Best RPG for the Sega CD

[esquire]

Okay, I've had a Sega CD player for a long time now, and I just started to collect for it. I've recently purchased Vay, Popful Mail, Eye of the Beholder and Heimdall. Lunar Silver Star Story and Lunar 2 Eternal Blue are both on the way from an Ebay auction I won. I don't have Dungeon Explorer (but I do have it for the TG16) or Dungeon Master II: Skullkeep. The question is, where should I start and which ones should I avoid. Did I miss any?

I didn't include Shining Force CD or Dark Wizard as those are more tactics/strategy rpgs, rather than pure RPGs. I may run a separate poll with them and Third World War.

Thanks for the input.

[Melf]

While I know that the Lunar games are going to dominate this poll, I just want to chime in on Eye of the Beholder's behalf. It's a great RPG that's long and involved, and has a great Yuzo Koshiro soundtrack.

[GobopopRevisited]

ShadowRun

[MegaDrive20XX]

Lunar Silver Star Story

[Sardius]

by what definition is popful mail an rpg? seriously.

also wow, didn't know eye of the beholder's music was done by koshiro...I'll have to check that out.

[InsaneDavid]

Popful Mail. It took everything that was great about Cadash, smoothed out the controls, and mixed in a touch of anime. The writing was good, the voicework was excellent (especially given the other games of the time), there was a good amount of humor in there, and most importantly the game was just fun to play yet it was challenging at some points. It contained everything that is great about platforming games yet was very much an action RPG hack and slash with a good story. The animated cutscenes were top notch and well done even by todays standards.

Everything that could be animated was animated, when you came up to a up character to talk to there would be full voicework as well as ANIMATED dialogue boxes that also showed expression - not static images like most RPG's of today. Quite simply it was a game where the production value was perfect and even today when you drop $60 on a mint copy, you're still getting your moneys worth.

Great music, excellent animation, excellent voice work, excellent play mechanics, it's just one of the best games of that era and one of the most overlooked games of all time. After I restored my JVC X'Eye this was the first game I hunted down.

[suppafly]

I voted for "Lunar Silver Star Story". I really enjoyed it over other sega cd rpgs..

[InsaneDavid]

by what definition is popful mail an rpg? seriously.

Action RPG, while you don't build levels you still have a party that grows as the game progresses, you purchase new weapons and accessories, health items, etc.

[drwily008]

I personally like the 2 lunars best and I voted for Eternal Blue as I liked the story and gameplay more.

But, since you already have it start on Lunar 1 since the stories are directly connected.

[BigGeorgeJohnson]

I think Shining Force should be on that list.

[stevec1636]

Lunar silver star story without a doubt. nothing comes close not even Lunar 2.

[Sotenga]

Out of the choices given, definitely Popful Mail. Being that it's the only one from the choices there that I own, it wins by default.

Other than that, though, it is a very awesome action-adventure-RPG, worthy to be in everyone's Sega CD collection. Damned hard, though. I haven't yet beaten it (waiting until I get an actual Sega CD to play my CD on instead of this damn Gens emulator), but if the fight against the freaking Wood Golem was problematic, then I shudder to see how painful all future bosses are...

[InsaneDavid]

but if the fight against the freaking Wood Golem was problematic, then I shudder to see how painful all future bosses are...

After you get further into the game you start to appriciate the Wood Golem battle as it teaches you how to approach the boss fights in the game. While the later ones aren't as intense it's all about having patience and figuring out a solid attack pattern - like in all outstanding action RPG platform games. In fact the whole reason the latter bosses don't seem as hairraising as the Wood Golem is because of your experence after fighting the Wood Golem.

[XxMe2NiKxX]

I thought I was going to be the only person who voted for Popful mail (does this sound inappropriate to anyone else but me? Say it aloud).

[James]

While I know that the Lunar games are going to dominate this poll, I just want to chime in on Eye of the Beholder's behalf. It's a great RPG that's long and involved, and has a great Yuzo Koshiro soundtrack.

Is that Eye of the Beholder the same game as the SNES one? Lunar 2 Eternal Blue for me though. Love the cinematics and the soundtrack, the Sega CD version is the best too bad it got the Sony treatment.

[VACRMH]

While Vay holds a special place in my heart, i'll always love Lunar more

[Melf]

Is that Eye of the Beholder the same game as the SNES one? Lunar 2 Eternal Blue for me though. Love the cinematics and the soundtrack, the Sega CD version is the best too bad it got the Sony treatment.

It's the same game, but enhanced with cut scenes, voice overs, great music, and the ability to use the D pad for movement like a regular RPG (makes all the difference in the world). It's leagues better than the cartridge version, and it's unfortunate that so many gamers never gave it a chance.

[Cirrus]

Well, I voted for Silver Star Story, because it was perfect. I still name every "namable" RPG character Alex because of that game.

And I guess I'm going to have to give Popful Mail a try... I bought it as part of a lot fairly recently and figured I'd get to it soon. (Even though it doesn't sound as if it is a pure RPG.)

[Bluteg]

I voted for Lunar: Silver Star Story also and am wondering what happened to Shining Force? But Lunar is a true classic that is definately in my personal top two or three games, right next to Sonic CD. I have loved every version of it realesed even the GBA version.

[InsaneDavid]

I think Shining Force should be on that list.

uh, read the initial forum post...

I didn't include Shining Force CD or Dark Wizard as those are more tactics/strategy rpgs, rather than pure RPGs. I may run a separate poll with them and Third World War.

If there's a game that is missing it be Snatcher - Hideo Kojima's loving tribute to Blade Runner of which the Sega CD version is the only English release. Then again that's less of an RPG and more like interactive drama with one hell of a well executed story.