Before I go into it any further, I would like to point out that I'm a fan of the previous games in the series and I find they are all under-appreciated by the reviewers in general (albeit I never played Suikoden 3, due to it's lack of a European release). That being said, let's move on to my opinions on this game, Suikoden 4. Being a fan of the two first games, I was very accustomed and I much appreciated the 2D pixel graphics that it harbored, it gave the game a certain cozy intimate feeling and it also made the game very colorful. I was worried that going 3D would ruin some of the 'feel' that the games had. This, of course, made me second guess buying Suikoden 4 along with other aspects people had brought up (battle frequency, dark HQ, etc. etc.) but I took a chance and bought it. And I'm very happy I did. The graphics in the game was surprisingly good, though I'm not kidding myself saying they're amazing, because they're not. But they certainly work for the game and they still managed to harbor the 'Suikoden' feeling. The rune effects were more subtle and less flamboyant than previous installations which in a way was a nice twist on things but it also made a significant difference in how powerful they felt in contrast to how powerful they actually were. Though I don't say they should make all magic much more flashy, some of the higher level magic should have been given slightly more effects to them. Even the combination attacks are more fun to look at. Talking about graphics, let's talk about the headquarters. Many people said that the HQ was very dark and depressing and that it was all done when you got it. But either they must have had a dark TV or I have low light standards because I didn't think the HQ was dark nor depressing. I always like how things slowly progress when more and more people move into your HQ, always have. Though the changes aren't as big as in previous installations, it is still enough for one to explore the ship after having acquired more characters to see what's been changed. I must confess that I am also a big fan of the music in the Suikoden games, many people state that Suikoden is not famous for it's music and it's something that I've always thought was rather surprising, I'll admit that the music is very subtle sometimes and often it's very soft and not 'grand,' but that also helps the game get it's feeling. This time around there's also voice acting in the game and it was something I, again, was very worried would take the game down a bit, but, to my surprise the voice acting was quite good (and I also noted that it got better as the game progressed). There are some character who's voices are less convincing or just plain annoying (Yes, I'm looking at you Rita). But the annoying one is optional and not one you had to listen a lot to, the one of the less convincing one feels like they're overacting a bit. But for the most part all voice actors do a solid job of bringing the characters to life. About that, our protagonist MUST get a voice, there are scenes where an animation and being able to pick a two way answer simply doesn't do it for me. The fact that the main character has no voice, and as such rarely voice his opinion, makes it hard to get to know him. But seeing as you play the main character you kind of flesh him out on your own depending on your playing style and own take on the story. Unfortunately the game is not deep enough to where you could pick different answers to shape him in the game as well. However, the story is a solid one and it has a lot of paralells to previous games, making you smile when you see the connections it makes. This time around the big battles have changed to a 'strategic' boat battle scenario. I put strategic inside apostrophes because there's not much strategy going into them, as long as you pick the right runes and have a decent fire range, you should be able to beat the other ships pretty easily. One thing this installation of Suikoden did add that was a great benefit for the player was the training room. No need to run around on the map looking for stronger monster each time you reach a certain level, in the training room on the HQ you can level yourself all the way up to level 99 if you so wish, making it easier to catch up if the story is moving along faster than your XP is. There's also still the trading system for those who want to quickly get some potch (the currency in the game). By each trading post there will be someone standing that can give you advice where to sell or buy certain things to help you earn more. I found this to be a very helpful way to get the potch for sharpening up those weapons you've been neglecting or to buy resources for your party. The game also features a handful of mini games either with characters you recruit or in certain places in the world that adds to the entertainment value of the game. Though I miss the cooking contest from Suikoden 2. Overall, Suikoden 4 is a solid RPG experience with a wonderful cast of characters (with voice to boost) and a very good story. It still has some things it needs to improve on (less loading times inside cities for one) and some things it needs to take back (such as 6 man party) and I wouldn't complain if the made the game longer. But even so, I'm pleased with the game and the negative doesn't outdo the positive and fun aspects of the game making it a enjoyable gaming experience for quite a bit of time, but due to some of the negatives, it may not appeal to the casual RPG player as much as to the avid Suikoden fan.
Suikoden IV seemed plagued with problems from the get-go. Previews of the game panned it for losing that magical quality that made the series as a whole such a memorable experience. Released features such as the reductio... Read Full Review
This game could have been much more than it ended up being. The mechanics were bad enough to shoo away casual RPG fans, and the severe departure from the Suikoden franchise alienated Suikoden fans. In every Suikoden ... Read Full Review
