Game Arts Interview: Lunar 3 will "depend on the fans"

[vicdaman]

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-3791 ... n-the-fans

Examiner had a chance to talk with Masato Dobashi (Producer at Game Arts) and Jimmy Soga (Product Manager at XSeed Games) and ask them a few questions about Lunar: Silver Star Harmony, PlayStation Network, Grandia, punching puppets and, of course, the possibility of Lunar 3 arriving sometime in the near future.

"We haven't heard anything about Lunar 3 since 2001. Are there any plans on finally giving gamers a true sequel instead of a prequel or remakes?

MD: This is undecided at this point as well. Lunar 3, huh? It sure is an attractive idea. I dream about it sometimes but I guess whether it’ll become a reality or not will depend on the fans."

[ShindoW]

Considering the US sales seem good, things are looking up~

[LuNaRtIc]

Waaaaaaaaaaaah!!!! *0* <3
That's it, let's all rally, sign petions and send off numerous emails for Lunar 3. That's what all the NiGHTS into Dreams fans did. They ended up getting NiGHTS Journey of Dreams. *w*

[Final Night]

This might be the only thing I'd be willing to sign petitions and send e-mails for!!

[Old_School]

Well, you heard the guy -- go buy another copy for one of your friends. Heck, buy your worst enemy a copy, too!

[whitedragon_nall]

If Lunar 3 depends on the fans, shouldn't it have been released ages ago? Nonetheless, I guess it's up to us to make sure it actually happens.

[Alan_Geitz]

Lunar 3...DEPENDS ON THE FANS?!

We've been clamoring for this freakin' thing for well over a freakin' decade!
How much more proof do you need!? ARGH!

And yet, despite the long wait, we are all patiently awaiting the "third" chapter of the series as we always have many years ago.
Perhaps they can tide the US audience over with some of that Lunar-related merchandise (manga, CDs, models, etc.).

Well, until that day comes...
Place your bets on the ultimate question for the gaming community of the decade! Which game will reach the shelves first: Duke Nukem Forever or Lunar 3?

[Werefrog]

Lunar 3...DEPENDS ON THE FANS?!

Yeah, that's a pretty ridiculous thing to say especially since it apparently depends on fans buying the fourth version of a game.

Heck, buy your worst enemy a copy, too!

I already did that a few years back with Dragon Song.

[GhaleonOne]

Lunar 3 would have been best served right after the PSOne remakes. Not that everyone doesn't still want it, but that was the height of the fanbase. Past that, now would be the second best, as it seems the North America SSH is getting some decent sales.

[Kizyr]

I'm saying right here and now that this'll be the last remake of TSS/SSS. I think if they try to pull another remake of it at this point, the market will be so saturated with remakes that it'll be completely unprofitable. (This doesn't count direct ports, such as a compilation edition that includes both Lunar 1 and 2.) I would like to see a new version of EB, and I can see that maybe, maybe, maybe happening, but not another TSS/SSS version.

I really do hope that after this, GA will put some serious effort into a proper console Lunar 3. If you design it right, it doesn't need to even be dependent upon people having played the previous two games. Set it 1000 years again in the future, have the events of Lunar 1 and 2 be the stuff of legends, and have at it. It's happened with other games taking a long break between versions (Ys, Breath of Fire), so it could happen here.

Continuing from what G1 said, if there were a time to bring out a Lunar 3, it was after the PS1 remakes. If there were another time, it'd be in the very near future. If they don't take this opportunity in the next few years, then I doubt we'd ever see it. KF

[GhaleonOne]

I will say I think we have the best chance of seeing a Four Heroes game above anything though. It just feels like they were setting it up with the new prolouge sequences.

[Zhane Masaki]

I say we of LUNAR-Net get out there and rally the fans all around the net to cry for one.

[ShindoW]

Id much rather have an EB port and a Lunar 3 sequel game than a prequel that seems to be a rehash of SS like DS was.. apparently.

[Silver Phoenix]

A prequel should not be Lunar 3. The story has progressed to a future stage and to go two steps back before you take one step forward just doesn't sit well with me regardless of enjoying the Four Heroes.

The technology is there to make an amazing transition for Lunar. It could be purely HD 2D, or 2D/3D and really be huge. I'd prefer a PS3 focus simply for the amount of space blu-rays hold and how they could have lossless audio and huge amounts of cutscenes. When Grandia came out it was a marvel of 2D/3D and on the Saturn no less. Lunar deserves a big delivery as well, even moreso than a graphically upgraded remake.

[Temzin]

I'm saying right here and now that this'll be the last remake of TSS/SSS. I think if they try to pull another remake of it at this point, the market will be so saturated with remakes that it'll be completely unprofitable.

Personally, I really see it sliding into Ys I&II territory, being rereleased or slightly redone on every console for small, niche profits. I honestly don't think there's ever going to be enough energy or interest to remake both games on each console, so I really could see SSS happening again, and again, and again... HOSS didn't make an impressive showing in Japan, and even 'major' US sales equalling those of the PS remake wouldn't be enough for foreign sales to justify anything new getting made in Japan.

More notably, there really isn't anyone left who counts at Game Arts to really make the Lunar 3 that fans might think they want. Studio Alex is bankrupt, and Miyaji left---they can still contact Shigema for scripts and Kubooka for art and Iwadare for music, but it's difficult to imagine the reconsistution of the actual Lunar team.

[Aaron]

More notably, there really isn't anyone left who counts at Game Arts to really make the Lunar 3 that fans might think they want. Studio Alex is bankrupt, and Miyaji left---they can still contact Shigema for scripts and Kubooka for art and Iwadare for music, but it's difficult to imagine the reconsistution of the actual Lunar team.

I think you hit the nail on the head with this statement. It really shows in this version of Lunar (SSH). Although I eagerly want a new Lunar. What I can't stand is seeing something get progressively worse.

I don't want another game that has all the lore and terminology of Lunar yet feels like any run of the mill JRPG.

I think the only direction for Lunar to go is to put it in the past. Lunar 3 just can't exist. I would really like a story on the Blue Star. I would love to see Zophar fleshed out and how the people went to Lunar. Just the whole era in general is interesting to me.

If it took place in the future then it would have to take into account Lucia...I for one don't think she will be dead. I don't know how they would handle a villain considering Zophar was destroyed. Maybe it could be political like, Lunar vs. The Blue Star.

Whatever they do they better do it within 2010. At least get it on the table, maybe some sort of confirmation of a 3rd Lunar or a Prequel. But if it did happen my guess would be an EB remake.

[Lunar Eclipse]

Actually, I think GameArts could do it fairly well. My apprehension has always been with JAM. They were fine with the remakes because they already had something good to work from, but didn't they play a much larger role than GameArts proper in Dragon Song? I feel like they're not very good at actually developing their own scenario design since, as GhaleonOne and Kizyr have attested, they added almost no embellishment to the original scenario outline.

[Shiva Indis]

Can GameArts still make good games? Spend $5 on The Magic Obelisk to find out.

I think they can still make good games, and they could put together a good team for Lunar if they wanted. They haven't found it necessary to do so - that's where the problem lies.

[whitedragon_nall]

The Magic Obelisk is out?!?! How did I miss it? Is it any good?

[SilentApprovalRobot]

Id much rather have an EB port and a Lunar 3 sequel game than a prequel that seems to be a rehash of SS like DS was.. apparently.

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