Shining Force vs Fire Emblem

[link64]

Which series do you think is better.

[virtybunny]

I like both series a lot but Fire Emblem better. Strategy RPGs done like Fire Emblem are just brilliant.

[kelvingreen]

I haven't played a single Fire Emblem game yet, but I do like the Shining Force games a lot. The only problem with SF is the random level-up improvements, which is a thoroughly ridiculous design choice. From what I know of FE, it's based around scissors-paper-stone, which seems like a nice elegant system.

You might also want to add Ogre Battle to the poll. ;) Personally, I find the SNES OB a better game than MD SF, but the latter is a better-looking game.

[Radretrogamer]

Advance Wars!!

im not a fan of the leveling sytem when it comes to strategy games. but since thats not the question, ill have to go with Fire Emblem, though ive put more game time into Shining Force. ill probably get the Wii Fire Emblem, cause haven't played any others. :cool:

[Jonno]

Fire Emblem, hands down. Shining Force has that feel of 'been there, done that, and didn't like it' while Fire Emblem has the feel of 'been there, done that, loved it, replayed it'. Its just much more complex and well, fun.

[Boo!]

Fire Emblem is a great series, would be nice if we got some of the SNES games translated and released onto the VC... I don't hold much hope though.

[Jonno]

Honestly, I had no drive to replay the original Shining Force. :/

[Mickeymac]

I haven't played Fire Emblem, but I don't think I want to, since it has that "perma-death" thing, and I pretty much relied on deaths in order to make level-grinding seem more productive, and I now I hear it's got "Rock-Paper-Scissors" gameplay? No thanks, Shining Force all the way.

[Yasume]

Fire Emblem >>>>>>>>>>> Shining Force IMO. Shining Force is not a bad game, though.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Shining Force is as good as or better than any old Fire Emblem game I have played. But that is just one game. The rest of the Shining Force series is no good. And the GCN/Wii Fire Emblem games are both among the best games of any genre that I have ever played. So Fire Emblem as a series takes the win on this one.

Shining Force is one of my all time favourite games. So are the GCN/Wii Fire Emblem games. So it Ogre Battle, incidentally, but it's nothing like the games being compared here and has no place in the comparison.

[Jiggy37]

I'd rank any of the three Fire Emblem games I've played well ahead of the original Shining Force, but that's mostly due to SF's really grating music. Speaking strictly in terms of gameplay, I love them both. And besides, I hear that Shining Force II demolishes the first game in both gameplay and soundtrack, so I'll hold off voting here until I've played that game--if they ever get around to releasing it on VC for North America, anyway.

[Refa]

Fire Emblem, hands down. Shining Force has that feel of 'been there, done that, and didn't like it' while Fire Emblem has the feel of 'been there, done that, loved it, replayed it'. Its just much more complex and well, fun.

Eh, I agree with you on the topic of Fire Emb;em, but your rating of Shining Force is... Harsh.

I haven't played Fire Emblem, but I don't think I want to, since it has that "perma-death" thing, and I pretty much relied on deaths in order to make level-grinding seem more productive, and I now I hear it's got "Rock-Paper-Scissors" gameplay? No thanks, Shining Force all the way.

Eh, you're NOT supposed to let your units die; that's a BAD thing. Anyways, the perma death factor makes the game HARD, unlike Shining Force where all you have to do is Egress right before all of your units die.

Shining Force is as good as or better than any old Fire Emblem game I have played. But that is just one game. The rest of the Shining Force series is no good. And the GCN/Wii Fire Emblem games are both among the best games of any genre that I have ever played. So Fire Emblem as a series takes the win on this one.

Shining Force is one of my all time favourite games. So are the GCN/Wii Fire Emblem games. So it Ogre Battle, incidentally, but it's nothing like the games being compared here and has no place in the comparison.

How many old Fire Emblems have you played (serious question)? I've heard they were really good, and may even be better than the old Shining Force. Besides, aren't Shining Force 2, Shining Force CD, and Shining Force 3 good games? You can't just count them out like that. :D. Anyways, I'm hoping we get BOTH series on the VC, but I want the Fire Emblems first, as they haven't been releases stateside.

[Mickeymac]

When your units die they still keep all the experienced they gained on the battlefield, so I purposely put my units in precarious situations so they'll gain exp. faster, while at the same time forcing me to do the level again. Basically level-grinding while still being seemingly productive; it keeps me interested while still complying to the most loathed facet of an RPG. It's much more interesting than straight-up level-grinding, I've actually tried that in Shining Force, and it was so boring! I almost didn't go back to it again!

[Refa]

When your units die they still keep all the experienced they gained on the battlefield, so I purposely put my units in precarious situations so they'll gain exp. faster, while at the same time forcing me to do the level again. Basically level-grinding while still being seemingly productive; it keeps me interested while still complying to the most loathed facet of an RPG. It's much more interesting than straight-up level-grinding, I've actually tried that in Shining Force, and it was so boring! I almost didn't go back to it again!

But you're missing the point; letting your units die is a BAD thing. Besides, I'm no expert player, and I never let my units die (except for one or two on a few playthroughs). Besides, the chapter system in Fire Emblem PREVENTS you from level grinding.

[Mickeymac]

But you're missing the point; letting your units die is a BAD thing.

Not when there aren't any consequences.

Besides, the chapter system in Fire Emblem PREVENTS you from level grinding.[/quote]

All the more reason why I would need a system like in Shining Force. If I can't level grind, how else am I supposed to make my units powerful enough to defeat the boss?

[Refa]

Not when there aren't any consequences.

Besides, the chapter system in Fire Emblem PREVENTS you from level grinding.

All the more reason why I would need a system like in Shining Force. If I can't level grind, how else am I supposed to make my units powerful enough to defeat the boss?[/quote]

If you want to kill your units, fine by me; still not seeing any benifits.

And how do you beat the bosses? Skill. :D

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

This latest discussion is an example of why comparing two completely different game systems doesn't work well.

In Fire Emblem, you can comfortably get through the whole game without level grinding. Some challenge comes from keeping weak units alive.

In Shining Force, you can comfortably get through the whole game without consequences of character death (since you can just bring them back). Some challenge comes from attaining a high enough level to defeat bosses.

Different gameplay systems, different challenges.

Refa, to answer an earlier question of yours, I haven't played any Fire Emblem game that hasn't been released in North America because I don't read Japanese. So to me, "older" = the 2D FE games that have been released here. Shining Force (the original) is better than both of them. Barely, but it is. Shining Force II is about on par with the first North American GBA FE game, and they're both a hair behind the original SF game. I'm making these comparisons on the only basis I can: subjective personal preference and fun.

[Refa]

This latest discussion is an example of why comparing two completely different game systems doesn't work well.

In Fire Emblem, you can comfortably get through the whole game without level grinding. Some challenge comes from keeping weak units alive.

In Shining Force, you can comfortably get through the whole game without consequences of character death (since you can just bring them back). Some challenge comes from attaining a high enough level to defeat bosses.

Different gameplay systems, different challenges.

Refa, to answer an earlier question of yours, I haven't played any Fire Emblem game that hasn't been released in North America because I don't read Japanese. So to me, "older" = the 2D FE games that have been released here. Shining Force (the original) is better than both of them. Barely, but it is. Shining Force II is about on par with the first North American GBA FE game, and they're both a hair behind the original SF game. I'm making these comparisons on the only basis I can: subjective personal preference and fun.

I don't see what the challenge is in Shining Force.

I do agree with you about Shining Force being slightly more fun than the GBA Fire Emblems and its sequel, but what about the Game Cube/Wii Fire Emblems? And although we may never get the NES/SNES Fire Emblems or the Japanese GBA one (Fuuin No Tsurugi), we can wait till we get the DS remake come... Some time.