The Suikoden Series is one of my favorite RPG series' of all time. A more cerebral alternative to the Final Fantasy Juggernaut that recieves little attention or commercial success. Here are rundowns and reviews of the 5 primary entries in the series, enjoy.
Way back in 1996, Konami released a little RPG based around political turmoil and rebellion in the Scarlett Moon Empire. This was Genso Suikoden, a strange little RPG that revolved as much around building an army of 108 Characters as it did around standard RPG style questing. This first game was left wanting in places, it was short, quite easy and the story could be described as simplistic at best, but it laid an impressive foundation for its juggernaut of a younger sibling.
In 1999, three years later, the sequel, dropping the Genso prefex and known simply as Suikoden 2, was released in the states. This is probably, in the eyes of many series fans, still the crown jewel of the series. While the political turmoil remains intact as the overall plot, the devil is in the details. Suikoden 2 tells a much more personal story of friendship, betrayal and loss in times of war and presents one of the greatest villains in videogames, the demonic Luca Blight. In terms of story, Suikoden 2 depicts villainy unlike any other game before it, and with a finesse still unmatched in current games. The primary antagonist, after a certain point in the game, is one of the most complex characters ever portrayed, with deep and meaningful motivations that govern his actions and go far beyond simple definitions. In terms of features, back are the 108 Characters, the Castle Building and the strategic minigame, but all contain more depth than before. Finding all 108 Stars of Destiny adds hours to the gameplay, and many of those quests are rewarding, there is even an alternate ending that follows the character Clive on his quest for vengeance, assuming you beat the main game within 20 hours. As well many important and likable characters from the first game make return appearances, some in even greater capacity than before. These familiar faces add a welcome sense of continuity for the series and Suikoden 2 makes the best use of them, the main character from 1 is even available as an optional ally, assuming you've beaten Number 1 and kept your save data.
As well as their standard plots, both of the first two games present an interesting side conflict between the mysterious Pesmerga and Yuber, two dark armored figures that always seem to have a greater purpose than yours, who are just passing through your conflict on the way to their own great confrontation.
Suikoden 3, released in 2002, saw many changes in the series previous format as it moved into the next generation. This title was released on the Playstation 2 and saw the series introducing full 3d graphics for the first time. While they are not up to the quality of FFX, they were still remarkable as this series contained over 108 detailed hero and villain models each with a unique flavor of their own. The second largest departure in the third series installment was the new battlesystem, which relied on a strange buddy system mechanic where a party of 6 characters acted in pairs, only one being able to directly "act" at any given time. While this new battle system was confusing and sometimes difficult, with a little strategy it does nothing to hamper the enjoyment of one of the series' best plots to date. While not quite as emotionally stirring as the second installment, Suikoden 2 presented the unique "Trinity Sight System" a strange mechanic which allowed you to view the plot through 3 primary and 3 secondary viewpoints, adding an interesting depth to the political plot, with each main viewpoint falling on a different side in the conflict. At one point midway through the tale, you are also able to finally actively select the true "main character" who will carry the story through to the finale, an interesting option that conveys lots of replay value. The 108 Stars are back and the Castle Management is more interesting than ever, as you can actively see the town and castle building around you as you recruit more characters. The tactical minigame in 3 is one of the weakest aspects of this entry into the series, being a strange positioning game that uses a randomized version of the normal battle system for conflict resolution. There aren't too many returning characters from the first two games in this one, the standby's like Vicki (Old and Young in this game) and Jeanne return, as do some interesting "descendants" of other characters, Ceaser and Albert Silverberg, the daugher of Fried Yamamoto, Lilly Pendragon (Who was only a little girl in the first game), Edge the new bearer of the Star Dragon Sword and other strange continuations of the previous Stars of Destiny and a strange revelation about 2 major series characters near the end of the game.
Suikoden 4, released in 2005, is often considered the weakest entry in the series. This enty focuses on the mysterious "Island Nations" and has an oceanic theme, replacing the tactical mini-game with Ship Based naval combat, and replacing the odd "partner" system with a stripped down, 4 Character version of the older battle system. The Story is also not as compelling as previous entries, discarding the interesting Trinity Sight System and not portraying as deep or personal a conflict as the other games, many of number 4's villains being more simplistic and unmotivated. The graphics also take a hit, coming a cross as blander and plainer than the others. What Suikoden 4 does introduce is voice acting, all of which is decent if not good. Overall the fourth entry in the series sufers from some pacing issues as well as some frustrating play related problems.
The fifth entry in the series was released in 2006 and was considerably more well recieved than its immediate predecessor. Suikoden V presented series fans with a great deal of throwback features, a 3/4 overhead viewpoint, the return of more traditional 6 character combat, more unite attacks and more connections to previous games. This tale takes place 20 years before the first game in the Falena Queendom, an oft alluded to nation in the series' other entries. It depicts the struggle of The Prince, the eldest child of the royal family unable to ascend to the throne due to the matriarchal structure of the country, against a group of political reactionaries looking to restore a more controlling government. An interest note about 5's plot is that it spends a considerable deal of time (around 8 hours of gameplay) establishing the various people and places of Falena before plunging the paradisical nation into all out war. The overall battle system is better in 5 than it has ever been before and the Tactical Mini-Game has been revamped into real time, which makes these battles a joy to engage in, as you feel more control than ever before. There are, of course, 108 Characters and a Castle to build as well as several returning (or preceeding characters) in prominent roles, characters such as the mysterious and powerful Georg Prime, the pair of bickering Sindar Civilization hunters Killey and Lorelai as well as descendants of characters in Suikoden V. Because of this excellent fusion of new and old, 5 is considered to be the second best entry in the series.
Overall the Suikoden games offer an excellent gaming experience, telling personal stories of political intrigue without the burden of a tired "save the world" plot, in contrast to many other JRPG's. I would highly recommend these to any fan of JRPG's looking for something different with the patience to track down and play these games.
Way back in 1996, Konami released a little RPG based around political turmoil and rebellion in the Scarlett Moon Empire. This was Genso Suikoden, a strange little RPG that revolved as much around building an army of 108 Characters as it did around standard RPG style questing. This first game was left wanting in places, it was short, quite easy and the story could be described as simplistic at best, but it laid an impressive foundation for its juggernaut of a younger sibling.
In 1999, three years later, the sequel, dropping the Genso prefex and known simply as Suikoden 2, was released in the states. This is probably, in the eyes of many series fans, still the crown jewel of the series. While the political turmoil remains intact as the overall plot, the devil is in the details. Suikoden 2 tells a much more personal story of friendship, betrayal and loss in times of war and presents one of the greatest villains in videogames, the demonic Luca Blight. In terms of story, Suikoden 2 depicts villainy unlike any other game before it, and with a finesse still unmatched in current games. The primary antagonist, after a certain point in the game, is one of the most complex characters ever portrayed, with deep and meaningful motivations that govern his actions and go far beyond simple definitions. In terms of features, back are the 108 Characters, the Castle Building and the strategic minigame, but all contain more depth than before. Finding all 108 Stars of Destiny adds hours to the gameplay, and many of those quests are rewarding, there is even an alternate ending that follows the character Clive on his quest for vengeance, assuming you beat the main game within 20 hours. As well many important and likable characters from the first game make return appearances, some in even greater capacity than before. These familiar faces add a welcome sense of continuity for the series and Suikoden 2 makes the best use of them, the main character from 1 is even available as an optional ally, assuming you've beaten Number 1 and kept your save data.
As well as their standard plots, both of the first two games present an interesting side conflict between the mysterious Pesmerga and Yuber, two dark armored figures that always seem to have a greater purpose than yours, who are just passing through your conflict on the way to their own great confrontation.
Suikoden 3, released in 2002, saw many changes in the series previous format as it moved into the next generation. This title was released on the Playstation 2 and saw the series introducing full 3d graphics for the first time. While they are not up to the quality of FFX, they were still remarkable as this series contained over 108 detailed hero and villain models each with a unique flavor of their own. The second largest departure in the third series installment was the new battlesystem, which relied on a strange buddy system mechanic where a party of 6 characters acted in pairs, only one being able to directly "act" at any given time. While this new battle system was confusing and sometimes difficult, with a little strategy it does nothing to hamper the enjoyment of one of the series' best plots to date. While not quite as emotionally stirring as the second installment, Suikoden 2 presented the unique "Trinity Sight System" a strange mechanic which allowed you to view the plot through 3 primary and 3 secondary viewpoints, adding an interesting depth to the political plot, with each main viewpoint falling on a different side in the conflict. At one point midway through the tale, you are also able to finally actively select the true "main character" who will carry the story through to the finale, an interesting option that conveys lots of replay value. The 108 Stars are back and the Castle Management is more interesting than ever, as you can actively see the town and castle building around you as you recruit more characters. The tactical minigame in 3 is one of the weakest aspects of this entry into the series, being a strange positioning game that uses a randomized version of the normal battle system for conflict resolution. There aren't too many returning characters from the first two games in this one, the standby's like Vicki (Old and Young in this game) and Jeanne return, as do some interesting "descendants" of other characters, Ceaser and Albert Silverberg, the daugher of Fried Yamamoto, Lilly Pendragon (Who was only a little girl in the first game), Edge the new bearer of the Star Dragon Sword and other strange continuations of the previous Stars of Destiny and a strange revelation about 2 major series characters near the end of the game.
Suikoden 4, released in 2005, is often considered the weakest entry in the series. This enty focuses on the mysterious "Island Nations" and has an oceanic theme, replacing the tactical mini-game with Ship Based naval combat, and replacing the odd "partner" system with a stripped down, 4 Character version of the older battle system. The Story is also not as compelling as previous entries, discarding the interesting Trinity Sight System and not portraying as deep or personal a conflict as the other games, many of number 4's villains being more simplistic and unmotivated. The graphics also take a hit, coming a cross as blander and plainer than the others. What Suikoden 4 does introduce is voice acting, all of which is decent if not good. Overall the fourth entry in the series sufers from some pacing issues as well as some frustrating play related problems.
The fifth entry in the series was released in 2006 and was considerably more well recieved than its immediate predecessor. Suikoden V presented series fans with a great deal of throwback features, a 3/4 overhead viewpoint, the return of more traditional 6 character combat, more unite attacks and more connections to previous games. This tale takes place 20 years before the first game in the Falena Queendom, an oft alluded to nation in the series' other entries. It depicts the struggle of The Prince, the eldest child of the royal family unable to ascend to the throne due to the matriarchal structure of the country, against a group of political reactionaries looking to restore a more controlling government. An interest note about 5's plot is that it spends a considerable deal of time (around 8 hours of gameplay) establishing the various people and places of Falena before plunging the paradisical nation into all out war. The overall battle system is better in 5 than it has ever been before and the Tactical Mini-Game has been revamped into real time, which makes these battles a joy to engage in, as you feel more control than ever before. There are, of course, 108 Characters and a Castle to build as well as several returning (or preceeding characters) in prominent roles, characters such as the mysterious and powerful Georg Prime, the pair of bickering Sindar Civilization hunters Killey and Lorelai as well as descendants of characters in Suikoden V. Because of this excellent fusion of new and old, 5 is considered to be the second best entry in the series.
Overall the Suikoden games offer an excellent gaming experience, telling personal stories of political intrigue without the burden of a tired "save the world" plot, in contrast to many other JRPG's. I would highly recommend these to any fan of JRPG's looking for something different with the patience to track down and play these games.
