Rough start.
BAD THINGS:
-no camera control. The only camera control this game has is zooming in on the character making the surroundings clearer and more prettier but you will rarely use it because the towns and the areas are pretty big that you will need to see more around you to know where to go.
-you can't skip fixed dialogue or scenes. I found that at the beginning of the game, there were lots of unecessary dilaogues in the game that i would've been better of skipping and some of the cutscenes were pretty long. I guess, instead of letting me skip scenes they could've at least let me pause them.
I admit that i almost stoped playing the game (but i wouldn't dare because i loved suikoden too much) and its a good thing because things got more interesting and there were character and story developmets that intrigued me to continue.
THE GOOD:
-good character development and intrigue. I've only played about 10 hours of the game and i know that there are going to be some interesting that will be happening about the characters. Some secret is going to be spilled and i just love games of war and betrayal. It makes things soooo dramatic.
-slightly revamped battle sustem. They bring back the 6-person battles but this time they give more strategic options such as changing formations to suit the battle situation and also we have the choice of having entourage and have them switch into battle if need be.
-great character design. I mean, the graphics doesn't look all that good at first glance but when you use the zoom in option and see the villages and the people around you, you can see that they are actually quite detailed. Also, during cutscenes, the surrounds are lush and can ALMOST compare to that of grandia 3's environments.
-I've always loved the story in suikoden (i have soundtracks ^_^) and the same goes for this installement. Through my tough start it was partly the BGM that got me through because i didn't mind wandering aimlessly because there was something to keep me company. Also, the voice acting in the game was okay, but some of the dialouge (like i've mentioned) was useless.
OVERALL, it's looking like it's going to be a longer game than suiko 4 was and is definetly worth the play as long as you endure the rough beginnings and unveil a deeper story within.