Last year, when the Lunar Remastered Collection was first announced, I posted an episode of Review Crew that looked at the two Sega CD installments, as well as Lunar: Dragon Song on the Nintendo DS. Now, eight months later, the collection is finally out and ready for people to play. With everybody replaying these classic adventures, I thought that this would be the perfect time to see what the critics said about Lunar: Silver Star Story – Complete and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue – Complete, the first ports of these classic role-playing games. Did the critics rekindle their love for the series or were these PlayStation re-releases too old school for the 32-bit generation? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Next Generation and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. I know it looks familiar, but I assure you that this is a new episode of Lunar Review Crew!


Of all the games released on the Sega CD, Lunar: The Silver Star is one of the most celebrated. Unfortunately, due to low sales and bad timing, there were a lot of gamers who completely missed out on this 16-bit gem. Fast-forward six years and suddenly everybody is into role-playing games, which gives Working Designs a smart idea – why not re-release an updated version of Lunar on a console people actually own (as well as the Saturn). Lunar: Silver Star Story – Complete is a big ol' box full of extra goodies and a refreshed version of the first Lunar. It features a brand-new script, redone voice acting and a number of full-motion video sequences that weren't found in the Sega CD original. That's a great deal for Lunar fans, but what did the critics say? Let's find out.

Instead of starting with Electronic Gaming Monthly, I want to save them for the end. Instead, what we're going to do is start at the very bottom and work our way up. I guess that means we're kicking things off with GamePro, who was not impressed with this this PlayStation version of Silver Star Story. Giving it a 2.5 out of 5, they concluded that it “does a good job of integrating its story line into the action, but you'll eventually tire of the old-school graphics and repetitive fighting mechanics. Several enemies hit you before you can rally your troops, and using the A.I. command is no help. Another gripe is the exclusion of Lunar: Eternal Blue. Why that excellent sequel wasn't packed into this ‘commemorative' edition of Lunar is beyond comprehension (it would've helped layer this otherwise simplistic and fundamental game). Even though Lunar is called ‘complete,' RPG diehards and fans of the Lunar series will beg to differ.”

As we move up the scale, we see critics complain about the outdated graphics and role-playing elements. That ultimately led Next Generation magazine to give the game a 3 out of 5. Game Informer liked it a bit more, but was still on this side of the divide. Paul, the Game Professor, argued that “this RPG doesn't exactly break new ground in the genre. Everything in Lunar is adequate. The graphics, menus and battle control, although atypical, are nicely done. The animated interludes are a little disappointing as they are really grainy and not even full screen. That's really a small gripe, because Lunar has an entertaining story filled with enjoyable quips.” Andy, the Game Hombre, liked it a bit more, complaining that “Working Designs certainly can't meet a deadline, but it sure does put out some excellent games. While Lunar is certainly dated, it more than delivers with a big quest, a great story, beautiful music and lots of full-motion video. Generally, I don't let video alter my score, but in Lunar's case, it does a good job of keeping the story interesting. I did find that the game made you level up quite a bit, which gets a little old, but I can forgive it for this little problem. Lunar is a worthwhile product that is a must for you RPG nuts, even if you played the Sega CD version.” Game Informer ended up giving Lunar an average score of 7.75 out of 10.

On the other side of the score divide is the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, which loved Lunar, giving it a 9 out of 10. PSM also recommended the RPG, giving it a near-perfectly 4.5 out of 5. And then there's Electronic Gaming Monthly, who finds itself at the very top of the heap. Giving it an 8.5 out of 10, Che was the only critic to not break the 9 barrier. “Having never played the original Sega CD Lunar, I was surprised at how well the game holds together for being six years old. Combat in Lunar is all strategy – learning which characters are best at attacking, defending, healing and so on is key. The added Dual Shock support is welcome, and doesn't seem like an afterthought. As usual, Working Design's trademark humor is present, but it doesn't seem to override or detract from a very engaging story.” Chris, on the other hand, gave the game a 9.5, explaining what he's looking for from this type of game: “For me to play an RPG all the way through, the story has to be engaging. Lunar is as engaging as it gets. At no point while playing Lunar did I feel like anything I had to do was a chore – it was all pure enjoyment. Working Designs has done a great job translating, dubbing and adding new things to Lunar to make it a better game than any of the previous Japanese versions.”

With EGM giving the game an average score of 9 out of 10, it's clear that there are two groups for this game. Those who couldn't get beyond the 16-bit graphics and gameplay, and those who fell back in love with the story and characters. With an overall average of 76%, this “Complete” edition lags a bit behind the 83% the critics gave the Sega CD version. Let's see how Eternal Blue fares.

What a difference a year makes. When gamers went to buy Lunar: Silver Star Story – Complete on the PlayStation, we were still in the middle of a 32-bit console war and gamers were nostalgic for the 16-bit throwback. Now, it's late 2000 and not only have both the PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast hit store shelves, but role-playing fans have had a chance to finish not one, not two ... but THREE different Final Fantasy games, and that's not even including Tactics. With so much competition, some wondered if we even needed a Lunar 2 re-release. Were there that many fans wanting to return to a world filled with 16-bit sprites? Let's see if the critics were able to pull themselves away from their brand-spanking new systems to play this old school RPG.

Once again, we see a big divide between those who loved Eternal Blue and those who complained about it being outdated. The interesting trend is that a lot of the magazines that were on one side of the divide with the first game are now on the other side with this sequel. A good example of that is Electronic Gaming Monthly, which went from giving the first game a 9 out of 10 to giving this follow-up a lowly 7.7 out of 10. Gary summed it up this way: “Saying the Lunar franchise is showing its age is like calling Bob Hope old: It's a vast understatement. But the game does so many things right that it's still one of the better RPGs out there. Take the battle system: A seemingly simple turn-based setup that belies remarkable strategy depth. And then there's the story: A well-balanced mix of adventure, romance and friendship, all brilliantly enhanced by Working Designs' localization. Still, I had more fun playing the first PlayStation Lunar remake, as I found this one to be a bit buggy at times. Lunar 2 remains a timeless game, despite its dated look.” Mark largely agrees: “Eternal Blue does everything the last PS Lunar did right: A fantastic translation of a pretty good (if sometimes a bit cheesy) story, powered by truly memorable characters, topnotch voice acting, and enough extras to give Babbage's workers a hernia. The graphics are dated, but never bothered me, outside of a few cases of poor animation. Lunar is still the same solid RPG, but maybe that's why it doesn't rate higher: It just doesn't stand out like it once did anymore.”

EGM's 7.7 score is almost identical to the 7.6 average we saw over at Game Informer. Next Generation went even lower, but don't let their 3 out of 5 score fool you, because Samuel Bass still had a lot of nice things to say about this sequel. “In many ways, Lunar 2 is an archetypal RPG, packed with dungeons to explore, subquests to solve and more turn-based combat than you can shake a broadsword at. What raises it above the majority of its crypt-creeping brethren is the sheer quality of its design. Every element has been tuned to perfection, ensuring that gameplay remains enchanting to the very end. From the beautifully translated dialogue to the sparkling vocal performances, the entire game smacks of loving care and a desire to maintain the original's elegiac storytelling in the finest way possible. Bottom line: Not one for the technologically fixated, but a brilliant, timelessly charming RPG

nonetheless.” Much like the original Lunar, you saw a lot of magazines praising Eternal Blue Complete as one of the year's best RPGs. The Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine ended up giving the game a 4.5 out of 5, the exact same score they gave the first installment. Gamers' Republic, on the other hand, went with an A-. And then there's GamePro, who went from giving the first game a 2.5 out of 5 to giving this sequel a 4.5. “With an engrossing story, excellent character development and plenty of challenging gameplay, Lunar 2: Eternal Blue has what's most important in a great RPG (and it isn't flashy graphics): The creation of a strong bond between the player and the characters. Lunar 2 bonds excellently.”

With GamePro coming around, Eternal Blue managed to outscore the first game with an overall average of 81%, down just four points from the 85% the critics gave the Sega CD original. Not bad, especially given that this came out in late 2000, when people were more concerned about getting their hands on a PlayStation 2 than a 16-bit role-playing game.