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[SatelliteOfLove]

It probably didn't hurt that

Spoiler

Luc was a former party member in both games

Oh yeah. That's top shelf video game character development there.

 

[Hours Left]

V was nearly flawless to me. Besides some retreading in the narrative department, and a slightly underwhelming climax, I think it was really superb. It took all the best elements of the series and used them to their fullest extent.

 

[BurningNad]

I managed to get a copy of Suikoden 1 for $20 at Toys R Us back in the day. Still have it, along with 2. Love those games, couldn't stand anything after.

 

[Aeana]

V was nearly flawless to me. Besides some retreading in the narrative department, and a slightly underwhelming climax, I think it was really superb. It took all the best elements of the series and used them to their fullest extent.

I love everything about 5 except the RTS nonsense. It really is a great game.

 

[Basileus777]

V was nearly flawless to me. Besides some retreading in the narrative department, and a slightly underwhelming climax, I think it was really superb. It took all the best elements of the series and used them to their fullest extent.

Lucretia exists, so I can't agree with you here. Such an awful character that dominates the game.

 

[Edgeward]

I managed to get a copy of Suikoden 1 for $20 at Toys R Us back in the day. Still have it, along with 2. Love those games, couldn't stand anything after.

I managed to get mine for 10 at TRU as well. Months after 2 was released. The best videogame decision I made was getting II on release month over FF8

 

[Dark Schala]

I like the quickness of Suikoden I & II's battles though, III just dragged along.

I think V is the perfect balance of the various systems. The skills and formations added the more strategic elements, but the quick battles still remained.

Great war battles too.

Same. I liked the respect that the first two GS games had for the player's time. The battle systems in the games aren't super-stellar (and tbh, the fifth game probably has the best iteration of the quick-paced system due to the formation system... which could easily break the game if you wanted it to), but I played them for the narratives.

GS2 probably has my favourite war battles.

Sorry for the short response to this stuff but I'm working on a few things for this week that are rather verbose right now. :/

I managed to get a copy of Suikoden 1 for $20 at Toys R Us back in the day. Still have it, along with 2. Love those games, couldn't stand anything after.

Well, I haven't seen you in the longest time! Hello! :O

I love everything about 5 except the RTS nonsense. It really is a great game.

Finally we agree on something!

 

[kswiston]

That RTS mini game was so fun to use ..i strongly disagree

Also i have to agree that the loading times are Suiko 5 main problem ... but as a game only it's not a problem ( considering that you can play without them now)

To each their own with regards to the RTS part I guess.

How do you play Suiko 5 without the loads? Emulator?

EDIT: I suppose some people also have harddrives in their ps2s... I am stuck with my 80GB PS3 and HDD-less PS2.

 

[Augemitbutter]

i think Tierkreis is the only game i won't ever replay.

 

[BassForever]

i think Tierkreis is the only game i won't ever replay.

Tierkreis is the only English game I don't own (well and S2 but that's 200 dollars). Been avoiding it because it looks and sounds pretty awful even compared to S4.

 

[Dark Schala]

Tierkreis is the only English game I don't own (well and S2 but that's 200 dollars). Been avoiding it because it looks and sounds pretty awful even compared to S4.

It's a decent DS RPG with a great soundtrack, but it's a bad Suikoden game... if you get what I mean.

I had to restart the darn thing three times to get through it and finish it off because I lost interest in it every time I tried to get through it.

 

[Augemitbutter]

Tierkreis is the only English game I don't own (well and S2 but that's 200 dollars). Been avoiding it because it looks and sounds pretty awful even compared to S4.

it is awful as a Suiko game. Konami put a lot of work into it though, so it might attract new audiences. it's a pity they couldn't come up with a better battle sys. it feels pointless to fight most of the time.

 

[kswiston]

It's a decent DS RPG with a great soundtrack, but it's a bad Suikoden game... if you get what I mean.

I had to restart the darn thing three times to get through it and finish it off because I lost interest in it every time I tried to get through it.

I never made it through the game, but what I played wasn't that horrible if you forget that it was sharing the Suikoden name. My main issue was the godawful polygon models. I know they probably chose polys over sprites for budgetary reasons, but it was a squandered opportunity to recapture the feel of Suiko 1 and 2.

 

[Augemitbutter]

the models are awful. it was downright criminal to use ugly DS 3D instead of beautiful 2D sprites. shame on everyone who went down that route.

 

[Aeana]

It's a decent DS RPG with a great soundtrack, but it's a bad Suikoden game... if you get what I mean.

I had to restart the darn thing three times to get through it and finish it off because I lost interest in it every time I tried to get through it.

The main problem I have with Tierkreis besides the awful font and Motormouth McGee in the hero spot is the dungeon design. I also think it's not really balanced very well.

I really wouldn't call it a decent RPG regardless of anything, because even I couldn't finish it. And if you say it took you 3 times, I would think that would say something as well. You even managed to finish Sonic RPG.

 

[AuthenticM]

I heart Suikoden. They are among my favorite games of all time. Except 4. Fuck 4.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Suikoden 3 is awesome and I will fight you if you disagree with me.

Just saying.

I fully agree with this. It pierces my gaming soul when I hear people who have negative thoughts on it. I loved how the stories worked and came together. The characters were awesome (Chris rocks), I enjoyed the various different pacings the game offered with the different storylines, I love the relaxing tone of Thomas's stuff. Gameplay was good. Not as great as it could be but good.

Suikoden 2 was absolutely incredible for me. Got 3 and splat, crap in my face. I'm your backup against Aeana, Dark Schala. The game looks so bad and performs so poorly that it was just too distracting. The S2 sprites are stunning.

I hate you.

 

[Hours Left]

Tierkreis is an average RPG and a horrible Suikoden game.

 

[Cpt Conifer]

I'm a little disappointed by HG101's article on Suikoden, because he slams the artwork in the first game and somehow thinks the 2nd one is a huge improvement in that regard. In truth, it's the opposite. The artwork in the first one is the best, and it gets a little bit worse with each subsequent game. I'm not talking about the sprites per se, I agree they made some improvements in S2. But not only is Tir McDohl by far the coolest of them all, all of the portraits have a more authentic, traditional ink and watercolor look. They look like they were scanned in. By the time S2 rolled out, it was already looking a little plainer, like a stylistic downgrade that was painted entirely with a Wacom tablet.

 

[Dark Schala]

The main problem I have with Tierkreis besides the awful font and Motormouth McGee in the hero spot is the dungeon design. I also think it's not really balanced very well.

I really wouldn't call it a decent RPG regardless of anything, because even I couldn't finish it. And if you say it took you 3 times, I would think that would say something as well. You even managed to finish Sonic RPG.

Thatgarbagefont... heydoyoulikethecruddydescenderswehavehere?

I guess I finished it because I'm stubborn; I didn't feel attached to it, and thus took 3 times to finish it, because it wasn't what I wanted from the series at all. I didn't like the dungeon design or the move to the Marks of the Stars either (which really didn't sit well with me). I don't know if a lot of people would notice the balancing (because the GS games are easy already), but it did need a hard mode patch.

I did like the background art and the music, so it had that going for it. Removing it from the series proper, I think it would be an alright RPG to pick up if you needed something new to play. At least, people I know who hadn't had prior experience with the series thought it was good when they picked it up. But that's merely an anecdote which doesn't amount to much, I suppose.

I didn't know you didn't finish Sonic RPG. It's better if you didn't. Edit: I feel like I misread that. Regardless... The ending's crap and the final dungeon music is a horrendous remix of the original, but yeah... it's hilarious that I managed to finish it off in one go. Probably because it reminded me a lot of the comics.

I'm a little disappointed by HG101's article on Suikoden, because he slams the artwork in the first game and somehow thinks the 2nd one is a huge improvement in that regard. In truth, it's the opposite. The artwork in the first one is the best, and it gets a little bit worse with each subsequent game. I'm not talking about the sprites per se, I agree they made some improvements in S2. But not only is Tir McDohl by far the coolest of them all, all of the portraits have a more authentic, traditional ink and watercolor look. They look like they were scanned in. By the time S2 rolled out, it was already looking a little plainer, like a stylistic downgrade that was painted entirely with a Wacom tablet.

I think both Fumi Ishikawa and Junko Kawano's art are fantastic. But I have to disagree with your opinion of GS2's/Ishikawa's art. I like her style, especially in the art in the artbooks as opposed to the character portraits. I like how she outlines things (it's easy to see in the Castlevania artwork) and I love the colours she uses in her designs. But to each their own, I guess.

But, ah, good on thinking Tir's design is great. I think so too. >.>

If you like GS5's artwork, you should look into Kaori Fujita's Fs5 book. It's not only limited to GS5 stuff, but a lot of the original designs in there are interesting to look at.

 

[R_thanatos]

To each their own with regards to the RTS part I guess.

How do you play Suiko 5 without the loads? Emulator?

EDIT: I suppose some people also have harddrives in their ps2s... I am stuck with my 80GB PS3 and HDD-less PS2.

3 ways :

-PS3 backward compatible ( hard to find i know )
.....
-PS2 with a legal copy of hdloader ( yes i have one of the very few legal copies , unlike the rest of the internet ) it's at least legal in my country
...
-Emulator

I only experienced the loading times after i went to a friend house after i've played SUiko5 to death On ps2 with a hard drive the game is very fast to load , so there was no problem for my personal experience.

---regarding the rts thing i liked the fact that it allowed some degree of stratégy while keeping thing simple .. i understand that people don't like it but there was nothing really wrong with the design of this part of the game.
it also Imo allowed for higher scale battles than in suiko 3 so it can't be that bad

 

[suzu]

I'm a little disappointed by HG101's article on Suikoden, because he slams the artwork in the first game and somehow thinks the 2nd one is a huge improvement in that regard. In truth, it's the opposite. The artwork in the first one is the best, and it gets a little bit worse with each subsequent game. I'm not talking about the sprites per se, I agree they made some improvements in S2. But not only is Tir McDohl by far the coolest of them all, all of the portraits have a more authentic, traditional ink and watercolor look. They look like they were scanned in. By the time S2 rolled out, it was already looking a little plainer, like a stylistic downgrade that was painted entirely with a Wacom tablet.

I like every entry's art. I prefer Ishikawa Fumi's (2, 3) just a little more though.

 

[Wilsongt]

What is with all of this 3 hate? When I first started playing it I hated it, sure. But, when I went back to it, I fell in love.

IV is a real stinker, and V is just amazing. I shed manly tears.

 

[R_thanatos]

What is with all of this 3 hate? When I first started playing it I hated it, sure. But, when I went back to it, I fell in love.

IV is a real stinker, and V is just amazing. I shed manly tears.

it's not hate ... Suiko 3 could have been awesome/amazing if this wasn't this little problems

the trinity sight system was a good idea and the reveal too.. it' s just that ...

 

[Akselziys]

One of my favorite series <3 My favorite character is

Spoiler

Pesmerga

My hierarchy would be:

5 = 2 > 1 = 3 > 4/Rhapsodia


Suikoden 5 & 2 are the epitome of love! 1 & 3 are pretty great too!

4 was just okay, but turns to pretty good when played back to back with Rhapsodia.

You just won't get the full Suikoden 4 experience without playing both IMO.

 

[Dark Schala]

I'll say something nice about GS3.

Chris is one of the best protagonists in the series next to Tir and Nash.

4 was just okay, but turns to pretty good when played back to back with Rhapsodia.

You just won't get the full Suikoden 4 experience without playing both IMO.

Completely agree with this. GS4 benefits a lot from Rhapsodia.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

V was nearly flawless to me. Besides some retreading in the narrative department, and a slightly underwhelming climax, I think it was really superb. It took all the best elements of the series and used them to their fullest extent.

I didn't like how the villians kinda...disappeared for large stretches there towards the end, held up by like one major villian, who was only an expy.

Lucretia exists, so I can't agree with you here. Such an awful character that dominates the game.

No.

 

[Hours Left]

Might as well make it official...

V = II > I > III > Vol. 2 > Vol. 1 > Tactics > IV

 

[R_thanatos]

Might as well make it official...

V = II > I > III > Vol. 2 > Vol. 1 > Tactics > IV

nice ! i'll just update it a little

V = II > I > III > Vol. 2 > Vol. 1 > Tactics > IV = Centennial Tapestry >>>Tierkreis

 

[kswiston]

3 ways :

-PS3 backward compatible ( hard to find i know )
.....
-PS2 with a legal copy of hdloader ( yes i have one of the very few legal copies , unlike the rest of the internet ) it's at least legal in my country
...
-Emulator

I only experienced the loading times after i went to a friend house after i've played SUiko5 to death On ps2 with a hard drive the game is very fast to load , so there was no problem for my personal experience.

Are you talking about Hardware or software PS3 backwards compatability? I have the 80GB MGS4 Bundle PS3 that was the last model with (software) backwards compatibility I believe. It's been a long while since I have played PS2 games on it, and I don't think I ever tried Suikoden V. Are the load times really that much shorter?

 

[Big Papa Husker]

Did you decide to import a Suikoden 1 save file for it?

Because I... well... I kind of go nuts over the sidequest you can do in that game if you import Suikoden 1 save data. >.>

It's the stats. Those stats are to die for.

Edit: Gaaaah, I wanna fangirl over the stats.

Yep. I did import my Suikoden save.

 

[Laughing Banana]

I really love Suikoden V. And II. And III. Like (not "love") IV and I.

My ranking: V >>> II >> III >> IV >>> I

V it's my "perfect" game that strikes all the right chords for me. The atmosphere, the artstyle, the gameplay, the story, the characters, everything and anything in it resonates for me.

I despise Tierkreis. Indifferent towards Suikoden Tactics.

And I guess... it is pretty safe to say that the Suikoden series is doomed already, yeah? Because Konami is too busy sucking on Kojima nowadays and being suck in general themselves nowadays, tch.

 

[A.E Suggs]

Suikoden 3 is awesome and I will fight you if you disagree with me.

Just saying.

I'll fight with you as well, what are in need of I dabble in magic.

V was nearly flawless to me. Besides some retreading in the narrative department, and a slightly underwhelming climax, I think it was really superb. It took all the best elements of the series and used them to their fullest extent.

I think I love you man , we understand the love of Suikoden V

 

[Karsticles]

I'll fight with you as well, what are in need of I dabble in magic.

Aeana can cast Ban Member, your prestidigitation is no good here sir!

 

[Dark Schala]

Yep. I did import my Suikoden save.

Yaaaaaaay~

I await your post about certain stuffs because I want to fangirl and gush over stats and customization.

 

[Wilsongt]

I'll say something nice about GS3.

Chris is one of the best protagonists in the series next to Tir and Nash.


Completely agree with this. GS4 benefits a lot from Rhapsodia.

...You get a pass. Chris is indeed excellent, and I love how the game developers her. Makes her a complete bitch, and then you fall in love with her.

I shed manly tears during her Second Chapter. Yun. ;.;

 

[Laughing Banana]

Suikoden III has so many awesome characters.

Chris, Geddoe, Thomas, and the ever reliable Captain Duck, hahaha.

Not to mention the real motivation behind the actions of the main antagonists was just really heart-breaking and sad...

 

[A.E Suggs]

Aeana can cast Ban Member, your prestidigitation is no good here sir!

I always forget that big tidbit lol. Even Kings and Queens need not fight alone.

 

[R_thanatos]

Are you talking about Hardware or software PS3 backwards compatability? I have the 80GB MGS4 Bundle PS3 that was the last model with (software) backwards compatibility I believe. It's been a long while since I have played PS2 games on it, and I don't think I ever tried Suikoden V. Are the load times really that much shorter?

i've only tried the PS2 HDD and the emulator methods ..i can confirm that both of them have the loadings to the point that you only see 1 or 2 cycles of animations ( so it's very short )

I've read that some people with PS3 backwards had the same results so i wrote those too.
i can't confirm myself besides having a PS3 backward compatible since the hardware compatibles ones weren't sold in europe ( for your case ).. Also i have an US copy of suiko 5 , not a Pal one so i can't try even with PS3 software emulation.

 

[Hours Left]

I'll say something nice about GS3.

Chris is one of the best protagonists in the series next to Tir and Nash.

Chris' Grasslands outfit is probably my favorite female protagonist design ever.

 

[TheExodu5]

3 ways :

-PS3 backward compatible ( hard to find i know )
.....
-PS2 with a legal copy of hdloader ( yes i have one of the very few legal copies , unlike the rest of the internet ) it's at least legal in my country
...
-Emulator

I only experienced the loading times after i went to a friend house after i've played SUiko5 to death On ps2 with a hard drive the game is very fast to load , so there was no problem for my personal experience.

---regarding the rts thing i liked the fact that it allowed some degree of stratégy while keeping thing simple .. i understand that people don't like it but there was nothing really wrong with the design of this part of the game.
it also Imo allowed for higher scale battles than in suiko 3 so it can't be that bad

Totally worth playing on an emulator. Runs great from what I've played, and the art style really benefits from increased IQ.

 

[Wilsongt]

Chris' Grasslands outfit is probably my favorite female protagonist design ever.

Yes. Love it.

 

[Dark Schala]

Do you know what I like the most about Chris's designs? She doesn't appear to be outrageously thin, nor do they go out of their way to sexualize her. For some reason, I find that a little comforting.

...You get a pass. Chris is indeed excellent, and I love how the game developers her. Makes her a complete bitch, and then you fall in love with her.

I shed manly tears during her Second Chapter.

Spoiler

Yun. ;.;

I loved how that chapter was handled because it truly endeared her to the player in a wonderful way.

I don't hate any of the mainline games. There are some I think very highly of, and some I feel are my GoaTs, but there are others that I don't think highly of because their designs don't jive well with me, btw. I like the story in most of them. That's what Suikoden's strongest suit is.

Not to mention the real motivation behind the actions of the main antagonists was just really heart-breaking and sad...

It hit me the most because... (endgame Suikoden III / post-climax spoilers)

Spoiler

I used that person a lot in GS1 and GS2, so... I was hoping I'd be able to use him/her in GS3--well, I eventually did, but it certainly didn't go the way I had expected it to go. It was handled pretty well, imo. That's why I want a Harmonia game, dammit!

Fuck Konami.

 

[Alias Greed]

I was having a great happy day. Until I decided to check GAF and I saw this thread lol. Now I'm sad. Suikoden will always have a place in my heart and I will never lose hope that a real Suikoden VI will be made some day. If Konami has time to make Frontier Gate+ I'm sure they can work on Suikoden VI.

Now I hope a fan group translates Suikoden PSP so I can enjoy it. I do own the game but since I don't speak or read Japanese I can't enjoy it.

Suikoden Rankings:

3 = 2 > 5 > 1 > 4. Although I will say 4 becomes a lot better game when you combine it with rhapsodia.

 

[TheExodu5]

Chris' Grasslands outfit is probably my favorite female protagonist design ever.

In any outfit, I'd nominate Chris as being the most sensibly designed female protagonist in gaming.

 

[Hours Left]

In any outfit, I'd nominate Chris as being the most sensibly designed female protagonist in gaming.

But it's not just sensible, but stylish as well, and interesting, and attractive, etc.

I may be a gay man, but I don't think a female character's design needs to be completely sexless in order to avoid the the common trap of the "vixen" archetype. There is so much middle ground that goes completely unexplored. Chris' design is like a master class in thoughtful design.

Male characters on the other hand... Loincloths for (almost) everyone!

 

[zeroshiki]

Lucretia exists, so I can't agree with you here. Such an awful character that dominates the game.

Thank you. I thought I was the only one who hated her. She was basically Deus Ex Machina in frilly clothing.

"Oh hey, you're the leader of the rebellion but I won't tell you about my plan of surrendering the whole castle."

"Go fetch me some water."

The fact that she had unrealistic plans for pretty much everything killed it for me. The previous strategists (Mathiu, Shu, hell Apple and Cesar) all made fuckups but of course not her.

 

[Laughing Banana]

It hit me the most because... (endgame Suikoden III / post-climax spoilers)

Spoiler

I used that person a lot in GS1 and GS2, so... I was hoping I'd be able to use him/her in GS3--well, I eventually did, but it certainly didn't go the way I had expected it to go. It was handled pretty well, imo. That's why I want a Harmonia game, dammit!

Fuck Konami.

Suikoden III was chock-full of many emotional moments that really tugs your heartstrings. Thomas' journey, the final fate of the original Flame Champion, etc etc etc.

Also, I really like Chris. She's not sexualized, she kicks ass, and she also cries when something unsettles her. Strong, but can also be fragile and emotional. Fantastic.

Also, the best sidequests of all time:

 

[Edgeward]

I still love the quest of going in Greenhills the first time. I don't care how anime it felt. Taking different members into it every playthrough is something I look forward to.

 

[IrishNinja]

here for this!

still gotta try 4 & tactics one day. 5 was as good a send-off as any JRPG series has had since Phantasy Star IV.