Shining Soul in Europe.... and now NA

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14 Dec 2002, 03:34 AM
sggg

Shining Soul in Europe.... and now NA

I have not heard a peep about the planned THQ North American Shining Soul release in ages (in fact, I only read about it once)... but, it seems Europe has come through for Sega fans once again - much like the last days of Dreamcast. Of course this is unofficial, but if a place like Amazon is giving it a date I am sure it's legit.

« Shining Soul to come to Europe

A number of UK online game retailers, most notably GAME and Amazon.co.uk, have listed Shining Soul as an upcoming GBA release. The date GAME have given for the release is 14th February 2003, a number of other online sources back this date up. We'll try and get some sort of confirmation from Infogrames, but until we do, here are a couple of links to sites that have the game listed in their release schedules. » (Source)

I've played a bit of the Japanese version. It's pretty fun if you're into that sort of thing. It's no Shining Force, so some Shining fans are not thrilled with it, but I am quite happy to be able to buy an English version.. :)
14 Dec 2002, 03:37 AM
Jeremy

That's some excitingly awesome news right there.
14 Dec 2002, 03:58 AM
NGEFreek

Are the Euro boxes for GBA games like the Japanese boxes or are they like the US boxes? either way, this is great news.
14 Dec 2002, 04:06 AM
sggg

Quote:

Originally posted by NGEFreek
Are the Euro boxes for GBA games like the Japanese boxes or are they like the US boxes? either way, this is great news.

They're almost identical to NA boxes. Same size and shape and same gigantic silver border. :p

The difference is that they don't usually have the nice label/title on the side of the box. Instead it has some warning nonsense and the CE logo... Well, at least on the 3-Euro games I have. It's kinda annoying but no big deal.
14 Dec 2002, 04:13 AM
hayato42

YES!, Anyone know how much euro GBA games go for in US $? or if ncsx or vgd is gonna carry this?
14 Dec 2002, 04:14 AM
johnk_

Quote:

Originally posted by hayato42
YES!, Anyone know how much euro GBA games go for in US $? or if ncsx or vgd is gonna carry this?

if it isn't released in the US, you can bet it'll probably be a hot item for them.
14 Dec 2002, 04:32 AM
rummy

Anyone know any place in the U.S. that sells Euro GBA games? Or a Euro site that ships to the U.S.? I've been wanting to buy Kuru Kururin and (I can't believe I'm admitting this) Go Go Beckham but it doesn't look like any of the usual import suspects carries them.
14 Dec 2002, 04:33 AM
Frogacuda

I was really disappointed by this game, but maybe it will win me over better in my native language.

Quote:

Originally posted by rummy
Anyone know any place in the U.S. that sells Euro GBA games? Or a Euro site that ships to the U.S.? I've been wanting to buy Kuru Kururin and (I can't believe I'm admitting this) Go Go Beckham but it doesn't look like any of the usual import suspects carries them.

www.gameplay.com

Good prices, reliable. Gotten a few games from them.
14 Dec 2002, 05:15 AM
sggg

Quote:

Originally posted by hayato42
YES!, Anyone know how much euro GBA games go for in US $? or if ncsx or vgd is gonna carry this?

Quote:

Originally posted by rummy
Anyone know any place in the U.S. that sells Euro GBA games? Or a Euro site that ships to the U.S.? I've been wanting to buy Kuru Kururin

Unfortunatly like most electronics and gaming goods they're usually more expensive than they are in NA and Japan. The list price right now at the websites who made it available already is a fairly typical £30. That would be about $45 US or $70 CDN. A bit steep but not unusual.

As for a store, I have heard pretty good things about UK based videogameimports.com . If not you can always try the links provided at GBA Central. But closer to the release maybe some NA shoppes will stock it. I hope so. If not I have friends in Europe and I will probably ask someone to buy it and send it to me to save some money. :)

ps. KKK is great! :)
14 Dec 2002, 06:07 AM
Ragnarok the Red

Quote:

Originally posted by sggg

ps. KKK is great! :)

RACIST! :p :bang:
14 Dec 2002, 06:12 AM
sggg

Quote:

Originally posted by Ragnarok the Red
RACIST! :p :bang:

LOL! :lol:

The funny thing is I didn't even realise that connotation when I typed it. I wonder if that's why Nintendo killed the NA release. :p
14 Dec 2002, 08:01 AM
Werewolf

Well I'll get this unless they announce a USA version before the Europe version is released that is ;)

Whatever you do, don't order from www.softwarefirst.com! I bought a game back in July that I recieved damaged so I sent it back to get replaced and haven't gotten my replacement since, they don't even return my emails now :mad:

www.gameplay.com is a good store though and shipping to the USA is not that expensive from them :)
14 Dec 2002, 08:38 AM
Yoshi

I know what I want for Valentine's Day this year. :D
14 Dec 2002, 08:42 AM
Andy

Me too :D

A hot girlfriend :(
14 Dec 2002, 08:43 AM
Yoshi

Quote:

Originally posted by Andy
A hot girlfriend :(

I'd like that too. It's the wife that would have a problem with it.
14 Dec 2002, 08:49 AM
Andy

You have a wife? :eek:
14 Dec 2002, 09:10 AM
Yoshi

Quote:

Originally posted by Andy
You have a wife? :eek:

For about three and a half years now.
14 Dec 2002, 10:02 AM
Kidnemo

Quote:

Originally posted by Werewolf
Well I'll get this unless they announce a USA version before the Europe version is released that is ;)

Same for me.

Even if I have to pay an inflated price, I'm just happy to get the oppurtunity to play it in english.
14 Dec 2002, 05:18 PM
sggg

Same here as well.... Unless THQ spills the beans I am going Euro, even if it costs me £30+. :eek:

It's probably not worth that much money.... but I really want it. One thing I will say to people is not to buy it if you are expecting a Shining FORCE game. So far most of the complaints I have read about the game come from Shining fans who bought the game just because it is a "Shining" game and didn't like the gameplay. Well, duh... silly people...

People who knew what they were getting when they bought it have said good things though. It's a fun little aRPG/slash-fest with really pretty graphics and a fun battle/weapon system.

I am a big Shining fan myself, but I am open minded and I don't mind that this is game is not a Shining Force game. I'd prefer a Force game, but this one looks good too in it's own way... :)
14 Dec 2002, 05:37 PM
Frogacuda

Quote:

Originally posted by sggg
It's probably not worth that much money.... but I really want it. One thing I will say to people is not to buy it if you are expecting a Shining FORCE game. So far most of the complaints I have read about the game come from Shining fans who bought the game just because it is a "Shining" game and didn't like the gameplay. Well, duh... silly people...

All I wanted was a quality action RPG, and I didn't find one. The game's a snore any way you slice it. It sure as hell won't please Shining fans, and I doubt it will make Seiken Densetsu fans very happy either.

Just a word of warning.
14 Dec 2002, 05:52 PM
Kidnemo

Quote:

Originally posted by Frogacuda
All I wanted was a quality action RPG, and I didn't find one. The game's a snore any way you slice it. It sure as hell won't please Shining fans, and I doubt it will make Seiken Densetsu fans very happy either.

Just a word of warning.

I feel slighty deflated after reading that, especially after looking at the SS site just a few minutes ago...
14 Dec 2002, 06:13 PM
sggg

Well, if you can read French here is a review of the Japanese version:

http://legendra.free.fr/reviews/gba/shsoul.htm

That guy gave it a 9.5. -- There are a few readers reviews at GameFAQs too, and rather typically they're a mixed bag. Some good scores and some so-so scores. I guess it's safe to say that the game is not for everyone... but if it sounds appealing than at least you can say that many people do like the game a lot. I guess it depends on the player.

For me, it's not usually a genre I interested in but it won me over when I played it that one time. I found it to be fun.
16 Dec 2002, 11:28 PM
sggg

If anyone wants to save some money: Amazon.co.uk has the game available to pre-order for £26.99.

It says they won't ship to Canada/US though?! QEF? :(
17 Dec 2002, 12:06 AM
MechDeus

Quote:

Originally posted by Yoshi
It's the wife that would have a problem with it.

Clearly we need to work on your negotiating skills.
24 Jan 2003, 07:00 PM
sggg

La boîte

Inforgrames French website has the European boxart for this game up now:

[thumbnail]http://www.fr.infogrames.com/products/gameboyadvance/shining_soul/packshots/ssx800.jpg[/thumbnail]

Here is the site:
» http://fr.infogrames.com/productpage.php?productID=160

They are listing the release date as the 14th.

:)
14 May 2003, 01:58 AM
sggg

At long last, Shining Soul has been officially announced for North America!

Thanks to Atlus, that is...

Quote:

Atlus announces Shining Soul!

Atlus announced today that they will be releasing Shining Soul for the Game Boy Advance! First released in Japan in 2002 then published in Europe by Infogrames, North American gamers feared that this great action/RPG may have passed them by. Thankfully, the company that brought us Persona and Thousand Arms isn't having that.

Shining Soul takes place in Sega's massively popular Shining universe, where previous titles like Shining Force and Shining in the Darkness have been set. As the story goes, in ancient times, Dark Dragon destroyed a once peaceful and proud ancient civilization. Years later, people returned to the land to settle once again, only to have the lethal enemy appear to drive them away.

But there's still hope. A group of warriors, the Shining Fleet, descendants of the ancients who confronted Dark Dragon so long ago, know a way to annihilate the evil monster. So, armed with the weapons and armor of their ancestors, the group sets forth to confront Dark Dragon. The conflict leads them to the land of Runefaust, on the continent of Rune (sound familiar, Shining fans?). Led by the strategist Noah, it's up to the Shining Fleet to defeat the Dark Dragon and his five generals.

Though Shining Soul is playable by one person, it's designed to be enjoyed with three friends. Thanks to the Game Boy Advance's link cable, gamers can make a character from one of four classes (Fighter, Wizard, Archer, or Dragonute), customize it to their liking by modifying color schemes and outfits, then delve into deep dungeons with other players' warriors.

Atlus hasn't announced the release date for Shining Soul yet, but you can be sure that Games Are Fun will keep you posted. We'll have hands-on impressions when the show begins later today, so check back!

Source = Games_are_fun

I am glad I never got around to importing the Euro version.

Money = saved. :)
14 May 2003, 01:59 AM
Lhadatt

Isn't this supposed to be kind of.. crappy?
14 May 2003, 02:08 AM
Saint of Killers

Nah, some French guy gave it a 9.5. It has to be amazing.
14 May 2003, 02:10 AM
sggg

Quote:

Originally posted by Lhadatt
Isn't this supposed to be kind of.. crappy?

It's decent. Not for everyone.
14 May 2003, 02:13 AM
Opaque

Alright... I've been looking out for Shining Soul for a while now and this game looks hella fun...
14 May 2003, 10:12 AM
Kidnemo

Cool.

From what I read about the import, there was no way I was gonna pay to import it.

But if I can drop a few bucks to try it here I'll be all over it.