Not the best in the Suikoden saga, but not even half as bad as many hardcore fans would have you believe.
User Rating: 7 | Genso Suikoden IV PS2
Suikoden 4, the first prequel in Konami' Suikoden RPG brand, is one of the most controversial rpg to came out on PS2. Released in 2005 after a long time since the third chapter, Suikoden 4 was seen by the fans as a blow to their expectations since there were no returning characters (with two exceptions) among the usual 108-strong cast, the plot was surely under-developed in some parts and the battle system rejected the six-person-party that was one defining trait of the series since Suikoden 1, preferring a four person one. Based upon the struggle for independence of the Island Nations (located south of the continent on which the previous Suikodens were played) against the looming Kooluk Empire , Suikoden 4 sports nice, if a bit dull, graphics and a so-so sound compartment, with musics that range from uninteresting to excellent. As always in the Suikoden series, the battles are as easy as breathing: button-mashing can get you ot of 99% random encounters, discouraging a tactical approach and making almost useless the decent character customization. The other big problem regarding gameplay is travelling on the world map: since it is a sea-based setting, you get to move on ship, but this really gets nasty since it moves slow as hell, the distance between islands is sometimes absurd and the world map at first is fogged. At the middle of the game you can recruit veteran Viki and that gives you the option to teleport, but the problem still remains. Plotwise, Suikoden 4 incurs in some problems. The game feels minimalist at times as your objectives are linked to visiting the same few places over and over, and worst of all the game is left a bit unresolved since in the end you get to see only a coastal fortress of the enemy Kooluk Empire and at the end it seems that things just aren't settled for good. This underdevelopment made necessary a sequel for Suikoden 4 in order to elaborate more on the politics and history of the Island Nations and Kooluk, and so Suikoden Tactics came out as a Suikoden 4 spin off. Moreover, many of the 108 allies you can recruit join you simply talking them and for no apparent reason; true, even in the other Suikodens there were such events, but here the plot-functional characters are fairly outnumbered by random people who happen to join your cause on a whim. In the end, Suikoden 4 is probably the less polished Suikoden game, but the worst Suikoden is not by any mean the worst rpg: compared to the vast majority of PS2 rpgs it still feels a nice game, and probably a fan would like to play it at last for completeness'sake. 
