Worth it to buy a Saturn?

[gamevet]

Yeah, I own Lunar Silver Star Story Complete for the Saturn and it's one disc with chip generated audio. I'm pretty sure it's chip generated on the PS1 too because you can hear the typical downgrade that you had going from Saturn to PS1 with audio in that generation. Basically it's similar to Megaman 8 in that certain songs sound richer and have better instruments here and there.

Guess what? The Playstation version comes on 2 discs and Lunar 2 is on 3.

And Agos, there's only 1 MPEG version of Lunar, it's Silver Star Story Complete. It costs about $20-$30. Still less than the corresponding PS1 version. The VCD card will set you back around $30ish as well. If anything getting that version and the hardware costs will bring the cost up to that of the PS1 version of the game. If you already have the Hardware though, the price comes down significantly. You don't need to get the MPEG version though. You can go with the Standard version for $10 if you want.

The funny thing is, the Playstation versions are called Silver Star Story Complete and Eternal Blue Complete. The Saturn's MPEG version should be compared to them, not the gimped regular edition.

[j_factor]

The "Complete" was just added to the title by Working Designs, and signifies the extra crap they bundled with the game. It doesn't have anything to do with anything else.

[gamevet]

The "Complete" was just added to the title by Working Designs, and signifies the extra crap they bundled with the game. It doesn't have anything to do with anything else.

It was named after the Saturn's MPEG edition of the game.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_(...Story_Complete

Lunar: Silver Star Story was initially released for the Sega Saturn in Japan in October 1996. An enhancement of Lunar: Silver Star Story, now entitled Lunar: Silver Star Story -Complete- was released for the Sega Saturn in Japan in July 1997 and later ported to the PlayStation in both Japan (May 1998) and North America (May 1999). This version benefited from having improved animated scenes, but also had new music composed by Two Five. The American release was renowned for its elaborate packaging, which included two bonus disks: a "Making of Lunar" disk and the soundtrack for the game. Also included was a cloth map of the Lunar world and a hard back manual with an excerpt from the official guide book. A North American release was planned for the Saturn version, but was scrapped due to controversy between Working Designs and Sega, and the Saturn's failing support in the US market. It was later followed by a PC port in both Japan (1998) and Korea (1999).

Yeah, Working Designs went with the "complete" monikor for the 2nd title.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

The Standard version isn't really that gimped though. You're just missing cleaner FMVs and apparently some new music.

I know the PS1 versions were extended to more discs, my guess would be the FMVs aren't as compressed. That doesn't change the fact that them music is clearly chip generated.

[gamevet]

The Standard version isn't really that gimped though. You're just missing cleaner FMVs and apparently some new music.

I know the PS1 versions were extended to more discs, my guess would be the FMVs aren't as compressed. That doesn't change the fact that them music is clearly chip generated.

Yes it is, but it's still CD quality. You'd be hard pressed to tell the difference with most of the music, unless it's a real orchestrated soundtrack. Most of the tracks of Lunar are composed with synth files.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

I guess, though I think the Saturn renditions tend to sound richer with more instruments. Where I specifically remember it in SSSC is in the first town's theme. The Saturn versions strings seem to sound richer if I remember correctly. Though I don't have Eternal Blue on Saturn or PS1 so I don't know how they compare.

[gamevet]

I guess, though I think the Saturn renditions tend to sound richer with more instruments. Where I specifically remember it in SSSC is in the first town's theme. The Saturn versions strings seem to sound richer if I remember correctly. Though I don't have Eternal Blue on Saturn or PS1 so I don't know how they compare.

The Saturn was certainly the more capable system for onboard sound, but it all depended on how the developer used it. Street Fighter Alpha should have had better character voice samples during fights, but it sounded tiny and distant compared to the Playstation version. Mega Man X4 sounds incredible on the Saturn, and it also looks better than the Playstation version.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

The issue with Street Fighter Alpha is that the one audio advantage PS1 has over Saturn is it can handle compressed audio samples, on the Saturn samples have to be stored uncompressed. So if you need a lot of audio samples in RAM at a given time on the Saturn, like for a fighting game, you either have to reduce the number of samples or lower the sample quality.

[j_factor]

Alpha 2 and 3 didn't have that problem though, just the first one.

[Aarzak]

The Saturn was certainly the more capable system for onboard sound, but it all depended on how the developer used it. Street Fighter Alpha should have had better character voice samples during fights, but it sounded tiny and distant compared to the Playstation version. Mega Man X4 sounds incredible on the Saturn, and it also looks better than the Playstation version.

MMX4 utilized streamed music on both consoles, making them sound identical. Saturn version just has an extra second of crescendo on the Intro Stage Boss and Frost Walrus Pt. 2 BGM's, nothing else different. MM8 music on the other hand was chip-generated, and did sound better on Saturn.

[gamevet]

Alpha 2 and 3 didn't have that problem though, just the first one.

I love me some Alpha 2. It's one of my favorites on the Saturn.

[sheath]

I think I prefer Alpha 2 over Alpha 3. Alpha 2 on Saturn is probably my most played Street Fighter game aside from Champion Edition in its various iterations.

[Team Andromeda]

The Playstation version of Lunar 2 has CD quality sound, as you can hear in the 3rd video. I just pulled out the official soundtrack for Lunar 2 and had it playing on my PC, while I fired up the game on my PS2. The track Brave Warrior sounds nearly identical to when I'm playing the game. I wouldn't base the sound quality of the Playstation version of Lunar 2, based on what the Saturn version has.

Do you even read what people type ?

Lunar II had chip generated music on the Mega CD I'm not on about Lunar Eternal Blue for CD music 'but' Lunar The Sliver Star when it comes to CD Music and the Mega CD version is the only one that plays the music directly of the disc and its much better than the chip music found in the Saturn and PS versions and Lunar CD music is one of the greatest soundtracks ever imo . About Lunar II, I think you really need to go back and play both games again and you'll see there's more battle animations in the Mega CD version ' Like how the character will knee down and close 1 eye when doing a magic attack, while its thereto some some point in the PS and Saturn versions, It's just done better in the Mega CD version , never mind that the re-drawn sprites (-in-Game) don't look quite as good imo.

[gamevet]

Do you even read what people type ?

Lunar II had chip generated music on the Mega CD I'm not on about Lunar Eternal Blue for CD music 'but' Lunar The Sliver Star when it comes to CD Music and the Mega CD version is the only one that plays the music directly of the disc and its much better than the chip music found in the Saturn and PS versions and Lunar CD music is one of the greatest soundtracks ever imo . About Lunar II, I think you really need to go back and play both games again and you'll see there's more battle animations in the Mega CD version ' Like how the character will knee down and close 1 eye when doing a magic attack, while its thereto some some point in the PS and Saturn versions, It's just done better in the Mega CD version , never mind that the re-drawn sprites (-in-Game) don't look quite as good imo.

I can read just fine, but there are times when your writing isn't the most comprehensible. Just look at that first sentence, that reads like the Mega CD version had chip generated music.

What you fail to accept, is the fact that the Playstation version's chip music is on par with CD. Another thing you're overlooking is that it's actually a plus for the Playstation version, because in battles whenever Luna does her spells the music has to stop for the Mega CD version.

The videos I've posted clearly show how much better the animation is in the Playstation version of Lunar 2, while in the Mega CD version the characters have 2 frames of animations for their battle poses vs. 4 or 5 on the Playstation. You just choose to ignore what is presented to you.

[sheath]

That's crazy talk. The PS1 and Saturn versions are a huge improvement over the Sega CD games, with improved cinematic sequences, better sound and more detailed art. The Sega CD version of Lunar had its problems, if you had owned the clamshell CD player, you would have to nudge it (every once in a while) after battles, because the music would stop playing.

I just had a chance to watch these and it reminded me why I couldn't get rid of Lunar 2 for PS1 fast enough. Man was I looking forward to playing that game again but every little change just pisses me off to no end. The voices music and sound effects are weird, very very weird, to the point where I want to think that they were intending for it to sound as geeky as possible. The Sega CD game sounds and looks much better to me even though it is technically inferior. Also, that first Sega CD video appears to be using emulation and I think the CD access times for the streaming music is a little slower than usual.

-edit-

I just watched the intros, the Sega CD one is chopped, a lot. That is bar none one of the best intros in video game history, I honestly can't see any changes as an improvement, least of all a Playstation style FMV replacing real time cinematics.



Then again, once people start talking I don't like the Sega CD version any better. :\