Lunar 3? - January 2005 - Lunar on the DS, Part 2 (pre-Lunar: DS)

EDITORS' NOTES (2013): In 2004, prior to the announcement of Lunar: Genesis / Lunar: Dragon Song for the Nintendo DS, there was a lot of speculation on very sporadic and vague announcements regarding a "new RPG" from GameArts, and a renewal of the "Lunar" trademark/license. Some people were optimistic (such as GhaleonOne), and some people were pessimistic (such as Kizyr). Eventually, it turned out that this would all result in Lunar: DS; unfortunately, this turned out to be a prequel and still is not considered Lunar 3. Although we know all that now, we're keeping the three "pre-DS" articles around for history.

EDITORS' NOTES (2013) - Kizyr: And after re-reading this article now, it looks like I'm rather jaded on any "Lunar 3" news, having waited for the game since 1996. So, in the future, if I'm ever skeptical of something Lunar-related, feel free to go right on being optimistic.

Kizyr here, and a bit surprised at all the less-than-substantial rumours that've been going around about the "Lunar DS" game. Many folks who check other game sites might have heard about a new Lunar game being released by Marvelous Interactive, for the Nintendo DS.

There isn't one. Quite simply, it's still a rumour, and a few places are jumping to conclusions.

What we do know is that Marvelous Interactive, Inc. (www.mmv-i.net) has a game tentatively titled "Lunar" for the Nintendo DS. For now, that's all other sites are going off of. Unfortunately, it doesn't mean anything yet.

What we have to consider is that:
1) No information about the game's contents have been released.
2) The genre is listed as "SLG", which means roughly "simulation game". The same genre name is used for a variety of games including RPGs and tactical sims (e.g., Final Fantasy Tactics), so it doesn't shed any further light on what sort of game this is.
3) Most importantly, Kadokawa Holdings still has the trademark to the "ルナ" name, and Game Arts still has the trademark to "Lunar". Couple this with the fact that this is still a tentative title for the Marvelous Interactive game.

What does this all mean?
This means that there's no evidence if Marvelous Interactive's Lunar is in any way related to the Lunar series itself. There's no evidence yet that Lunar is even the final title.

What about those who say it's a Lunar game?
Other sites have been jumping the gun. Notorious now is The Magic Box, where they claim Marvelous Interactive announced a DS version of Lunar -- unfortunately, there's zero evidence on this beyond the possible name. Also, a Games Are Fun article jumped the gun a little bit in making the connection. The only other site that seems to be getting it a little accurate is IGN - Lunar for DS, then again, ninety percent of what they said is what we've already mentioned over a month ago.

So is there no Lunar for the DS?

no one knows anything about Marvelous Interactive's "Lunar" title yet, but judging by the way the trademarks and copyrights are right now, it's not likely. Still, keep an eye on Game Arts' "New RPG" for the DS -- current speculation is that it's either a new Grandia or Lunar game.

Any way of finding out more?
Well, LunarNET will really be your best bet on accurate information. We're checking with various companies now on this game and, well, I can pretty much guarantee you that the most timely information will be released on LunarNET first. Everything else will either come after we've done the reporting, or it'll be a mix of hearsay and hype. I think some guy for some company once said 'don't believe the hype'? I could be wrong. KF

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