stage for the awesome final battle, in which you choose twelve warriors from both forces to end things once and for all (if you meet certain criteria, of course). Did I mention that the main heroes of both books are usable? A neat little touch, that.

Thankfully, it plays as solid as its other 16-bit brethren. I’m not, however, going to get all technical about the gameplay. It’s a Shining Force game, and I’m sure that you’ve played at least one of the other three entries available. Nothing’s changed here, and fans will be able to dive right in without even reading the manual. Newcomers should have little trouble, although they may be slightly turned off by the constant stream of battles that constitute the bulk of the game.

Let me be honest with myself for a second and not let my love for this franchise cloud my judgment. I am more than a bit disappointed by the presentation. Sure, the visuals are a huge leg up from the Game Gear, but when you already have two games done using the same engine, how hard is that? The battles are as beautiful as ever, but where are my animated cut scenes? Moreover, if this is a CD game, why aren’t there any towns? The exploration dynamic could really have been taken to a whole other level here, and it’s a shame that the developers took the short route. Switching between a shop and my HQ just wasn’t the same, and I really did miss being able to wander around. I bet Camelot knew this too and tried to make up for it with Shining Force III Scenarios 1, 2, and 3 on the Saturn.

One thing’s for sure, the soundtrack is simply GODLY. Sega knew how to take advantage of red book audio on the CD system, and this title is no exception. OST-worthy and beautifully scored, the music practically carries the game by itself. It’s by far one of my favorite soundtracks on the Mega CD.

Another plus is the continuation of the Shining tradition of new and hidden characters. As you progress through the game, new heroes will join you, and there’s a bunch that you actually have to hunt down. This has always been cool because it gives a little more replay value to the package and ensures that you won’t complete the whole thing the same way twice.

Well friends, there you have it. A great adventure that was unfortunately given the cold shoulder for too long, is now commanding upwards of $70 on eBay. That’s the price for learning things late I guess, and although Shining Force CD isn’t perfect, it’s so good you’ll forgive its flaws and revel in its strengths. The quest is long, and the characters are lovable, which should be enough to make it worth some of your time. Every Shining fan needs this one, plain and simple.

[fyeahsonicthehedgehog]

[devileaterjaek]

[thewertsearch]

@krixwell asked: I think it's general theory summary o'clock. Broadly, what are your expectations for the rest of Act 5 and its ending?

I'm a little late answering this one - but hey, better late than never!

I can't predict the rest of the Act anymore, but I can try and predict the ending. Here are my predictions for what'll happen in Cascade, organized by character.

Rose & Dave

The Derse twins, who have dispatched DD together, meet Aradia at the Green Sun. The Tumor detonates as planned, but Aradia is able to save them somehow, possibly by spiriting them away with time travel...

...or, by telling them how she cheated death.

Aradia was able to resurrect herself without a backup body, from a pedestal hidden within the moon of Derse; the very moon the kids are currently piloting. Doc Scratch has already hinted that Rose might ascend on 'another quest bed somewhere', and I think this is how she - and Dave - could do it.

If Rose and Dave died destroying the Sun, it would almost certainly count as Heroic – but that doesn't actually matter. If the twins die on Quest Slabs, they won't die as God Tiers - they'll die as mortals, and resurrect as God Tiers. They should reincarnate safely, as the Sun collapses for good.

The Meteor Crew

To be honest, I don't think the trolls will have much of a role to play in the endgame. All the action is happening in the kids' session, and now that the Scratch has started, they can't even contact that session.

In any case, these kids are planning to follow the Green Sun's explosion to a predetermined rendezvous point. I'm not sure how they're going to get there - but Kanaya is a wielder of the Space Aspect, so maybe it's her time to shine.

...I mean, shine even more brightly than she already does.

Jack

After he absolutely kills CD, Jack is destined to travel to the troll session, but I still have no idea how. Perhaps the dimensional instability created by the Scratch will start to rip holes into other sessions, and he’ll be lured into one? Who knows.

I'm as stumped as I ever was. Only one way to find out, I guess!

John

Once he's triggered the Scratch, this kid's going to need an out. He'll need to make himself scarce in order to avoid being erased...

...or, perhaps he won’t. Perhaps, as the Heir of Breath, he’ll be able to use the Breeze to conceal himself from whatever force is destroying the session, the same way he hid his scent from Jack.

Either way, he'll probably be fine, while the same cannot be said for...

Jade

The greatest of Fs for our girl. Jade's been killed in an extremely tense situation, without leaving much hope for her resurrection before the Scratch.

The Sprites are still around, but I don’t know how they’d revive her- like, sure, Nanna has a healing beam, but I don’t think she can heal death. Plus, Jade made a Choice with Echidna to locate her Final Frog - and it seems that accepting a Choice will inevitably lead you to sacrifice your life. If Jade's death was immediately undone, would it really count as a sacrifice?

I don't want to call it too early, but... it isn't out of the question that Jade is gone for good. Especially when she's already got a replacement, waiting in the wings.

Jadesprite

I think it's genuinely possible that Jadesprite could take over Jade's role as one of the 'main' four kids.

She's about to lose her First Guardian powers, but she should still have time to fulfil Echidna's request in her realself's stead, simply by shrinking the entire session, and teleporting it to the Furthest Ring, where her allies can captchalogue it. Hell, this would be easy for her.

I really, really don't want Jade to be dead. But, well... she made a Choice.

The Endgame

Finally, we see the consequences of the Green Sun’s destruction, which I’m sure are as cataclysmic as they are unexpected. Rose realizes how badly she was played, as Scratch's full hand is finally revealed. All of Paradox Space shakes from the impact. Scratch and Snowman die, and English consumes the troll universe.

Everyone meets up on the exiled Lands, and they resolve to travel to the reset session, once it’s spawned.

Act 6?

After we're done, I’m hoping for the Guardians-as-Players to get the Hivebent treatment – by which I mean, I’m hoping Act 6 gives us the full story of the Scratched session, right from kid Nanna standing in her bedroom. It’s also possible, though, that we’ll join their session in medias res, as our protagonists' teenage parents face hitherto unknown challenges in a new Medium. I'll talk more about my specific predictions for the Guardian session in their own post, once Act 5 has fully concluded.

The adventure continues, as the kids slowly realize that English, and the Paradox Space twisted to suit his ends, is the true enemy, and they begin to make plans to confront him directly.

[honey-milk-depresso]

Batboys watching anime with reader

You know my ass went FULL ON LOCK MODE with Tim. I went crazy- 💀

***S/o is above 18, which means characters below are also aged up!

Doing requests until 1 Feb! Please see my pinned post and read the request rules on the navi! Thank you!🩷

Batbros watching anime with you

Dick Grayson

He’s watched a few 90s anime before, more the basic ones like One Piece and Pokémon, and he probably still watches them to this day. Boy has old CDs he has and you should probably try finding a Blue Ray (or use his if he can have Tim help fix it because it’s good as dead 💀) because he’s popping in every CD of old anime’s he have lying about.

“Wow, I didn’t know I had cowboy bebop! Or Slam Dunk!” He got a few rare gems, which makes it all the more fun to sit down on the couch under a blanket as you huddle and watch the nostalgic 90s anime shows together while eating popcorn.

He doesn’t mind watching new, modern day animes, just be prepared for when you two watch sad anime shows because he will sob like it’s the end of the world.

“NO, WHY WOULD KAORI DIE LIKE THIS?? AND SHE LOVES ARIMA- OH MY GOD IM SO—”sobs even more. He gets emotional while watching them because it’s so sad that it’s sO GOOD-

Loves dancing to those danceable anime music with you. He goes ALL. OUT. He even sings all of it in Japanese like wow-

I would love to hear him sing Cruel Angel’s Thesis in his Discowing suit and with goth makeup on it because it “sets the mood”, PLEASE-

Overall, great time watching with Dick. <3

Jason Todd

You expect someone like him to like Chainsaw Man, Trigun or something like those grunge-y, guns and knives animes, right? I mean, he does, but only with you and ONLY with you will he let his inner Magical Girl enthusiast ass shine. Because he LOVES Magical Girl animes. That’s probably the reason and one point of time why he wore red ribbons around his arms, he wanted that Sailor Moon experience and Tim might’ve just teased him about that era without knowing his love for Magical Girl animes and Jason might’ve flipped and freaked the fuck out and started chasing him down the manor.

Jason watches Sailor Moon, Madoka when he feels edgier than usual, Cardcaptor Sakura, every Precure series, Tokyo Mew Mew, man has all these shows somehow. He swears they weren’t through illegal means and he just worked very hard to gather all of them. He also might be a shoujo anime fan because if he loves Jane Austen books, you bet his ass would be reading Fruits Basket, Maid Sama or something because of course he would.

Also a Studio Ghibli fan, although watching the Tale of Princess Kaguya might make him feel too much, especially getting pissed off with the dad who forces his daughter into a wealthy life without her input and- yeah, you gotta calm him down as he cries bitterly and sourly with a pout on his face.

The two of you can go on and on about debating about unclear endings of animes all day long. You know the “AND SHE WAS A PRINCESS” video? That’s Jason.

Great man to watch anime with, and he’ll gladly be your Tuxedo Mask to your Sailor Moon (and not the “But you did nothing meme- or the other way around- he don’t mind being the Usagi-). <3

Tim Drake

I’m very convinced this man got into his whole detective shit because he watched Detective Conan and honestly I can’t blame him. Tim has probably the largest vessel of anime knowledge out of all of them. He doesn’t really have a specific genre he likes but he’s pretty fond of old 90s and 80s animes. He can explain the whole lore of One Piece, Fairytale, Pokémon like Jesus Tim, calm down- 💀

I can see him watching Neon Genesis Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain or Key the Metal Doll because he likes that little bit of horror nature and mystery and thriller in his animes although he really doesn’t mind watching Haikyuu all over again if you want to.

Might introduce you to underrated and/or old animes like Revolutionary Girl Utena, Nadia the Secrets of Blue Water, every Studio Ghibli movie, those kinds of animes that give off the really pretty and aesthetic old anime animations that is just so pretty to watch and with really good storylines that both of you can cuddle on a couch together and watch. I bet he even watches anime with you even before you two got together, so you guys pretty much have “watching anime together” as part of the foundation of your relationship. Owns so much manga that you can’t even count, too.

Just… don’t make him watch those really slow burn, comedy love animes, specifically Love War. Not that he don’t like romance animes, he watches Ouran High School Host Club and Your Name, trust me, but Love War? He is going absolutely insane because of it.

“OH MY GOD- PLEASE JUST KISS ALREADY. ME AND S/O ARE ALREADY TOGETHER FIVE MONTHS AGO ANF YOU TWO ARE STILL TOO PROUD TO ADMIT YOU LOVE EACH OTHER WHILE BLUSHING- JUST KISS ALREADY-” <3

Damian Wayne

Damian likes anime. Would 100% go to an anime convention with you as a date if you’re up for it. He doesn’t mind (surprisingly- just for you only-).

He doesn’t necessarily like showmen animes although he has enjoyed a few, but he really loves slice of life, I feel. It just feels like he wants to put himself in a normal life and with a tad bit of drama in it like what the characters go through. The touching ones like Hyouka or Natsume’s Book of Friends.

Also animal related anime maybe except Beastars because he didn’t understand shit-?? He calls that peak anime. Aggretsuko, Chi’s Sweet Home and My Roommate is a Cat?? Damian loves this shit, he watches it intently with his arm around you. Even if he doesn’t smile, you know he loves it by the way his eyes sparkle.

Just don’t tell his brothers. He will seriously feel betrayed if you do so because he only watches these kinds of shows with you: the cute animal ones that are actually wholesome and/or funny.

The whole family is into Studio Ghibli, and he is no exception. He feels like it’s the best kinds of anime to watch with you when you guys just want to turn in for the day and huddle up on the couch. It’s one of the rare times he relaxes and softens and he’s glad to have quality time with you. <3

Duke Thomas

He likes anime! Studio Ghibli is definitely a favourite of his and he would gladly watch it together with you! He also love a fair bit of Shounen animes, the more popular ones like Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece, Haikyuu, or Spy x Family. He likes them a lot!

A big fan of romance animes too: Ouran High School Host Club and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (if you two are in the mood to huddle on the couch together and cry).

Duke doesn’t mind any kind of anime so long as it doesn’t have too much horror or gore like… Higurashi. He gets chills when that anime is mentioned. D-Don’t watch it for your own sake if you don’t know. And if you do, avoid it with him at all cost because he will.

Duke also like singing some good anime songs with you and you guys can go crazy and dance around, just not as dramatic as Dick.

He would be super excited to spend a date with you watching shounen anime movies like from Jujutsu Kaisen and he would be so hype to spend time with you being a fanboy while also sharing that romantic air for the shared love of anime between you two and the love that you two share, although that love is far stronger. <3

Reblogs help! ^^

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A preview of 'Shining Force CD' on the SEGA Mega CD. Source; SEGA Video Magazine, May 1995. Support us on Patreon

[tourneys-by-me]

Multiple Elements Character Tournament - Round 2 (A) 8/12

Paula - Fire, Ice, Thunder, and Light

Domingo - Ice, Fire, and Lightning

[claire-starsword]

oh god i just connected so many dots from looking at a cute beedrill fanart

Beedrill is called Spear in japanese, written in katakana as スピア��� (supia-). Reading that backwards you have アピス (apisu).

Apis. As in, scientific name of bee. This might be the whole idea behind the Pokemon.

But more important to my current Shining Force obsessed self,

it finally explains this boy's name!! I have been joking about this boy having a random bee name for over a decade!!! Turns out I just had to connect some wildly distant dots in my life!!

[claire-starsword]

Karna, Sarah and Kazin are some of my favs from SF2 and weren't in last year, they're the first to come to mind.

From SF1, Adam and Domingo. as for CD, Wendy, Natasha and Deanna I guess.

Hey Shining Fans! What?! It’s not October yet, but I still need your help filling in my Shining Inktober 2023 list! Would love some character suggestions from SF 1, 2 and CD. (Still haven’t played 3 or Final Conflict.) Thanks everyone!

#shiningforce #shiningforce2 #shiningforcecd #shininginktober #inktober

[how-serene]

When Will The Time Change

Pairing - Teen!Bob Taylor x Teen!Reader

Summary - Bob awakes in the middle of the night, to you tapping at his window with a CD in hand.

Word Count - 1k+

Warnings - light angst, established friendship, no use of y/n, gn!reader, set in early 2000s

A/N - this is a stupid idea and was purely made for me to express my growing newfound love for this band. had to mess around with bobs timeline a little for this to work. also wow its been forever since I posted a fic, sorry bout that.

June, 2004 

The sound of rapid tapping startled Bob. He flinched at the sound, peeking over his shoulder to where the bedroom window was. For a minute, all he could make out was the outline of a silhouette, then – slowly – your features came into view. Your bright eyes peered at him, an eager smile stretched over your lips. You beckoned him over, waving around an enclosed CD case. 

Open up, you mouthed, urging him along. 

Bob sighed, and creeped out of bed, fighting against the heavy pull of his bones trying to drag him back down. His feet padded against the cold floorboard, as he carefully made his way across the room. You were bouncing on the ball of your heels, fidgeting with the crossed strap of your bag. As he approached the window, he could make out the sheer gleam of excitement in your eyes. 

Bob unlatched the window, and pushed it upward, cringing as it squeaked. He stepped back, watching with silent amusement as you hooked your leg over the windowsill and clumsily climbed through. Your shoes hit the floor with a dull thud, the sound almost echoing in the bare room. 

“Shit,” you muttered, wincing at the noise. You turned, and slid the window shut. 

“What are you doing here?” he whispered, eyes falling to the CD in your hand. You beamed at the question, and ushered him over. He quietly stood beside you, eyes flickering to the floor from the sudden proximity. 

“I went to Wattz Records earlier today,” you explained, handing the case to him. “This album came out last week, and I was dying to snag a copy.” 

He squinted down at the case, faintly making out the artwork of two pale lovers, facing one another, with splotches of red strewn across their solemn faces. The name My Chemical Romance was typed over the couple, with the album titled Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge in a red font directly below it. The plastic covering shined at him, enticing him to open the case. 

“I was hoping we could listen to it, together,” you suggested, shyly glancing away from him. 

Bob furrowed his brows. “It’s late, my foster parents will hear the music.” 

You smirked at him, before rummaging around in your bag and pulling out a pale blue CD Walkman. It was the same one he would sometimes see you fiddling around with in the morning, before the bell rang and you were forced to hide it away. You then pulled out a white pair of earbuds that were tangled around your fingers like worms. 

“What they can’t hear, won’t hurt them,” you said, before walking over to his unmade bed. You fixed the comforter and sat down. 

Bob rubbed at his forearms, resisting the urge to pick at the delicate skin. He glanced over at the doorway, anxiously waiting for a shadow to pass or the doorknob to twist. But the longer he continued to stare at it, the more he could feel the burn of your watchful eyes. He contemplated kicking you out, and letting him go back to sleep – even though he was never asleep in the first place, in fact he didn’t most nights. 

Bob’s eyes drifted back down to the CD in his hand, the white faces of the two lovers somehow stood out like a stain in the darkness of his bedroom. Curiosity tugged at the back of his brain, and something else. 

Something he didn’t want to admit to. 

With a sigh, he walked over and carefully perched beside you on the bed. You plucked the CD from his grasp, opened the case – after struggling for a few seconds – and placed the disc inside the Walkman. The earbuds were already plugged in, as you offered one side to him. 

“Have you listened to the album yet?” he asked, placing the earbud in his ear. 

You shook your head. “No, I decided to wait.” 

Bob flushed at your words, feeling an odd sense of warmth from them. Suddenly, you laid back, carefully pulling him down beside you. Your heads nearly hung off the edge, the plain ceiling being your own view. 

“Oh, wait!“ you exclaimed, reaching over to pull something out of your pocket. You handed him a photograph, the glossy picture showcasing a view of your bedroom. 

“Since you can’t come over – you know how my mom is – I thought I could show you my room through…” you trailed off, and gestured to the photo. 

Bob stared at it, memorizing the scattered placement of the posters to the subtle peek of a guitar sitting in the far left corner. He imagined, for a second, being able to step into the photo. How the cramped – yet cozy – room would encase him like a blanket. What did you do most days, when you were alone? Bob closed his eyes, imagining you there, sitting on the edge of your bed, mindlessly flipping through a book. Music blaring through the large radio on your dresser, caccooning you in a bubble of sound, allowing the world to fall away. Or maybe, most days you sat back, hugging the guitar to your body, and plucking at the strings until some coherent melody began to form. 

He imagined being there, in that bubble with you. Away from memories circled his head day and night. Away from confusing, and maze-like nightmares that often left him clutching the sheets, with dried tear stains by morning. 

Maybe the countless, wandering questions would cease – for a minute. And he could feel normal, and not so vacant. Bob wondered if it was possible that he was born with a void inside of him. But he could recall a time not so long ago, when he wasn’t… this. 

Whatever this was.

He sighed, letting his arm fall with the photo in hand, now acutely aware of the bare surroundings in his own bedroom. 

Then music flooded into his ear.  

A blend of guitars and gut-wrenching vocals stalled the spiraling thought, forcing his attention. The singer's voice danced on the edge of being guttural, ripping through the song with an overwhelming cry of emotion that caused Bob’s hands to tremble. His heart pounded against his ribcage, echoing the beat of the drum back to him. The song was almost too honest, a wail of grief and love that felt extremely intimate to just lay back and hear. 

Bob craned his neck, to glance at you beside him. Your fingers were clutching onto your shirt, as you intensely stared up at the ceiling. 

The world – and his bedroom – felt much larger now. The music somehow opened up the space, allowing him to let out a shuddered breath A fist clenched around his heart, squeezing against a forceful pulse. 

Time went by, as one song after the other drowned out any thought. With each song, the singer tore through his throat, splintering Bob’s chest and lodging itself into one of the many cracks. 

By the time the album ended, his heart was thudding in his ears. 

Nothing followed but silence afterwards, as you two laid there, side by side, watching shadows dance across the ceiling.