A game that eventually you will love, specially for all the magic, entertaiment and emotion that offer.
The battle system is great. Here we are back to the 6 playable characters (unlike Suikoden IV) and most of all, the war strategy battles are great. If you have played Suikoden III, you might well remember that game has also the war strategies but compared with Suikoden V it was like a baby game. In this war strategies you feel more realistic, like you "are" in the war in that specific moment, unlike III which was more like a "boardgame" (like playing chest),
The sound is also a strong point: the battle theme is incredible, is very catchy. Also all the towns that you visit have it's own song theme which make each town so special. Also the creepy tunes when you are in the dungeons are great. In my opinion the best song theme is the "Oboro's song" (the detective that you first meet in Rainwall).
I think that the weak point (if we can really talk about weak points in this game) is the graphics. They feel a little bit dated, but considering all the other strong points like the amazing story, places and gameplay that you experience in the game, it doesn't matter really.
So, all in all, please buy this game. It's really the best in series so far. Specially for the story and the amazing characters that you meet and also for all the exciting time that you will spend to finishing this game.