This game has very strong features and very bad features. It's just up to your priority in an RPG.
The GOOD:
- Nice character development (upgrading, item, power, etc...)
- Very nice voice acting. The voice, character personnality, character facial are a perfect match.
- Good plot when you spent some hours on the game.
- Very good graphics.
- Very nice animation in cutscene.
The BAD:
- Sounds are horrible. You feel like you're playing a stupid childish game.
- Music are boring and force you to go to sleep. Especially in the beggining.
- A lot of dialogue is unusual. A lot of chit-chat about anything and everything. Sometimes it's good because you can make your own idea about character personnality, but when you spend 2-3 hours on something unnecessary...it's kind of ... very boring. Again especially in the beginning.
- The beginning of the game has no spectacular plot and there's no action. You just walk... and find your way... and that's it.
- Battles are long to enter.
- Animations in battle doesn't match with graphics quality. It's like if the characters were doing only translation of their body... heh!
- Main character is a silenced boy. He NEVER talks.
So that's about it ! I think there's too much things that i don't like about this game. I'm more into it when the story is more "mature" and "serious". The beginning of the story offers nothing to hang on and doesn't force ouselves to want to know what will happen next. Even if the batlles are with a 6 people party, it doesn't make it up to what Suikoden III was. Story is probably nice later in the game, but the gameplay is just a disappointment. I won't be playing this one!!
But if the fact that sounds, musics are horrible and that the beginning is boring, maybe it's the game you've been waiting for.
I suggest renting it... even for Suikoden die-hard fans.