Product description
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Includes original case and both game discs 1 and 2. Does not
have manual or 2 bonus discs. game does have minor scratches that
do not effect game play. Game has been fully tested.
Review
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After a seemingly inexhaustible series of delays, Working
Designs has finally redelivered the game that put them on the
. Originally released in Japan more than two years ago on the
Sega Saturn, Lunar Complete is extremely dated but still delivers
where it's important - gameplay.
Alex was but a boy in the isolated village of Burg, a boy who
dreamed of one day being like his lifelong hero, Dragonmaster
Dyne. As the typical RPG would have it, Alex's dream comes true
as he's swept into an adventure to save the world from a great
evil, save his woman, and enter manhood. While Lunar Complete
retains the overall story and theme of the Sega CD original, a
number of the game's individual events are different. For
example, a number of the trivial problems facing Alex on the road
to adventure, such as the broken bridge and lighthouse, have been
eliminated completely, while the entire ending of the game has
been reworked. Additionally, GameArts chose to add three new
female accomplices to the ranks of evil. Fortunately, all these
changes are for the better - the end result is an adventure
that's more epic, satisfying, and generally cooler than the
original while retaining the emphasis on character development
that earned Lunar its lofty reputation in the first place.
Like the story, Lunar's gameplay has been tweaked and refined,
but largely remains the same. Lunar is a traditional, old-school
RPG in every way, even though it is one of exceptional quality.
The excellent battle engine from the original is still in place.
Unlike most RPGs, Lunar's battle system takes character movement
into account, letting you position your characters and set up
more elaborate attacks. Once characters earn multiple attacks
through level advancement, this becomes especially useful. You
will no longer encounter enemies in the overworld, however, and
you can see approaching monsters in the dungeons. While the move
to remove monsters from the overworld altogether is somewhat
questionable, the ability to see monsters in the dungeons is a
blessing, letting you run from or prepare for battles before they
begin. On a more unfortunate note, Alex can no longer command
magic and relies on virtually the same techniques that
Lunar 2's Hiro does, ultimately hurting some of the game's
strategic elements. As a result, boss battles generally boil down
to Alex repeatedly using his Dance until the battle's done,
while the other characters support him with healing and attack
magic. A minor flaw, and an unnecessary change, nonetheless.
As stated before, Lunar is a truly dated game - with the
exceptions of the voice and FMV, the game portions of Lunar could
be faithfully re-created on a Super Nintendo. However, the game's
colorful graphics and visual design are still attractive, even
seen through such a low-tech window - not a single polygon can be
found on Lunar's dual CDs. The 2D simplicity of Lunar's world is
greatly enhanced through the use of exquisitely produced anime
cutscenes, used for everything from simple character
introductions to brilliant destruction. Unfortunately, GameArts
took away one of the Sega CD's coolest features, the lack of the
RPG ste color-swapped enemies. Never in the Sega CD original
did one see the same enemy, only sporting a different color
scheme. Lunar: Complete not only brings pallette-swapping back in
full force but mostly contains monsters from Lunar 2's bestiary.
Lunar's sound is quite good, but much of the game's new music,
such as the battle theme, doesn't compare with the original's.
Working Designs has had plenty of time to work on Lunar's
translation, and fortunately it shows. The text is for the most
part excellent and doesn't rely too heavily on Working Designs'
traditionally puerile humor. The voices are also of excellent
quality, truly bringing the characters to life in both the 2D
world and the cutscenes. Working Designs' extras are nice
touches, although the Making of Lunar video is ridiculously
overwrought with tales of the game's translation instead of its
creation.
So, it's finally here. Lunar: Complete is a must-buy for fans of
the series, as well as an excellent introduction to this landmark
RPG series. Lunar may not have modern aesthetics, but its
gameplay and story are among the best of any RPG of any era.
--Peter Bartholow
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written
permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot
logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc. -- GameSpot Review
- MISSING DISC THREE AND FOUR.