Suikoden IV

THE BAD:
Encounter rate a little bit too high sometimes, last boss is very hard compared to the rest, graphics not up to the high standards today.

SUMMARY:
Alright, so this game is my first Suikoden - Germany is always the last one to get games, if we get them at all. So I started the game and first thing I thought was: "Voices! Neat!" After being tossed into a naval battle (fun!) and a regular one, I already figured I'd like the game. My high opinion faltered however when I saw the first town. Compared to games like FFX and Star Ocean 3, the graphic seems old. It's 3D all the way, but the interior is not really spendid...

However, the game got ways better after the main character finally gets decent clothes. Around that time, you'll forcefully finad out that the encounter rate on sea is very high and the ways are pretty long. Darn. However, the battles are easy. Very easy. And once you can start recruiting characters the game truely begins to shine. Some of them offer addictive minigames, some open stores and other funny stuff (especially the confession room is brilliant!) and some are fighters. The game even offers a training hall where you can raise all of your fighters to 99 in estimated 6-7 hours if you have the equipment needed.

Which brings me to the last boss. As I said, the game is very easy and if you don't use the training hall, you might be there at level 50. Sadly, the last boss with slaughter you if you aren't around 65+, which is pretty unbalanced. Of course, it also depends on your team. The replay value is high since you get a new game+, similiar to Chrono Trigger. You keep your money and most of your items, as well as some new, special stuff and a few gimmicks - now you can run around which every character, not only with your hero, which is just great!

So, I'd recommend to buy the game, even if it is very short (30-40 hours in the first game, even less in New Game+).

THE BAD:
the bad things that i dont like are that u're person doesn't have an actual voice. and i know this is on a lot of games but no one ever says his name, u shouldn't eb able to change the name so they ca say it. plus the whole 4 people in a group, since there is 108 people u should be able to have 6 fighting people and 2 support people.

SUMMARY:
all together i found this a really fun and time consuming game. most people after they get viki stop sailing, but i didn't because u have to get some exp and stuff like that to get he weak poeple strong that is one thing i found really sleep indusing (the sailing and leveling up). the weapon leveling up was ok, i thought it costed too much when it seems like u get a lot of Potch after each fight but whenu go to spend it u find that it isn't really that much. there also needed to be more ocean une peice's that u can get, wut i mean by that is that they r to hard to find, they should be like the other rune pieces.

THE BAD:
*Suikoden and Voice acting dont mix. (Not with a personalityless protagonist anyway.
*Not a great story
*Should have stuck with a 6 person battle system
*Too short
*Many characters join for the hell of it
*I didn't really like the ship battles. They were too easy.

SUMMARY:
I may have listed lots of bad points for the game but thats only because it didn't live up to suikoden 2 and 3. They could have made this game so much better and if they expanded on many things then it could have been up there with suikoden 2 and 3.

The story seemed to be way too shallow. And the relationship between snowe and hero4 could have been expanded on as well. And I really hope Konami go back to the 6 person battle system in suikoden 5.

I may be making it sound like a bad game but its now. Its still a great game with high replay value. If your a suikoden fan then you can't afford to miss it.

THE BAD:
Not too much bad, the bad parts I can live with, just.

Four men instead of six in battles
for you people that don't like change, the 'wars' are all a heck of alot different. (all on ships)
Some may think of the story as a 'side-line' story.

SUMMARY:
Since the III, I have been not too sure if I would even like this one, as you all know it is obviously in 3D, but it is ALOT, more smooth now. The characters aren't blocky and the movement is like cucumber, as in smooth as. Other reviews I read put this game down majorly! So that didn't help, but I am here to say this is the best of the four. The battle play is far better, a shame you cannot have the usual six man squad to fight with but still is great. Suprisingly there are real voices for once, and the vocal acting is excellent it's not like in a soft adult movie. (like I expected.) I do hope there is now Suikoden V. As the fourth has brought my faith in the series back to life after the III which I did not like one bit.

THE BAD:
Way to much sea based, instead of a castle you get a giant ship, and traveling by boat takes at least half an hour to move from 1 island to another, and having a random battle every 5 seco.. make that 4

SUMMARY:
well it made me have much more respect for Jowry from Suikoden 2, because your best freind this time is well named Snowe and is a real a**hole p*ssy, I won't spoil the story but yes he amasingly does betray you, and when he is captain of a ship for once he gets a little hurt ( I mean a freggin paper cut type of hurt) he runs away. The new Punishment Rune makes soul eater look weak and good for you, only 4 charcters instead of six, one really great feature because the ship travel is so bad is VIKI, this game takes place 150 yeears pres Suikoden 1, How old is she??? o yea and you amasingly see Leknaat again.. one more annoying feature no loads from suikoden 3 so you might as well free your memory card up of that data.

THE BAD:
With lots of characters comes little background and character detail. Story was about average but not as deep as previous Suikoden games. Also the ships are insanely slow, you will fall in love with Viki soon enough.

SUMMARY:
Suikoden IV is the 4th installment of the series seen here in the U.S. and is much the same as the previous three. When you get a Suiko be sure to expect tons of side games and characters to pick from. So here's my review on it.

First we start on the story. We have the hero (you name of course) who is a trainee for the Knights of Gaien on Razril. He is joined by his friend Snowe and other knights in training focused on becoming Knights themselves. As you continue to becoming a Knight several things happen to complicate your life as was ween with the Suikoden games. You then embark on a quest to right the wrongs building your own army to fight those who wish to control the weak.

This is your basic Suikoden story however I thought it lacked in creativity and depth. Compared to other Suikoden stories I felt this ranked lower then the others in terms of depth. As well as character depth as your main character pretty much has no thoughts of his own.

This is the first Suikoden to incorporate voice acting for it's characters. However it is only used in main scenes and oddly enough your character has no voice of his own. The voice acting for others was done good however you still get some weird sayings from certain characters that is common in RPGs.

Gameplay is as always top notch in Suikoden IV. The world map this time is actually more ocean then not. You use ships to traverse waters and have really no travelling by foot except in towns and dungeons. With the use of ships comes some new battles like ship battles which are strategic battles. However they are pretty simple and easy to learn so it takes little strategy at all to play.

Duels are also still part of this game and incorporate the voice acting. However they are still simple to win as they say the same things over and over at times which really lets you know the attack. The most times you will get hit is once or twice.

Battles as well have been changed from 6 characters per fight to 4. I did not like this much as with all the characters to choose I wanted more in my group. You can however choose separate ship teams to switch in and out of battle but only can be done in battles on your ship. So if your in a dungeon your stuck with the team you got.

What really makes this game fun is the extras. There are plenty of mini games and extras in this game to keep you interested at mood points of the game. Dice games, card games, coin games and so on. Also decorating your ship and stuff can be entertaining along with other little things that really shows the developers cared a lot to add these details.

The music as usually is very good. It really captures the sea like setting revolved around this game. Also at a point in the game you get a character that allows you to listen to all the songs like previous Suiko games did which is fun.

One thing that bugged me was how slow the ships are. It looks very realistic but in reality gamers want realism that is enjoyable. In GTA gamers want to steal cars not stand in line at the DMV for 5 hours. That's where Suikoden IV lost me with the ships moving too slow to the point where it was impossible to explore until getting the Champion's Rune where there are no meaningless battles. If you don't have it expect 20-30 battles from one island to another.

All in all Suikoden IV is a very good RPG. It is enjoyable from beginning to end with a few mood points but all in all very solid. I suggest this to any fan of the series or of RPG games in particular.

THE BAD:
Less attributes.
Not such a great story.
Time consuming sailing.
No mounted warriors.

SUMMARY:
This game was pretty bad compared to Suikoden III IMO, some people say its better but I disagree, I gave this game a 4.5 which is considerably high but I gave Suikoden III a 5.0 and beyond so this IS a great game but I would suggest you buying III way before you think about IV.

They took out the Training Center in this game which made your characters attributes basic.... In other words you have no effect on how your guys attack, this was not so in game III.

The story was dry and confusing.
And sailing was 90% of the game.
In game III you could ride a Griffin or other giant animals but not in this game.

The game does have some good features, the Runes are very useful and exciting to use, the different combos are cool to see and the ship as the HQ did prove in exceeding the castle in game III.

THE BAD:
Random Battles Every 2 seconds
Random Battles in the towns
Random Battles that give barely any experience
No heart and soul in the game
Boat controls are terrible

SUMMARY:
Bad, bad, bad, bad! Konami...has ruined Suikoden. Now, I have always loved this series, even III. But this one leaves you with lots of unsatisfied moments. First of all, what are you fighting for? Secondly, random battles every 2 seconds serving as a filler for an overall short game is not my idea of fun. Most Stars come to you through the story, so there's not much pursuit in getting them. There's also lots of lovely moments where you have no idea what to do next.

Now...there is good. Some fresh unique characters join you (mermaids) and you still have some cool fighting and spell casting. Game gets A LOT better once you obtain Viki, the teleporter. At that point, it becomes your standard Suikoden game of collecting characters and having wars(this time it's like playing Battleship). I find that quite fun. It's an alright game, but be ready to wanna punch something when you get to your 50th random battle, and you still haven't reached your destination.

THE BAD:
Bad gameplay mechanics such as ship controls.
Leaves you hanging during certain points in the game.
Frequent random encounters while sailing.

SUMMARY:
After clearing Suikoden IV, I had very little emotions running through my mind as I saw the ending. A fog of nothingness filled my thoughts. I knew I felt relatively positive about this game throughout my run of it, but I still wasn't ready to say it was a good game. In fact, at that point in time, I was leaning more on the other side due to how the game ended. After a few hours of reflecting on it, I have come to a conviction that the game is definitely catered for the simple at heart--and the connotation here is by no means negative.

(What little of) The storyline of Suikoden IV is very interesting. The concept of the Rune of Punishment itself has so much promise to begin with. I really applaud the storyline designers in coming up with such an intriguing centerpiece. The Rune of Punishment is one of the True Runes in the amazing Suikoden storyline and its continuing presence in the plot is definitely a plus. Aside from the Rune, the story itself centers around a young boy whose dream is to become a Knight of Gaien. It may seem like your traditional ho-hum RPG story, but it only gets better as you go through it. (That is, if you can tolerate the constant random encounters to actually get the rest of the story--more on that later.)

Perhaps the most interesting character in Suikoden IV is Snowe Vingerhut, the main character's friend, who is unlike most characters I have seen in any RPG. He is definitely not your typical knight in shining armor and his personality will have you liking him, disliking him, and even sympathizing with him all over again. The fact that he isn't even the main character of the game speaks volumes for his development as well. Still, Snowe's personality isn't enough to save the rest of the characters' lackluster designs and personalities. A good 70% of the Stars of Destiny (the characters that can join your army) hardly look all that great, and there are quite a few elderly characters as well. However, there are a few standouts that deserve to be noted. Chiepoo and the rest of the kobolds are a really great bunch that I can't see anyone disliking unless they have a phobia of cats. Kika the leader of a band of pirates is also another one of my favorites (as well as Brandeau and the rest of the pirates for that matter). I really get the feeling of Suikoden I when I see characters like Hervey and Keneth--maybe it's just me.

I was definitely impressed with how well the English voice casting was handled. For starters, keep in mind that there are a vast amount of characters in the game, so that means hiring many different voice actors (or at least, getting the same voice actors to make different voices). Second, the game has many different scenarios in which you can choose a different path--and you get different voices depending on what you answer. Now, let me also add that nearly 80% of the main storyline script is voiced, and so is most of the optional storyline script. The voices fit well with each character for the most part. First and foremost, it should be noted that the hero of the game does not have a voice in the storyline, but he does have battle voices, and you get to choose between two options for that. The rest of the characters' voices are definitely how I envisioned how they sounded--but there is one glaring exception and that is the pirate character, Kika. I really am disappointed with the choice of voice actor for this character, and her being one of my favorite characters, it's simply something I cannot ignore! The voice is too deep for my liking, but I guess they wanted to break free from the stereotypical "girl next door" voice for one of the more important characters in the game. Honorable mentions of good character voices include: Chiepoo, Snowe Vingerhut, Graham Cray, Colton, Glen, Lilin, and Jewel (and there's really many more).

I can truly say the music is outstanding and does do away with most of the "filler" (or boredom) music present in so many games today. Just about every island you visit will have its own theme, which means very little recycling of themes. The music is always appropriate for each situation--except maybe for the first brief moments of "Battle," which starts out with some very un-battle-like sounds bordering on weirdo-lame. Suikoden IV's music breaks far and away from the previous installment's uninspiring-sounding score as well. The first theme that may grab your attention is "Name Entry"--the classic Suikoden music that fans of the series have come to fall in love with over the years. "One-on-One Duel" is extremely appropriate for the duels in the game. It's a shame that the duels themselves weren't as intense as the music is but I'll get to that in due time. "Ship Battle" also helps you get into the mood of that situation. "World II" (or the second variation that plays in the world map while sailing) is another well-composed piece, as is the final boss theme. The opening music is composed fairly nicely by the funky accordion-playing coba, although keep in mind that the opening is not an anime like the previous Suikoden, but rather, a CG-like movie with in-game graphics. The ending theme is extremely unmotivating however, which partly held me back from feeling good about the game right after finishing it.

Now that I've laid out the good, it's time to unroll with a little of the bad. The gameplay of Suikoden IV isn't terribly great; you've probably already heard that this game has a lot of random encounters--but did you know that there are random encounters in the towns themselves? And allow me to provide an example for just a moment as to how frequent the random encounters are out on the sea: in a span of three minutes, you can get into 10 encounters, including the time it takes to load the battles and then running away from them. What helps remedy the frequent random encounters is the quickness of the battles themselves. Coupled with short Rune-animation sequences (though cut scenes do still exist for some Runes), a four member squad, and a fixated system where characters no longer have to run the length of a football field just to attack an enemy ala Suikoden III, the battles are remarkably shorter--including the boss battles. Some might see this is a good thing--others may not, especially die-hard fans who really liked the six member squads in series past.

The towns in Suikoden IV feel watered-down from what they could have been. Players might notice the lack of buildings and the lack of rooms inside the buildings. Most of the shopkeepers are outside and don't really occupy anything--they're just there selling their wares. This at least saves you time from having to check in and see "Now Loading..." every time you want to buy an item, so there is a positive. As for the residential buildings, there are not many you can enter; I would venture to say there are maybe one or two in each town. The towns themselves contain areas where you can fight enemies, but not all areas of a town have random encounters, so it's not a terribly bad thing and it is quite different to say the least.

By the time players complete the game they might be wondering exactly how many dungeons there were. By my count, there weren't more than two or three, really. The way the game operates is quite unique in that you really do most of your fighting out on the sea and in islands where you must go to in order to advance the storyline. This isn't a bad thing I feel, but it is quite interesting to point out.

The control of the ship (which also happens to be the base for your army) is quite cumbersome. What makes this quite an uncomforting experience is (again) the random encounters. You really can't get a hold of how the ship works before you get into so many random encounters that you'll want to open up your console and put the game disc back in its case never to be played again. "Making Landfall" (or trying to dock at a port) is probably one of the most unnatural parts of the game; it is something you'll have to experience, and I don't mean that in a good way. As far as the base is concerned, it is actually quite simplistic and small. It's definitely crowded, but that's not a bad thing.

There are three modes of battles in Suikoden IV: Group Battles (regular battles), Sea Battles, and One-on-One Duels. The Group Battles are extremely cool. I really love how the characters run up to the enemies to attack and then disappear as they run back to their original position. Whoever thought of that idea gets brownie points from me. I also like the character fanfare animations for learning their special Cooperative Attacks. Hero and Kika's nonchalant stance always gets to me, as does Sigurd and Hervey's "High Five" fanfare. The Sea Battles are a downer--like the storyline, there was promise for this concept, but in the end, the Sea Battles are nothing more than an interesting guessing game of choosing which Rune Cannon element beats opposing Rune Cannon element--in other words, it's just too easy and simple for anyone to really find enjoyable. The Sea Battles themselves are fought on a plain looking grid. I do not exaggerate when I say that these Sea Battles last for about two to five minutes a piece. The One-on-One Duels are extremely entertaining however. Not only are they voiced, but they are far and away visually more appealing than the ones in the previous installment. The first time you see both your characters guard during a turn, you will see what I mean. I really have to say that the One-on-One Duels are one of the best parts of the game, although they share the same problem the Sea Battles have--they're ridiculously easy.

How user-friendly is Suikoden IV? Very and not-so-very. Let's start with the former. Unlike other games, if you die, you can easily restart the battle without having to go back and load your game from the last save--and that includes regular and boss Group Battles and Sea Battles as well. Later on in the game, you have the option of including more party sets to help you fight battles out about at sea, and the game gives you the luxury of switching between teams anytime you wish during a battle. This aspect makes the game a bit easier when fighting out on the sea.

There are points in the game that will leave you guessing, and I imagine many people will wind up getting stuck as I did. For instance, there are points in the game in which the only way to advance the storyline is to enter the War Room on board your ship--but you will have no one telling you to go there. What I found out eventually is that the game worked in a peculiar way: if you don't see a blue checker on your Sea Map (which shows you that you're supposed to go to that particular point), then you should go look in the War Room for a cut scene. Even more aggravating is the fact that there are multiple points in which you simply won't be allowed to advance the story unless you pick up a certain amount of Stars of Destiny. This was by and large the most disappointing aspect of this game, because I find nothing more frustrating than wasting time trying to figure out what to do next, only to realize I had to do something quite trivial that has no bearing on the story.

Longevity is not a word that should be used to describe Suikoden IV: in my initial run of the game I finished it in 27 hours using no walkthroughs of any kind, all the while taking important notes about the game itself (and this is a lot of notes), and I would speculate about four hours of wasted time being stuck wandering aimlessly at sea. I am intrigued to find out how long I can finish this game in my second go at it, if I ever decide to do so.

You may be asking..."Why a 2.5 if most of the review speaks well of the game?" After careful reconsidering and reflecting, I really feel that Suikoden IV isn't for most people. I do feel those who simply want a "no-nonsense" RPG will fall in love with Suikoden IV, but those who are looking for a game of epic proportions need not apply for this. I can't recommend this game to you, the general public, as odds are you'll dislike it because of the random encounters and lack of story--there's just not enough of it to go around I'm afraid.