I've done it, beaten Scenario 3 at last. What a ride. This has to be Magnum Opus of the Saturn, I don't think anything can top it.

Overall I think I enjoyed Scenario 1 the best for two reasons: it was the most balanced, while in Scenario 3 the Julian army was always OP (though I did enjoy having a couple of flying units that weren't total ass). But perhaps I just got a better hang of the gameplay by the end as well.
I enjoyed the story in scenario 1 the best too because by scenario 2 the grand schemes are basically already figured out and all that's left is for them to unfold. I also didn't like how both the Synbios and Medion armies got captured in Scenario 3, that was a retarded moment. The Rainbloods also suddenly appear very weak when you're supposed to fight them as opposed to their invicible selfs in Scenario 2 when you're only supposed to let them be.

Scenario 1 also had the best bonus dungeon, for 2 and 3 they just gave up and had the same room copy pasted 10 times.

Finally, silent protag was really NOT suitable for this series, it was pretty bad especially when you get to the other scenarios and suddely you hear them speak because they're not the protags anymore and vice versa.

Other than that, absolutely great trilogy. I'll play the GBA remake of 1 one of these days but first I'm gonna play the Saturn version of Vandal Hearts.

bump

>>11802078 (OP)
>The Rainbloods also suddenly appear very weak
I think the premium disc lets you fight all at once.
>suddely you hear them speak because they're not the protags anymore and vice versa
Never played Golden Sun?
>I'm gonna play the Saturn version of Vandal Hearts
Good choice. Just don't make the mistake of trying out 2.

>>11802078 (OP)
Did you play the Premium Disc? It's a great send-off to the series

>>11803871
I did and it was nice to see the previous game bosses in 3D but at that point it's basically a victory lap, though it was cool to be able to use all 3 heroes side by side. This was my team, with two healers using Aura 4 (and one had 4 MP restored per turn, the other 2) I was basically invicible though I did lose Honesty to Bulzome because I hadn't realized his eye lazers worked like summons and dealt more dmg the less targets there are, I had left her all alone on the side and he OHKO'd her.

>>11803446
What's wrong with Vandal Hearts 2?
I did play a bit of Golden Sun back when it was new and relevant and two of my friends sang its praises but I didn't like it back then

Clearer pic of the premium team, here is how the choice went

1)3 heroes
2)2 healers with Aura 4
3)2 wizards
4)3 snipers (I used Jubei as one and he also cast Resist)
5)2 flyers

I also went by waifus when applicable (Isabella, Hedva, Marky and Kate, Kate was the strongest sniper I had in the entire game, an absolute monster)

Anyway I missed tons of characters in Scenario 3
>Edmund
I noticed you start with him when you do a fresh start so I assume it's a cross scenario thing and I got him killed at some point but frankly I don't remember

>Spiriel
Goddamn, I knew I shouldn't have killed her at the end of Scenario 1.

>Turk and Unoma
No idea where those fuckers were hiding

P.S: might be fun to try it out with a harem team

>>11803945
>What's wrong with Vandal Hearts 2?
It's a very different game from 1, with a retarded simultaneous turns system. There's a mod to make it more traditional like 1, but it's still a worse game.

I only played SF1. Need to play 2 and then i will play 3
Are the other non-Force Shining games mandatory/worth playing if I liked SF?

>>11804225
The story in Shining the Holy Ark is loosely connected to SF3 (SF3 takes place 15 years after Holy Ark and in the same world, though not in the same region, and there are 2 recurring characters, sort of) and it's a great JRPG in its own right, but you don't *have* to play it, you just get a bit more out of one of the protags and one of the villains if you do, as well as a better understanding of where the powers of Good and Evil come from. In short you don't force yourself to play it if it's not your type of game, but if it is, I highly recommend it; also it's a 30 hours playthrough which is pretty short for a dungeon crawler (there is an automap).

Other than the others don't seem to be connected, Shining in the Darkness was a good dungeon crawler but nothing extraordinary either. I tried Shining Wisdom but I stopped playing after a few hours because it's very average at best and I'm not sure if I'll ever get back to it.

>>11804221
>simultaneous turns system.

wut

>>11803446
>>11804221
Did you play the Hard mode of the Saturn version of VH1? Apparently it's pretty brutal and basically impossible with exp grinding (from what I gather this has to do with abusing healing rings in some levels) but I'd like a second opinion
Also apparently the extra missions are only available on Hard

>>11803446
>>11804221
Did you play the Hard mode of the Saturn version of VH1? Apparently it's pretty brutal and basically impossible without exp grinding (from what I gather this has to do with abusing healing rings in some levels) but I'd like a second opinion.
Apparently the extra missions are only available on Hard.

>>11804267
>wut
Unlike Shining Force where you can move freely within your movement range, you select the spot your character will move to in Vandal Hearts and they pathfind to it (this is largely to accomodate flying characters in a 3D environment). In VH2, when your character is moving, an enemy unit moves at the same time, a core aspect of the game's strategy is learning how the AI prioritizes targets so you can intercept them.

It's a cool and unique system, and it solves the major "wait for your turn" problem common to SRPGs with large enemy groups, but the actual execution was heavily criticized for being rather frustrating to deal with since it turned the core strategy of SRPGs on its head.

>>11802078 (OP)
What level did you promote at during Scenario 1?

>>11803945
You should try Golden Sun again
It feels like a spiritual successor to SF3 for how the story is structured, and Camelot even reused some assets from it

>>11805513
In Scenario 1 I waited for lvl 15, which was very late and corresponded to the point where I had no choice anymore since I was getting weapons that require the promotion

In Scenario 2 and 3 I promoted anywhere between 10 and 15 depending on the character

Don't listen to the gamefaqs autists that recommend to promote at lvl 20, that's just insane unless you're playing on the harder difficulties.
Generally speaking, anywhere between 10 and 15 is good and unless you specifically Egress grind for it, the longer you wait, the harder the fights will be until your promote. Plus you have to take into account that the higher your lvl is, the fewer exp you gain so waiting too much (if you don't grind) is a net exp loss. Promoting when you start to realize your character is getting shit exp may be a good idea.
There are also characters like the Birdmen which will deal something like 1 or 2 dmg if not promoted early.

>>11805387
Yeah that sounds like bullshit, not because you need to read the AI, but because I assume you also you need to learn the path your character will go through when asked to go somewhere and thus select point B when you want to go to point A and then feel stupid when the character misses the tile you wanted by one

>>11805513
In all 3 scenarios you should promote as soon as you can, no need to hold back.