Let's Play Shining Force II

Since I am still having trouble with audio related stuff, I decided to do a screenshot based Let's Play for you guys. I have decided to play one of my favorite Genesis games....

http://i.imgur.com/hN796dz.png

It being one of the best SRPGs of its time!

SEMI IMPORTANT NOTE: Normally, the game only lets you name the somewhat silent protagonist. However, there is a code that let's you name all the characters that you can get in this game, which does sport a rather large cast.

You have to name everyone right in a row using this code. My rule was that I had to name them the very first word that entered my mind. I named the main character "Sephex" because I am boring, but the rest of the cast were thought of on the fly.

Alright, on with the game.

THE OPENING

http://i.imgur.com/diYiszp.png

The game opens with a sneaky rat and two burly, shirtless thieves rummaging through an ancient tower. As you can see, they are off to a fantastic start.



http://i.imgur.com/b4M8x36.png

Well, duh, you should have checked to the left first. Anyone who played EarthBound remembers the sign that says 70% of players search to the right first!



http://i.imgur.com/JHBQfjM.png

Oh, sure. Great. Grand. Wonderful. Yeah, messing with these jewels sounds like a fantastic idea. I'm sure everything will be fine Yeah, they're thieves, but perhaps their time would be better spent burglarizing a store or look for some actual treasure. This is the LAST thing you should be doing as a thief! No one is going to touch this score! It's too hot! Plus, it's not like you can simply grab such important artifacts right off the wall like that. There has to be a security measure of some sort!



http://i.imgur.com/SYbqqhj.png

Meanwhile, the King of the land, Granseal, is making a keen observation of the weather.



http://i.imgur.com/0crDPvf.png

"YOU HEAR THAT, FATE?! YOU CAN'T TOUCH ME! I WILL DISMISS MY GUT FEELINGS AND NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN! NOPE!"



http://i.imgur.com/u5AaIaC.png

S***!!



http://i.imgur.com/RYjTWw5.png

Alright, back to the world's stupidest jewel heist. See? I told you that you can't just simply grab them off the wall! They're too important! I know my RPGs. There has to be some sort of ancient ritual to grab them. That or a dumbass fetch quest.



http://i.imgur.com/Rh50iMt.png

Correct. Go home. Do something better with your time.



http://i.imgur.com/Je160wU.png

Ah, the famous cunning nature of a thief! Right, have fun with that, rat.



http://i.imgur.com/oyOihZc.png

HA! See? .... Wait, he got them?! You gotta be f***ing with my mind. Alright, so whoever built this ancient tower put in exactly two security measurements to prevent these obviously important jewels from be stolen:

1.) Hide some stairs.
2.) Hope no one thinks to pull both jewels out of their slots at the same time.

Brilliant.



http://i.imgur.com/C6rBZo0.png

Hard to tell with a screen shot, but the tower begins to shake violently. The thieves make a hasty escape.



http://i.imgur.com/iarpaL9.png

Word has traveled fast. The King, his minister, and a guard take note of the tower being opened impossibly.



http://i.imgur.com/G2gDNEO.png

The minister and the guard leave towards the tower to investigate, leaving the King alone in a darkened chamber. The King reminisces on his days as a Metal Gear Solid guard.



http://i.imgur.com/APQE81C.png

Just then, a shadow is cast on the chamber floor when a bright flash of lightening illuminates the stormy sky! Judging by the shadow, this sure looks like a scary creature.



http://i.imgur.com/W5r4Cjo.png

No scary demon or whatever. It's simply Yoda cosplaying as a...wizard? Really creative you are old Jedi.



http://i.imgur.com/pTKToNw.png

http://i.imgur.com/f0FRpAW.png

Wizard Yoda launches some sort of tornado looking thing at the King, who promptly passes out. After this scene, the title screen appears which leads us to...

PART ONE: Get the Gizmos!

http://i.imgur.com/84jfUqO.png

Our story truly begins where most RPGs do: A lone hero waking up and triumphantly standing on his bed, celebrating vanquishing another night of sleep. This dude is so pumped up that he is fully dressed AND equipped. Maybe this will be the day he defies his mom and totally jumps on that bed!



http://i.imgur.com/5BrFAAD.png

Good morning to you too, crabass. You answered your own question.



http://i.imgur.com/bGANTV3.png

Sephex ventures to school and gets an obvious hint from a classmate to grab the teacher from the basement. Probably been drinking again....



http://i.imgur.com/5g8GPA7.png

Uhhhhh...should I be seeing this? You want me to come back at a better time, man? You couldn't take care of this garbage at home, dude? Can...can you even get...never mind. I'll be upstairs when you are done "preparing" for our "lesson."



http://i.imgur.com/9OOVzEY.png

Please tell me you washed your hands. I didn't see no sink down there, asshole.



http://i.imgur.com/Nue44bU.png

SEE? I KNEW he was drinking! (SPOILER)Nah, actually Astral is referring to a character I will soon acquire. You'll see why I did it.



http://i.imgur.com/NM6KUJ0.png

Oh thank god this guard came to clear up the awkwardness. Now Astral can take his...uh...strokes of genius to solve whatever is plaguing the castle.



http://i.imgur.com/bDWjkJT.png

[insert Life Alert joke here]



http://i.imgur.com/ichK0aZ.png

Alright, why did I name the centaur Cheeto? His default name is Chester. I am so god damn clever.



http://i.imgur.com/f5XoVoN.png

Because she looks like a Monkey and I was thinking of Pokemon. Get off my case!



http://i.imgur.com/UVmDeCe.png

Mankey supposedly has a plan to get in the castle. She and Cheeto officially join the party and off we go!



http://i.imgur.com/x5gGvES.png

Alright, Mankey...what's your game here?



http://i.imgur.com/7zob59u.png

Great plan. Cunning and thoughtful. 11/10~IGN



http://i.imgur.com/RB3otBz.png

Dude, no. Everyone in the personnel knows that Astral went in to see what's up with the King.



http://i.imgur.com/33uF4gO.png

Have I mentioned the security around this kingdom is top notch? Thanks for finishing and believing Mankey's flimsy excuse for us, morons!



http://i.imgur.com/qcs0jBZ.png

They know the King is sick because he has that one Crash Test Dummies song in his head: Crash Test Dummies - MMM MMM MMM MMM (Official Music Video) - YouTube



http://i.imgur.com/QSK6hkb.png

You can tell how concerned Princess Barbie is by the expression on her face. Or maybe she listens to a lot of 90s music.



http://i.imgur.com/Xm0mKPO.png

BUSTED! Who would have thought barging in the King's room would have got us caught!



http://i.imgur.com/RGN0tY8.png

NO! HE'S GOING TO BEAT MY ASS DRUNKENLY WITH HIS SEMEN ENCRUSTED HANDS!!!



http://i.imgur.com/gDGGSZ0.png

Right, it might not be in good taste to hit children in front of key witnesses. Astral totally wings it and acts like he needed our help the entire time.



http://i.imgur.com/YLyCwgS.png

Astral, being amazingly spry for a man of his age, guns it to the tower. We are in pursuit! Hopefully he sobered up some.



http://i.imgur.com/wllupHr.png

You think Astral is making an observation here, but he was actually thinking of Star Wars and misquoting it.



http://i.imgur.com/J4nPgL6.png

He should have been thinking of "Gremlins!" You...you get the joke?! Well, at least there is only one of them.



http://i.imgur.com/JVE0OAO.png

Hey, maybe I should learn to keep my damn mouth shut.



http://i.imgur.com/Fj1hbTa.png

THEY'RE COMING RIGHT FOR US!!! BATTLE TIME!!

http://i.imgur.com/PjCC5E3.png

http://i.imgur.com/4Ado10g.png

http://i.imgur.com/WgFDHLo.png

http://i.imgur.com/6qBUeeu.png

Whew! It was a battle hard fought, but we won and--yeah, who am I kidding? It was the first battle. We steamrolled them.



http://i.imgur.com/9uitT3H.png

Or it might be gunning for the King, guys.



http://i.imgur.com/XVfhWbI.png

IT'S GUNNING FOR THE KING, GUYS!!



http://i.imgur.com/V6o3exh.png

Astral once again outruns three youths in their prime and makes his way to the King's room again. Princess Barbie is still pretending to be concerned while listening to the Counting Crows on her iPod.



http://i.imgur.com/ldyirfL.png

Truly a fearsome battle cry. I am convinced he is possessed! 13/ORANGE~IGN



http://i.imgur.com/3GxA6tt.png

When exorcizing a demon, be very descriptive on what you are trying to do and be sure to endanger the possessed by launching a fireball at them.



http://i.imgur.com/D6vNruL.png

Honestly, how did this kingdom even flourish?



http://i.imgur.com/YjsTNDT.png

You can only outrun a hangover so long, old man. Jerking it was a good technique to get the blood flowing, but launching a fireball might remind your body that you were hanging out with Captain Morgan, dude.



http://i.imgur.com/pBLjg7n.png

Actually, Astral fainted from the intense battle, and the Pink Gizmo got away. The minister commissions random castle staff to hunt it down and kill it. I often send a group of strong people at a monster that can possess people. Nothing ever goes wrong.



http://i.imgur.com/0AEni7t.png

The minister is worried about the situation and turns to comfort our group...



http://i.imgur.com/xTdVcxA.png

WOW. What a jerk hole. Try this line next time your grandpa is hospitalized. Then run before you get your ass kicked.



http://i.imgur.com/XlARvmx.png

Astral regained consciousness according to the King. He basically admits to knowing next to nothing about the history of his own kingdom and asks the party to go off to a small town a little ways away to learn from a man called Hawel. Maybe by learning about Granseal's past we can find out what's REALLY going on here...


https://i.imgur.com/ohgEFUU.png

https://i.imgur.com/JjMkeXy.png

Aaaaaaand that's why I named him BEEEEER! Look at those cheeks and nose! This whole kingdom is full of alcoholics!

_______________________

And that's all I have for today! Stay tuned for the next part! Hope you enjoyed!

This is a really attractive looking game. For 1994, I am very impressed. Looking forward to seeing how this unfolds as I don't think I've got the time to play through it myself!

Despite how much I seem to be ripping into it, yeah, this game is really fun. I played it all the damn time back within the first couple of years after this was released. As you can see, the dialogue is a bit wonky, but the gameplay is totally worth it, especially after you get different kinds of characters and eventually get the early characters promoted, which changes their class to a more powerful version of itself. Sometimes, the character profile pic changes to reflect the change.

I haven't shown it yet, but the main characters profile pic makes him look like a very young boy, appropriately. Once he gets promoted, he looks more hero-like. These days it seems pretty standard, but back then it was really cool to see a change like that in all these characters I control on the battlefield.

Yo Sephex you need to stream this!

But...but...I already started to do it this way! Tell you what, I'll stream something else.

It's Shining Force II, Sephex. The best game on the Genesis, and one of the best tactical RPGs of all time. You can play it twice.

Or maybe I should figure out how to stream it...

Loving these gorgeous graphics :love:

Attachment 53508

this gizmo is totally wearing a troll face

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

It's Shining Force II, Sephex. The best game on the Genesis, and one of the best tactical RPGs of all time. You can play it twice.

Or maybe I should figure out how to stream it...

---

At work last night I kept thinking, and I'll probably end up streaming it regardless. I meant more along the lines of streaming something else in the immediate future. Also, sorry for the title goof. When I made this thread last night, it was nearing the time I had to leave for work. I wanted to get the thread up before I left, and I rushed some things.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pike

Loving these gorgeous graphics :love:

---

Back when I met one of my long time friends in Jr. High, he showed be the first Shining Force. Though II looks better, the original Shining Force is no slouch, and I was wowed by the cut scene sequences for battles. Shining Force II was one of the few titles that caused my SNES to collect dust for a bit, and anyone who knows me the slightest bit realizes how significant that is.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jinx

Attachment 53508

this gizmo is totally wearing a troll face

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Ha! Good observation. "Problem, Astral?"

This is a game I know by name but have never seen so much as a screenshot before.

Now I feel like I missed out on this back when it came out. Sephex commentary on top? This is my go-to thread now.

"If he dies, it doesn't matter. He's old."

"Ever think of the jerk hole?"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lone Wolf Leonhart

This is a game I know by name but have never seen so much as a screenshot before.

Now I feel like I missed out on this back when it came out. Sephex commentary on top? This is my go-to thread now.

"If he dies, it doesn't matter. He's old."

"Ever think of the jerk hole?"

---

Yes, you got my silly ass weird inside joke! For real, what the hell was the minister's problem? I often wonder how accurate that line is translated? Maybe it came across less harsh in Japanese. Maybe it was supposed to say something like, "He's old, so it won't be surprising if he dies." That's still rather harsh, but more understandable to hear that from an official of some sort.

I put too much thought into these things.

I'm disappointed at the slow update rate. :(

Also, it's a lie that you have to name every character at once. There is one character to whom that does not apply.

What difficulty are you on?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

I'm disappointed at the slow update rate. :(

Also, it's a lie that you have to name every character at once. There is one character to whom that does not apply.

What difficulty are you on?

---

*lol, it's been two days. I have other things going on with my life. If things go well, I'll have another update up today, if not tomorrow. In all honestly, I'll probably only update twice a week.

*I didn't lie, I purposely left out that information. The code does let you name the rest of the cast, but the other character you do indeed name on the fly. MAYBE I WANT STUFF TO BE A SURPRISE FOR PEOPLE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE GAME!! RAAHHHH!!

*Normal. It's a humorous Let's Play involving screen shots. Not going to make it hard on myself when the focus is capturing screen shots and cracking jokes once in awhile.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sephex

*lol, it's been two days. I have other things going on with my life. If things go well, I'll have another update up today, if not tomorrow. In all honestly, I'll probably only update twice a week.

---

Unacceptable! [/Agnès]

Quote:

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*I didn't lie, I purposely left out that information. The code does let you name the rest of the cast, but the other character you do indeed name on the fly. MAYBE I WANT STUFF TO BE A SURPRISE FOR PEOPLE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE GAME!! RAAHHHH!!

---

There shouldn't be people unfamiliar with this game. It's one of the games everyone should play.

Quote:

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*Normal. It's a humorous Let's Play involving screen shots. Not going to make it hard on myself when the focus is capturing screen shots and cracking jokes once in awhile.

---

I was just curious. I was also wondering whether you knew that "Super" was actually more difficult than "Ouch".




BTW, there's actually a reason why Astral beats you everywhere. Although Sephex doesn't show it, while Astral goes straight to the tower, you typically spend several minutes walking around, talking to NPCs, and looting everything in sight. You know, standard hero stuff.

PART TWO: Headed to Hawel's

http://i.imgur.com/eqOSlLi.png

Before I set off, I figure I might as well show you guys the profile shot of the protagonist. Oh, and his default name is Bowie. He isn't a Goblin King, though.



http://i.imgur.com/uQf58ER.png

http://i.imgur.com/Kh1PtpA.png

The second the party sets foot outside of Granseal, a pack of blobs and rats are ready to pounce! BATTLE TIME!!

http://i.imgur.com/OJc9j7u.png

http://i.imgur.com/yLyfo9P.png

http://i.imgur.com/hPAbn0y.png

http://i.imgur.com/ZZCqj4n.png

Oh, sure. Get the one woman all messy and wet. Never change, Japan!



http://i.imgur.com/Dt6G7Jh.png

After making short work of the odd wildlife, we have to pass through the town of Yeel in order to get to Hawel's.



http://i.imgur.com/v7J4aL7.png

Thanks for bringing the enthusiasm to the table, bro. I know that you're a typical NPC, but you don't have to deflate all sense of adventure out of us! Doesn't anybody have anything interesting to say?



http://i.imgur.com/ULIrNUD.png

Is...is that a brand or something? I'm all for safe sex, but I don't think anyone is excited about wearing a raincoat. AND CUTE IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING ITS SMALL!! :( (SPOILER)You guessed it. That's another character I'll get waaaaaaaay down the line.



http://i.imgur.com/25T6wKJ.png

We run into this bored looking man who offers to guide us to Hawel, who he is studying under.



http://i.imgur.com/Y750mQR.png

The first word I thought of when he came up to be named was, "Whatever..." Look at that face! He was asking for it. Him and the real Squall should get in a shrug off.



http://i.imgur.com/zeUCgK2.png

More blobs, rats, and a single bat decide that they want to end my journey. I'll spare the battle screen shots for now, as there isn't anything real different to show.



http://i.imgur.com/wdcZfyE.png

http://i.imgur.com/yHuiAn6.png

Oh, really? The lone house in the middle of nowhere where everyone said to go is where he lives? Whatever...



http://i.imgur.com/GQMvyMD.png

http://i.imgur.com/BXSOnfP.png

After barging in, our heroes discover that Hawel was being AXED a few questions from some soldiers! They quickly flee the scene.



http://i.imgur.com/tefi3R8.png

...which is exactly what many FFVIII players said when it took Squall forever to share his feelings with Rinoa, even after she was sitting in his lap.



http://i.imgur.com/VhD9tCX.png

HEY! You're the protagonist in an JRPG! You're not allowed to talk, even if you are just whispering!



http://i.imgur.com/JyRoJuW.png

Galam is the kingdom to the north of Granseal. Like, seriously, it's just across a short field. And they wanted to know about something called Ground Seal. HEY, I WONDER IF IT IS RELATED TO THE KINGDOM OF GRANSEAL?!



http://i.imgur.com/GBax6RX.png

http://i.imgur.com/gkXgNPu.png

Come on, no one in Granseal could figure out what the name of their kingdom was inferring?



http://i.imgur.com/AIOhxXf.png

http://i.imgur.com/obU8DDc.png

Hey man, if you knew the seal was so important, why wouldn't you take the 10 minute walk to let the kingdom know that perhaps they should be wary of the obviously super important jewels on their land? You can't cry about it now! Look at all those books! You didn't just discover this!



http://i.imgur.com/TPVvuBU.png

Hahaha, I like how direct he is about it. Squall is totally aware he's in a cliche' scene. If this was a TV show or something, he would have quickly eyeballed the camera and winked.



http://i.imgur.com/shOeKKC.png

http://i.imgur.com/6HD5jL8.png

Hawel pleads with Squall to set things right and he officially joins the party. Well, as tragic as Hawel's death is, at least he lived a happy, peaceful, fulfilling life and--


http://i.imgur.com/j7P9But.png

Oh my god. :(

PART THREE: Free Trip to Galam!

http://i.imgur.com/EeWe93y.png

As per usual, the second we set foot outside, the party sights potential enemies.



http://i.imgur.com/xa85kDq.png

That would be Mr. Condom and a gang of Galam soliders. I don't think I have to explain this name.



http://i.imgur.com/odmXzCX.png

Oh, come on, man! You are begging for the whole group of soldiers to laugh their asses off. Then Condom will make a bad pun or deliver a nasty taunt.



http://i.imgur.com/24e7eH9.png

"Sick burn. Total devastation of feelings. Mission accomplished." Deep Impact/Armageddon~IGN



http://i.imgur.com/z5a7ExK.png

Just to let you guys know, Squall's whole deal is attack magic. This may look like a weak fire spell, but before you know it, he's literally raining hell on enemies. Love it.



http://i.imgur.com/mkoaGue.png

Oh, and the soldiers have growing red eyes? I am sure they're just wearing contacts or something...



http://i.imgur.com/Xw9O8bg.png

From my memory, this is the only battle that you can lose and the game will still continue. I did indeed win, which is why Condom is praising me for my hardline tactics.



http://i.imgur.com/VAvHPf2.png

http://i.imgur.com/vR2yFtp.png

Condom knocks Sephex out. Well, he is indeed the leader, but what prevents everyone else from continuing to battle?



http://i.imgur.com/DveKf59.png

Well, the golden rule to any Shining Force game is that if the leader is defeated, the battle is won. That goes for the good guys or bad guys. I just think it's amusing that Condom seems to be reading straight out of the instruction booklet and the rest of my party is all like, "Damn. He got us! It's in the rules! Curse it all!"



http://i.imgur.com/ojHKGfr.png

What is with everyone in this game greeting everyone in the game as rudely as possible after they wake up? Dude, I was knocked the f*** out by a solider with possible decades of experience ahead of me! What did you expect?!



http://i.imgur.com/dnrKZNm.png

Hey, look who is in the slammer with us!



http://i.imgur.com/uJnYZlx.png

The party gets in a discussion with other inmates about the sudden hostility of Galam, and what exactly happened to the jewels.



http://i.imgur.com/0sPswwW.png

Okay, rat. Play it cool. There is no way they can connect you to the crime!



http://i.imgur.com/NIaLFlh.png

Well played. Just help them, and they'll be on their way. No questions asked!



http://i.imgur.com/MEOwVUq.png

Oh, I see this inmate has a copy of the instruction booklet, as well!



http://i.imgur.com/TsYFJRD.png

Look, I was thinking about "Of Mice and Men." Yes, I know it's supposed to be "Lennie." The 'Y' makes it more amusing to me and I love anticlimactic RPG names.



http://i.imgur.com/IY1Sg3k.png

http://i.imgur.com/55NXltR.png

Oh sure, cast suspicion on the rat thief!



http://i.imgur.com/05nNi63.png

http://i.imgur.com/Xqsv8fC.png

http://i.imgur.com/MkGOVfY.png

That was an awfully quick trial, Mankey. As you can see by Lenny sitting in the corner, Mankey knocked him over in anger.



http://i.imgur.com/Tlpeg5G.png

The party decides to stupidly go up the stairs to the left. Lenny, still feeling bad about all the chaos he caused, shows the party a secret passage he knows about so they won't be caught.



http://i.imgur.com/aNUTwYP.png

Lenny fesses up fully to what he did, and decided to follow the party out to escape with them.



http://i.imgur.com/h6P9lwY.png

Boy if I had a nickel for every time I faced this dilemma...



http://i.imgur.com/J1wx8FM.png

As the party crosses the path above King Galam's throne room, they eavesdrop on his speech to his soldiers...



http://i.imgur.com/3yLxnpE.png

That's the reason you're giving your army to attack your neighbor across the yard? Were there reports of weapons of mass destruction in Granseal?<--ORIGINAL JOKE DO NOT STEAL



http://i.imgur.com/ihbSvp4.png

Seeing how you have been JAILING people who do (an inmate in the jail said he was in there because he disagreed with the idea of attacking Granseal), I don't think you're going to meet much resistance, jarhead. The King, Condom, and the army leave to attack Granseal.



http://i.imgur.com/h1a03Tm.png

...said no man ever.



http://i.imgur.com/3XXExyy.png

http://i.imgur.com/gMsAAVL.png

BUSTED. Our escape is cut short. The enemy I highlighted was bragging about being gifted a certain Jewel of Light by King Galam for capturing a rat...hmmmm...



http://i.imgur.com/6NR3Sc5.png

The party easily squashes the Galam soldiers in a quick battle. Lenny confirms the obvious. We also learn that King Galam took the Jewel of Evil with him to Granseal.



http://i.imgur.com/XYIscA7.png

What the...? Well, that's certainly strange!



http://i.imgur.com/dcWerFx.png

Well now Lenny HAS to officially join the party! He was so close to getting his jewel back! Actually he feels guilty about the mess he created, still. He joins to hopefully set things right.



http://i.imgur.com/vLdQW3r.png

And off to Granseal we go! Will we stop the incoming war between Galam and Granseal? Why is King Galam acting strangely so suddenly? Stay tuned for the next part to find out!