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When I paid $60 for Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete at K-Mart, the clerk thought I was crazy. No one in their right mind would have bothered with such a rare, expensive item.
He didn't realize that this package contained more extras than any other limited edition box in history.
The only reason I bought it was because I wanted to see the nude anime cutscene in the game. I had seen an Electronic Gaming Monthly preview of Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete. That article showed some enticing pictures of a beautiful naked girl, Lucia, in a bathhouse. The images of that cutscene were very small, but I fell in love with her right away.
I must be weird. I selfishly paid $60 because I wanted to see a nude scene in an RPG. I ended up receiving far more than I bargained for.
The thick game box contained a magnificent amount of extra books and trinkets. I still own everything in that complete collection: the map, the thick instruction booklet, Lucia's pendant and a CD with the game's soundtrack. Oh yeah, there's also a Making of Lunar CD inside the clear plastic game case.
Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete is easily one of the best games in my collection. The silly dialogue throughout the game kept cracking me up. The sheer amount of unlockable features is also astonishing. By the end of the 80-hour epic, I owned a massive collection of playable cutscenes and bromides--still shots of my favorite characters.
I always wanted to try the previous Lunar game, Silver Star Complete, but these packages were incredibly rare. I had a hard enough time trying to find Eternal Blue Complete. I literally had to scrounge through every game store until I found the only available box in a glass display in a K-Mart store.
For a long time, I'd given up on ever playing the game in its updated form. Then one day, I somehow caught Lunar: Silver Star Harmony in a GameStop store.
I thought this was a joke. This surely seemed like a low-quality version, in the same fashion as the Game Boy Advance version. However, this miniature PSP game contained all of the features of the complete Playstation 1 edition. The graphics were revamped with higher resolution backgrounds, larger sprites and vibrant character animation.
Although I had to raise a hefty amount of money to buy a PSP, this purchase felt like one of the best decisions in my entire life. The Lunar series has a strange, wonderful magic that no other RPG could ever match. The script is somewhat campy, but the cinematic style of the story is more captivating than any other role-playing adventure.
In spite of this great package, I'm still a bit disappointed. Silver Star Harmony is missing all the ridiculous extra stuff. I understand that I bought the standard edition, but even the limited edition is unsatisfactory. Where is the hardbound 60-page instruction manual? Where is the cloth map? Where is the Making of Lunar CD?
Lunar 2 Complete could literally devour my Silver Star Harmony box.
Okay, I'm more than a little spoiled. The Lunar series has that effect on all of its fans, though. Each Playstation 1 game box used to pack in an overwhelming amount of additional artwork and collectible items. It was one of the few games that gave me everything I ever wanted for my $60.
Heck, even the limited edition items in Catherine couldn't match the goodies packed in that giant Eternal Blue Complete box. These game companies deserve to give me more for my money. Sure, I'm selfish. Long ago, I used to get everything that I bargained for.
I call that a bargain--the best I ever had.
What is the best limited edition game in your collection? Feel free to write about any of your giant packages in the comments below. Even the Wii Fit box with the balance board counts.
