PS2 Dragon Force - Sega Ages 2500 Vol. 18 - New Import

The regular Sega Direct version of Dragon Force - Sega Ages Vol. 18 includes the following bonuses: 1) Pinbadge which features an image of Teiris which is packed with a little Sega Ages 2500 packet. 2) 64-page Visual art book which contains sketches and artwork by Hino Shinnosuke. For those unfamiliar with his work, Hino also provided the illustrations for the Spectral Force games and Fire Emblem.    The limited edition Sega Direct version of Dragon Force includes: 1) Music CD set (2 discs) which contain all 46 music selections from the PS2 game. The jacket artwork is by Dragon Force illustrator Hino Shinnosuke. 1) Pinbadge which features an image of Teiris which is packed with a little Sega Ages 2500 packet. 3) 64-page Visual art book which contains sketches and artwork by Hino Shinnosuke. For those unfamiliar with his work, Hino also provided the illustrations for the Spectral Force games and Fire Emblem.    In the beginning, there was a goddess named Astea. She created the continent of Legendra with six fellow goddesses and all was milk and honey. Peace and tranquility never lasts however and the evil god Madruk sends his armies raging across Legendra, smashing the whole shebang. With the people in disarray, they pray to Astea who answers by sending a mighty dragon against Madruk. After fighting for nearly three years, the dragon gains the upper hand and locks Madruk inside a mountain.    Years later, rumblings of Madruk's imminent return send the people of Legendra into panic. To add to the drama, a warlord from the country of Fandaria declares war against the other kingdoms. The hero of Dragon Force must unite the eight kingdoms in order to assemble seven fellow leaders to create Dragon Force... a troupe of warriors powerful enough to destroy Madruk. The other leaders won't give in easily however so the hero must unite the land by way of force and heavy handed tactics.     Marshal entire armies of soldiers, cavalry, harpies, dragons, zombies, and other units in 100 vs 100 skirmishes where the object is to take control of enemy generals, castles, and eventually their leaders. While war campaigns and pressing the attack is one part of the game, defensive measures must also be observed where forces are garrisoned in controlled territories to fend off attacks and onslaughts.    Some troops are specialized against opposing armies - for example, dragons are able to decimate just about every other type of unit except for samurai, who are innate dragonslayers. Zombies are also powerful fighters when squared off against any other force except for monks. Soldiers and cavalry are all-around good fighters while mages are only useful against harpies... and so on and so forth.    Armies are led by generals which have their own professions and classes including thief, fighter, knight, ninja, priest, etc. Knights are heavily armored, very loyal, and shoot out mighty waves which ripple across the battlefield, knocking anyone in the way off their feet and taking them out. Knights are also excellent when dueling against opposing generals. Priest generals have the almighty resurrect spell which when paired with an army of dragons or zombies is very powerful against regular forces. Priests aren't very useful in duels but the resurrect spell make them keepers. Dragon generals are powerful and have useful magic spells but require a lot of rewards in order for them to stay.    Special attacks may be used by generals including tornadoes which rip across the screen and gather up victims as they swirl. Water geysers may also be summoned which churn at units to spin them away from battle. Up to 100 vs 100 combatants fight on the field at once for impressive battle scenes that are unfettered by slowdown.    The beginning of a battle starts off slowly with neat formations of troops breaking out and moving in all directions. As the two armies engage, the slashing and hacking kicks off in seemingly chaotic action where troops advance, retreat, advance, repeat. Generals may turn the tide of battle in their favor by executing special attacks to level masses of opposing forces. Harpies flap their wings and fly across the battlefield to destroy foes, samurai slash with vigor, and zombies lumber back and forth to attack their enemies in an unusual manner where their bellies open up to reveal spikes that poke and do damage.    The Sega Ages 2500 remake of Dragon Force features redrawn cinemas, newly rendered graphics, and updated sound effects.