Shining Tears

by Sega

Product Features

• Gorgeous 2D backdrops and fluid, expressive anime characters. Up to 50 enemies can appear onscreen at the same time
• Offers both single-player and 2 player-simultaneous gameplay
• Deep character customization Players have access to a wide range of skills, items, and weapons. Characters can level up from 1 to 99
• Partner Bond System The bond between the hero and his partner affects the scenario he faces and part of the story
• 20 to 50 hours of game time and 8 possible endings

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00079W8OU
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches ; 5.6 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: March 24, 2005
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,740 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com

Shining Tears is a throwback to a bygone era in gaming. A spin-off of Sega's classic Shining titles, its real-time action is reminiscent of the SNES game Secret of Mana, which is definitely a compliment. In many ways, Shining Tears is a retro-RPG gamer's dream, and will make you feel like you've gone back in time to the early ‘90s – which, as we all know, is both a good and a bad thing.

The plot of Shining Tears is, as Mr. T would say, simply a bunch of jibba jabba, filled with more clichés and stilted dialogue than an episode of Full House. But the plot is not really the draw – the two-character combat is the heart of this game. In single-player you control the primary character while AI handles your partner. But you can also steer the second player with the right analog stick and execute linked attacks between the two with a few clicks of the R1 button. It's a nifty little system that works well, but I found it inferior to playing with a real person (even if it was Joe). Coordinating linked attacks with a second player requires more cooperation and allows you more strategic thinking in battle. This is a definite plus because later fights throw so many hordes of enemies at you you'll feel like you're trying to fight your way out of a crowd at a Color Me Badd concert.

After a while, the combat can get as stale as MC Hammer's career, thanks to stages that are repeated over and over, and the necessity of replaying missions with different characters in order to level up your entire crew. The hand-drawn environments are gorgeous, as are the visuals as a whole, but that doesn't mean I want to see the same areas again and again. With repetitive combat and a plot thinner than Tracey Gold, Shining Tears shouldn't be quite as good as it is. But the retro vibe, beautiful graphics and unique control dynamic add a lot of value. It's not the best action/RPG out there, but offers some fun co-op and recalls days past in a far better way than any of the lame jokes I've made in this review.

Concept:
Sega's Shining series returns with an action-oriented spin-off featuring lush visuals, a unique control scheme, and a buttload of RPG clichés

Graphics:
The hand-drawn art style is simply amazing, and the characters are surprisingly well animated

Sound:
It would be nice to have more voice work than just a tiny handful of battle cries

Playability:
Controlling two characters with the dual analog sticks is a bit tricky, but co-op is a blast

Entertainment:
At first it's as fun and fresh as Gallagher, but it quickly gets as dull as Bob Sagat

Replay:
Moderate

Rated: 7.75 out of 10
Editor: Jeremy Zoss
Issue: March 2005

2nd Opinion:
As its name suggests, Shining Tears is full of both radiance and grief. It pulls off its unique two-character combat with brilliant artistic style, and provides surprising depth despite its simple appearance. Sadly, the game's lack of variation on the combat front and a tendency to make me revisit the same maps wore thin on my patience. The story isn't much help, either; it's bubbling over with every fantasy stereotype imaginable (emphasis on the "fantasy" – there isn't a single bustline smaller than 36D). Without a truly tactical edge, Shining Tears gets repetitive quickly, though the actions you find yourself repeating are immensely entertaining.

Rated: 7.25 out of 10
Editor: Joe Juba


Subscribe to Game Informer

Product Description

Shining Tears tells the story of a young man caught up in a war he does not quite understand. Xion has lost his memory and discovers that he holds two magical rings. Their source are unknown to him, but so is so much else -- he and his friends will travel to find answers. Soon they'll realize how terrifying the world can truly be; Their choices after learning this hard lesson will shake the land, for better or worse.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Super underrated!, April 6, 2005

By 

Jacqueline Splawn "solidjackie" (Sterling, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shining Tears (Video Game)

If you do research on this game, you will find that it recieved a lot of really low scores. And I am begging you to disregard it. Shining Tears is a really fun game. Especially for it's two player option. I find the story interesting, and battles are fun. It does take a little while to load, but that's because originally and in it's Japanese release it was supposed to have a lot of voice acting. So, the load wait is a little on the extreme, but it hasn't deterred me from the game. You play as the hero, who was found on a river bank. And of course, you have amnesia, and the only thing that can hint at your past life is a ring. You find out shortly after that the ring contains crazy awesome butt kicking power. You will always be fighting alongside a partner, and that partner will always inherit the ring when you choose to put yours on. It then goes on a yin/yang thing. If your partner has an evil soul, you will be good. If your partner is pure, you will become evil. And one of the most enjoyable things in the game is watching your wussy lead character transform in to a blood thirsty maniac. In a way, it reminds me of the very excellent Growlanser. The fighting is just hack and slash "Zelda" fun, but your party is completely customizable, and you can choose which skills to learn or level up. The skills are pretty cool in this game too, and because you will always be with a partner- you get link skills. And even if you play alone, you can control your partner to a certain extent.
This game is just really cool, and it is very unfortunate that it is getting some tough reviews.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why is this wonderful game getting such low reviews???, April 12, 2005

By 

Dennis W. Benedict "If it's cute I will stare... (Somewhere in the realm of the Shadow Dragon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shining Tears (Video Game)

First and foremost I just want to say:
**** Ignore all reviews that says this game is bad ****

Okay, Now for the reasons why I made that statement:

Graphics: The graphics are beautifully done in an Anime style artform. The characters are all beautifully done. I would give the graphics a 5 out of 5.

Sound: WOW! Simply amazing. Especially the battle music. Voice acting is limited to the shop owners and some battle voices. Which I think is great. Since I know how to read I don't need the characters reading for me. I would give sound a 5 out of 5 as well.

Story/Gameplay: The story and gameplay are awesome. You control Xion, a hero with amnesia, through a quest to find out who he is and where he's from. Along the way you will meet a strategist/doctor, a cold sorceress, a heart warming priestess, a strong wolf, a cute and perky ninja cat, and you are found lying on the beach by a bow wielding elf. All the while something sinister is brewing. Also, a cute rabbit girl will tell you about the different game mechanics. All playable characters are completely customizable. Shining Tears is simply awesome. Story/Gameplay gets a 5 out of 5 as well.

So why four stars??? The constant loading screens are a little bothersome, but all you need to overcome them is a little patience. I clocked them around 2 to 10 seconds long. In short, if your into more of the fantasy RPG's, then Shining Tears will not disappoint you.

**** Shining Tears is Classic Role Playing at It's Best ****

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Meh..., June 20, 2005

By 

Justin Dunlop (Bev. MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Shining Tears (Video Game)

Seems I have a huge difference of opinion compared to most here... but anyways... on to why I gave it a low rating. First off (and most obvious) is loading times. It could have been avoided I believe because maps weren't that huge and it didn't look like way too much detail and information being processed. Graphics I don't have a gripe with so I'll skip that. Dialogue in my opinion was terrible. It was extremely static and just felt scripted. Regardless of the fact that it was. It didn't really give me a sense that people were talking as opposed to that they had lines they were supposed to say. Storyline and setup was equally terrible and overused. A main character with amnesia?! And they just left it that way? The main character never even had presence... at all. He just said "huh? ok..." the whole game (with exception to battles when he first puts on one of the rings). Also you don't get to know anything... ANYTHING about the characters until their specific chapter section comes up (which is really sad because I never got to feel attached to anyone) and once their story is done you don't get anything else from them anyways. Next is the way that the plot and surprises were released. Everything was pretty much centered around one lead character and for some reason "he knew everything but never revealed any of it until after it happened". He even says he knew when things were going to happen but chose not to tell anyone. I know some of you will say he had a perfectly good reason but it's quite possibly the easiest way out of giving a good excuse for keeping information back. I'd get punched in the face if I did that to those guys. To end it all, the ending was just... meh. If you want to try a game worthy of my praise, pop in Baten Kaitos on Gamecube and turn off the voices. It's got a fairytale feel to it at first which I thought was annoying and the card system felt awkward but it's a game that makes you think and the style is awesome (although story is kind of predictable).