Suikoden V returns the series to its PS1 roots, but it also takes the series to a whole new level, raising the bar very high. It?s probably the best game in the Suikoden series, and one of the best RPGs on the PS2. All the mainstay Suikoden features, such as recruiting up to 108 characters, acquiring a base of operations, and an epic story of political intrigue are back. In addition, some of the features from the PS1 versions, such as six character parties (with full control over them), an actual castle for a base, and a traditional world map are back as well. And everything Suikoden V does, it does well. The characters are deep and interesting; it?s remarkable how the Suikoden series continues to throw 108 characters per game at the player and manages to develop the characters better than most games that only feature 5 or 6 playables. The story is very detailed and very engrossing. There is a lot of background and set-up before the bulk of the story begins, which really makes the events that follow more meaningful. That does lead in to one of the few flaws in this otherwise brilliant game: the beginning is extremely slow paced. The first 6 ? 10 hours of the game (depending on how fast you play) are very slow without a lot to do. You can see how the story is going to set up and you can see the events coming, but you have to wait for them. Don?t be discouraged by the slow start: once the story gets going it doesn?t stop. The one on one duels, another Suikoden staple, are easily the best in the series. They still boil down to rock paper scissors, but now they are in real-time. Instead of having all day to figure out what your opponent is doing, you have to decide and react fairly quickly. It makes them much more exciting and intense, as they should be. And like the rest of the visuals, they look absolutely gorgeous. The cutscenes look very good and the spell animations look better than ever. Also back are the large scale strategic battles, and again they are by far the best in the series. The strategic battles play out over land or sea, or sometimes both. You will have anywhere from eight to 12 units to command, again all in real time. Both land and sea units operate under the rock paper scissors theory as well, with each troop or ship type being strong against another type and weak against the third. These battles are a lot of fun, although they tend to eventually degrade into one large melee, and at that point you don?t have much control. The only other major problem is the load times. The game has to load very often, and sometimes you?re staring at the loading screen for as long as five or six seconds. That may not sound like very long, but when you combine it with the high encounter rate in some of the dungeons, it can get annoying.
Suikoden. To many RPG fans, this name makes them think of epic war battles, hundreds of characters, and some of the best plots we've seen in the video game market. While not as popular or mainstream as Final Fantasy, t... Read Full Review
Suikoden got me into RPGs in the first place and I feel that Suikoden II was perfect in every way. There are many who say "I'll never give a bad review to a Suikoden game," but I gotta tell you - III was ok and IV sucked... Read Full Review
