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[Tamanon]

It's just different actors. Don't ever judge voice acting by small snippets. I mean Persona 4's voice clips were awful on the website before it came out. Just small clips that seemed completely out of place.:lol

 

[WickedLaharl]

i was totally expecting to be upset with the new voices but then i heard troy baker's voice and am now highly pleased.

 

[RomanticHeroX]

Maybe it'll be less hammy this time.

 

[Mejilan]

How does one go about playing the demo with CFW? I do want to give it a shot.

Same way just about every other PSN PSP download is handled on CFW.
Download it to your PSP via the PC Media Go App or a PS3, then use NPDecryptor to use the license information that comes with your official download to strip the download's DRM.

 

[PopfulMail]

I knew this wasn't going to be a WD Lunar going in so I really don't have any issues with what I played. No doubt that this won't have the same charm as when I played the original back in the day... But it's another version of one of my favorite RPGs so I'm in.

 

[mjc]

Just played the demo and it was pretty good overall. I never played the original Silver Star or the PS1 remake, so getting a chance to play this was pretty cool. I didn't have a problem with the voice actors, (as I never played the older versions) but the crimped animated cutscenes are the only thing that bugs me about this game. They could have put borders outside the picture instead of just having black spaces though.

The other thing...you can sprint by holding down R, right? I thought that you could move faster that way but the animation doesn't change. I'll reserve this when I pick up Glory of Heracles this next week for sure.

 

[Stage On]

I don't get why people are bitching about the voice acting and the new music lyrics.

Lunar Silver star complete is pretty much one of my favorite games of all time and this new mix sounds fine to me.

Sure it's different but just becuse it's different dosn't make it bad.

Extra glad I went with the Limited edition now that I've seen the new site! Gotta try the demo soon since if you have a save file from that you start the final game with an extra piece of equipment.

 

[jiien]

Never played the original, but the voices (besides the flying mini dragon cat thing) sounded pretty good to me.

Like other people have said, the fade-to-black transitions are awfully slow. Reminds me of Jeanne D'arc. All this waiting just to get into the character management screen, blah. Not cool. It breaks up the flow too much. Here's to hoping the final product has that fixed up.

 

[jaundicejuice]

I haven't played any previous iteration of the Lunar games so I don't really have the old Working Designs translations to use as a frame of reference to judge XSEED's new one. The script and the voice acting in the demo are alright, nothing exceedingly remarkable or memorable, just serviceable. The backgrounds are well rendered, the sprites are animated quite nicely.

I quite enjoy the battle system, I just wish there was a means of making it a bit faster, that option did not seem to be present in the demo. I like that enemies have some form of visual representation in the dungeons, and that while the battles are turn based party members and enemies engage in a scrum and move around the battlefield.

It's a well done game, it just kind of comes across as decidedly average to me. I think I'd willingly give the game a shot if it wasn't coming out crammed in with a bunch of other releases.

 

[FrostuTheNinja]

I'm not referring to the voice overs or anything of the sort. I feel like I'm reading (and the voice actors are reading) a text book.

Different strokes, I guess.

Everything else about the game seems pretty ace. I grabbed the import at release and played for several hours and the game itself is very well made. As I said before, it still has all the great art and music I'll always love.

Here's to hoping the final product has that fixed up.

It's present in the import. So, uhhh...

I doubt they'll axe it before release.

 

[Eric C]

Do I think the new voices are bad? No I don't, mostly just different. Some characters they seem to be going for a similar voice type, others like Nall they seem to be taking in a different direction. But I can already tell I don't like Nash's voice. Kyle's voice truthfully I haven't heard enough to really judge, but my initial impression wasn't the best. Most of the others seemed kinda bland but passable, but I've only heard one sentence.

I'm truthfully most curious how Ghaleon will sound in his more intense scenes.

Does Quark speak in the Demo?

It was all or nothing. John and the other actors trusted the work we did on the prior four WD LUNAR games and were standing behind me because they knew if I was involved in the new one it would be done right. XSEED passed on working with me, and Jenny was the only one that broke rank and did it anyway. I can't imagine she's proud of the result (especially since they buried her voice in the mix), but it was her choice to make.

That's Jenny Stigile singing!? I wouldn't have guessed that if you hadn't mentioned it.

But I always preferred the Sega CDs intro song. I was kind of hoping they would bring it back for the PSP version. But I guess it wouldn't have fit with the SSSC animation they're reusing.

 

[Cheerilee]

It was all or nothing. John and the other actors trusted the work we did on the prior four WD LUNAR games and were standing behind me because they knew if I was involved in the new one it would be done right. XSEED passed on working with me, and Jenny was the only one that broke rank and did it anyway. I can't imagine she's proud of the result (especially since they buried her voice in the mix), but it was her choice to make.

Maybe it's just me, but that line doesn't sound very... umm... nice. Sort of like, that you didn't want the project to succeed without you, and the people around you (besides Jenny) picked up on your feelings, and turned their backs on the project because of you.

Not that that's any of my business if that's the case. Nor should I say that you don't have a right to feel like that. And I could just be reading something into nothing. But a lot of Gaffers seemed to have the same sort of boycott reaction to Xseed turning you down. I just had thought you supported the game (regardless of your own involvement), so I figured I'd comment on it.

 

[vireland]

Maybe it's just me, but that line doesn't sound very... umm... nice. Sort of like, that you didn't want the project to succeed without you, and the people around you (besides Jenny) picked up on your feelings, and turned their backs on the project because of you.

Not that that's any of my business if that's the case. Nor should I say that you don't have a right to feel like that. And I could just be reading something into nothing. But a lot of Gaffers seemed to have the same sort of boycott reaction to Xseed turning you down. I just had thought you supported the game (regardless of your own involvement), so I figured I'd comment on it.

Look, the US fans have already endured two really crappy LUNAR localizations (and, well, games) from companies obviously not invested in the source material. We worked really hard to make the series more successful here than in Japan and none of us were up for a third crappy rendition of LUNAR to drive the dagger of the DS versions further into the heart of LUNAR, killing it for good. I believed (and believe) best way to ensure the fidelity of the localization was to stick together, and that's what was done. It was an attempt to head off another tone-deaf, crappy localization. Simple as that. You can call that naughty or nice or whatever, but I think the results, while not as dire as the DS versions, bear out the fear we had.

 

[Enron]

holy wow @ vireland.

I think I might just buy TWO copies of XSeed's Lunar after reading the last couple of pages of this thread.

 

[Tamanon]

holy wow @ vireland.

I think I might just buy TWO copies of XSeed's Lunar after reading the last couple of pages of this thread.

It's almost "Nobody understands her but me!" levels. But c'est la vie.

 

[Alex]

I respect Xseed for some of the things they bring over, but their quality on text localization is pretty iffy. I can understand some worry.

Of course, even though I was a gigantic Lunar fan back in the day, I think it's also the last game that needed another remake.

Remake Grandia instead. That would be absolutely stellar with some modern day tech and smoothness.

 

[rainking187]

Wow. Uh whatever, personally I'm always in favor of a more acurate translation but ok.

 

[Quixzlizx]

It's almost "Nobody understands her but me!" levels. But c'est la vie.

Maybe Vic Ireland was Denis Dyack before Denis Dyack was Denis Dyack.

 

[Diseased Yak]

Played the demo to completion. LOVED IT. I have no problems with any changes made. I played the originals way back in the day on Sega CD.

My pre-order for the limited edition stands with Amazon. Really looking forward to it!

 

[Cheerilee]

Look, the US fans have already endured two really crappy LUNAR localizations (and, well, games) from companies obviously not invested in the source material. We worked really hard to make the series more successful here than in Japan and none of us were up for a third crappy rendition of LUNAR to drive the dagger of the DS versions further into the heart of LUNAR, killing it for good. I believed (and believe) best way to ensure the fidelity of the localization was to stick together, and that's what was done. It was an attempt to head off another tone-deaf, crappy localization. Simple as that. You can call that naughty or nice or whatever, but I think the results, while not as dire as the DS versions, bear out the fear we had.

As I said, It's not my business. It wasn't my call, but I think that a bluff would've worked to that end better than sticking to your guns (for the one game at least). When Xseed rejected your "all" and chose "none", you should've begged them to at least take some.

Like, the lyrics on the opening song don't flow well, to say the least, and you clearly would've been able to help there, and you suggested that Jenny might not be proud of her work on that song. But how would it have sounded without Jenny? I can't help but think she was an asset to the game. If the quality of this game was your goal, I think that anyone from you or your team would have been an asset to Xseed.

In any case, what I see as maybe a strategic error does look "nicer" to me than what I thought (that it was personal). And I wouldn't want to judge or blame you either way. But if you think Jenny made a mistake by breaking ranks, I should say that I for one think she didn't.

 

[Salaadin]

As I said, It's not my business. It wasn't my call, but I think that a bluff would've worked to that end better than sticking to your guns (for the one game at least). When Xseed rejected your "all" and chose "none", you should've begged them to at least take some.

Like, the lyrics on the opening song don't flow well, to say the least, and you clearly would've been able to help there, and you suggested that Jenny might not be proud of her work on that song. But how would it have sounded without Jenny? I can't help but think she was an asset to the game. If the quality of this game was your goal, I think that anyone from you or your team would have been an asset to Xseed.

In any case, what I see as maybe a strategic error does look "nicer" to me than what I thought (that it was personal). And I wouldn't want to judge or blame you either way. But if you think Jenny made a mistake by breaking ranks, I should say that I for one think she didn't.

These are kinda my thoughts as well.

He has this pull with the actors and they seem to trust him and stick by him. Shoudnt there have been some sort of encouragement from him to push the actors towards XSEEDs version despite his involvement? Wouldnt that result in a better game? I dont see how the whole "if you dont want one of us, you dont get any of us" approach is going to do anything but harm the quality. 10% of the original cast is still better than none at all.

Obviously, we dont know the whole story of what went on so we can only judge from his posts but Im definitely sensing some sort of bitterness.

New Lunar (Newnar?) didnt really stand much of a chance to begin with. Judging this thread, a lot of people saw "new translation" and immediately wrote it off. Having played it last night, Its not bad at all. Its not the best but it could be much, much worse. I enjoyed it.

 

[Macstorm]

I'm playing the full version right now and it's actually not bad at all. The demo is too limited of an example and the VA clips don't tell much either. Regardless, anyone claiming it's as bad as they feared surely hasn't played much of it.

 

[LocoMrPollock]

Wow. Uh whatever, personally I'm always in favor of a more acurate translation but ok.

Turd sandwich.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Maybe Vic Ireland was Denis Dyack before Denis Dyack was Denis Dyack.

I don't even know what you're trying to say.

 

[mjc]

I don't think the black screen/loading was bad at all..maybe it doesn't affect me too much or something.

 

[Freyjadour]

Wow. Uh whatever, personally I'm always in favor of a more acurate translation but ok.

Lunar was a very generic game with a less than stellar battle system. It was the small changes in WD's SSSC that made the game so memorable and enjoyable for me. This has been argued to death in this topic already, however.

I am still buying this, to judge for myself, but I'm not and have not been happy with the changes. Ghaleon has nothing of the charm he did with Truit VAing and sounds as you'd expect a generic villain to. And that is incredibly disheartening.

 

[Macstorm]

Same for me. While I'm glad they actually dubbed it, it felt weird and strange.
Now I really want to hear XSEEDs version of Winds Nocturned.

The intro song is kinda odd, not sure how I like it. The new Wind Nocturne I really enjoyed, the lyrics seem to fit really well with the story.

 

[Tailzo]

I think this arguing about the voices and translation has filled this pages so much, that I've missed an important bit of info;

What do I get for finishing the demo? Are the experience points carried over?

 

[Epic Tier 3 Engineer]

LOL at people who really think the last game was some shining achievement in VOs and writing.

Good thing Lunar came out when anime was all the rage.

 

[Duane Cunningham]

Finally played it last night. I love the improvements to gameplay, but the more literal localization hurts it pretty badly for me. The new, bland intro song lyrics really started it off on the wrong foot for me. Then, Nall's voice followed it up. At that point my mind just became too critical to give it a fair shake, I think.

I don't think Vic is exactly out of line in this thread. The new "flavor" of Lunar isn't horrendous, but if SS and/or SSS had been localized and voice acted in a completely utilitarian way when they came out (especially by the standards of the time), I wouldn't have the soft spot for Lunar that I have, and wouldn't care about this remake.

I really think I may give it a pass. I played through it continually wishing there were a way for somebody to create a patch that would give the new game the SSS localization and VO's.

 

[Nfinit]

Look, the US fans have already endured two really crappy LUNAR localizations

You don't say.

 

[Freyjadour]

LOL at people who really think the last game was some shining achievement in VOs and writing.

Good thing Lunar came out when anime was all the rage.

That really isn't it.

I just don't like seeing people argue for a more "accurate" translation when Lunar was overwhelmingly mediocre in its initial inception. There is a place for that argument, but this isn't it.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

I really think I may give it a pass. I played through it continually wishing there were a way for somebody to create a patch that would give the new game the SSS localization and VO's.

This is actually plausible...you know.

In the meantime, thank the gods it's possible to play both games on the go with PSP CFW!

 

[FrostuTheNinja]

Let's be honest, the reason why Lunar was so damned popular in the west was the Working Designs localization. Some of you are saying, "the game feels generic now" and such. You're on the right track as Lunar has always been a generic JRPG. It was the company who brought it over that made it so much more. I'm enjoying all of the "I don't get the hate" messages, as I don't understand this undying love for games that read like a Malaysian tourism pamphlet.

And to Mr. Ireland. Thanks for sticking up for yourself and your work ethic. Without your company, the modern gaming landscape would be a much duller one. Besides, you can't let these fourteen year old children get under your skin, they're just acting out because mommy and daddy didn't buy them a shiny firetruck for Christmas. I wish you good luck and success on your latest endeavor.

 

[Nfinit]

Let's be honest, the reason why Lunar was so damned popular in the west was the Working Designs localization.

Well first, let's define "popular". Was it popular compared to other sixteen bit games of the era? Obviously not. Was it popular vs other JRPGs of the era? Not when compared to FF3/6 and Chrono Trigger and the like. Was it popular among Sega CD owners? Yes, but provided you're willing to further pare that down to Sega CD owners who happen to love JRPGs. Was it popular for a WD game? Sure.

Furthermore, I contend Lunar is beloved in spite of it's original translation, not due to it. The translation as produced by WD held no respect at all for the source material-- it's only because the core story and themes and characters were so strong that the whole thing didn't collapse into a mess of pop culture references.

It's only through the works of companies such as X-Seed and Atlus and others that we now see exactly how awful WD's early efforts were. We now know you don't need to drown a translation in forced "humor" to keep American's interest. WD's Lunar translation wasn't just insulting to the original material, it was insulting to American gamers, whom Vic walked in assuming we were too dumb and/or apathetic to "get" hardcore traditional JRPGs.

 

[Freyjadour]

Well first, let's define "popular". Was it popular compared to other sixteen bit games of the era? Obviously not. Was it popular vs other JRPGs of the era? Not when compared to FF3/6 and Chrono Trigger and the like. Was it popular among Sega CD owners? Yes, but provided you're willing to further pare that down to Sega CD owners who happen to love JRPGs. Was it popular for a WD game? Sure.

Furthermore, I contend Lunar is beloved in spite of it's original translation, not due to it. The translation as produced by WD held no respect at all for the source material-- it's only because the core story and themes and characters were so strong that the whole thing didn't collapse into a mess of pop culture references.

It's only through the works of companies such as X-Seed and Atlus and others that we now see exactly how awful WD's early efforts were. We now know you don't need to drown a translation in forced "humor" to keep American's interest. WD's Lunar translation wasn't just insulting to the original material, it was insulting to American gamers, whom Vic walked in assuming we were too dumb and/or apathetic to "get" hardcore traditional JRPGs.

The source material was boring. If you want mediocre plots and mediocre games, there are a million mediocre JRPGs out there.

 

[Nfinit]

The source material was boring. If you want mediocre plots and mediocre games, there are a million mediocre JRPGs out there.

How odd it is that WD would choose to translate a mediocre, boring game.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Well first, let's define "popular". Was it popular compared to other sixteen bit games of the era? Obviously not. Was it popular vs other JRPGs of the era? Not when compared to FF3/6 and Chrono Trigger and the like. Was it popular among Sega CD owners? Yes, but provided you're willing to further pare that down to Sega CD owners who happen to love JRPGs. Was it popular for a WD game? Sure.

Furthermore, I contend Lunar is beloved in spite of it's original translation, not due to it. The translation as produced by WD held no respect at all for the source material-- it's only because the core story and themes and characters were so strong that the whole thing didn't collapse into a mess of pop culture references.

It's only through the works of companies such as X-Seed and Atlus and others that we now see exactly how awful WD's early efforts were. We now know you don't need to drown a translation in forced "humor" to keep American's interest. WD's Lunar translation wasn't just insulting to the original material, it was insulting to American gamers, whom Vic walked in assuming we were too dumb and/or apathetic to "get" hardcore traditional JRPGs.

Hahahaha, you think that WD "forced" humour into their games, and specifically Lunar?

Oh wow.jpg

 

[N-Bomb]

I don't even know what you're trying to say.

Hey, I kinda liked Too Human.

 

[Enron]

Well first, let's define "popular". Was it popular compared to other sixteen bit games of the era? Obviously not. Was it popular vs other JRPGs of the era? Not when compared to FF3/6 and Chrono Trigger and the like. Was it popular among Sega CD owners? Yes, but provided you're willing to further pare that down to Sega CD owners who happen to love JRPGs. Was it popular for a WD game? Sure.

Furthermore, I contend Lunar is beloved in spite of it's original translation, not due to it. The translation as produced by WD held no respect at all for the source material-- it's only because the core story and themes and characters were so strong that the whole thing didn't collapse into a mess of pop culture references.

It's only through the works of companies such as X-Seed and Atlus and others that we now see exactly how awful WD's early efforts were. We now know you don't need to drown a translation in forced "humor" to keep American's interest. WD's Lunar translation wasn't just insulting to the original material, it was insulting to American gamers, whom Vic walked in assuming we were too dumb and/or apathetic to "get" hardcore traditional JRPGs.

boosh

 

[Freyjadour]

How odd it is that WD would choose to translate a mediocre, boring game.

And yet it worked.

 

[ethelred]

Furthermore, I contend Lunar is beloved in spite of it's original translation, not due to it. The translation as produced by WD held no respect at all for the source material [...] We now know you don't need to drown a translation in forced "humor" to keep American's interest.

Well, I guess we'll find out if your contention is correct in a month when we see if this game sells half a million copies or not.

 

[Sage00]

Xseed fucked Vic (over money(?)) by not letting him work on it, resulting in a sub-par localization. Worse for Lunar, worse for Lunar fans.

Vic fucked Xseed (out of spite), by using his pull of the VAs to keep them away from Xseed's work, resulting in sub-par voice work. Worse for Lunar, worse for Lunar fans.

It's nice to know how much the game means to you, guys. Please, continue to let your backroom politics ruin what was once a great series.

If Lunar wasn't buried before then it surely is now.

 

[Mejilan]

If Lunar Legend is any kind of indication of the source material, then fuck that, I'm not interested.

 

[Macstorm]

Xseed fucked Vic (over money(?)) by not letting him work on it, resulting in a sub-par localization. Worse for Lunar, worse for Lunar fans.

Vic fucked Xseed (out of spite), by using his pull of the VAs to keep them away from Xseed's work, resulting in sub-par voice work. Worse for Lunar, worse for Lunar fans.

It's nice to know how much the game means to you, guys. Please, continue to let your backroom politics ruin what was once a great series.

If Lunar wasn't buried before then it surely is now.

GameArts has the WD script, so XSEED has access to it, XSEED just doesn't have the VAs and songs due to what Vic said above. From the sounds of things, this goes beyond money and into something personal on both sides. Sounds like there was no meeting in the middle.

The only real loss here is John Truitt absent as Ghaleon, like anyone else really mattered.

 

[mjc]

Let's be honest, the reason why Lunar was so damned popular in the west was the Working Designs localization. Some of you are saying, "the game feels generic now" and such. You're on the right track as Lunar has always been a generic JRPG. It was the company who brought it over that made it so much more. I'm enjoying all of the "I don't get the hate" messages, as I don't understand this undying love for games that read like a Malaysian tourism pamphlet.

And to Mr. Ireland. Thanks for sticking up for yourself and your work ethic. Without your company, the modern gaming landscape would be a much duller one. Besides, you can't let these fourteen year old children get under your skin, they're just acting out because mommy and daddy didn't buy them a shiny firetruck for Christmas. I wish you good luck and success on your latest endeavor.

Seriously? I never played the older versions of this game but I have watched some scenes on youtube. The translation is fine but its nothing worth writing home about.

 

[FrostuTheNinja]

Well first, let's define "popular". Was it popular compared to other sixteen bit games of the era? Obviously not. Was it popular vs other JRPGs of the era? Not when compared to FF3/6 and Chrono Trigger and the like. Was it popular among Sega CD owners? Yes, but provided you're willing to further pare that down to Sega CD owners who happen to love JRPGs. Was it popular for a WD game? Sure.

So, you concede that it's popular? I mean, you said it yourself that amongst Sega CD owners (In which the game was released) it was popular. Why mention franchises from unrelated systems? I will say though, it was interesting to see someone debate with themselves and then ultimately prove themselves wrong.

Furthermore, I contend Lunar is beloved in spite of it's original translation, not due to it. The translation as produced by WD held no respect at all for the source material-- it's only because the core story and themes and characters were so strong that the whole thing didn't collapse into a mess of pop culture references.

I really can't argue this, as I said in older posts, I will always love the characters, art, and music. And yes, it's true that it was different from the original script. That's why they call it localization and that's why I like the originals so much. You had a company that was willing to use it's knowledge and skills to take an otherwise vanilla RPG and make it something special and different from everything else on the market.

It's only through the works of companies such as X-Seed and Atlus and others that we now see exactly how awful WD's early efforts were. We now know you don't need to drown a translation in forced "humor" to keep American's interest. WD's Lunar translation wasn't just insulting to the original material, it was insulting to American gamers, whom Vic walked in assuming we were too dumb and/or apathetic to "get" hardcore traditional JRPGs.

We already had quite a few traditional JRPG's here in the states and I'll believe that's why it was popular. It was different. It had an edge to it.

Let's set it straight though, I don't think the XSeed translation is bad. It's actually very precise and well done. I'm just a huge fan of the originals and the Saturn/PSX remakes. I appreciate the time and work put into the jokes and scripts changes.

Opinions... Ain't they grand?

Edit:

Seriously? I never played the older versions of this game but I have watched some scenes on youtube. The translation is fine but its nothing worth writing home about.

Well, it was tip top for 1993.

 

[wrowa]

Well first, let's define "popular". Was it popular compared to other sixteen bit games of the era? Obviously not. Was it popular vs other JRPGs of the era? Not when compared to FF3/6 and Chrono Trigger and the like. Was it popular among Sega CD owners? Yes, but provided you're willing to further pare that down to Sega CD owners who happen to love JRPGs. Was it popular for a WD game? Sure.

A few pages back Vic posted this:

Maybe not now, but LUNAR:SSSC was #1 on Playstation the month we released it in the US. Never came close to that in Japan.

Maybe Lunar wasn't the most popular RPG of its time, but it certainly wasn't unpopular either.

Furthermore, I contend Lunar is beloved in spite of it's original translation, not due to it.

Just take a look at this thread. Most Lunar fans here are disappointed or even lost interest in the remake since it was announced that XSeed isn't going to use WD's script. So how can you possible say that the game was loved in spite of WD's translation? That doesn't make sense and contradicts nearly everything said in this thread. It seems more like you are an exception from the rule than anything else.

 

[Macstorm]

Just take a look at this thread. Most Lunar fans here are disappointed or even lost interest in the remake since it was announced that XSeed isn't going to use WD's script.

And people are missing the fact that they ARE using the WD script as a base, just with edits. They are just missing the voice actors and songs as far as source material goes.

 

[Lindsay]

Nalls voice goes from wrong to right to ??? very unbalanced. Everyone else in the demo sounds okay. I'm gladded they dubbed the OP song even if its hard to understand cause not dubbing the songs at all would've been lazy and lame! Nalls in-battle sprite looks weird! Everything else was fine. Games as easy as its ever been except for getting those dumb monsters to break the barricades lol.