Give it a little time
User Rating: 8 | Suikoden III (Konami the Best) PS2
I picked up Suikoden III recently, and have to say the game has been a very pleasant surprise. Keep in mind that I bought this game almost two years after it originally came out, and there have been a lot of improvements in games during that time. That's why it's amazing how very good the game is. The graphics do look a little dated, but they're still excellent. You can tell a lot of time and care was taken in crafting the game's characters and locations. The score is, also, a bit dated at this point. And the lack of any voice acting is a little bit bothersome. But overall, the sound is decent, the music usually fits the scenes and the sound effects are well done. As with any RPG, the story is a very important factor. The plot of Suikoden III could not have been done better. It's a well crafted, interesting story full of tremendous plot twists. Add to that the innovation of the "Trinity Site System" and you have a breathtaking game. In fact, the TSS is what makes the game so exceptional. You play through at least three different characters stories (optionally up to six) and see different key scenes from their different viewpoints. One scene can be heart wrenching and make you really dread going in and playing through a particular characters story, only to find out that what's done was all that could be done in their circumstances. The other key element of a good RPG is a good battle system. The battles in Suikoden III take a good bit of getting used to. You can have up to six characters fighting at any one tie, but you can only give commands to one character in each of the three pairs. It seems like they've taken a lot of control away, but in the long run you'd be attacking with at least half your force anyway, so it's not that great a loss. One of the better elements of the battle system is the combo attack option. Depending on how you have your characters paired up, different combos become available. For instance, pair Hugo and Fubar for the "mounted" combo, or Joker and Ace for the "Mercenary A" combo. Definitely still worth getting.
