What would you rate Lunar DS and why?

For discussion of Lunar: Dragon Song (Lunar: Genesis), the only Lunar game on the DS
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What would you rate Lunar DS?

1
1
5%
2
1
5%
3
8
36%
4
10
45%
5
2
9%
 
Total votes: 22

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Jyd3n
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What would you rate Lunar DS and why?

Post by Jyd3n »

With all of these 6 and 7 reviews out there i was wondering what the fanbase would rate the game. I'm givin it a 4 because so far the characters just aren't as interesting as Luna/Alex or Hiro/Lucia.

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HuBBsDoctor
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Post by HuBBsDoctor »

I'm actually gonna ahve to give this one a 3. I like the story and the characters and I don't mind the two battle modes. Unfortunately the combat is now getting boring. With exception to boss fights, there is no strategy involved. That takes away quite a bit of the fun.

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Kizyr
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Post by Kizyr »

...is this on a 5-point scale? If so, I'd give it a 4/5. I already still give it a 75-80% as in my review of Genesis, but considering my grading scale (I prefer using all 1-100, instead of just 50-100) then a 75% is closer to most people's 80-90%. KF
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GhaleonOne
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Post by GhaleonOne »

I keep fluxuating. Currently, I'm in the middle of some good plot stuff, so 4/5, but I bet when I get back to having to do jobs or a long dungeon, 3/5. We'll see when I finish as to what I think. I'll be writing a review of the game for at least four different sites, all of which use different scales.
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Fangarius
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Post by Fangarius »

Personally, overlooking some of LDS' shortcomings, I gave it a 4/5 mainly because at least this is an official RPG for the Nintendo DS, and not a 'repackaged' GBA game with Touch Screen elements tacked on for good measure.

But if GameArts and Ubisoft decide to produce a sequel here are some slight suggestions to improve on the current engine:

(1) Revamp the fighting modes: rather than just give one mode for EXP and one for items, I think the Virtue Mode should give you EXP and Items, whereas the Combat Mode would also give EXP, but also give cash.

(2) Make the Deliveries a bit more integral to the plot, or offer a better incentive for the deliveries, like so many performed ups your EXP, or you get a rare item, or get double your fee.

(3) Repair option. Though using the Termite Card prevents damaged weapons and armour, I do remember an RPG that was also frought with this problem, except in that one you could take damaged equipment to a local repair shop and get them mended, and by what material you brought along, you could actually upgrade the equipment via those repairs.

(4) Usable Sundries/Cooking System. Taking a page from Tales of Symphonia, I think it would be cool if some characters could take edible sundries and use them at the end of battles to cure the parties, which in turn, could save on health item usage.

Those are just some ideas for a LDS 2, if the companies involved have plans for producing another one, or decide to make another Lunar based game along those lines.

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Angelalex242
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Post by Angelalex242 »

I said 3.

Too much I didn't like about it...much of it spoilers...
And enough of it that's not spoilers, too...
Don't blame me, Lucia promised me lots of snuggles and cuddles if I would be her PR guy.

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SPALAX
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Post by SPALAX »

A little evaluation will lead to the rating

PROS :

Good music
Interesting history
Useful cards
Quests for blue chests

CONS

Flora :)
Broken and stolen equipment
Gad's Express being the only way to get money
Must equip accessories to use Jian's magic, I would rather protect him
Did I mention Flora?

That's it.. so as much cons as pros lead to a 3

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Hiro-67
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Post by Hiro-67 »

whats so bad about flora?

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Post by DevNall »

I give it a B, whereas I'd give Silver Star Story or Eternal Blue an A.

Mainly because:
  • Game mechanics (battle system, .etc) had kinks that needed to be worked out,
  • Some parts of the plot seemed... a little too familiar,
  • Vaguely unsatisfying ending (something I always loved about SSS and EB compared to other RPGs was that their endings always felt complete)
But maybe they'll fix these in the certainly inevitable remake. :)

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Aaron
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Post by Aaron »

I gave it a 2 cause it really just sucked...

The mechanics were good, music was great, but the story was shotty, there was no motivation for the characters really. You never ever even establish Lucia, and Jians realtionship. What it boils down to is just another save the world RPG. That is not what the other Lunars came down to.

I've very disapointed in this Lunar release.

Had they just changed the names of the vilians and the heros you'd might be playing a Final Fantasy game or a Breath of Fire game...so its really lame. ..

very very disapointed.

clearly with this story history seemed to have repeated its self, but i think if they would have worked on that it would have been okay. But it was jsut so stereotypical of all RPGS. SAVE THE WORLD I GET IT!!!!

=(

I didn't see any real depth in the story, and a lot was just stolen from Lunar 1 and some of Lunar 2
even some of the music was stolen!

so it really does diserve a 2 and it should be buried with Magic school in an unmarked lunar grave...

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Alunissage
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Post by Alunissage »

Saying the music was stolen is pretty dumb, since SSSC "stole" music from EB. And you said the music was great, so how did this alleged theft hurt anything? It served the purpose of providing some unification and connection with the other games, which is what it was supposed to do.

And have you played Magic School? Do you have any firsthand basis on which criticize it?

Don't forget to criticize every other RPG for saving the world, too, since that's a pretty common theme. Every game which continues that is stereotypical, including the first Lunars. For that matter, Magic School should be a breath of fresh air to you, since it's not about the whole world.

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Aaron
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Post by Aaron »

Alunissage wrote:Saying the music was stolen is pretty dumb, since SSSC "stole" music from EB. And you said the music was great, so how did this alleged theft hurt anything? It served the purpose of providing some unification and connection with the other games, which is what it was supposed to do.

And have you played Magic School? Do you have any firsthand basis on which criticize it?

Don't forget to criticize every other RPG for saving the world, too, since that's a pretty common theme. Every game which continues that is stereotypical, including the first Lunars. For that matter, Magic School should be a breath of fresh air to you, since it's not about the whole world.


Never played magic school and so I'll retract my statement, sorry should n'at hve said anything about it.

but

it should definately be buried along with Lunar Legends :(

I never said the theft (of the music hurt anything) its just cheap. Lunar EB I dont think stole music and it was a GREAT game. You dont need to use familiar music to give something a "Lunar Feel"

dont get me started on other RPGS...I hate them passionately

I wont ever go near Final Fantasy again...

Lunar is the ONLY rpg I can truley say I enjoyed from start to finish, same with Lunar 2

those were some crazy epic games...lovely and darn near perfect.


Regardless of what you say LUnar DS deserves a 2.

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Angelalex242
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Post by Angelalex242 »

It didn't?

Themes similar in SSSC and EBC
Dragon Theme
Dragon Cave
Golden Voice
I forget if the fighting themes are the same...
Don't blame me, Lucia promised me lots of snuggles and cuddles if I would be her PR guy.

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Aaron
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Post by Aaron »

Angelalex242 wrote:It didn't?

Themes similar in SSSC and EBC
Dragon Theme
Dragon Cave
Golden Voice
I forget if the fighting themes are the same...


we're talking about TSS and EB not SSSC or EBC

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Dragonmaster Lou
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Post by Dragonmaster Lou »

I give it a four, though I guess a "high three that rounds up to four" would be more accurate.

I actually liked the story, and with the exception of Lucia (who never got a chance to develop), I thought the characters were pretty cool. The music was quite good as well, and the game managed to keep a feel of Lunar, which is what I really wanted.

The game isn't without flaws though. I hated the weapon breaking thing, especially since even special, key equipment can be broken. It got to the point where I saved after every battle so I could reload if anything got broken. The combat system also got tedious due to the lack of strategy and the slowness of animations (three cheers for rubber bands).

I do like how they shifted away from SD sprites though.
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Alunissage
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Post by Alunissage »

Aaron wrote:we're talking about TSS and EB not SSSC or EBC

Correction, YOU'RE talking about TSS, not SSSC. Which wasn't at all clear until that post, hence why I was saying that SSSC "stole" music too, as Angelalex kindly substantiated. But really, consider how similar the dragon cave themes and Althena's theme are between TSS and EB. The difference is only slightly greater than that between DS's music and the pieces in SSSC and EB from which it borrows, to the point that another very longtime fan of the series thought that DS's dragon theme was taked from TSS's when it's actually from EB's. Ergo, EB's theme and TSS's theme are so similar as to blur in the recollection; indeed, the melody is nearly identical and it's mainly the harmony that differs between them. And I suspect that licensing issues were involved to require new pieces rather than using the same ones for those common elements.

And you're perfectly welcome to rate the game however you want; I'm not trying to argue you out of it. However, you should be sure to use real reasons in doing so.

I haven't decided on what I'd rate it myself, in part because I don't really like numerical systems or anything else so simplified, and in part because I feel I should complete it in English first, both for story subtleties which I keep having to ask other people about and to effectively use the cards and see how they affect the battle system.

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Post by alvyman89 »

I really liked the game all in all, but there were just a few things that bugged me, so i gave it a 4 out of 5. I think that you should have been able to choose who you wanted to attack so that you have more control and don't end up wasting strong attacks on a weak enemy. Also I think the two different battle system thing was a llittle unneccesary and there should have just been one. And finally I didn't like having the armor or weapons break on me causing me to load from my last save. That just made the game a little more stressful in some parts. Other than that I enjoyed the story and somewhat connected with the characters for an all around good experience.

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Post by knuckles90 »

I really like this game. Mainly my only complaint is the battle system.

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