Best Buy used to have a strange layout for the location of it's games. All of the Super
Nintendo and Sega Genesis games were located together in regular rows along with all of
the movies and compact discs. The Sega CD games however, were located in a glass case
in the car stereo/high-end stereo equipment section. This always made me feel like a
baller when I went to Best Buy to pick up Sega CD games. Unfortunately, most of the
games that I picked up were ultra shitty (the jaquar racing game, sewer shark, that video
boxing game... they all come to mind). One day though, I had the coin purse to ask one of
the clerks to let me take a look at a game with some very unique and colorful packaging...



Boom, I was sold. "Holy crap, look at that goon with the coon skin cap and that little bird
cat.. and that big scary ultra robot armor guy holding the moon in his hands.!@!!" The
colorful, raised foil packaging had sold me. I was hardly into RPG's at this time in my
gaming career, but I didn't care. Little did I know that I was taking home what would
become my favorite gaming adventures of all time. Lunar: The Silver Star.

I popped the game in and was treated to one of the most incredibly gay, totally awesome,
intros in gaming history... I still know all the words. Click the link below to indulge in the
gayness/awesomeness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX8Klu67ItE



Everything about this game was totally different from any JRPG that I had ever played
before. The translation was strong, the music kicked ass, the packaging was sick, the
characters had personality and life.. The school days were long and drawn out during my
playthrough of that game. I simply couldn't concentrate on anything other than completing
my quest to obtain the dragon relics and defeat Ghalleon (SUPER bad
ass villain, in my top 3 for sure). When I went to friends and relatives houses, I would
pack my delicate Sega CD into my bag just in case I got the opportunity to play Lunar.



Lunar's localization was worlds beyond any other RPG that was being released stateside at
the time. Working Designs really knew what they were doing. Where with Final Fantasy IV
you got broken english and botched name translations, with Lunar you got funny jokes (Still
can't believe that diamond was made of dragon shit..) and a flawless, powerfully translated
narrative that brought you into the gaming world and refused to let go. I'm pretty
sure this was the first game I ever played with animated, voice driven cut scenes. In
today's standards they wouldn't fare too well, but for 1993 they were well ahead of their
time and help drive the plot along at a great pace.



The game contained redbook audio which easily let you listen to the tunes on any stereo cd
player. I pop it in from time to time, sometimes to listen to the mega shitty intro song, and
sometimes to get nostalgic about a time when I wasn't so jaded about gaming in general.
Lunar was original and spellbinding. It will forever be the standard for the magical feeling I
get when i'm playing a game that I love and can't seem to put down.

If you get a chance, find a Sega CD and give this game a motherfucking spin. If you love
fun, you won't be disappointed.

<3
zdr