Suggestion for possible future Sega Steam ports: SHINING FORCE III

[atlantean]

Right now there really isn't another place that's better suited for this post (plus I know Sega has been doing a good job of monitoring this forum and making patches to address issues; thanks!) so I felt there would be no harm in asking. I think it's obvious that gamers have given Sega a loud and clear answer to the question of whether we'll pay for remakes or future installments of their many non-Sonic AAA franchises, particularly their amazing RPGs and SRPGs. Money talks, and I'd like to start off by thanking Sega for giving us the opportunity in this VC Steam port to let our wallets' voices be heard.

Already there's at least one well-represented thread asking for Steam ports of VC 2 and 3, which I'd love to see happen as well. But why stop there when there are so many other incredible properties, many of which most gamers (particularly younger ones) have never gotten to experience? I may make more suggestions later, but for now I'll start with one that's right up there with Valkyria Chronicles as one of Sega's best ever: Shining Force III.

The Saturn frankly has never gotten the love and respect it deserves from Sega; its first-gen, blocky 3D visuals likely have a lot to do with that, as does the fact it competed with what at the time was most gamers' new obsession: the PlayStation. But in my humble opinion the Saturn is easily the most underrated console in history and one of the best ever for RPGs, and nowhere was that quality more evident than in Shining Force III.

Shining Force III is simply the most epic turn-based SRPG ever made in sheer scope, even with well-respected games like Final Fantasy Tactics and the Fire Emblem series taken into consideration. Its three interlocking Scenarios (of which sadly only Scenario 1 made it to Western audiences, leaving them with an unresolved cliffhanger after 60 hours of play) amount to a whopping 190 HOURS of amazing tactical gameplay spread across a wide variety of environments, from castles and temples to treetop villages and fiery caves to snowy forests and icy, frozen lakes. The decisions you make in each Scenario affect which characters you can recruit in the other Scenarios, and there's no way to get them all in a single play-through(!).

Scenario 1 puts you in the shoes of Synbios, the son of a Republic general. The Republic won its independence from the Empire years earlier and you're attending a peace conference in Imperial territory with your king when the Emperor is kidnapped. Obviously the Republic is blamed and you must escort your king back to safety through a lot of battles, slowly uncovering a conspiracy that threatens both the Republic as well as the Empire.

Scenario 2 puts you in the place of Medion, the third (and illegitimate) son of the Emperor. Looked down upon by your two sibling princes, you take your army to begin finding the whereabouts of your father, and along the way you meet a child whose powers may determine the fate of the world...and whom the Emperor's elite commandos, the Rainbloods, are after at all costs. Special mention MUST be given here to the Emperor; while he is not the "ultimate evil/bad guy" in the storyline, his manipulations (even his own kidnappers!) and deviousness are deliciously menacing. The final scene in both Scenarios 1 and 2 have Synbios and Medion facing off on a bridge leading into the Republic capital, about to fight a battle neither of them wants.

Scenario 3 follows Julian, a mercenary who temporarily joins both Synbios' and Medions' armies in Scenarios 1 and 2. He's out to take revenge on the demons who destroyed his village when he was a child (Side note: you actually meet that child Julian at a destroyed village in Shining the Holy Ark!). While Synbios' and Medions' armies consist of humans, dwarves, centaurs, bird-men, and some other interesting races, they have nothing on the sheer variety ( and POWER) of Julian's force. Among others, you can recruit a Dragon-man, a Lion-man, a Unicorn, a Goblin who rides the back of a huge Troll, a Witch (who wields the most powerful...and risque...spell in the game), and Thousand, a huge White Dragon who's the most powerful physical attacker in the game.

Along the way Julian's army will form an alliance with Synbios' and Medions' forces to go the the frozen lands of the far north and fight the ultimate evil, a demon named Bulzome. At one point you come to a village whose shop owners' faces are the leaders of Camelot's development team, which was a cool touch! The final battle (preceded by a completely optional, 10-level dungeon you can finish levelling up all three armies in as well as snag some of the most powerful items available) is a 2-hour, epic struggle as you take ALL THREE forces from the three Scenarios to fight Bulzome.

SF III features political intrigue, character depth that was unprecedented and WAY ahead of the simple talking heads of SF I and II, incredible and challenging tactical gameplay, duplicity and betrayals, and 190 hours of pure, unadulterated FUN. It's simply a crime that no official version of this amazing game has ever found its way to English-speaking audiences in its entirety (a special shout-out to the fan community at Shining Force Central, who've been working on an English patch for SF III for almost 20 years now and are pretty much finished; without their hard work I wouldn't have been able to enjoy Scenarios 2 and 3 myself). Whether it's a graphically updated version or the original blocky Saturn visuals (eye candy isn't everything), Sega would make serious BANK if they were to bring SF III to Steam. Money's on the table, guys.

What do you guys think? Would you support SF III if Sega brought it to Steam? Let your voices be heard!

[Zeon08]

well, imo SF2 is the best, but I sure want to see SF3 on PC. emulating in is such a pain in the ass

[SenMithrarin85]

watch the use of the "e" word, man. You never know who may be reading this.

And we need Bayonetta on pc too! Based on the 360 version and not the godawful ps3 port sega did all those years ago.

[atlantean]

@SenMitharin85,

No worries. Sega is fully aware of the Shining Force fan community's efforts. While they've stopped short of giving them their outright blessing it does seem that by buying the original retail discs themselves (Japanese) and modifying the images via computer, along with distributing the patches for free...to anyone who has original, official copies of SFIII...Shining Force Central have managed to satisfy Sega's anti-piracy people. There's nothing illegal or unethical happening or believe me, I wouldn't have mentioned the project.

[Jaridan - say no to China]

it can come after they ported & released Skies of Arcadia (Legends)

[atlantean]

I'd have absolutely no problem with that; in fact it was going to be another upcoming suggestion post. I just figured this one was long enough already. :)

[FrE3kSh0w]

I could be wrong but I think SF3 had an issue of not being owned outright by Sega. My understanding is the reason you see SF1 and 2 on PS3 but no SF3 is there was another dev involved that had a falling out with Sega and so they can't reproduce those. I also heard that converting Dreamcast games was much more difficult but the main reason was the rights issue. Not 100% sure on that but that is what I heard. I loved SF1 and 2 and never got to play 3. I have always wished that I got the opportunity.

[Fen_]

yes a hundred times... So many fond memories of that game.

[Wesker]

Originally posted by FrE3kSh0w:

I could be wrong but I think SF3 had an issue of not being owned outright by Sega. My understanding is the reason you see SF1 and 2 on PS3 but no SF3 is there was another dev involved that had a falling out with Sega and so they can't reproduce those. I also heard that converting Dreamcast games was much more difficult but the main reason was the rights issue. Not 100% sure on that but that is what I heard. I loved SF1 and 2 and never got to play 3. I have always wished that I got the opportunity.

That's not the problem. Sega owns any Shining game at 100% and the thing about Shining Force III is no different to what has been done with Shining Force, Shining Force II and other Shining games developed by Camelot (then known as Sonic! Software Planning).

It's more a technical issue I think, similarly to many other Sega Saturn games which have never been ported anywhere else.

[atlantean]

Here's the thing about Saturn ports; while they may be somewhat difficult to port directly, their grainy first-gen polygonal visuals would likely be a turnoff for those whose primary criteria for what makes a "great game" is eye candy. Panzer Dragoon Saga (which only received 3,000 copies in the entire US market) has muddy, pixellated visuals but is one of the most atmospheric, bleak environments I've ever played in, and the game mechanics (RPG using real-time combat mechanics) were amazing. But like SF III, none of that matters if people won't bother because of the visuals, hence why I believe is Sega's primary reason to date for ignoring the Saturn. Anything that would negatively affect potential sales can make a project a no-go.

But it doesn't have to be that way. With Steam Sega could remake those classic games (Skies of Arcadia, Dragon Force, SF III, PD Saga, and many more) in remastered HD form. Same gameplay, updated visuals, win-win for all. And here's hoping someone there is reading this thread, because as I said, the money's on the table. All they have to do is have the faith in their own amazing RPG franchises and the fans who've yearned for them for so long.

[JimBond007]

Why only Shining Force 3 ? Sure, it was the GAME that I wanted to buy a Saturn. Too bad at this time, I was a teenager (so no money) and had a PSX

Sega should port all Shinings. Myself, I wanna the Shining released on PSS2, PSP & PS3 also.

[Cecily Rohana]

Ever since these games started coming to pc by square enix and sega i am loving them. Would buy future good <-- ports of sega games!

[atlantean]

@JimBond007,

The reason I mentioned SF III specifically is that it was the last entry in the series to truly hold to the series' turn-based tactical roots. Sadly, Shining Force isn't the only JRPG/SRPG series to have been fundamentally altered mechanically; Front Mission is one example. Even Final Fantasy and the Tales series have "evolved" from straight turn-based menu mechanics to a button-mashing combo-fest; some gamers like the changes while others despise them. SF I, II, and III are almost universally seen as the glory days of the Shining Force franchise; the direction it's taken since falls far short of those standards.

[elhasi]

I would buy a port of this in a heartbeat. I loved SF 1 & 2, the gameplay is still unparalleled up to this day.