Just when you thought the Suikoden series can't get any better, then you think right, my friend.
My long list of rants would start with the gameplay. Yes, it offers three different game/battle styles. However, one might notice that these gamestyles doesn't really add something exciting or new (now who would enjoy a rock-paper-scissor boss battle?).
If there's one thing I like about the game, that would be the Naval battle mini-game. Seems like it was better planned than the main game itself, in my opinion. The graphics was what you expect, solid and clean - even better than the amazing Suikoden III. Audio was way below par. Voice acting was lame, not to mention the lame scripts. But those are only the lesser of the many evils in the game.
The random encounter in this game is so freaking sick. You get more battles than running around with ten Bad Omens equipped (Wild Arms 4). This specificall took the fun away from the already fun-less game.
I don't recommend this game, buy or rent. It's just not worth your cash. Go buy yourself a Barbie instead.