Shining Force EXA

There was once a time when Sega was a major player in the video game industry. They're still around, but their clout was arguably at its peak during the hey-day of the 16-bit Genesis system when it had Sonic running wild and free. But while the blue hedgehog was bringing home the bacon, it was the company's Shining Force series that was bringing home the accolades.

The latest installment in the vaunted franchise is Shining Force EXA, which eschews the familiar strategy-RPG gameplay for an action oriented feel, and while it's far from perfect, Sega did quite a few things right with this installment.

Hack and Snooze

The visuals are pretty impressive for a PS2 game, and the fantasy-themed world really comes alive. The cinematics are another strong suit, and while they don't rival the quality found in games like Final Fantasy X, they get the job done. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the game's combat system; you control one character while other characters join you in battle controlled by AI. While it's a fun hack-and-slash experience, it suffers from typical level grind issues, and it does get monotonous.

Sega brought in a few other elements of combat that help break up the long runs of dungeon crawling. The Geo-Fortress, which is a huge mobile castle/shop/training facility armed with a gargantuan cannon that helps you in combat brings a breath of fresh air throughout the game. You will meet new people that will inhabit its quarters as you find ways to re-activate all of its functions.

Death to Battle Cries

One other word of warning: the game's audio is repulsive. While the music is okay, the sound effects and the overdone voice acting will have you hitting the mute button in a hurry. This aspect unfortunately carries into battles, where you will have to listen to your characters repeat the same annoying announcements every time they flick their weapon or cast a spell. Oftentimes the case will be that everyone will be attacking at once, so all you'll hear is loud, nonsensical noise.

If you can overlook those shortcomings, you'll be treated to a decent enough RPG game. EXA doesn't do much to further the legacy of the series but at least it doesn't critically damage it either.

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