Metal Marines (1994)
Genres:Strategy, Real Time Strategy (RTS)
Themes:Warfare, Science fiction
Game modes:Single player
Story:Metal Marines is an isometric strategy game. Controlling one side of a conflict, the player must wage a campaign across several islands to defeat Zorgeuf and his lieutenants. The player controls logistics of the base to ensure that there are the necessary assets to wage war. On each map, the player places three underground command bases, if all of these are destroyed the battle is lost. The player must manage the resources of their money to construct new buildings or upgrade existing facilities on the map. Different buildings include Energy Plants, Factories, Economic Centers, Radar systems, Anti-Aircraft missiles, fake buildings and fake HQ bases, mine fields, gun pods, missile launchers, metal marine hangers and even ICBMs. At any time, the player may order an attack and choose which assets to fire at the opponent. Missiles, Metal Marines carriers and ICBMs all use different levels of fuel. Metal Marines once deployed in an area will automatically fire rifles at nearby targets or engage even closer targets in melee attacks. Gunpods, while stationary, will also fire on nearby enemies. Metal Marines are largely autonomous but can be manually controlled to a minor degree (directional) by the player.Show more
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I still keep an old Windows laptop around to play the Gold version of this Windows game. Anime inspired cut scenes and music really help drive the story along. I loved being able to design my own offensive and defensive layouts on each island level, and overcoming enemy defenses felt like a puzzle to figure out. Being able to drag and drop units, drag and drop missiles and mechs to attack made it fun to see your attacks fly over your desktop. Yes, your desktop, as the game opened each island and menu on your desktop in smaller windows. I would have loved to see some of these ideas transfered into modern games, but perhaps it was just unfairly overlooked?
Loved this game. Played both the Windows and SNES versions of it. On Windows it was awesome how the islands were on separate windows and the missiles would fly over your desktop (Hope I'm remembering correctly ;D it's been a long time. Still own the CD version. Loved the extra applications that came with it that showed the specs of the robots.
I love and still have the SNES version. I've been replaying it recently and decided to look at the available Wikis out there and was surprised to learn there was a PC version that had some gameplay differences. The SNES version is a blend of RTS and turn-based, but from what I've read the PC version is fully RTS even during the attacking phases. I would love to try it!
I forgot about the game and tried for like 20 years to remember. i only knew that it was very exiting and around level 20 i was stuck as the game pace became too fast for me these days. I often tried to find it again but failed because i did not remember enough to search the right terms.
Until today :-)
Thx to reddit (www.reddit.com/r/AskGames/comments/gkzzw0/does_anyone_know_the_name_of_this_90s_windows/)
I get the impression most people played the SNES version of this game, if they played it at all. As a kid I thought it was cool how it used multiple windows as part of it's interface. It felt like you were actually in command through your computer.
Shining ForceShining Force is a turn-based tactical RPG. Battles take place in square grids, and each unit occupies 1 square. Units can belong to one of two sides: allies (controlled by the player) or enemies (controlled by the computer AI). Each unit can move up to a fixed amount of squares along the battlefield, determined by its Move statistic. Depending on its location relative to enemies and to allies, a unit also has the option to attack, cast a spell, use an item, search (if adjacent to a treasure chest), or stay and do nothing, all of which end the unit's turn. Some commands, such as equipping or dropping items, don't count as actions, and the character's turn is able to continue. The order of the turns is determined by the unit's agility score and a random seed. Units can use offensive actions, such as physical attacks or offensive magic, only on units belonging to the other side and can use supportive actions, such as healing magic, stat-enhancing magic, and items, only on units belonging to the same side.Fantasy
Shining Force: The Sword of HajyaThe peaceful kingdom of Cypress has suddenly been disrupted by the corrupt ambition of the evil King Iom. Terror rampages across the land. The Castle of Cypress is invaded and the magical Sword of Hajya is taken! It will take strength, courage, agility and your keen sense of strategy to defy this ominous power.
Shining Force Gaiden: Ensei - Jashin no Kuni heShining Force Gaiden is a turn-based tactical RPG. Battles take place in square grids, and each unit occupies 1 square. Units can belong to one of two sides: allies (controlled by the player) or enemies (controlled by the computer AI). Each unit can move up to a fixed amount of squares along the battlefield, determined by its Move statistic. Depending on its location relative to enemies and to allies, a unit also has the option to attack, cast a spell, use an item, search (if adjacent to a treasure chest), or stay and do nothing, all of which end the unit's turn.
Some commands, such as equipping or dropping items, don't count as actions, and the character's turn is able to continue. The order of the turns is determined by the unit's agility score and a random seed. Units can use offensive actions, such as physical attacks or offensive magic, only on units belonging to the other side and can use supportive actions, such as healing magic, stat-enhancing magic, and items, only on units belonging to the same side.
This game (together with Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya) was later given a remake named Shining Force CD, released on the Sega CD. This remake also saw a western release to both North America and Europe and the full english title was "Shining Force Gaiden: Towards the Root of Evil".
In 2013 the Game Gear original game got ported to the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console (Japan only).Fantasy
Shining Force IIIShining Force III is a fantasy turn-based tactics role-playing video game designed for the Sega Saturn by Camelot Software Planning. It is a continuation of the Shining series. Comprising three separate but overlapping storylines, the Japanese version of Shining Force III was released in three volumes, known as: "Scenario 1 - God Warrior of the Kingdom", "Scenario 2 - Target: Child of God", and "Scenario 3 - "Bulzome Rising".
In America and Europe, only Scenario 1 was released. The real ending to the game can only be viewed by completing all the games in the series.Fantasy
Shining Force GaidenShining Force Gaiden is a tactical role-playing game.Fantasy
Shining Force: Resurrection Of The Dark DragonA remake of the original Shining Force that was released in 1992 on the Sega Genesis.
"THE CLASSIC STRATEGY RPG IS BACK!
The mysterious traveler Darksol has worked his way into the King's graces to further his plans of resurrecting an ancient evil, the Dark Dragon. You play the role of Max, a young warrior who remembers nothing of his past.
When Guardiana is attacked, you are given an army to lead, & must unravel the mystery behind the Legacy of the Gods, lest the world perish."Fantasy
Shining Force IIAs a student of Astral the wizard, you and your friends study all the usual subjects: reading, writing, and sword fighting. As your time at school draws to an end, dark events are taking place on the island of Grans. The two Jewels which seal the Door to Darkness have been stolen, allowing a creature of awesome power to be unleashed. Finding where the Jewels were taken, and why, is a task only the bravest of adventurers can undertake.Fantasy
Shining Force III: 2nd ScenarioScenario 2, Target: Child of God, features Medion, Prince of Destonia, and youngest of three sons of Emperor Domaric. Although loyal to his father and his country, he senses that there are other forces at work beneath the tensions between Aspinia and Destonia. He attends the conference in Saraband on behalf of Destonia, along with his brothers Arrawnt and Mageron. As discovered in Scenario 1, much of this influence comes from the Bulzome sect, as well as collaborating separatist factions within both Destonia and Aspinia. Medion works parallel to Synbios of Aspinia, often disposing of rogue Aspinian elements to spare Synbios's force from fighting against its own countrymen. At the end of the game, Medion is forced to battle with Synbios' force when Julian steps in to stop them.Fantasy
Shining Force III: 3rd ScenarioScenario 3, Bulzome Rising, stars Julian, a mercenary who appears as a secondary character in both Scenario 1 and Scenario 2. He is for all intents and purposes the true main character of Shining Force III. His initial motivation as the story begins is to track down and kill Galm, one of, if not the, most powerful member of the Vandals, a powerful race of beings that existed over 1,000 years ago. Julian believes that Galm killed his father and is seeking revenge. This story arc is first introduced in an earlier Shining game, Shining the Holy Ark, in which Julian appears as a young boy who asks the party to search for his missing father.
Julian joins Synbios in the midst of his quest in Scenario 1, but after an encounter with Galm, he is tossed over a waterfall at the suspension bridge and believed by Synbios' army to be dead. He reappears in Scenario 2, apparently washing ashore at the site of a battle between Medion's army and the Bulzome Sect. Knowing the sect's ties to the Vandals, Julian agrees to fight alongside Medion. As it becomes clear that the sect is trying to kill Gracia, a child intended to become the next Innovator (A Shining Series figure equatable to a god), Julian takes on the task of protecting him and helping him realize his destiny.
Scenario 3 starts about 60% through scenario 2's story, and focuses primarily on battles against the Bulzome Sect and their allies in both Aspinia and Destonia. While scenarios 1 & 2 happen at roughly the same time, much of scenario 3 takes place after both, but there is some "overlap". Eventually Julian leads a three-party coalition consisting of the armies of both Synbios and Medion, to engage in the final conflict against Bulzome, a powerful Vandal long sealed in another dimension, and the true orchestrator of the conflict.Fantasy
Shining Force CDThis strategy RPG is a remastered compilation of two earlier Shining force titles: Shining Force Gaiden (originally released in Japan only) and Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya, both for the Game Gear. The two stories put players in the role of Nick, a hero of royal blood who must rescue Queen Anri of Gardiana and reclaim the kingdom of Cypress from the evil empire of Iom's clutches.Fantasy