Lunar: Harmony of Silver Star for PSP!

[MegaDrive20XX]

Rejoice, fans of Game Arts's long-dormant Lunar RPG series (no, Dragon Song doesn't count): A full, grounds-up remake of the original Lunar the Silver Star is heading to PSP this fall... in Japan, at least.

Revealed via early release of this week's Famitsu magazine, "LUNAR: Harmony of Silver Star" for PSP aims to keep the feel of the 1992 Sega CD original and 1996 Saturn/PSone remakes, but completely revamps the graphics and interface to bring them in line with 21st century standards. The view is now isometric, with lush hand-drawn backgrounds and characters. Publisher Gungho promises new events, remastered music, and an expanded backstory.

Best of all, perhaps, the PSP Lunar remake isn't outsourced: Famitsu identifies the developer as Game Arts themselves. Expect a trailer and screenshots when the official site, to be located at http://www.gunghoworks.jp/game/lunar/, goes live this Friday.

LUNAR: Harmony of Silver Star (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3174199)

http://media.1up.com/media/03/7/1/2/lg/209.jpg

1. Game Arts is still alive? YES!!!!!!
2. PSP? Ah Crap!
3. Lunar rocks. Nuff said.
4. Best. Soundtrack. Ever.
5. The Artwork still rocks.

[Ronfar]

I wish they'd do an all new GOOD game, cause man, Dragon Song made me wanna cry.

[TonyTheTiger]

I approve. Hopefully this comes to the U.S.

[Ronfar]

I'm sure it will, they know we'll buy it.

[Arcade_Ness]

Well sounds cool I guess, but I'd rather have a new game not a remake. Though I'll probably get this anyways :P

[RPG_Fanatic]

I hope this one comes here.

[heybtbm]

So essentially this is the 4th version of the same game?

Lunar The Silver Star (Sega CD)
Lunar Silver Star Story Complete (PS)
Lunar Legend (GBA)
Lunar Harmony of Silver Star (PSP)

...all essentially the same game. Oh well. I'll be buying this one too. BTW: Has anyone else (besides me) ever beat the GBA version? Remember the "Save game, shut off GBA, load game" thing where you could get full health/magic basically anywhere at any time?

[Kitsune Sniper]

Fifth, actually, don't forget the Saturn version.

I thought Lunar Legend was a new game, not a remake...

[Vlcice]

Fifth, actually, don't forget the Saturn version.

And the Windows version! Saturn/PS/Windows ports were basically the same game though.


I thought Lunar Legend was a new game, not a remake...

No, it was yet another Silver Star remake.

[megasdkirby]

I'm happy about this, but why no remake of Magical School? Or Lunar 3?

I would love to see what happened after Lunar 2...after Hiro and Lucia...

[Vlcice]

True, I would like to see Magical School in English. Too bad we didn't get the Saturn version here.

[kupomogli]

...all essentially the same game. Oh well. I'll be buying this one too. BTW: Has anyone else (besides me) ever beat the GBA version? Remember the "Save game, shut off GBA, load game" thing where you could get full health/magic basically anywhere at any time?

Why do that when you could attack 947 times in a single turned with the Windboots(I think that's the item?) A little bit of an exaggeration, but you attack multiple times with those equipped and pretty much walk through the game like nothing. When using special abilities they up the damage dramatically.

-

Anyways. The PSP Lunar uses the Complete version movies but the graphics look alot better with everything else.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b334/kupomogli/lunar.jpg

Magazine picture taken from http://www.rpgamer.com

[Ztype85]

Sadly with Working Designs gone, it won't be the same lovable experience it was on the SCD/PS1, if it even gets localized that is.

[kupomogli]

After Working Designs went bankrupt, Vic Ireland started Gaijinworks. So far they've only released a single game. Perhaps Lunar is what the company needs to bring them into the light?

[TonyTheTiger]

What game was that? I didn't think Gaijinworks did anything as of yet.

[dairugger]

this might actually revitalize the franchise, we might possibly see lunar 3 yet!

[chrisbid]

thumbs down for isometric viewpoints

[kupomogli]

What game was that? I didn't think Gaijinworks did anything as of yet.

Nevermind, it's not out yet. Miami Law is supposed to be their first game released. I assumed it'd be out by now(was never waiting for it actually.) According to Gamefaqs it comes out 06/09/09. Also says Hudson is publishing it. Is Gaijinworks localizing and Hudson publishing?

[LiquidPolicenaut]

I'm not sure what to say! I have been a HUUUUGE Lunar fan since it first came out on the Sega CD and Im actually...iffy on this. I actually still prefer the original over the Saturn/PSX remake due to the worse music, the horrible overworld map and the lackluster battle graphics (the cutscenes were obviously beautiful though as well as the expanded storyline). Isometric view? hmmmmm...I dont know. The world map seems to be, yet again, not much of any use (I used to love walking from one place to another and possibly get attacked!). The battle graphics SEEM a little better than the remakes (I actually liked Lunar Legend's battle graphics best)...Biggest question of all....ANOTHER remake?? *sigh*

[TonyTheTiger]

this might actually revitalize the franchise, we might possibly see lunar 3 yet!

As much as it hurts...Dragon Song was pretty much it.

[kupomogli]

Did anyone here actually finish Dragon Song? I put about five hours into the game but I couldn't play it anymore(sold it next day.) It was just that boring. There was also the option to get EXP or items. I kept items on over half the time I played the game because the game was far too easy with the ability to gain EXP.

[Press_Start]

Atlus is the cornerstone for everything niche. Vic will have a hard time picking up the good ones. Not to mention NiS, NamcoBandi, etc. to pick from the leftovers.

If Gaijinworks wants to rise, I say retro is where it is. Plenty of good famicom, super famicom, and megadrive stuff that didn't sail stateside. Get licensing agreements for a few popular titles, translate them, release them on VC, and you're all set. ;)

[TonyTheTiger]

Atlus is the cornerstone for everything niche. Vic will have a hard time picking up the good ones. Not to mention NiS, NamcoBandi, etc. to pick from the leftovers.

If Gaijinworks wants to rise, I say retro is where it is. Plenty of good famicom, super famicom, and megadrive stuff that didn't sail stateside. Get licensing agreements for a few popular titles, translate them, release them on VC, and you're all set. ;)

That's actually a really good idea provided he could sell it to the publishers.

Working Designs sort of created its own demise. Once other publishers started doing better jobs localizing their own games and once they started bringing over titles in-house that otherwise would have been WD's territory, the company just didn't have as many avenues to explore.

[heybtbm]

Did anyone here actually finish Dragon Song?

That's a good question. I don't think I've ever heard of someone suffering through the whole thing.

[old_skoolin_jim]

thumbs down for isometric viewpoints

Agreed.. Also for the fact it's on PSP, as well as being a 4th remake of a 17 year-old game. Lame. We want something NEW (and good)!
As a side note, I've been a Lunar fan since the original, waited through a year of delays with my Gamestop reservation of Silver Star Story, and played through Lunar Legend. Never did try Dragon Song, though. Usually, RPGs with only 3-character parties = boring.

[kupomogli]

Never did try Dragon Song, though. Usually, RPGs with only 3-character parties = boring.

Dragon Song sucked, so good move there, but RPG titles with three character parties aren't necessarily boring. Breath of Fire 3, 4, 5, Xenogears, Wild ARMs 1, 2, etc. The list could go on.

Anyways. RPGamer has had an interview with GameArts and XSeed. XSeed picked up the translation for Lunar Silver Star Harmony(and also Yuusha 30 for PSP. Thank you XSeed :D.)


What was first hinted at in part of our Little King's Story interview is now a reality, as XSEED Games is bringing Lunar: Silver Star Harmony to North America later this year. XSEED Games was kind enough to coordinate an interview with Game Arts for us, and while he couldn't reveal too much about the game yet, Development Producer Masato Dobashi still had a lot to say about this upcoming reborn classic.

RPG: First off, Lunar has had many developers over the years, who exactly is handling this? GameArts? Japan Arts Media? A combination?
Masato Dobashi: This title is a collaborative development effort between Game Arts and Japan Arts Media.

RPG: Will combat allow for characters to move around like the original or are they stationary like in Lunar Legend? Could you share any other details about the game's battle system?
Masato Dobashi: Lunar: Silver Star Harmony is basically a remake of the Sega Saturn version. The battle system is also based on the Sega Saturn version, but the graphics have been updated significantly.

During battle, you can manually instruct your character to run up to the enemy to attack, or you can let the AI take over.

RPG: Lunar's always been big on music and sound. How much voice acting will there be? Should we expect more songs such as Luna's Boat Song? Any drastic soundtrack changes or is Noriyuki Iwadare still at the helm?
Masato Dobashi: Since this time the title is on a UMD with large capacity, we will have the same movies that were played on the Sega Saturn version. This means you will be able to enjoy Luna's Boat scene as well.

Regarding the soundtrack, of course we will have Iwadare-san continue to work on Lunar. Iwadare-san has made some extra arrangements for this game and created some great music.

RPG: This one could be a deal breaker for me. Will there be bromides?
Masato Dobashi: That's still a secret. Please stay tuned.

RPG: So, does this perhaps mark a Lunar series revival or just another chance for newer gamers to play this classic?
Masato Dobashi: It's a bit of both. That way everyone can enjoy it, right? I'm personally looking forward to how the Lunar series is going to develop in the future.

RPG: The last remake of Lunar on the GBA wasn't as well received by fans as the Sega CD and PlayStation versions. What aspects of Lunar: Silver Star Harmony will appeal to new fans? Long-time fans?
Masato Dobashi: I really think the opinions of Lunar fans towards the series is very important. For this PSP remake, I really wanted to use the Sega Saturn version as the basis to create a solid title because it was also what everyone was hoping for [in Japan].

For the new fans, I would love for them to experience an adventure full of dreams and hopes. Don't you feel like we're lacking those types of RPGs lately? I really wanted to show why Lunar has been loved for 17 years with this new PSP version.

For the old time fans, I would first like to say thank you to everyone. The reason Lunar can be played on the PSP now is because of their long time support and love for this series. For this version, Kei Shigema has put extra effort into the scenario and created a new episode to make it a more complete version of Lunar.

RPG: How does XSEED plan on handling the game's quirky humor and sexual innuendos? That was one area that really stood out for me in the prior releases.
Jimmy Soga, XSEED Games: We're still in the early stages of translation so it's hard to say how we will handle it, but it would be a fine balancing act between keeping the original Working Designs English translations as is or to retranslate some of the stuff to be more true to the original Japanese. Working Designs did an excellent localization job, but their text has a lot of 90's pop culture references and possibly some copyright issues that might have been okay when the original was released, but something we need to be more careful about today (such as "Tootsie Rolls", "M&M's", "Wheaties," etc.)

RPG: Working Designs was looked on as the North American parent of the Lunar series and always had tons of bonuses (and tons of delays) included with the games. Any early ideas of how you'd like to handle pack-ins?
Masato Dobashi: We are currently discussing with XSEED on this matter so we can't give out any information at this time, but please stay tuned for more details at a later time.

Thank you very much for this opportunity!

We hope everyone is looking forward to the PSP Lunar and will continue to support the series.

RPGamer would like to thank Ken Berry and Jimmy Soga at XSEED Games for helping to coordinate this interview, as well as Masato Dobashi from Game Arts for taking time out to answer these questions for us. Lunar: Silver Star Harmony will be released later this year for the Sony PSP.

http://www.rpgamer.com/features/2009/road2e3/lunarhotssint.html

[kupomogli]

New Silver Star Harmony Scan. Picture stretched the screen out quite a bit so here's the link. Shows some more pictures.

http://pspupdates.qj.net/New-screenshots-character-pics-in-Lunar-Silver-Star-Harmony-scan/pg/49/aid/132000

[megasdkirby]

I know it wont happen, but imagine if the same cast who did the voice for Silver Star and Silver Star Story come back for another run. That would ever be so neat, but alas, I know it will never happen.

[ShinobiMan]

New Silver Star Harmony Scan. Picture stretched the screen out quite a bit so here's the link. Shows some more pictures.

http://pspupdates.qj.net/New-screenshots-character-pics-in-Lunar-Silver-Star-Harmony-scan/pg/49/aid/132000

Man, just looking at those pictures almost gets me choked up. That game had such an impact on me. Seeing those characters again brings a flood of nostalgia.

I've been thinking of selling my PSP, but maybe I'll wait...

[RPG_Fanatic]

I can't wait for this game!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope it comes out sooner than later.

[Cinder6]

Part of me hopes it won't have voice acting. A Ghaleon without John Truitt is a Ghaleon I don't want to contemplate.

[Solertia]

I wonder if this will be packaged with a ton of awesome stuff like Silver Star Story Complete?

[SpaceHarrier]

Never played the Sega CD version but I love the PSX game enough that I just might buy it again if they add enough new content / bonus collector's trinkets / or boosted graphics to the PSP release.. it's just that dang good (or possibly I'm just really easily sold on nostalgia at this point).

[Daria]

I'm all for it as long as the translation doesn't suck ala Lunar Legend.

And it's odd. I know I own quite a few Xseed games. But I can't think of any I've actually played. So I don't know whether to be happy that they're translating it or not.

Edit: Nevermind. I forgot Retro Game Challenge was theirs. In that case: Woooooo!

[kupomogli]

And it's odd. I know I own quite a few Xseed games. But I can't think of any I've actually played. So I don't know whether to be happy that they're translating it or not.

Edit: Nevermind. I forgot Retro Game Challenge was theirs. In that case: Woooooo!

Play Wild ARMs XF.

[Daria]

Play Wild ARMs XF.

Ummm. No

Besides I don't have it.

[Chaz From Phantasy Star 2]

Wild Arms 4 and 5 was done by XSEED too. They do great work! One of the best in the business! They're okay with extras too, an 80 page artbook with illustrations from the whole series came with 5. It would be cool if they did that with Lunar too since it has great art.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

Had to update this thread. First trailer released for the game. I posted it onto my youtube page for your enjoyment :)

First Trailer for Lunar:Harmony of Silver Star (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRgDn4DmOUQ&fmt=18)

It's exactly what I was expecting (and knew already anyway)..Its based off SSSC (even the so-so music returns..except the opening track and Wind's Nocturne...which were nice) but has larger characters in battle, new spell effects, a few new tunes and a brand new scenario (looks to be about The Four Heroes). Not too bad though...

[Azraelscross]

its always Silver Star that gets remade. how about Eternal Blue. i think i liked that one more. even better would be...... oh i don't know.... perhaps A new game that doesn't SUCK!

i'll probably buy it anyways.

[dairugger]

looks like it wont be released here till next year..
on the developers website you can play a flash version of ther Meriba town, not too shabby!

http://www.gunghoworks.jp/game/lunar/minigame/

[RasterKnows]

Wish I could get that planetarium with the lunar logo on it...Japanese residents only damn.

[Press_Start]

looks like it wont be released here till next year..
on the developers website you can play a flash version of ther Meriba town, not too shabby!

http://www.gunghoworks.jp/game/lunar/minigame/

Source? Cause I haven't heard changes from the Dec. 8 2009 release date.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

Second trailer for the game released. Here it is:

Second Trailer for Lunar:Harmony of Silver Star (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DoGj-229po&fmt=18)

[dairugger]

Source? Cause I haven't heard changes from the Dec. 8 2009 release date.

http://www.lunarthreads.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=4088&start=30

quote from Ghaleon:

"To make it perfectly clear, I asked XSEED about it last week. Early 2010 was the answer. There is no official date but they made it pretty clear that 2009 was too soon. Sucks, but then, they never gave a date to begin with. I'm sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but it's just not happening.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

I am surprised no one has posted it yet but a demo was released on the Japanese store for Lunar: HSS. Here is a very quick write-up/first impressions I did for the demo:

Ok, I finally got to play the Lunar demo...and I really like it! I even think I like it better so far than SSSC! Here are some of my impressions/observations:

- The animation sequences are the same as SSS and only take up the center of the screen (like a 4:3 picture on a 16:9 screen)...

- I really like the graphics. I feel this is how the graphics should have looked like in SSS. Burg, once again, feels different from the original TSS as you actually enter from the upper left of the screen and your house is on the first screen and the rest of the town is another screen down...

- The battle graphics are very nice as well. Much more animated and bigger than SSS. Spell effects are nice as well..

- The music....Now, before I start, I never liked the music in SSS (except the opening and Wind's Nocturne) but I LOVED the music in TSS. SSS music just sounded so MIDI-ish (even on the Saturn) and very uninspired while TSS music blew me away the first time I heard it (it was also the first RPG I played with CD music). Now, the music in this demo.....beautiful! NOW the music sounds a LOT better. I still dont think its anywhere close to TSS but it is a world of difference for me from SSS. Very nicely redone...

- The map is also a relief to me. I also hated the disgusting excuse they called a map in SSS (WHY were the characters so small?!?!?). Now the map is a single screen and it only has selectable places to go. I still miss the explorable maps from TSS and EB but I at least can understand why this sort of map is not used in SSH...

- I also noticed the whole thing about the music fading in and out between screens but I didnt find it THAT annoying. A little, yes, but not too distracting. I wonder if Xseed will try and fix it for the US release...

- When you beat the demo, you also get an extra video trailer showing some scenes from further on in the game..

All in all, I was so excited for this demo and was pleasantly surprised with it. *sigh* Lunar....I'm glad you're back :)

[Poofta!]

i love lunar. i have every us release of all the lunar games, sega cd to nds.

can anyone answer why they based this on the saturn version vs the psx? or was the psx a port of hte saturn.

[Vlcice]

Saturn was the lead platform for both 32-bit remakes. PSX versions were just ports of the Saturn versions, with some mostly minor graphic/sound reductions.

[RetroYoungen]

Crap... I have to buy this game again? I mean, I'm not "really" complaining, but... you know what I mean. ^_^;;

[dairugger]

New details about the extra content in Lunar regarding the 4 heroes subquest:
http://www.famitsu.com/sp/091019_lunar/02.html

portions translated at Lunar-Net: WARNING POSSIBLE SPOILERS!
http://www.lunar-net.com/ssh/websites-famitsu-hss2.php

im really looking forward to this game!

[heybtbm]

It's almost like Working Designs was releasing this one...

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/6645/500xlunar.jpg

[kupomogli]

When I saw it earlier, I couldn't help but notice the soundtrack. It's a limited selection of the soundtrack, so why is the character artist signing it instead of the music composers?

I'm sure it's because it was art done by him and already signed, so they just threw it on there. Kindof a weird choice though.

But for 39.99. I think I'll end up preordering this limited edition and keeping it this time. The limited edition will obviously be worth money later on. It's Lunar, and even the other releases are somewhat worth something and you had no choice between limited edition or not.

*edit*

Looking on Ebay, it looks like Lunar prices have dropped a lot. Used to be fairly expensive to pick the game up. Nevermind. Looks like Silver Star is just fairly cheap to pick up. Eternal Blue is still pretty expensive.

[FantasiaWHT]

Haha are those some of the bromides from the game? What are they tho, they look like trading cards...

[Eternal Tune]

Haha are those some of the bromides from the game? What are they tho, they look like trading cards...

Yep, they are bromides. They are probably just little printed art cards, nothing more, nothing less.

Amazon.com has the pre-order up for the limited now. Gamestop.com doesn't. Didn't bother checking any other sites.

Lunar Silver Star Story being one of my two favorite games, ya...I'm in for a limited.

[ScourDX]

Dang it I cannot preorder the Limited Edition from Amazon.com because it doesn't ship to anywhere else except USA. :mad:

[Aussie2B]

I guess Xseed assumes that all Lunar fans are male. Not that I mind that they're including bromide trading cards, but you'd think they could come up with something a little more universally appealing.

[kupomogli]

Lunar: Silver Star Harmony is arriving to US shores today. Or at least its demo is. You can download and check out the sample goods over at the PlayStation Store as soon as it is available.

The demo also provides for some unlockable goodies so make sure to save a clear data. If you weren't sold on the Limited Edition featuring the 13 bromides and the official soundtrack, maybe this demo will make you change your mind.

Lunar: Silver Star Harmony is expected to arrive in the US this Q1 of 2010.

Whoever downloads it give us an opinion on it. Also what are the extras? I don't want to download and then transfer it over to my PSP. If it's well worth it then I will though.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

First off, the new US website is up and you can hear the newly sung opening theme song as well as a snippet of each of the new voice actors. Check it out at: http://www.lunarsilverstarharmony.com/


Here are my quick impressions:

I downloaded the Japanese demo when it came up on that PSN store 2 months ago and the English one is the same exact demo...except in English :) I honestly liked the demo a lot. The cutscenes are the same exact ones used in the Saturn/PSX versions and only appear in 4:3 rather than stretched to 16:9 for the PSP sceen.

Graphics, as most have seen, are now in a 3/4 view rather than overhead. This is actually a very nice change and there is a lot of detail in the characters and the towns themselves. The battle animations are pretty decent as well as the few magic spells seen so far. There is an odd fade out when you go from screen to screen (and the music fades out as well) but you get used to it. Overall, this is what the original remake should have looked like :)

The music is the same soundtrack from the Saturn/PSX remakes as well but a HELL of a lot better! It still doesn't match the awesomeness of the original TSS soundtrack, but it's a huge improvement over the remake one. Now...the voices. I have been used to the same voices for the Lunar series since way back in '93 so hearing anything other than those will be jarring at first. So far, they aren't that bad (though some will take some getting used to..like Nall and a new Ghaleon) and the opening song is sung pretty well.

Overall, I say it's a great demo and any fan of Lunar definitely has to try it out. It's a fresh new take on Lunar and it's one I'm loving so far :)

P.S. - The "extra" they speak of is telling you to save your progress when you beat the demo to unlock something in the full game. If it's like the Japanese one, I believe it unlocked a Flame Ring or something...

[megasdkirby]

Preordered it today...now I need a PSP console!

Technically, I already have a PSP Slim, but my console won't be able to play it, since it has CFW and there is no 6.00 M33.

So I will purchase a new PSP game for this and every other game released from now on.

Unless 6.00 M33 comes out, which would be a dream! :)

[DuckTalesNES]

For someone who has never played through this game, which version would you guys recommend? I can get a copy of the PSX version pretty easily. Any suggestions?

[kupomogli]

Preordered it today...now I need a PSP console!

Technically, I already have a PSP Slim, but my console won't be able to play it, since it has CFW and there is no 6.00 M33.

So I will purchase a new PSP game for this and every other game released from now on.

Unless 6.00 M33 comes out, which would be a dream! :)

I can't play any really new PSP games either. The thing is though. I think they did another revision of 5.00 GEN so that you could actually play games even though you need a higher firmware revision. I'll look into it but you might not have to buy another PSP.

[erehwon]

I can't play any really new PSP games either. The thing is though. I think they did another revision of 5.00 GEN so that you could actually play games even though you need a higher firmware revision. I'll look into it but you might not have to buy another PSP.
Have you tried IRshell? I put that on my modded psp and was able to play Dissidia without the latest firmware. I do wonder when the latest M33 firmware will come out? However IRshell allowed me to play it, I would still like to be more up to date.

I'm also wondering if I should pick up this game? I already have it for the PS1, but I've never gotten around to playing it. Isn't there a ps1 emulator for the PSP that could use an image of my ps1 game disks? I'm just wondering if the new stuff in the PSP version is enough reason to play it over the ps1 version that I already have.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

For someone who has never played through this game, which version would you guys recommend? I can get a copy of the PSX version pretty easily. Any suggestions?

Hmm, I'd say go for both the Sega CD and PSX version if you can. I still prefer the original Sega CD for the incredible soundtrack and my overworld exploring map :) The remakes did indeed have nice cutscenes, expanded storyline but lost me with the crappy overworld map, and inferior soundtrack. I guess it goes to you now as to what's most important...

In my opinion, this PSP remake is actually what I wanted the original remake to be. The music is the same but fully orchestrated and sounds WAY better....but still no overworld map :(

[TonyTheTiger]

I like that the remakes don't have random battles. That's definitely a plus. The original Sega CD version is very charming but it's also slightly...I don't want to say amateurish...but it does have a few quirks about it. For instance, it's not uncommon to be walking in a dungeon and walk right into a boss fight without realizing it. Likewise, it's often one of those games where a boss fight is incredibly hard if you haven't learned a key spell but if you do know that spell it's over in two rounds. I'd say the remakes are "cleaner" in that sense.

The PSP demo is great, though. I'm going to buy it but, yeah, some of the new voices will take a little getting used to.

[Aussie2B]

Likewise, it's often one of those games where a boss fight is incredibly hard if you haven't learned a key spell but if you do know that spell it's over in two rounds. I'd say the remakes are "cleaner" in that sense.

I don't know about that. The best strategy for bosses is the same for the entire game in the remake. You just power up Alex and use that one sword technique he gets at the beginning of the game.

I do like that the boss stats are adjusted based on the player's stats, though. No matter how high you grind there's still some degree of challenge (although as a whole the game is quite easy).

[carlcarlson]

I played the demo and enjoyed myself. I did think there were way too many pauses though, which slowed down the game quite a bit. I'm not even talking load times, just random pauses thrown in here and there. For example, after one round in a battle (both sides have used their turns) there is a small pause before you can issue your commands for the next round. It's unnecessary and really got on my nerves when I was just trying to win battle after battle.

Still, I'll get it at some point.

[DuckTalesNES]

While we're talking all things Lunar here, which of the game guides is best?

[kupomogli]

You know what would be nice. If they added Lords of Lunar as a secret mini game. Warlords is awesome.

Anyways. Just watched a video of the demo. I'm still thinking of whether I want to get it now, but now I'm on the edge that I don't. I like random battles more than being able to dodge most enemies in the game. I also did notice the thing that Carl mentioned with the pause between turns. It's obvious forcing you to take time to look at your HP so you just don't rush an auto battle and screw up, but I'm sure it'd cause an annoyance. The last thing is what most people tend to bash the PSP on, although wrongly for the most part. Load times. Sure it's not insanely long load times. But about three to four seconds to get into taking your turn once you get into a battle and an overall four seconds to change screens is kindof crappy. It's a 2d RPG, I mean come on. Atleast it's consistent and does somewhat well masking that load time. Maybe it's not even load time, maybe they just wanted it to change screens that way and it could have been done quicker.

The thing I'm thinking though is that Lunar might be one of those games that stay at a 29.99 print. The collector's edition possibly staying at 39.99 period. I'm not very fond of collector's editions because the boxes are easily messed up, but I sort of want this one due to everything it comes with and possibly would increase in price if remained sealed.

[heybtbm]

After playing the demo for 1/2 hour this morning, I realized this is not a game that I really feel like playing through again. It would be my 3rd time (PS and GBA versions) playing the exact same story.

Still have the regular edition on pre-order from Amazon. The game itself looks great. However, the cutscenes look like they've been ported directly from the PS version...fullscreen and all. I don't know about this one anymore. The idea of Lunar on the PSP is more appealing than the reality of getting down and actually playing it. Such is the case with most JRPG's and me lately.

[MetalFRO]

I'm looking quite forward to this PSP release. I never owned the original, but I played the crap out of the PSX remake, and loved it. Will be nice to have it on the go.

[Poofta!]

Well, this is coming out on Tuesday, who's getting it? Regular or LE?

I think I am going to reserve the LE via gamestop. I want it in hand when its out and I dont trust amazon to deliver fragile boxes anymore.

Anyone know whats in the regular edition? Is it just the game or do you also get the soundtrack?

[megasdkirby]

I think the soundtrack is only for the LE version.

I ordered the LE version, which will be available at my local GS either tuesday or wednesday.

[JSoup]

Really wish my old roommate didn't steal my PSP. I'd love to get in on this. I got the collectors editions of SSSC and EPC back when they were new (actually, SSSC was one of the first PS1 games I ever bought).

[dairugger]

I've had my LE preordered since last year. It comes with bromide tarot like cards and a soundtrack, which i understand is in a jewel case with original artwork for the cover. I also have the strategy guide that just came out.

[RPG_Fanatic]

I've had my LE preordered since last year.

Me too!!!! one more day!!!!

[megasdkirby]

Does anyone think the strategy guide will be worth something, like those released by Working Designs?