Stunning RPG for players new to the Suikoden world.
After reading several other reviews before my purchase i was saddened by what people said as the traveling being slow and some what boring. This is not the case at all. If you were an adept gamer and read the game manual before playing u would learn of the R1 button allowing you to speed through the ocean and run faster on land. This GREATLY improved the game upon discovery.
The story, simply amazing, i was dissappointed that all the characters had voices except the main character. In one point of the game, the main character is convicted of a fellon he did not comit and simply takes it without argument. This left you not wanting to play your hero in short-shorts. However as the game progresses, you grow to like the character some what, maybe not as much as the rest, but still a decent main character.
The ship battles offered good strategic moments in the game which i enjoyed. The normal battles are also fun, possibly the fastest turn-based RPG ive seen. The characters dont wait for each other too attack but attack all at once. The combo feature is also a nice feature, it allows only certain characters who are in the same party to do a often painful blow to your enemy. These combo attacks can be leveled up. However, the rush ability, made no sense, and wasnt explained in any part of the game.
In all, Suikoden 4 is a good RPG however, if you are no stranger to the suikoden games you may want to ignore it as a suikoden game. The pointless removal of 4 man parties angered many fan boys.