Lunar(SCD) Vs. Lunar(PS1)

Magister · 03/05/2017, 10:30 AM

I own both of these games. I bought the one for the SCD when it first came out. Yes, I own a Sega CD.

Loved the game. The Intro at the time blew me away. The cut scenes were great, and the soundtrack was damn good. I thought the humor in the game was great as well, even though Working Designs had to tone it back some for the U.S. Just a shame that the final boss had some kind of glitch where he wouldn't attack you for some reason. Maybe it was just my copy that did it, I don't know. But he just stood there and did nothing while you beat on him. I played it multiple times and it was always the same thing.

Then along came the updated version for the PS1. New Intro and everything else got a face lift. Soundtrack was cleaned up, voice acting was much much better. And the cut scenes were all redone. And one thing I loved about this game was that they actually changed up the storyline.

SPOILERS: Making it where this time around Luna goes with you on the boat instead of staying behind was a shock.

I know there is really no comparison. It's like comparing Blu-ray to DVD. The SCD version had it's charm and the intro was great for the time. But Working Designs instead of just porting the old copy over to the PS1 and calling it good, went back and remade this game from beginning to end. Just a shame they closed their doors over 10 years ago. We have Sony to thank for that. I know they started over with a new brand name. But it's just not the same.

bob · 03/05/2017, 10:35 AM

why are these fucking "vs." threads are all of a sudden coming back?

CrackTiger · 03/05/2017, 10:58 AM

Silver Star is an unrealized vision of a game that never materialized and is very rough in the WD and Japanese games.

Silver Star Story for Saturn is a lot of fun and very cool and Complete is the best cersion of the game.

The Playstation versions of Complete are botched pretty bad and a pain to play in comparison. Heavily downgraded visuals, long loading and misc.

Magister · 03/05/2017, 11:10 AM

Quote from: guest on 03/05/2017, 10:58 AMSilver Star is an unrealized vision of a game that never materialized and is very rough in the WD and Japanese games.

Silver Star Story for Saturn is a lot of fun and very cool and Complete is the best cersion of the game.

The Playstation versions of Complete are botched pretty bad and a pain to play in comparison. Heavily downgraded visuals, long loading and misc.

Never knew this. After the Sega CD, I sort of gave up on Sega altogether and never bought one of their systems since. Glad I never fell for the 32X. I did enjoy the PS1 version though. I've never played Lunar 2. Was never able to find a copy in stores when it came out. One day I'll get around to picking up a copy.

Gypsy · 03/05/2017, 11:33 AM

Quote from: gynt on 03/05/2017, 10:35 AMwhy are these fucking "vs." threads are all of a sudden coming back?

I thought about making a couple retarded ones in fighting street.

Anyway as for this thread I feel I've discussed this a lot. Eternal Blue on Sega CD is great. I've played the SCD and PS1 version of each. I need to INCREASE MY RUNES to play the Saturn versions.

Digi.k · 03/05/2017, 08:39 PM

Quote from: Magister on 03/05/2017, 11:10 AM
Quote from: guest on 03/05/2017, 10:58 AMSilver Star is an unrealized vision of a game that never materialized and is very rough in the WD and Japanese games.

Silver Star Story for Saturn is a lot of fun and very cool and Complete is the best cersion of the game.

The Playstation versions of Complete are botched pretty bad and a pain to play in comparison. Heavily downgraded visuals, long loading and misc.
Never knew this. After the Sega CD, I sort of gave up on Sega altogether and never bought one of their systems since. Glad I never fell for the 32X. I did enjoy the PS1 version though. I've never played Lunar 2. Was never able to find a copy in stores when it came out. One day I'll get around to picking up a copy.

A similar scenario with lunar 2 EB too. Especially the soundtrack. Overall PS1 version does some stuff better than the saturn and likewise the Saturn does other stuff better than the ps1.. But at least the PS1 versions got released in English.

EDIT
Also the saturn versions of Lunar silver Star come in two releases, the standard one which has smaller FMV cut scenes and the MPEG version that requires an additional accessory to run the game that allows almost full screen almost 30 frames FMV.

ParanoiaDragon · 03/06/2017, 01:11 AM

I didn't have a Sega CD when it first came out, got one much later. So I ended up playing the PS1 versions of both first, & prefer those. Haven't played too far into the Sega Cd or Saturn versions. I don't care at all for the GBA version, but the PSP game was fun.

SuperDeadite · 03/06/2017, 06:50 AM

SSSC > SSS
EB > EBC

Enough said.

DragonmasterDan · 03/06/2017, 11:48 AM

TSS is the Superior Version of Lunar 1 for a few reasons.

First off without going into spoilers there were some very severe story changes. This went from having two scenario writers who collaborated on The Silver Star to just one on the remakes. The end result leaves a few plot holes and an overall less rewarding plot in my opinion.

The second reason TSS is the superior version is tied to the actual size of the game. The dungeons are large, there are random encounters in overworld which while it slows down gameplay, adds more exploring, and more of a sense of scope and adventure.

The redbook audio and different audio tracks in the original game I also find to be superior.

Yes, the remake(s) have better art, are less tedious due to the lack of random encounters and no battles on the overworld, but they lack the exploring and story of the original.

Gypsy · 03/06/2017, 01:25 PM

Reading that post, it's no wonder you like the Dragon Quest games so much. I prefer the style of the later releases for Lunar 1 but would agree the plot changes are meh.

DragonmasterDan · 03/07/2017, 02:39 PM

Quote from: Gypsy on 03/06/2017, 01:25 PMReading that post, it's no wonder you like the Dragon Quest games so much. I prefer the style of the later releases for Lunar 1 but would agree the plot changes are meh.

I'm guessing you also played the remakes first allowing them to shape your perception of what the game should be?

Gypsy · 03/07/2017, 02:41 PM

Quote from: DragonmasterDan on 03/07/2017, 02:39 PM
Quote from: Gypsy on 03/06/2017, 01:25 PMReading that post, it's no wonder you like the Dragon Quest games so much. I prefer the style of the later releases for Lunar 1 but would agree the plot changes are meh.
I'm guessing you also played the remakes first allowing them to shape your perception of what the game should be?

Honestly I just don't much care for the exploration aspect of JRPGs. So the big world map does nothing for me.

I prefer the Sega CD version of Lunar 2 fwiw.

Edit: Honestly not big on random battles or battle systems that require a loading transition either at this point but I understand the limitations at the time.

CrackTiger · 03/07/2017, 03:02 PM

I played Silver Star for Sega-CD as soon as it came out, after playing almost every 16-bit JRPG'ish game teleased in North America, as well as several PC Engine imports.

It was neat that it was a JRPG for Sega-CD, since I love RPG'ish games, but it was never really enjoyable to play or experience in general. I still played it to death like I did every game and really pushed to progress through at the lowest level possible each time as a challenge.

It wasn't appealing or impressive as a Sega-CD game or as a Genesis RPG. It wasn't terrible, since it was still a JRPG, but certainly was disappointing.

Eternal Blue was the opposite. It was fun, even with Vic trying to ruin the gameplay, and it actually felt like you were experiencing a real adventure (as Grandia would do even further later on). It really felt like thr realization of the potential of the hardware/format and was the kind of HRPG experience that felt "right" and couldn't be found in SNES carts.

I bought Silver Star Story for Saturn as soon as it came out and couldn't believe how well they fixed the experience. I'm not a fan of non-random battles, but they did a great job with the balance between their distribution and the enjoyable battle gameplay. No longer a rough grungy world, I actually cared about the memorable places I visited and the characters actually felt like they had real personality finally, even with the language barrier. This was such a great start to what 32-bit 2D JRPGs could be and it's unfortunate that most would go off in directions that didn't appeal to me.

Eternal Blue for Saturn was fine and it was nice seeing a more colorful version of the backgrounds, but the Sega-CD version was still more enjoyable and a spruced up PC Engine version would have been much better.

I rented Silver Star Story Completd for Playstation when it came out and it was pretty disappointing how every part of the visuals had been downgraded and the long save/load times were particularly mood killing. The localization was a typical WD mixed bag, but the story turned out to be exactly how I believed it to be from my Saturn experience. I'd still much rather play the Japanese version of the Playstation game, if not the Saturn versions, just as I typically do the Mega-CD versions over Sega-CD.

SignOfZeta · 03/07/2017, 04:15 PM

It's 2017 and still people are giving Working Designs credit for making ports and things. Amazing.

All they did was translate stuff and occasionally "adjust" things, often making the game worse like charging for save points and making Exile II %99 unbeatable. The state of translation of Japanese games to English was in transition at that time. We were changing from, for example, Dragon Warrior I (NES) to Earthbound (SNES) and this akward time in the middle saw fanboy slobs doing the jobs. Don't get me wrong, they were an indispensable service during that weird time in the 90s when RPG interest was at its peak but almost none were being released. However...come on. The humor is submental and the gameplay tweaks are rare and terrible.

Not to mention everything they printed after a while had that Dorito-proof 8x gloss on it that made the shit so shiny you have to adjust the lighting in the room to see through the glare.

Gypsy · 03/07/2017, 04:16 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 03/07/2017, 04:15 PMIt's 2017 and still people are giving Working Designs credit for making ports and things. Amazing.

I must have completely glazed over this when reading a post but lol.

nectarsis · 03/07/2017, 04:21 PM

While the subject is up what's everybody's thoughts on the PSP version

NecroPhile · 03/07/2017, 04:27 PM

Quote from: nectarsis on 03/07/2017, 04:21 PMWhile the subject is up what's everybody's thoughts on the PSP version

I played a little of the FEKA ones back in the day, but the PSP one is the only one I've played through completely (just last year even). I enjoyed it quite a bit.

DragonmasterDan · 03/07/2017, 06:11 PM

Quote from: nectarsis on 03/07/2017, 04:21 PMWhile the subject is up what's everybody's thoughts on the PSP version

It continues the story changes made in the various remakes and adds even more. It's not a bad game in and of itself, but I still prefer the experience of the Sega CD original.

ParanoiaDragon · 03/08/2017, 01:56 AM

Quote from: nectarsis on 03/07/2017, 04:21 PMWhile the subject is up what's everybody's thoughts on the PSP version

I enjoyed it a lot, but prefer the PS1 version most. I'd really like them to do another actual sequel. I bought a DS specifically for Dragon Song even though reviews gave it a mixed bag. I still have yet to finish it.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/08/2017, 04:11 AM

I'm going to break this into 1 and 2 so I don't ramble like a goddamn hillbilly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOTH: If you took the FMVs from Saturn/PSX and put them into the Sega CD, I would prefer that, I think. Lunar 1 on SCD barely even had FMVs. It was pretty stupid. Lots of barely moving shit, and then that scene at the end where Alex is like "LUNA!!!!1111".

I also giggled at the stupid humor WD put in all of the games. I was <= 13 when I played them all, so that factored into that.

Lunar1:
I much prefer the turn based overworld gameplay, and the shrines. It had a very Ultimaesque feel to it with the grand scale conveyed moving around the Sega CD map. They sort of lost that on the PSX. You just walk from A to B. No probrem.

Some of the tunes are also far, far better. on Sega CD.

The first in-game tune for example, is super atmospheric. PSX didn't have that. Firing that game up for the first time and having that song gang bang my ear drums was fucking magical.

https://youtu.be/L7BYU8Tnu0A

That being said: I liked some of the tweaks of the PSX one. The presentation especially. The cutscenes were great, and the large portraits, and more detailed scenery.

The added characters and stuff gave it more depth and world-building. Especially the Vile Tribe aspect. Having 2 more chicks made it more.... of a tribe.

The battle menus were more streamlined, and the art was obviously better. They also expanded on some of the plot elements in nice ways. You basically got to feel more of the world. Especially with Dyne and some of the backstory.

I did not like the use of an Ocarina. The harp was much cooler. Ocarinas are too associated with Link at this point. I would have preferred if they gave him a lute in the redo.

I also did not like how your family / town wasn't kidnapped and chucked in a cave in the frontier.

Overall, the remakes are great and do things justice

Even the goony ass GBA one was at least playable and fun.

Lunar2:
The same goes for the presentation updates on PSX. Better hardware = better anime.

However, Eternal Blue on Sega CD is basically the pinnacle of 16-bit RPGs, I think. They ditched the magic level up thing on PSX, and that sucked.

Eternal Blue has one of the best atmospheres of any RPG I have ever played. The transition to the remakes was done well, and only really made things better. I still miss the random encounters in the remake. The dashy thing was a nice addon though.

Lunar 2 PSX's menu system, and combat was all pretty well done. It just expanded on SSSC in the same way that EB expanded on TSS.

There was not anything really wrong with them on Sega CD, so they basically just "made it more gooder because".

I have a lot of nostalgia feelies for all of these games. I can't pick an absolute favorite. It mostly leans towards EB for Sega CD, I think.

Working Designs may have tarded it up sometimes, but they really did a pretty great job of presentation/packaging, and their voice acting cast was great back then. Some of the acting quality in their Sega CD/PSX era shit was years ahead of the horsepiss we got in like, FFX. Magic Knight Rayearth voice acting was pretty good.

I do know that I don't like the PSP game very much. The map transitions suck, and the new voice actors blow. I am too used to Ghaleon's voice. Losing John Truitt basically kills English Ghaleon, so bad.

https://youtu.be/Okcaik2qGrk

Where the hell is Lunar 3.

Dragon Song doesn't count. Shut up.

SamIAm · 03/08/2017, 04:56 AM

I happen to be playing Lunar 1 on Mega CD for the first time now. Never played the remakes, but I'm checking the PS1 soundtrack right now and...well...it's not bad.

Lunar 2, which I have played both versions of, is far cooler as the best Mega CD RPG and swan-song of its era than as a pretty throwback PS/SS game.

Gypsy · 03/08/2017, 08:30 AM

I can't think of a 16bit jrpg I liked more than Lunar EB, and I've played a lot of them especially when I was younger. Though mostly localized stuff only so I could easily be missing out on some Japanese only gems.

DragonmasterDan · 03/08/2017, 10:14 AM

Quote from: guest on 03/08/2017, 04:11 AMI'm going to break this into 1 and 2 so I don't ramble like a goddamn hillbilly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOTH: If you took the FMVs from Saturn/PSX and put them into the Sega CD, I would prefer that, I think. Lunar 1 on SCD barely even had FMVs. It was pretty stupid. Lots of barely moving shit, and then that scene at the end where Alex is like "LUNA!!!!1111".

I also giggled at the stupid humor WD put in all of the games. I was <= 13 when I played them all, so that factored into that.

Lunar1:
I much prefer the turn based overworld gameplay, and the shrines. It had a very Ultimaesque feel to it with the grand scale conveyed moving around the Sega CD map. They sort of lost that on the PSX. You just walk from A to B. No probrem.

Some of the tunes are also far, far better. on Sega CD.

The first in-game tune for example, is super atmospheric. PSX didn't have that. Firing that game up for the first time and having that song gang bang my ear drums was fucking magical.
That being said: I liked some of the tweaks of the PSX one. The presentation especially. The cutscenes were great, and the large portraits, and more detailed scenery.

The added characters and stuff gave it more depth and world-building. Especially the Vile Tribe aspect. Having 2 more chicks made it more.... of a tribe.

The battle menus were more streamlined, and the art was obviously better. They also expanded on some of the plot elements in nice ways. You basically got to feel more of the world. Especially with Dyne and some of the backstory.

I did not like the use of an Ocarina. The harp was much cooler. Ocarinas are too associated with Link at this point. I would have preferred if they gave him a lute in the redo.

I also did not like how your family / town wasn't kidnapped and chucked in a cave in the frontier.

Overall, the remakes are great and do things justice

Even the goony ass GBA one was at least playable and fun.

Without getting into further spoilers I also dislike how certain things were revealed and hinted at in the remakes (this is partly due to the localization). I also dislike how certain plot holes occur because a character that stayed on the Island in the original comes with you in the remake. I also dislike how a certain characters motivations are changed fairly drastically because of other changes made to the plot involving sacrificing power to retrieve a baby compared to sealing off a black dragon.

QuoteLunar2:
The same goes for the presentation updates on PSX. Better hardware = better anime.

However, Eternal Blue on Sega CD is basically the pinnacle of 16-bit RPGs, I think. They ditched the magic level up thing on PSX, and that sucked.

Eternal Blue has one of the best atmospheres of any RPG I have ever played. The transition to the remakes was done well, and only really made things better. I still miss the random encounters in the remake. The dashy thing was a nice addon though.

Lunar 2 PSX's menu system, and combat was all pretty well done. It just expanded on SSSC in the same way that EB expanded on TSS.

There was not anything really wrong with them on Sega CD, so they basically just "made it more gooder because".

I have a lot of nostalgia feelies for all of these games. I can't pick an absolute favorite. It mostly leans towards EB for Sega CD, I think.

Working Designs may have tarded it up sometimes, but they really did a pretty great job of presentation/packaging, and their voice acting cast was great back then. Some of the acting quality in their Sega CD/PSX era shit was years ahead of the horsepiss we got in like, FFX. Magic Knight Rayearth voice acting was pretty good.

With Lunar 2 for Sega CD you had a level of tediousness that took away from the game a little bit which was "fixed" in the Saturn and Playstation remakes at the expense of overworld battles and elaborate dungeons. Instead of large labyrinth mazes to explore, you're left with very linear short dungeons to run through and you can even dash to avoid battles. This speeds up the gameplay but takes away a lot of the fun of exploring. One of the huge strengths of Lunar 2 for Sega CD was the sheer size of the map and dungeons. The adventure of finding treasure chests in far flung corners of the dungeon, finding areas that are not needed to complete the game but might have bonus items if you're willing to explore is completely absent in the remake.

I would have much rather had the dungeons/overworld remain the same with a lower encounter rate and re-balanced experience given to account for less battles to create a perfect version of the game but that's not what we received. So with Lunar 2, the remakes are less tedious with nicer graphics and sound. But cut out a few sections of story and a whole lot of exploration.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/08/2017, 11:01 AM

I do remember the mystic ruins and those goddamn teleport mirrors, and Zophar's Domain being particularly brutal in SegaCD one.

You had to go to the far corners of the domain to hit those boob switches. The encounter rate made it a bit ughhh.

I can't think of how many times I'd get into a random battle in the ruins and forget which way I was going to go and use the wrong teleporter, lol.

DragonmasterDan · 03/08/2017, 11:04 AM

Quote from: guest on 03/08/2017, 11:01 AMI can't think of how many times I'd get into a random battle in the ruins and forget which way I was going to go and use the wrong teleporter, lol.

That's why you get out graph paper and start making your own maps. If you see a corridor that you didn't go down, mark where the opening was and then back track in case there's treasure there.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/08/2017, 11:10 AM

Quote from: DragonmasterDan on 03/08/2017, 11:04 AM
Quote from: Psycho Arkhan on 03/08/2017, 11:01 AMI can't think of how many times I'd get into a random battle in the ruins and forget which way I was going to go and use the wrong teleporter, lol.
That's why you get out graph paper and start making your own maps. If you see a corridor that you didn't go down, mark where the opening was and then back track in case there's treasure there.

For some reason, I never make maps of JRPG maps. I only do it for first person dungeon crawlers.

So, I do have maps of like, Shining in the Darkness and PS1, but no other ones.

I thought Lunar 2 had some cooler character development too. Nall, Ghaleon, and Jean were all like "gotdayum".

Especially Jean.

She made puberty difficult.

lol

DragonmasterDan · 03/08/2017, 11:14 AM

Quote from: guest on 03/08/2017, 11:10 AMFor some reason, I never make maps of JRPG maps. I only do it for first person dungeon crawlers.

So, I do have maps of like, Shining in the Darkness and PS1, but no other ones.

I thought Lunar 2 had some cooler character development too. Nall, Ghaleon, and Jean were all like "gotdayum".

Especially Jean.

She made puberty difficult.

lol

I've been making maps for JRPG style games since Dragon Warrior (or Zelda 2 which is an action rpg but has that big overworld map and lots of paths through caves, etc).

With something like Lunar 2 on Sega CD they did a good job of making big dungeons with nice items sprinkled throughout to make exploring rewarding. There's definitely a good balance of reward vs time spent needed for a game to have large but fun dungeons to explore. With Lunar 2 the dungeon size itself wasn't what made it tedious, it was the encounter rate and the fact that you walk slowly.

xcrement5x · 03/08/2017, 03:42 PM

Man, I just remember that fucking Cave of Trials before you get into Vane.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/08/2017, 04:10 PM

Quote from: guest on 03/08/2017, 03:42 PMMan, I just remember that fucking Cave of Trials before you get into Vane.

lol that shit was brewtul.

Quote from: DragonmasterDan on 03/08/2017, 11:14 AM
Quote from: Psycho Arkhan on 03/08/2017, 11:10 AMFor some reason, I never make maps of JRPG maps. I only do it for first person dungeon crawlers.

So, I do have maps of like, Shining in the Darkness and PS1, but no other ones.

I thought Lunar 2 had some cooler character development too. Nall, Ghaleon, and Jean were all like "gotdayum".

Especially Jean.

She made puberty difficult.

lol
I've been making maps for JRPG style games since Dragon Warrior (or Zelda 2 which is an action rpg but has that big overworld map and lots of paths through caves, etc).

With something like Lunar 2 on Sega CD they did a good job of making big dungeons with nice items sprinkled throughout to make exploring rewarding. There's definitely a good balance of reward vs time spent needed for a game to have large but fun dungeons to explore. With Lunar 2 the dungeon size itself wasn't what made it tedious, it was the encounter rate and the fact that you walk slowly.

I generally don't need maps unless the game is a first person maze. The teleporter maze was only a pain in the tits because I kept forgetting where I was coming from when the maps reloaded after battles.

They changed it to those slidey platforms in the remake. I prefer the mirrors.

DragonmasterDan · 03/08/2017, 04:35 PM

Quote from: guest on 03/08/2017, 04:10 PMI generally don't need maps unless the game is a first person maze. The teleporter maze was only a pain in the tits because I kept forgetting where I was coming from when the maps reloaded after battles.

They changed it to those slidey platforms in the remake. I prefer the mirrors.

If I REALLY enjoy a game I can be OCD about opening every treasure chest and finding the best gear, items, etc. So I would make the maps in case I lost my way back tracking or if it's a game like Lunar EB because the dungeons are so enormous they were particularly handy.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/08/2017, 05:10 PM

Oh. I tend to have a photographic memory, so top down dungeons and such are really easy to backtrack through. The only exception I've ever had is the mystic ruins, but that's more of a disorientation issue because of the constant battles. The last time I played it, I sat with a marker and drew an arrow to remember which fucking way I was going before the battle.

I did something like that with 7th Saga also, lol. vis a vis markers are great for writing notes on the TV.

lol, old first person dungeons do not work so well with this since you have a limited, repeated set of views.

Though, Some games like Wizardry 1, Pool of Radiance, and World of Xeen, I can run through alot of areas blindly, having played them so many times.

Serega81 · 03/16/2017, 04:34 PM

Having played Lunar 1 for PSX, I remember really enjoying that ol skool RPG feel that they were going for. The story/animation for some reason reminded me of Nadia: Secret of Blue Water anime, and for me this game was a throwback to the 16 bit RPG era only on a 32 bit system. With that said I keep hearing that WD cut out a of TXT, and changed some essential plotlines for the remake. Particularly something having to do with Ghaleon's motives. For those that played both version, were there major changes in the plot? Enough to warrant a playthrough through the Sega CD version after completing the PSX one.

Lunar Eternal Blue - Never really got a chance to play it on both systems, keep hearing great things about it, and it's high time I play a retro-rpg, that isn't full of moonrunes (J).

DragonmasterDan · 03/16/2017, 04:40 PM

Quote from: Serega81 on 03/16/2017, 04:34 PMThe story/animation for some reason reminded me of Nadia: Secret of Blue Water anime

Toshiyuki Kubooka who was the character designer on Lunar worked on both and directed quite a few episodes of Nadia and was heavily involved in early Gainax projects,

QuoteWith that said I keep hearing that WD cut out a of TXT, and changed some essential plotlines for the remake. Particularly something having to do with Ghaleon's motives. For those that played both version, were there major changes in the plot? Enough to warrant a playthrough through the Sega CD version after completing the PSX one.

If you've played the PSX one the big plot twists are now known to you and weren't presented in the same surprising manner as the original. And yes, Ghaleon's motives are substantially different along with a handful of other major changes.

These changes weren't made by Working Designs for the remake but were present in all re-made versions of the game (Saturn, Playstation, PC, etc)

Gypsy · 03/16/2017, 05:37 PM

Quote from: DragonmasterDan on 03/16/2017, 04:40 PMThese changes weren't made by Working Designs for the remake but were present in all re-made versions of the game (Saturn, Playstation, PC, etc)

This this this. WD may have made some questionable localization decisions, but they had no input in the game itself. They were not a developer.

Serega81 · 03/17/2017, 04:32 PM

Quote from: DragonmasterDan on 03/16/2017, 04:40 PM
Quote from: Serega81 on 03/16/2017, 04:34 PMThe story/animation for some reason reminded me of Nadia: Secret of Blue Water anime
Toshiyuki Kubooka who was the character designer on Lunar worked on both and directed quite a few episodes of Nadia and was heavily involved in early Gainax projects,

No wonder the animation and character designs for Lunar, hold a soft spot in my heart

Digi.k · 03/17/2017, 07:05 PM

Currently just beat this dungeon and boss

L2 EB SS ver.

SignOfZeta · 03/17/2017, 08:58 PM

Nadia is brilliant but it's also an astoundingly unoriginal work. Lots and lots and lots of things look like Nadia. Things that came before and after, due to how long it sat in development hell.

Gypsy · 03/17/2017, 09:28 PM

Nadia is one of those anime I always intended to watch but never got around to. Lately I've been focused on games instead of anime/movies, but someday...

Magister · 03/19/2017, 03:02 PM

I like how this one says New Sealed, but you can clearly see the wear of the box.

Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (Sony PlayStation 1, 1999)
https://www.ebay.com/p/3934

DragonmasterDan · 03/20/2017, 10:06 AM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 03/17/2017, 08:58 PMNadia is brilliant but it's also an astoundingly unoriginal work. Lots and lots and lots of things look like Nadia. Things that came before and after, due to how long it sat in development hell.

There's also a lot of filler episodes too

Serega81 · 03/22/2017, 04:09 AM

Nadia holds a soft spot in my heart for two reasons

1. Back in 1992-1993 my local library had an anime club, and Nadia was one of the first fan-subbed animes (if not the first) I have ever watched. I was impressed by the Jules Verne steampunk aesthetics, and of course Nadia herself.

2. There was game called Nadia for the Sega Genesis, an RPG with tons of quests but no combat, think 90's adventure games. I remember really enjoying this game and looking referring to the anime to gain clues on the puzzles within (games was in Japanese. Nadia has since been translated, and from my recollection it's about a 6 hour game, so if you are for looking for a quick retro jaunt I highly recommend it.

http://www.sega-16.com/2011/09/nadia-the-secret-of-blue-water/

With that said - Nadia the anime, does contain a lot of filler episodes and sometimes tend to drag in comparison to other anime series, especially newer ones.

xcrement5x · 03/22/2017, 12:09 PM

Quote from: Serega81 on 03/22/2017, 04:09 AMNadia holds a soft spot in my heart for two reasons

1. Back in 1992-1993 my local library had an anime club, and Nadia was one of the first fan-subbed animes (if not the first) I have ever watched. I was impressed by the Jules Verne steampunk aesthetics, and of course Nadia herself.

2. There was game called Nadia for the Sega Genesis, an RPG with tons of quests but no combat, think 90's adventure games. I remember really enjoying this game and looking referring to the anime to gain clues on the puzzles within (games was in Japanese. Nadia has since been translated, and from my recollection it's about a 6 hour game, so if you are for looking for a quick retro jaunt I highly recommend it.

http://www.sega-16.com/2011/09/nadia-the-secret-of-blue-water/

With that said - Nadia the anime, does contain a lot of filler episodes and sometimes tend to drag in comparison to other anime series, especially newer ones.

That part on the island just kind of killed the momentum of the series for me when I watched it a couple years back. Other than that I think the series is still pretty good even if you can see a lot of the influences on it with later viewings. I actually just picked up the blu-ray set of this for $25 off the Sentai site last week when they were having a flash sale.

DragonmasterDan · 03/22/2017, 12:26 PM

Quote from: guest on 03/22/2017, 12:09 PMThat part on the island just kind of killed the momentum of the series for me when I watched it a couple years back. Other than that I think the series is still pretty good even if you can see a lot of the influences on it with later viewings. I actually just picked up the blu-ray set of this for $25 off the Sentai site last week when they were having a flash sale.

I bought the Blu-Ray set a couple years ago. Yeah, the filler is terrible but if you skip through most of those episodes you can have an enjoyable viewing experience.

Speaking of Kubooka art, he also did the Giant Robo OVAs.

SignOfZeta · 03/22/2017, 03:41 PM

Yeah, Giant Robo is only 7 (no filler) eps and is amazing as hell. IMO, the best OVA ever. Can victory be achieved without sacrifice?

I've always considered Nadia to be terrific minus the island episodes where it became...a lot like modern anime in a lot of ways, shitty. The ending...I love the ending. Back in he day fan subbers decided to skip the island episodes which to me seemed like pretty strong condemnation. Then somewhat recently I learned that there is a massive four hour "movie" cut of the series that eliminates them totally, so even the director thought that arc sucked, it seems.

The thing with Nadia, the reason I've only seen it twice in 25 years, is that it's essentially a TV version of Laputa. The project was started with Miyazaki attached, the idea of a steampunk Jules Verne type of thing. He created the twin thugs in dandy suits with a matriarch leader, the girl with the blue jem with magic powers that proves she's from a magic island (floating, rather than sunk), the vague euro setting, etc, but then nobody ever did anything with it for some reason. Then in 1984 Nausicaa came out and Miyazaki was able to write his own checks for life so he didn't come back to the 20,000 Leagues project. He used many of the ideas in Laputa (1986) which turned out amazingly well. The original projects was resurrected by NHK and Gainax for 1989 and...looks very similar to say the least.

Then there's Disney's Atlantis...

DragonmasterDan · 03/22/2017, 03:50 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 03/22/2017, 03:41 PMThe thing with Nadia, the reason I've only seen it twice in 25 years, is that it's essentially a TV version of Laputa. The project was started with Miyazaki attached, the idea of a steampunk Jules Verne type of thing. He created the twin thugs in dandy suits with a matriarch leader, the girl with the blue jem with magic powers that proves she's from a magic island (floating, rather than sunk), the vague euro setting, etc, but then nobody ever did anything with it for some reason. Then in 1984 Nausicaa came out and Miyazaki was able to write his own checks for life so he didn't come back to the 20,000 Leagues project. He used many of the ideas in Laputa (1986) which turned out amazingly well. The original projects was resurrected by NHK and Gainax for 1989 and...looks very similar to say the least.

And Laputa is a lot like Future Boy Conan.

SignOfZeta · 03/22/2017, 04:27 PM

Absolutely, and the robot from Laputa was originally from a Miyazaki directed Lupin III episode. It had a pilot that looks a lot like Nausicaa and even has the same animation cues.

DragonmasterDan · 03/22/2017, 04:38 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 03/22/2017, 04:27 PMAbsolutely, and the robot from Laputa was originally from a Miyazaki directed Lupin III episode. It had a pilot that looks a lot like Nausicaa and even has the same animation cues.

Yep,
It's episode 155

esteban · 03/27/2017, 08:53 PM

So, I need to watch Giant Robo and Nadia.

I don't know anything about them.

Serega81 · 03/27/2017, 10:56 PM

Loved the Giant Robo OVA, the two most memorable OVA's for me were Giant Robo and the original Area 88. Filler episodes often diminish a series's worth, perfect example was Kenshin, Shishio arc amazing, beg great, episodes between Shishio not too great, episodes after Shishio arc WTF.

PS Esteban if you are an anime fan Giant Robo is a must, if you have time (Nadia - 39 episodes) Naida is a classic that influenced many anime of today, particularly ones in the steampunk genre.

SignOfZeta · 03/28/2017, 12:10 PM

I think Esteban would like Giant Robo.