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Post by fireinthehole on Oct 26, 2009 13:29:05 GMT -5
Sadly there is no overworld map to traverse. Its even worse off than what we got in the PS versions, as you can only select predetermined locations on a giant map. The world map music is still there though, so enjoy the jingle at least. I was able to get to the first dungeon to check out some battles. The first thing I noticed was the speed the battles were completed. Its generally the same pacing as in the other versions, yet there are some big plus'. Firstly, its far easier than I remember it being, and Luna is almost as strong as Alex when attacking certain monsters. Alex doesn't get multiple strikes yet (I'm at level 6), but there is a stat for it, so fear not. The game still throws 6-7 monsters at you each battle, but like I said, its much easier to dispatch them. The coolest thing I noticed is the spells, which are quick to cast, but really neat to watch. The screen darkens around the character, weird blue auras are created, and then "la la la laaaaaaa" you are healed. The same goes for attack spells/skills, which adds a bit of drama to the battle scenes. Lastly, the biggest improvement in the battle engine is the AI. Before pressing the AI spelled certain doom for your characters, or at least it was a great way to burn MP. Characters would use high power attacks on crappy monsters, valuable items would be used in fickle situations, and almost always you died if you were low on HP. Now the AI is super smart, using only simple attacks, healing when needed, and never using items. I guess the only other thing to bring up would be the menu screen, which is now its own section rather than appearing over the action. From what little Japanese I can read, I can say its pretty much the same options as last time. I didn't really spend too much time here, but I can say there was a Save and Load feature available, which means we'll probably get to save anywhere. BTW, Zeta Justin, how many spells did each character have? Are there any new spells or is it same as PSX version? I really wish they add more spells and add some usefulness to each spell since in PSX version, each character has only one or two spells that are actually useful. Its very easy to get into, very colorful and easy to look at, very nice to listen too, and not overly complex. It is in essence a fantastic game for Portable Gaming, and from what I've played, the difficulty is extremely welcoming to the newcomer. I hope this doesn't mean it's too easy. The main gripe I had with the GBA version was its complete lack of difficulty.
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Post by Justin on Oct 26, 2009 13:30:17 GMT -5
LP- I'm kind of digging the new sizes for the dungeons, as it makes it new territory to discover, you know? Heh, I remember jumping on that Digicube version, but I'm still keeping my eyes out for you.
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Post by Justin on Oct 26, 2009 21:02:23 GMT -5
fireinthehole - I'll check the magic out, because I forgot ha ha.
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Post by Varion on Oct 26, 2009 21:06:32 GMT -5
This thread reminds me I need to check out the demo. Bought the English version of SSSC, but I didn't finish it, partly because Working Designs' pop-culture laden translation was rubbing me the wrong way. I'll be picking up the PSP version, especially because I'm a big fan of Iwadare's old work. Can't wait for them to get to Eternal Blue for this reason. Brave Warriors
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Post by Justin on Oct 26, 2009 21:16:00 GMT -5
That's a part of the reason why I'm picking up the Japanese version. The more they sell, the higher chance we'll get to see EB PSP.
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Post by Justin on Oct 26, 2009 21:23:06 GMT -5
That's what is awesome about the series though, as you don't need to play ether game to fully enjoy the other.
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Post by Yakra on Oct 27, 2009 7:04:44 GMT -5
You actually LIKED the map in SSSC? Hmmm... I agree that I love an explorable map but I see you never got a chance to play the Sega CD versions of TSS and EB. Now THOSE are beautifully large overworld maps, explorable, monsters actually attack you while you are walking through it and the music was oustanding! Since this was the map I was used to and loved, when I played SSS, my heart cried a little at the new map. Characters....*takes out magnifying glass* so...small. No monsters anywhere. It kind of defeated the purpose of the map in the first place for me. As for the music, it was ok for me. Again, I came from TSS which had incredible CD-quality overworld themes (and all the rest of the soundtrack as well) whereas SSSC has MIDI-ish quality tunes... I think, we'll kind of never really agree on the worldmap of SSSC because, I actually liked the fact that there were no monsters. It was oddly refreshing to be able to walk through huge spaces, that weren't only towns, and not have to trudge through yet another battle just because one wanted to examine a mountain. X'D Basically, as much as I LOVE turn-based battles and all, after 50 or so of them in a row, even I would like a little break. Aaaaand~~~ the world map of the Lunars provided that break for me in a very nice way. :'D Also, it would be amazing if EB makes it onto the PSP too! ....Though I actually prefer SSS to that. Am I the only one who loves the first's story more...? :'D (And. Zophar didn't give me any trouble?? He was quite a pushover...? As far as I remember.) And~ *randomness* Totally unrelated but Justin's link to Unsavory got me reading that list once more aaaaaaaand... Wow! Why'd they cut this bit out?! It's so..... nice. :'D And I never quite realized it, but just by changing a few words here an there, Galleon sounds a lot more nastier in the English version. (There are some english changes in that list though that I'm actually liking~!)
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Post by Justin on Oct 27, 2009 8:42:21 GMT -5
I think you answered your own question. WD made some big changes to the character personalities, yet for what reason, I'm not sure?
I'll post some interviews that were printed in the old strategy guides. They really open your eyes to Victor Ireland's line of thought, and to be blunt, how much potential there was that he could be an asshole.
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Post by fireinthehole on Oct 27, 2009 10:40:34 GMT -5
That's what is awesome about the series though, as you don't need to play ether game to fully enjoy the other. Well, there are parts that you can enjoy much better if you played the other game, though. For instance, in EBC, when Nall eulogizes his friends from 1000 years ago at the tower of Althena, the players can empathize with him better if they previously played SSSC. That scene really touched me since at that point, I got reminded of just how much I had grown attached to the cast from SSSC.
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Post by Ascended Mermaid on Oct 27, 2009 10:40:52 GMT -5
I agree entirely with you, Yakra. Wide open spaces, free of enemies, just the overworld music and pretty artwork.... there's nothing like it! Also, those English changes are quite nice, except for Myght's Tower... load of craaaap!!! ...and personally, I like the idea that Ramus has all those bromides. Why they overcomplicated that for the US release, I'll never know...
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Post by liquidpolicenaut on Oct 27, 2009 11:17:44 GMT -5
I think, we'll kind of never really agree on the worldmap of SSSC because, I actually liked the fact that there were no monsters. It was oddly refreshing to be able to walk through huge spaces, that weren't only towns, and not have to trudge through yet another battle just because one wanted to examine a mountain. X'D Basically, as much as I LOVE turn-based battles and all, after 50 or so of them in a row, even I would like a little break. Aaaaand~~~ the world map of the Lunars provided that break for me in a very nice way. :'D Well, it's not so much the monsters aspect. I, too, could deal with no monsters attacking me at every turn BUT the map in SSSC doesn't make me feel like I'm really exploring. The characters are so tiny and I still think its barely a step above the clickable map in HSS. The EBC fixed this a little bit by making the characters bigger and the same size as in game...but they still didn't make the map bigger in proportion to the characters! Put it this way, I would just love the map from TSS/EB, with or without monsters, but WAAAY more explorable. Here, I included some comaprison screens to try and convey what I mean.. I think you answered your own question. WD made some big changes to the character personalities, yet for what reason, I'm not sure? I'll post some interviews that were printed in the old strategy guides. They really open your eyes to Victor Ireland's line of thought, and to be blunt, how much potential there was that he could be an asshole. Yeah, I remember those interviews Which ones you speak of specifically? I still have the strategy guide interviews from EB, SSSC and EBC and he seems just as odd in each of them lol
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Post by Justin on Oct 27, 2009 12:57:00 GMT -5
The one where he defends his stance on the EB save system. They even make fun of him in the SCD EB guide. I'll have to pull out some scans so everyone knows what were talking about.
Fireinthehole - True, true, I forgot about that part. There are a couple other parts where Alex is mentioned in old books and whatnot. Still, you can very easily enjoy the game without jumping at the first game. The question here is why would you ever play only one of them?
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Post by Varion on Oct 27, 2009 13:20:42 GMT -5
It's kind of nice to see people other than myself doing something other than praising WD's translations, heh. I almost thought I was alone! Translation is not an excuse to rewrite a story as you would've written it, or see how many out of place pop culture references you can jam in a script
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Post by ParanoiaDragon on Oct 27, 2009 23:55:29 GMT -5
I just had a thought. First of all, my opinion is that with this release, they will contiue with EB, leading up to (FINALLY) Lunar 3. But, I wonder if they'll also do Magical School Lunar, & if that'd get an NA release? I have it for Saturn, but, ofcoarse, it's in Japanese. I don't even know if it's any good
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Post by Yakra on Oct 28, 2009 2:39:49 GMT -5
<insert the liquidpolicenaut's Lunar pics here~> Eh heh heh heh... I may just be someone with zero tastes but.... I actually like how both the world maps look? :'D You also made me curious enough to go search up gameplay videos and.... well, both are very, very nice in their own original styles? *shot* Hm... if I like them both, I perhaps might not hate this new world map so much. :'D I'd love to be able to read these interviews by the way. Any place that I could read these examples of Victor Ireland's great blargh-ness? *searches Lunar-net*
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Post by Justin on Oct 28, 2009 8:45:18 GMT -5
I just had a thought. First of all, my opinion is that with this release, they will contiue with EB, leading up to (FINALLY) Lunar 3. But, I wonder if they'll also do Magical School Lunar, & if that'd get an NA release? I have it for Saturn, but, ofcoarse, it's in Japanese. I don't even know if it's any good I feel your pain big time. There are some great alternatives though, as Lunar Walking School (GG) has an almost finished rom translation, and Lunar Magic School has a fully translated dialogue and walkthrough FAQ. www.lunar-net.com/msguide/
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Post by liquidpolicenaut on Oct 28, 2009 11:00:43 GMT -5
Don't get me wrong, I actually like WD's translations... but they DID do a lot of kinda inexcusable things. Rewriting a story is fine if you're improving it, as is sometimes the case in anime where the dub script is entirely different from the original Japanese (Samurai Pizza Cats, Ghost Stories)... but in the case of Lunar, I'm not sure it was entirely necessary in every case. In most cases, I think it added to the game's charm, but in some cases, it definitely detracted. On the whole, though, I loved it. I agree completely. I won't praise and bow down to WD translations BUT I DO give thanks and recognition for overall great translations and voice work throughout their games. The did a lot of things (good things) that many other companies wouldn't even think about doing back in the day. I just had a thought. First of all, my opinion is that with this release, they will contiue with EB, leading up to (FINALLY) Lunar 3. But, I wonder if they'll also do Magical School Lunar, & if that'd get an NA release? I have it for Saturn, but, ofcoarse, it's in Japanese. I don't even know if it's any good I'd love to be optimistic and fully agree...but I can't right now People said the same back when they did the remakes on the Saturn/PSX and Lunar 3 never came about....just the unmentionable DS one. I will stick with the possibility of Lunar 3 as I adhere to this saying: "Hope for everything...expect nothing"... Eh heh heh heh... I may just be someone with zero tastes but.... I actually like how both the world maps look? :'D You also made me curious enough to go search up gameplay videos and.... well, both are very, very nice in their own original styles? *shot* Hm... if I like them both, I perhaps might not hate this new world map so much. :'D I'd love to be able to read these interviews by the way. Any place that I could read these examples of Victor Ireland's great blargh-ness? *searches Lunar-net* Hey, no, it's cool to like both of them. I'm glad I was just able to show you where I was coming from in terms of the world map and why I disliked the new remake ones. You still like the Lunar series so, in my book, you get a big thumbs up Here is an attachment of the the Victor Ireland interview from the Sega CD Strategy Guide. He talks about the decision to add cost to the Save system in the game. I don't know but, to me, it was never a huge deal...
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Post by Justin on Oct 28, 2009 11:08:37 GMT -5
It was to me in the beginning of the game, which I'm running through again. I'm up to the part with Jean in the forest, and I have tons of MP to use for saving.
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Post by liquidpolicenaut on Oct 28, 2009 11:12:27 GMT -5
It was to me in the beginning of the game, which I'm running through again. I'm up to the part with Jean in the forest, and I have tons of MP to use for saving. It only made a big deal if you were chicken and ran away from every fight and did'nt earn any MP lol
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Post by Justin on Oct 28, 2009 11:19:38 GMT -5
Exactly, which screws you over anyways because the difficulty is set for fighting *almost* every battle you encounter.
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