Shining Force EXA Critic Reviews

All in all, once you get over the fact that Shining Force EXA isn't a "Shining Force" in the strictest sense, you'll be hacking and slashing your way to a darned good time.

Shining Force offers small rewards every few minutes, and statisfies through a sort of goal-oriented mediation.

For what it is – a colorful, action-packed dungeon hack – it’s as much of a credit to the Shining Force name as any 15-year-old strategy game.

Nothing stands out here to make this a must-play title in any sense of the word. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying some average-quality anime-infused hack n’ slash, though.

All in all, Shining Force EXA is a solid game that doesn't quite compare to its predecessor.

EXA doesn't do much to further the legacy of the series but at least it doesn't critically damage it either.

Shining Force EXA is can be fun at times, but the simplistic combat can wear you down after a while, and the overall experience is lacking in depth.

Decent in bursts: the Geo-Fortress system is engaging, the varied locations and monsters that you'll fight against are varied, and the game is quite long, which should provide a lot of exploration for action RPG fans.

While not the worst game I've played, the combination of a dumb story, repetitive gameplay, and those damn in-battle voice clips made me have to relegate it to the scrap pile.

Awful sound and repetitive, unchallenging combat wreck any chance this game might have had to succeed with true RPG fans. A few tweaks to this formula, though, and Sega might have something.

As a singleplayer experience, Shining Force EXA lacks the druglike addictiveness that makes a good dungeon crawler more than something you kill time with.

Shining Force EXA will pass the time; it's just that your memory of it will, ironically, be worn dull six months from now.

It's perfect for players who love kill-everything-that-moves games like "Dynasty Warriors" and movies like "300." It's not so perfect for those who fancy themselves "true" Shining Force aficionados, though.

EXA doesn't differentiate itself from the herd; in fact, its blatant lifting of so much from Neo is a definite detriment. Shining Force EXA isn't extraordinary. Quite the opposite: it's extra ordinary.

It's got all the ingredients for a successful hack-and-slash, but falls short in enough areas to discredit itself to all but hardcore fans of the genre.

Forced switching between two playable characters proves annoying due to their differing abilities, the fixed camera restricts the player's view and the voice samples of party members still repeat with infuriating frequency.

It's certainly better than "Shining Tears," but it is by no means as good as those classic Shining titles.

EXA sports the same exact engine, combat system, enemies, environments, and amateur-hour voice acting as 2005's "Shining Force Neo." It's probably more appropriate to think of it as an "expansion pack" than anything else.

Shining Force EXA promises nothing short of a sequel, of sorts, to "Neo." In that regard, it succeeds on a level that makes it a must buy. The fact that the advancements in the game are so miniscule that you don't even really notice them harms the game on a level that would prevent a fan of the series to rush out and buy it.

Only for long time Sega addicts. If Shining Force was you first RPG (mine was "Shining in the Darkness") there may be something for you here. With a huge RPG library on the PS2, there is no reason to play this very bland game.