This review contains spoilers
Note: This review covers my thoughts on Lunar 1 or SEGA CD, PS1 and PSP.
The best version of the first Lunar game is The Silver Star on SEGA CD. For the record, I started with SSH on PSP, and still find TSS the best (ie no nostalgia.) A cliche adventrue RPG, but it basically created a lot of said RPG cliches (eg the Bishuonen villain.) Pros: So much more is at at stake here than the remakes. The entire village of Burg is captured and enslaved to build the Grindery. Ghaleon kills Quark with much blood. Nash is much less of a dick (he does a triple cross to gather information but comes back and explans his reasons.) Xenobia actually cares about the future of her tribe and doesn't elnslave them. Ghaleon's motavation is being driven made by grief over Dyne's "death", and it works better than the remake motivation imo. Music is better quality Redbook Audio than the PS1/Saturn remakes (PSP is the only equal in this regard.) Unless you are playing on a high-end CRT, Pixel-based proto FMV looks better on a modern display than grainy FMV in most remakes. Like all versions, you can save anywhere, and like the PS1, you have Working Designs hillarious translation and good voice acting. Bigger dungeons than PS1/Saturn/PSP. Beautiful character art. Every character has unique skills. Simple but enjoyable turn based combat, with a range stat not usually found in other RPGs.
Debatable: Random battles instead of encounterable enemies.
Cons: Fewer voiced lines than in the PS1 remake. No item/spell descriptions. Alex is a silent protagonist. Luna leaves before Saith and has little story significance/no Boat Song like in the remakes. Borderline incest between Alex and Luna in all versions.
The best version of the first Lunar game is The Silver Star on SEGA CD. For the record, I started with SSH on PSP, and still find TSS the best (ie no nostalgia.) A cliche adventrue RPG, but it basically created a lot of said RPG cliches (eg the Bishuonen villain.) Pros: So much more is at at stake here than the remakes. The entire village of Burg is captured and enslaved to build the Grindery. Ghaleon kills Quark with much blood. Nash is much less of a dick (he does a triple cross to gather information but comes back and explans his reasons.) Xenobia actually cares about the future of her tribe and doesn't elnslave them. Ghaleon's motavation is being driven made by grief over Dyne's "death", and it works better than the remake motivation imo. Music is better quality Redbook Audio than the PS1/Saturn remakes (PSP is the only equal in this regard.) Unless you are playing on a high-end CRT, Pixel-based proto FMV looks better on a modern display than grainy FMV in most remakes. Like all versions, you can save anywhere, and like the PS1, you have Working Designs hillarious translation and good voice acting. Bigger dungeons than PS1/Saturn/PSP. Beautiful character art. Every character has unique skills. Simple but enjoyable turn based combat, with a range stat not usually found in other RPGs.
Debatable: Random battles instead of encounterable enemies.
Cons: Fewer voiced lines than in the PS1 remake. No item/spell descriptions. Alex is a silent protagonist. Luna leaves before Saith and has little story significance/no Boat Song like in the remakes. Borderline incest between Alex and Luna in all versions.