Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

General talk. News, religion, politics, your daily life, whatever, it goes here. Just keep it clean.
User avatar
burn321
Lann Fisherman
Posts: 20
jedwabna poszewka na poduszkę 70x80
Joined: Sun Apr 28, 2013 7:13 pm
Location: California

Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by burn321 »

Is it just me or do all RPG games seem to blow chuncks now? Ever since I played eternal blue when I was 10 years old, no game has measured up. My mom says the same, It was the game she played in her teens and it has pretty much destroyed all RPG's for us. Have you guys found any game that has come close to the fun of Lunar 2? With amazing characters, epic music, and a story line that rips your heart out?
"Lucia, I know you're not feeling very well......but I need to make sure that we're straight about something. Hiro is helping you out 'cause he's a nice guy, but he's ALL mine. Got that?"- Ruby

"What...what do you mean by that? I don't understand." - Lucia

"I mean you shouldn't get too close to Hiro, because you'd be setting yourself up for a fall." - Ruby

"Now I understand. You mean that Hiro tends to trip people who get too close. I will remember to walk several paces behind him in the future." - Lucia

"No, no, no! That's not what I meant! You're too dense to be a threat to me...let's just go!" - Ruby

User avatar
jay_are
Black Dragon Wizard
Posts: 499
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 3:52 am

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by jay_are »

Nope! Not at all. The Lunar games are practically sitting on the king's throne. It's been 11 years. No other game at all has been able to de-throne it. I almost think it's just personal preference now. I have actually played 1, 2, or maybe 3 games if I stretch it that are seemingly slightly better! but... no. No game could defeat Lunar.
I might discuss them later.

User avatar
WhiteKnightLeo
Red Dragon Priest
Posts: 101
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:55 pm

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by WhiteKnightLeo »

I know I will get all sort of ugly looks when I say this but.....Legend of Mana, the only game that I love as much as Lunar. That game has a ton of replay value and keeps me coming back for more.
-WKL-
Image

User avatar
Sonic#
Pao Tribe Chieftain
Posts: 4677
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2002 3:27 am
Location: Here, there, everywhere
Contact:

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by Sonic# »

^ I won't give you an ugly look, though I have trouble comparing the two because they're such different formats for stories, rather like comparing a jigsaw-puzzle spaghetti (Legend of Mana) to a well-marbled steak (Lunar 2). I love them both though.

I think that there are several games that have stories as compelling as Lunar 2's, though whether you like them better is up to your judgment. Here are a few RPGs I think have the potential for matching Lunar 2 since its release:
Chrono Cross
Skies of Arcadia
Grandia II
Persona 3 and 4
Dragon Quest VIII
Radiant Historia
Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenosaga Episode III

Now I personally don't like all of these games as much as I like Lunar 2, and I can find individual things about each game that I like less than Lunar 2, but there's also at least one thing in each of these games I like more, or that Lunar 2 doesn't have. Xenoblade Chronicles's characters aren't quite as likeable for me, but the exploration is so fantastic; the later Personas have an excellent and compelling system for character interaction and an engaging story, but I don't care so much for the loot-and-progress randomly-generated-level system; Dragon Quest VIII is for me as immaculate and delightful in its storytelling as Lunar with compelling characters, but the battle system is somewhat less interesting.

Some of them I place on roughly equal footing. Skies of Arcadia's story, characters, battle system, world, and art design are each as compelling to me as Lunar 2's. While the character development is all over the place, I think that Chrono Cross's story is even better than Lunar 2's, though that's partly because I like stories that take some effort to piece together.

So yes, Lunar 2 is a great game. It might well be my favorite Lunar, though I go back and forth on that one. I don't find that other games pale in comparison. They offer different things well.
Sonic#

"Than seyde Merlion, "Whethir lyke ye bettir the swerde othir the scawberde?" "I lyke bettir the swerde," seyde Arthure. "Ye ar the more unwyse, for the scawberde ys worth ten of the swerde; for whyles ye have the scawberde uppon you, ye shall lose no blood, be ye never so sore wounded. Therefore kepe well the scawberde allweyes with you." --- Le Morte Darthur, Sir Thomas Malory

"Just as you touch the energy of every life form you meet, so, too, will will their energy strengthen you. Fail to live up to your potential, and you will never win. " --- The Old Man at the End of Time

User avatar
burn321
Lann Fisherman
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Apr 28, 2013 7:13 pm
Location: California

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by burn321 »

I haven't heard of any of these games :shock: thank you so much for telling me about these!! Maybe now I'll actually be able to game again :lol:
"Lucia, I know you're not feeling very well......but I need to make sure that we're straight about something. Hiro is helping you out 'cause he's a nice guy, but he's ALL mine. Got that?"- Ruby

"What...what do you mean by that? I don't understand." - Lucia

"I mean you shouldn't get too close to Hiro, because you'd be setting yourself up for a fall." - Ruby

"Now I understand. You mean that Hiro tends to trip people who get too close. I will remember to walk several paces behind him in the future." - Lucia

"No, no, no! That's not what I meant! You're too dense to be a threat to me...let's just go!" - Ruby

User avatar
Dark_Fairy
White Dragon Knight
Posts: 989
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 7:12 pm

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by Dark_Fairy »

There are tons of good games out there. In my opinion though, none of them will ever stack up to Lunar 2, but there are some that REALLY close to it.

Sonic mentioned Skies of Arcadia, which I second that. Skies of Arcadia is a wonderful RPG, for all the reasons Sonic mentioned. It comes really close to Lunar 2 for me in terms of a wonderful world, with wonderful characters. I really liked Skies of Arcadia's world, something that I hadn't felt since Lunar 2. Keep in mind that I first played Lunar 2 on the PS1 when I was 10 (which was 12 years ago). I didn't play Skies of Arcadia until very recently, despite that's it been around for quite some time. I only played Skies of Arcadia in the last year or so.

Yes, it took me 12 years to find another RPG that I thought matched up to Lunar 2. That doesn't mean that I haven't liked other RPGs (cause there are actually lots of RPGs I love), but Skies of Arcadia had that "Lunar 2 charm" for me.

Another really good RPG in my opinion is Tales of Symphonia. I recently replayed it, and I realized how much I loved it back when I first played it. Symphonia doesn't have that "Lunar 2 charm", but it's still really good.

User avatar
burn321
Lann Fisherman
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Apr 28, 2013 7:13 pm
Location: California

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by burn321 »

I played Tales of the Abyss and that game came close, and it came from the same company as takes of Symphonia. Haven't played it yet though maybe I will now
"Lucia, I know you're not feeling very well......but I need to make sure that we're straight about something. Hiro is helping you out 'cause he's a nice guy, but he's ALL mine. Got that?"- Ruby

"What...what do you mean by that? I don't understand." - Lucia

"I mean you shouldn't get too close to Hiro, because you'd be setting yourself up for a fall." - Ruby

"Now I understand. You mean that Hiro tends to trip people who get too close. I will remember to walk several paces behind him in the future." - Lucia

"No, no, no! That's not what I meant! You're too dense to be a threat to me...let's just go!" - Ruby

User avatar
parappa
Lyton Singer
Posts: 40
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 11:54 pm

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by parappa »

burn321 wrote:Is it just me or do all RPG games seem to blow chuncks now?
Not just you. :)
burn321 wrote:My mom says the same, It was the game she played in her teens and it has pretty much destroyed all RPG's for us.
Two generations of Lunar fans in the same family! That is awesome.

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest that Ni no Kuni is the best PS3 JRPG. It has some problems, but overall it's quite good, and the artwork is great. I've heard that Tales of Graces f is also a very nice PS3 RPG.

The NDS has had a lot of great JRPGs. Dragon Quest IX is amazing, as is Radiant Historia, and DQ IV, V, and VI are also great. I liked Solatorobo a lot as well, although it's too easy for a long time in the beginning. The Etrian Odyssey series is worth looking into if you like dungeon crawlers.

MegaTen games seem to be where it's at for current JRPG fans. The Persona series is great, the Devil Summoner series is a fun story-driven dungeon crawl experience, and Digital Devil Saga is a PS2 classic similar to FF X. Alongside DQ and FF, MegaTen is a major pillar of the JRPG genre.

Sonic mentioned Grandia II. That one is my favourite GameArts RPG outside of the Lunar series. The Dreamcast version is best, I think, if you can find it. There was a Windows port too, but it has some bugs--I actually had to hack my save file to get past one of the early boss fights.

If you like the Working Designs localization work on Lunar (controversial, I know), you should look up Growlanser Generations on PS2. It has the same style of voice acting, although it's a tactics RPG, not a classic JRPG.

I'm assuming you've exhausted the FF route since most people start in on JRPGs with that, but don't write off Final Fantasy until you've at least played VI and IX. They're not the only good FF games, and not always everyone's favourite, but in my opinion, they represent the series at its best.

As for classic, top-down JRPGs of the 16 and 32 bit variety, one of the very best is Suikoden II. Of course, everyone knows Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, etc. But Suikoden II is just as good. It's a shame that Konami are being jerks and not releasing it on PSN, though. The first Suikoden is also a fine game, and you can transfer your saved game over to the sequel.

If you have a Wii, you may want to look into Shiren the Wanderer. It's a Rogue-like game, but I think it's accessible and fun enough to be a decent entry point into the genre. A lot of people find Rogue-like games frustrating, though. If you like that one, another good one to look into is Z.H.P. Zettai Hero Project for the PSP.

Hmmm... that's about all I've got off of the top of my head. I suppose one other thing worth mentioning is looking into RPG Maker games. There's a ton of old school inspired RPG content out there. I don't know of any specific ones to recommend though.

User avatar
burn321
Lann Fisherman
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Apr 28, 2013 7:13 pm
Location: California

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by burn321 »

I am so happy all of you replied :lol: I haven't heard of any of these games (aside from FF). Me and m mom are getting a little hope back, no more lame computer games, or wish they were better rpg's but some solid game ideas! We are looking into them now. Thank you bunches!
"Lucia, I know you're not feeling very well......but I need to make sure that we're straight about something. Hiro is helping you out 'cause he's a nice guy, but he's ALL mine. Got that?"- Ruby

"What...what do you mean by that? I don't understand." - Lucia

"I mean you shouldn't get too close to Hiro, because you'd be setting yourself up for a fall." - Ruby

"Now I understand. You mean that Hiro tends to trip people who get too close. I will remember to walk several paces behind him in the future." - Lucia

"No, no, no! That's not what I meant! You're too dense to be a threat to me...let's just go!" - Ruby

User avatar
jay_are
Black Dragon Wizard
Posts: 499
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 3:52 am

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by jay_are »

I agree with most of the games that have been posted!
Say, what RPGs did you play that suck so much now? :lol: i'm curious now, because I can't believe you haven't heard any of these games. (not even Chrono Cross???) so just WHAT have you been playing??

User avatar
burn321
Lann Fisherman
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Apr 28, 2013 7:13 pm
Location: California

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by burn321 »

I haven't! That's the thing, I've started dozens of games but nothing made me like the characters, or love the story line, or enjoy the world. I have hope for some games now if I can track them down. I prefer old games and I'm glad that some were posted!
"Lucia, I know you're not feeling very well......but I need to make sure that we're straight about something. Hiro is helping you out 'cause he's a nice guy, but he's ALL mine. Got that?"- Ruby

"What...what do you mean by that? I don't understand." - Lucia

"I mean you shouldn't get too close to Hiro, because you'd be setting yourself up for a fall." - Ruby

"Now I understand. You mean that Hiro tends to trip people who get too close. I will remember to walk several paces behind him in the future." - Lucia

"No, no, no! That's not what I meant! You're too dense to be a threat to me...let's just go!" - Ruby

User avatar
Aaron
Blue Dragon Ninja
Posts: 537
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2005 6:44 pm
Location: California

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by Aaron »

I agree with you to a degree.

Lunar set the bar for me. It established a standard for thematic presentation. It showed me that tiny things like reading books off shelves really add a dimension to the experience. So it has soured me on my different JRPGs. I get bored easily with games that have bad translations and grammar.

But having said all that there are some diamonds in the rough that I have enjoyed on the same level as Lunar.

I highly recommend the following:

Suikoden
Suikoden II
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King Really an amazing game that is overlooked.
Wild Arms
Final Fantasy XII Feels like halfway through the game they gave up making it really good.

User avatar
Dark_Fairy
White Dragon Knight
Posts: 989
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 7:12 pm

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by Dark_Fairy »

burn321 wrote:I played Tales of the Abyss and that game came close, and it came from the same company as takes of Symphonia. Haven't played it yet though maybe I will now
If you liked Tales of the Abyss, then you would probably like Symphonia. I've played both, and I actually liked Symphonia better than Abyss. In fact, I highly recommend you check out other games in the Tales of series as well. The series as a whole is really good. I've played most of the games in the series.

User avatar
Angelalex242
Legendary Hero
Posts: 1308
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 8:38 pm
Location: Lucia's Fortress

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by Angelalex242 »

Nothing can compare to the Goddess that is Lucia. Abandon all hope, for you have seen perfection, and never shall it be rivaled so long as you live.
Don't blame me, Lucia promised me lots of snuggles and cuddles if I would be her PR guy.

Image

User avatar
Alunissage
Goddess
Posts: 7353
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2002 10:31 am

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by Alunissage »

It's not at all an old game, but I've really enjoyed the character interactions in The Last Story. Serious storyline, but leavened with flashes of humor, occasionally absurd.

User avatar
Shiva Indis
White Dragon Knight
Posts: 983
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2005 3:59 pm
Location: Genjuukai

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by Shiva Indis »

Sonic# wrote:Xenoblade Chronicles's characters aren't quite as likeable for me, but the exploration is so fantastic.
I haven't enjoyed an RPG as much as Xenoblade in years. (Not since... Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3, I think. Not that I'm gonna give a general recommendation on it.) You are right about Xenoblade's strengths and weaknesses -- it's a blast to just run around, but the plot and characters don't impact me that much.

Except Riki; he is my heropon.
「まあいいけど。」

User avatar
The Greatest Story
Nanza Bandit
Posts: 28
Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2013 10:25 am
Location: Chicago, Il

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by The Greatest Story »

Reza Thief knows his stuff.

FFX, but definitely lunar 2 eternal for the win.

2 generations of lunar IS awesome, holy nallsballs!!!

Im gonna have to try the last story now, and get past xenosaga 2! thank you all!!!!!

User avatar
Sonic#
Pao Tribe Chieftain
Posts: 4677
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2002 3:27 am
Location: Here, there, everywhere
Contact:

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by Sonic# »

Shiva Indis wrote:
Sonic# wrote:Xenoblade Chronicles's characters aren't quite as likeable for me, but the exploration is so fantastic.
I haven't enjoyed an RPG as much as Xenoblade in years. (Not since... Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3, I think. Not that I'm gonna give a general recommendation on it.) You are right about Xenoblade's strengths and weaknesses -- it's a blast to just run around, but the plot and characters don't impact me that much.

Except Riki; he is my heropon.
RIKI IS HEROPON! And for me, it's always Reyn time.
Sonic#

"Than seyde Merlion, "Whethir lyke ye bettir the swerde othir the scawberde?" "I lyke bettir the swerde," seyde Arthure. "Ye ar the more unwyse, for the scawberde ys worth ten of the swerde; for whyles ye have the scawberde uppon you, ye shall lose no blood, be ye never so sore wounded. Therefore kepe well the scawberde allweyes with you." --- Le Morte Darthur, Sir Thomas Malory

"Just as you touch the energy of every life form you meet, so, too, will will their energy strengthen you. Fail to live up to your potential, and you will never win. " --- The Old Man at the End of Time

Alis
Meryod Yokel
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2009 4:26 am

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by Alis »

The only RPG that I have come to love more than Lunar EB(C) is Valkyrie Profile. But I can pretty much tell you they have both equally ruined the RPG-playing experience for me. Funny as it is, before Lunar and VP, the only RPGs I had played before were Pokemon Yellow and Phantasy Star IV (I was 14 back then, I'm currently 24), I played a lot of RPGs after for PSone, I enjoyed them but none of them were as gratifying (?) as Lunar EBC. I don't understand why I talk in terms of gratification when it comes down to videogames, but, moving on... Little by little I cut down on playing RPGs and VGs in general, specially after I got a PS2, because regardles of how good a game was, or how much I enjoyed it, it really wasn't the same "thrill" as with Lunar EBC, or the "old school" jRPGS I played in my early teens... I still play a new game from time to time (last year I played FFX, after procrasting it for over decade), but must of the time, I just replay old RPGs on emulators...

User avatar
Kaiya-Sky
Black Dragon Wizard
Posts: 342
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:02 am
Location: Canada B.C
Contact:

Re: Lunar2 Ruining all other games for life?

Post by Kaiya-Sky »

For me the games that have come close for me is Final Fantasy 9 (i've played that from start to finish more than any other game i've played, i've lost track of how many times) Tales of the Abyss (almost tied for as many play counts as Lunar 1 and 2) and The Last story, i just fell in love with that game, just everything about it love, it's one of my favorite games and i haven't even beat it yet. Sadly I only made it half way through, once i started working and didn't have the proper time to dedicate to it and really get into it, i took a break from it and haven't picked it up again yet, but i plan to start playing it soon and going to start over again from the beginning. Also not having enough alone time with my boyfriends tv (which he uses a computer monitor when hes home) stopped me from playing it, i liked having it on his big tv compared to my little thing. Another game series i love and give me the same feeling i get from when i play Lunar is the Atelier series. I know a lot of people would disagree with me and think those games aren't any what good, i must admit they have a few oddity's and wtf moments and characters, but just the story and the worlds the setting it's all magical to me, just like Lunar.

There are still great games, and Rpg's out there, their just few and far between now. To be honest i haven't been paying much attention to new games in that past couple of years, i did loose interest in what was coming out besides the few one i've just randomly hear about. But i still have faith that great games will come out, and It is hard for me to put any game before Lunar, but doesn't meant there isn't still a bunch of great games out there, and a bunch of them i still need to play.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 29 guests