Double Shot

As you progress through the world of Shining Tears you'll eventually be given access to a special device that allows you to enter into an alternate mirror world, where you can re-fight the battles you've already completed. Players can also enter a world with a friend who has his game data on a memory card, allowing them to play through co-operatively. Two player gaming is pretty interesting because (obviously) the second player is no long under your control and you have to rely on them for link attacks that require a little bit of timing. More aggressive players may just go on a killing fest and hog all the experience or simply loot all the treasure while you fight. Whatever you collect in a a two player session is yours, but the same goes for the second player's collected goodies. Players can also shop in this mode and whatever each player buys is their own. Finally players can trade items if they wish, giving them access to items that they haven't found or have been unable to craft at the local blacksmith. The multiplayer portion of the game, if you want to call it that, is grand if you have a friend handy but is oftentimes too easy for one person, let alone two.

Final Thoughts

Shining Tears is clich?, has a few flaws in the combat system and is sometimes a little too easy for even one character (let alone a pair of them) to run through. And yet, Despite all its shortcomings, I've really enjoyed playing the game. While Shining Tears is no Shining Force sequel (and no one including Sega ever claimed it was), it's certainly a fun and different experience that offers a fair amount of action and RPG goodness on the PS2. Before you judge the game, give it a rent and you'll see why it's good (albeit imperfect) game despite the braying of jackasses on the internet.