A spin-off of Suikoden IV, perhaps the worst game of the entire series, makes it through as a well-developed game.
First off, the graphics. While the character models are by no means next-gen, it does fit in with the genre of Suikoden Tactics (refered as ST from hence forth). Sure the characters looks like as some players have put it, 'Lego like', but it does contain a surprising amount of detail. And the animation are smooth and looks natural. Even so, the cel-shaded characters does look slightly out of place when put against the background, but it's not a big deal. In addition, the spell and skill animations are well done, simple and appropriate for SRPG's. They almost remind me of the spells from FFT. All in all, the graphics in ST aren't the best, but it doesn't detract from the experience at all.
One of the better aspects of any Suikoden game is its music. The tunes played in ST are well put together. The old music from Suikoden IV and the new ones are well done, and fit in with the mood of the game perfectly. The voice acting however, wasn't as well done as Suiko IV's, not saying Suiko IV's was good. The voices weren't bad, but a lot of times lacked emotion. And some of the voices just didn't match the character. While none of the voices were like nails to a blackboard, very few of them actually hit the spot. The music was great, but the voices left quite a bit to be desired.
The gameplay, the centre of pretty much all games, is pretty well done. It's simple, yet still fun. I have played other SRPG's before so getting the hang of it was no problem. Even for new players of the genre, there are tutorials available mid-game should you ever get stuck. And for SRPG veterans, ST offers nice challenging battles throughout the game. However, it isn't flawless. One of my biggest gripes with the battle system is the heavy dependency on terrain element. Basically, the terrain element imparts to big an advantage/disadvantage. For a character standing on their own element, they get a 20% boost in stats, and get heal 20% of their HP every turn, and the opposite if they're standing on the element they're weak to. And some may find the large waves of reinforcements drag the battles out way too long. But despite that, the battle system is still fun, incorporating support characters into the mix. So basically, the gameplay is fun, but could be tweaked a little.
The story, the other half of RPG's, is much better than Suiko IV's. First of all, the character's get a whole lot more said, and therefore, more of their personality is explored. In addition to that, some of the character's backstory is fleshed out, and you may find new appreciation for characters in IV you just couldn't care less about. The dialog sometimes are a bit corny, but it generally is well written, except for several typos. The plot much better written than IV's and while it isn't the quality of the first three Suiko games, it still manages to draw you in. So long story short, its a good simple plot that works, but is by no means as complex and deep as previous ones.
So in conclusion, ST, despite being a spin-off of Suikoden IV, manages to be an awesome game. The graphics weren't top notch, but it fits the genre well. The music's well done, but the voices are like your average American game voice overs. The gameplay was well thought out, but some areas needs a little tweaking. The story is simple but good. Characters are well played out, and has the personality that Suikoden IV lacked. All in all, ST is an awesome game for the Suikoden fan or SRPG fan. For players that are trying the genre or series out, it's probably not a bad game to start.