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[VerTiGo]

I've been playing Lunar Legend for the GBA in order to get an idea of what the series is about before I get Lunar: Dragon Song for the DS later this year. I originally wanted to pick up the PlayStation version of the Silver Star but I couldn't find it at the local shop, but I picked up their copy of Lunar Legend instead. I hear the GBA port had a few enhancements over the PSone version, however, I haven't been able to find anythign that directly compares the two. Do any of you guys know which version truly is the best? And Why? I want to make sure I'm not missing out on anything big.

 

[StarscreamLSU]

It's been awhile since I played both, but it's worth playing either of them. Lunar is by far my favorite series of RPGs outside Shining Force.

Well, aside from the obvious differences -- FMVs found in SSSC (sorry, no "Boat Song" :lol ) , revised graphics -- there aren't too many differences as far as I remember. The story is pretty much the same between the two, though the GBA version does alter a few parts. Most of the story changes are dialog bits. It's decent, but Working Designs' script was better I thought.

The battle system in Legend is probably the biggest difference. The "Critical System" wasn't in SSSC. It's actually a great addition since it spices up combat a bit (I'll readily admit, combat gets boring after awhile).

If you're trying to get ahold of the series, should also try and find Lunar 2 if you can. It's not as good as SSSC (in my opinion), but still a fun game.

 

[Koshiba]

I'd say to still try and play Silver Star Story. The GBA version seems to be more of a compact version.. (Though I thought the sprites in the GBA version were uber cute.) It's worth playing Eternal Blue also. =)

 

[VerTiGo]

Yeah, Lunar Legend isn't too bad from what I've played. It has some corny dialogue but I find it humorous and the story is your typical "coming of age" RPG story but if done right it can be enjoyable and so far is doing well. The only thing that is annoying me is that there seem to be way too many random battles and these random battles are pretty boring too, mostly because the game is feeling pretty easy so far. Not the best RPG I've played but it's not in league with the crappier ones I've played either.

Edit: I was concerned about the FMV since they're obviously not included in the GBA game. Damn it.

 

[VerTiGo]

I'd say to still try and play Silver Star Story. The GBA version seems to be more of a compact version.. (Though I thought the sprites in the GBA version were uber cute.) It's worth playing Eternal Blue also. =)

Yeah, I'm going to try and find Eternal Blue after I finish this. From GameSpot's old review it says that Lunar Legend is 15 hours long, so I think I can fit another RPG in before Dragon Song. I like shorter RPGs.

 

[Amir0x]

Silver Star Story complete is the much superior package. It has those purdy anime sequences, much, much better audio (music is, as you know, a central point of the games... so this is important) and none of the added garbage that Lunar Legend had, which re-translated a few points for the worse, added a few segments that were pointless, a removed a bunch of segments that weren't.

 

[btrboyev]

much, much better audio (music is, as you know, a central point of the games... so this is important)

better than GBA yeah, but the psx version of the lunar games had horible horrible music compared to the orignals..and even the saturn versions.

 

[Amir0x]

better than GBA yeah, but the psx version of the lunar games had horible horrible music compared to the orignals..and even the saturn versions.

Do you mean compression or quality wise, or just in terms of how you like the compositions themselves?

I prefer the PSX version in nearly everyway, and I own SEGA CD version so...

 

[btrboyev]

the compositions are fine, its the quality of the sound..horrible midiish sound..the saturn version did not suffer that, plus the original sega cd soundtrack was godly.

 

[Amir0x]

the compositions are fine, its the quality of the sound..horrible midiish sound..the saturn version did not suffer that, plus the original sega cd soundtrack was godly.

I haven't played the SATURN version so I can't compare. I don't remember any substantive difference in the quality sound between SEGA CD and PSX version, but it's the PSX version that is most vivid in my mind since I prefer it and played it more recently. I'll pop the SEGA CD version in soon to compare.

 

[Mejilan]

The GBA version retains some of the fun and charm of the original. Perhaps even most, depending on your tastes. I do not like the changes they made to combat, and the GBA game also features some rather embarassing (and completely game-breaking) bugs.

I prefer the PSOne Lunar over the GBA game by a long shot, but the GBA game is still a decent intro to the series. It could have used an extra few months of polish, and a much better localization team. The downgrade in music was, of course, unfortunate, but inevitable. Still features some great music, however.

Oh, and Sega CD music > PSOne music (imho.)

I still cannot believe they replaced the standard battle theme with that horrid smear of a song in the PSOne game. What the hell was Iwadare thinking? His Sega CD version standard battle theme was amongst the best he's ever composed... in the PSOne version? By far his worst.

 

[BenT]

Oh, and Sega CD music > PSOne music (imho.)

x10000

The PSX music was junk in comparison. Really, really disappointing.

 

[Mejilan]

Well, the PSOne featured great, great music too, IMHO. In fact, some of the instrumentation was quite a bit better. But the PSOne soundtrack replaced some of my favorite songs with COMPLETELY different songs, and that PISSED me off. In particular is the standard battle theme, arguably the song you'll hear most throughout the game. Sadly, the GBA soundtrack is based off the PSOne game, not the Sega CD original. Pity.

 

[VerTiGo]

Goddamnit, I've already encountered one of those bugs in Meribia early on and I don't know what to do. I'm supposed to go meet this guy named Mel but when I go to his home Luna tells me to go talk to Ramus. I do that but it doesn't seem to work because Luna tells me to talk to Ramus again. Damn it.

 

[Mejilan]

Hmmm, I found game (play) breaking bugs, but I don't recall ever finding a fatal one. You might just be missing something. Did you try speaking to Ramus multiple times?

 

[VerTiGo]

Yeah, he keeps on saying the same damn thing over and over again. I'm resetting the game to see if something will act differently.

Edit: That didn't work either.

 

[Mejilan]

Hmm hmmm hmmmmm. First time in Meribia, right? Do you still have the Diamond?

 

[VerTiGo]

Yeah, Ramus is trying to sell the thing and he's supposed to suggest going to go see Mel. The last thing he says is "Do you want to go see him?" and then the dialogue box ends.

 

[LittleTokyo]

From what I played of each, Lunar Legend has far less text, and unfortunately, far less charm. It's a great handheld ride through a classic RPG, but I would definately reccomend the PSOne version to get a more complete feel for the characters and story.

I seem to remember Ramus being very money hungry in the PSOne version, but he fails to say his coveted "filthy stinking rich" line in the GBA version until they are well out of the first town.

 

[demi]

Disgusting game. I'm glad I can abuse the system and finish the game with no hassle whatsoever.

 

[Mejilan]

Yeah, the localization of Lunar Legends was pretty generic. I think I mentioned that when I first posted in this thread.

 

[Mejilan]

Vertigo, have you fully explored Meribia? There are cutscenes you can trigger, such as the one with Royce and Nash at Black Rose Street, IIRC. Trying doing EVERYTHING you can in Meribia before finishing with Ramus and Mel. Visit all of the shops, speak to all of the NPCs, etc.

Edit - Slight spoiler about an upcoming battle:

Spoiler

The mock-battle between Mel and Alex CAN be won, if you're properly leveled and equipped. I think it is the only way to get Mel's card, in fact.

 

[VerTiGo]

Nah, I figured it out.

What's with these cards though? Are they anything special or just some useless feature?

 

[Mejilan]

Totally useless. Just something they through in there for collection purposes. However, since they don't feature new artwork, preferably as higher rez portraits, they really are pointless.

What was the problem?

 

[Tsubaki]

WTF is wrong with you people. Lunar Legend is AWFUL, and is a disgrace to the Lunar franchise.

Lunar Legend
RPG - Game Boy Advance
1-2 Players
5800 Yen


This is the 3rd revision of the original Sega CD game, Lunar The Silver Star. Consequently, two 32 bit remakes, "Lunar: Silver Star Story" and "Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete" were released on the Sega Saturn and SS MPEG/PSX respectively. This time, the classic RPG turns portable. How does it make the transition?

Graphics:

The graphics are very crisp, bright, and full of sprite goodness. Lunar has never looked better. Instead of touching up the sprites like in the 32 bit versions, they overhauled the entire look of the game. Characters are now much bigger. Enemies are bigger. Cutscenes have also changed to fit the new look as well. If you're a 2d sprite fan, you will love the new look.

Obviously the FMV sequences had to be taken out, due to space limitations, but they replaced them with full-screen picture stills that convey the scene with some nice drawn art.

Sound:

Also due to space limitations, most of the voices are taken out of this version. There's no "Tsubasa" opening theme. There's no 'Luna Boat Song'. And I admit, that's part of the charm of the CD-based versions. There's no voice acting either, aside from some of the battle cries. But Luna does still have her 'La la la' song intact.

Unfortunately, lack of much voices is the least of concerns. The BGM, while not particularly different in composition from the original, has a very tinny sound to it. The music also tends to have some static at higher volumes as well. The audio as a whole just seems to have less quality than some other GBA games around, such as Tactics Ogre.

Gameplay:

Well, how does the game play? Basically, this game is a really big step backwards. The original Lunar had a pretty nifty battle system where you must consider positioning aside from just the standard Fight/Magic/Item menus. That made the battles have a bit of strategy in the way you play them. In the 32 bit remakes, they one-upped it by eliminating random battles altogether. The pacing was just right, as you never really had to go out of your way to level.

But on this cart, they eliminated both features. They reverted back to the random battles which frustrates me to no end. They also eliminated the fun battle system and replaced it with the generic standard one where your party is on the right hand of the screen, the enemies on the left... and whenever you attack, you warp in front of the enemy to hit, then warp back. Their only new addition is with a meter that builds whenever you hit the enemy. Once it's full, you can do a special attack.

Replay Value:

Another thing they add in this game is card-collecting. You obtain cards of the enemies by beating them, and they will randomly drop cards of themselves. You can also purchase cards in a store in Meridia, and can trade for some special ones in that same town as well.

That's where the 2p mode comes in - trading. Using a link cable, two people can trade cards. Nothing really fancy.

So if you really want, you may want to go through the game again to collect more cards.

Overall:

Overall, this is the best looking version of the first Lunar, but it's not without its shortcomings. It takes a dip on audio, but more importantly, it's simply not fun. By turning the battle aspects into Final Fantasy, they basically stripped out all the components which made it a joy to play. If you only care about story, then you can rest assured. This contains the Lunar story. Sure there are some differences in details of the plot, but overall it's the same Lunar you know and love, albeit easier. But if you're like me, and value how a game plays more than how it's read, you'll be disappointed.

 

[jarrod]

Basically Lunar Legend has the best sprites and worst everything else. :/

I wouldn't mind a PSP remake of SSS using Legend's sprite sets though.

 

[BenT]

I'd say Lunar has been remade enough times for one vaguely 7 out of 10 16-bit RPG. Let's not encourage them.