25 Best Sega Games Of All Time - RANKED
12. Shining Force 2
Just like Phantasy Star IV, Shining Force 2 is another underappreciated gem of an RPG that graced the Mega Drive with its presence.
A bestseller in Japan upon its release in 1993, Shining Force 2 wasn't particularly popular with critics. Since its release, however, its attracted a massive following in the retro gaming community, so much so that Retro Gamer included it in the top ten Mega Drive games available, and IGN even placed it at number 48 in their top games of ALL time back in 2007!
Shining Force 2 differs from Phantasy Star in that this is a tactical RPG - in battle, your characters act as units, fighting on a square grid. It's still turn-based, but requires a lot more strategy than your traditional RPG.
It also differs greatly from the first title in the series. This one is much more open-ended and promotes freedom of exploration, whereas Shining Force had a chapter system that was quite linear.
It looks graphically better too, with detailed characters and beautifully rendered backdrops. There's also several quality of life improvements like menu navigation, town exploration and the ability to upgrade characters to more powerful fighting classes over time