[Mitsurux]

Probably one of the best JRPGs I've played. Don't forget to play the sidequests, they're the best. Also do get all 108 characters. IIRC, they're not much nor are that hard to miss except for Clive and Ayda. My only nitpick about this is the translation. And yeah, Suikoden was technically my 2nd JRPG on the PSone (first was Beyond the Beyond). Edit: oh, no wonder Golden Sun is quite similar to Beyond the Beyond in terms of battles. They're both by Camelot. Learned something new.

Beyond the Beyond was my Firsts PS1 rpg (also), followed closely by Vandel Hearts and Suikoden 1 (then 2)...

Whats funny is it took alittle while for the PS1 to get going RPG wise.... i remmeber looking over at the Saturn library at the time with envious (RPG) eyes...

[Patryn]

Beyond the Beyond was my Firsts PS1 rpg (also), followed closely by Vandel Hearts and Suikoden 1 (then 2)... Whats funny is it took alittle while for the PS1 to get going RPG wise.... i remmeber looking over at the Saturn library at the time with envious (RPG) eyes...

Well, early on Sony had a staunch anti-RPG mindset in the US. They actively blocked RPGs from being released.

Then Square announced Final Fantasy VII was coming to the PS1, and things changed.

[BlueTsunami]

Beyond the Beyond is so misunderstood

*remembers bean stalk area*

Oh lawd Jesus

[Jay Sosa]

Is it wrong that I almost prefer the non-perfect ending? My favorite ending has to be you don't have all 108 but you go to face Jowy on that mountain. So bittersweet, so nice.

Not at all.

[SafeinSound]

Easily one of the best jRPGs of all time, imo. Awesome villain, awesome story, awesome combat and a long list of interesting characters. Can't believe I sold my copy to EB when i was a kid.

[Raijin_Cain]

Suikoden II is my 2nd favorite game ever!

Loved the battle system, the story, characters, etc.

The whole Hero - Jowy friendship thing is amazing.

DONT READ SPOILERS - That scene of your character, Nanami and Pilika waiting for Jowy's return still brings tears to my eyes.

Not getting the perfect ending and Nanami dying :(

The army fights! Getting people for your castle!


The soundtrack for the game is fantastic as well. So many to mention, but Nanami's theme (Beautiful theme) makes me feel so happy.

Wish I could play this for the first time again. Enjoy! :)

[Aeana]

That's really cool, though. I'm impressed. Were you considering doing a translation for the unreleased Kiseki games one day?

Yes, it's something I've already committed myself to. And fortunately, it looks like I won't be alone, as others have expressed interest as well. I'm just waiting to see what XSEED does.

[Dark Schala]

Holy shit I get busted out by Jowy and try to burst through Flik and he bitch slaps me with his sword

"Do you want my carrots?"

Hah, yup. Greatest moment was going from S1 to S2 and learning that. So good. Part of what made Suikoden so great to me was the general story connection of S1->S2 and seeing McDohl again. Oh man, I forgot about those. I guess they really needed to fill the text boxes or something. So weird, really.

I remember feeling a little disappointed with GS3 since you didn't get to recruit Jowy, Riou, and Nanami. LOL, actually, no. I remember seeing the promo material of the Flame Champion for that with my 56K modem, and thinking that Tir was going to make an appearance in the game. Ahaha.

I just thought how the text scrolled differently in some cases was pretty cool, but what ended up scrolling slowly was needless stuff like punctuation.

same here. i remember buying Suiko 1 blindly and exchanging recruiting tips with the store owner.

I think GS1 might have been... among one of my first PS1 RPGs.

I just remember that my dad bought it for my birthday because the cover looked like it came out of a DragonLance novel (which my cousins were getting me into at the time).

Beyond the Beyond is so misunderstood *remembers bean stalk area* Oh lawd Jesus

I remember saving up for months and months and picking that as the new game to play over my summer vacation.

Luckily I scrounged up enough money to buy Legend of Legaia to save my sanity. What's hilarious is that I decided to beat Beyond the Beyond again a few years later because I thought I didn't understand it the first time I went through it. :lol

Yes, it's something I've already committed myself to. And fortunately, it looks like I won't be alone, as others have expressed interest as well. I'm just waiting to see what XSEED does.

Well if it comes down to it, I'm sure you (and other interested parties) will do a great job with it, especially since you took the initiative.

I have SC coming to me soon, so if I like it, I'd love other people to be able to play it in either JP or English. Kinda hope that XSEED will at least put the PC version on Steam.

[TheNamelessOne]

Oh god why did you have to remind me. This is one of the games I'm most emotionally attached to. Also DAT intro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f4eGQ9MIWM shit's going down at 1:30.

[Arken2121]

They really did continue the level of comedy seen from the 1st.

[hank_tree]

Suikoden 1 was one of the first games I got for my PS1 (along with Resi) and I loved it. So much so that I pretty much bought anything that had Konami on the box afterwards (Vandal Hearts, Azure Dreams,International Superstar Soccer (Even though I hate soccer). So when I found out there was a sequel a few years later I was so excited. I was only 13 or 14 I'd say. There were no proper game shops near by and I didn't have access to a credit card to buy it online or anything like that. So any time I was in a town with a any kind of shop that sold games I would ask and search for Suikoden 2 and I could never find it. I also asked all my family members to look for it if they ever went anywhere. I'm not sure how many of them actually did.

One time maybe a year after it had come out I found one copy hidden down the back of a some game shop. I was with some friends and they were a bit weirded out by how excited I was. I ran to the checkout desk and the clerk looked in the drawer behind him for the disc. Then he went off to the back room. Five minutes later he comes out and informs me that they have the box but not the disc! I held back the tears.

So after that I pretty much gave up and just read a walkthrough on gamefaqs that covered the game and the major story beats. It sounded so amazing. I actually read that FAQ a few times over the years. Fast forward maybe 2 more years after that. My grandmother calls me telling me that she found the game! She had been looking in this same game shop every couple of weeks for 3 years! So she buys it for me and drops it over and I think I played through the whole game straight in a weekend.

Moral of the story: Grandmothers are the best.

[mattp]

biggest flaw in this game
not even the translation, but the god damn bug where the army battles never play the awesome music and its just silent

[Dark Schala]

biggest flaw in this game not even the translation, but the god damn bug where the army battles never play the awesome music and its just silent

There are a ton of audio glitches in this game. (Lots and lots and lots spoilers in the link, so don't click if you haven't beaten this.)

[mattp]

There are a ton of audio glitches in this game. (Lots and lots and lots spoilers in the link, so don't click if you haven't beaten this.)

oh man i forgot about the singing
i sat there in silence just staring...wondering what the fuck was going on

[Tex117]

Great series.

1, 2, 3...4 and 5 were okay.

A proper re-boot of this game would be welcomed.

[Dark Schala]

oh man i forgot about the singing i sat there in silence just staring...wondering what the fuck was going on

I thought it was supposed to be a joke about her bad singing. But I thought there was something wrong with the game when you were prompted to answer a question.

Imagine my surprise when (mid-game spoilers, I guess) I passed by the stage in the HQ and she sang Due Fiumi.

[Manaka]

My favourite RPG!
After the intro when the credits come ...the music and scenes, just perfect.
The ending is brilliant too.
Playing it now isn't as magical of course , but the story, characters music and the world are still top notch.
One of the only games I don't want a remake of - maybe a version with less random battles and a newer interface (was the psp version liek this?) would be perfect.
The graphics and style are fine as they are...I think the impact of the well known scenes isn't pulled down by the "cute" 2D look at all.

[Teppic]

There are a ton of audio glitches in this game. (Lots and lots and lots spoilers in the link, so don't click if you haven't beaten this.)

Many of those were fixed in the PAL version. The only music glitch I can remember were the weird beeping sounds that kept going after using certain runes and special attacks.

[RSLAEV]

WoW, this thread reminded me to be pissed about the fact that Suikoden 2 was never re-released in the west. It's been so long I had forgotten.

[Dark Schala]

Many of those were fixed in the PAL version. The only music glitch I can remember were the weird beeping sounds that kept going after using certain runes and special attacks.

Yep, thank goodness. It's too bad that Europe didn't get GS3.

Actually, I've never played the PAL version of GS2. Was it the ding that played as you were about to commence the rune/unite attack, or was it just a random beep? That's odd.

[Schobeleth]

Suikoden II is my favorite RPG of all time, if not my favorite game of all time. The story, characters, music, setting, everything just blew me away and really touched me in a memorable way. I'll never forget that game. You know that question - "if you could ever play a game again for the first time?" it would be Suikoden II.

The pacing, everything was just perfect for me. Tons of unlockables and collectibles, tons of areas to explore - it really was the pinnacle of RPGs for me.

Enjoy it, I'm jealous that it's your first time playing it :) Definitely the best in the entire series, though I do love each iteration in that franchise. Still own my mint copies of 1-5, I don't own Tactics or Tiekreis, though I want to get them just so I can have them all again.

[cat litter]

I never played suiko 2, couldn't find one. Wish it would come out on psn.

My grandmother calls me telling me that she found the game! She had been looking in this same game shop every couple of weeks for 3 years! So she buys it for me and drops it over and I think I played through the whole game straight in a weekend.

thats some dedicated gift searching right there

[Gunloc]

One of my favorite games ever. Engrossing and exhilarating.

A+++ .................................! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Xeno_V]

Do you think that the game is good from the beginning, or does it hugely improve sometime later?
Don't flame me, but I 've tried it like twice and for some reason I always gave up around 4 hours into the game max. I 've played most of the good PS1 rpgs but I never managed to do so with Suiko II for some weird reason.

[Dark Schala]

Do you think that the game is good from the beginning, or does it hugely improve sometime later? Don't flame me, but I 've tried it like twice and for some reason I always gave up around 4 hours into the game max. I 've played most of the good PS1 rpgs but I never managed to do so with Suiko II for some weird reason.

Naw, it's cool. People have different tastes, so don't be afraid to express your opinion.

When the war starts to ramp up and you get more party members/better runes, it gets a lot better, imo. It's pretty slow at first if I look at it from an unbiased perspective.

[Xeno_V]

Ok thanks. I 've heard some things about the storyline by the way, so it should be interesting, but how is the writing and the pace of the game in general? Is there a nice flow regarding the storyline events?
My favorite PS1 rpgs besides other aspects, also focus quite a lot on the storyline if this helps in any way (namely FFT, Vagrant Story, Xenogears).

[Bog]

I don't know, if I had the time (and love) to play something even 6 times over, I'd probably find the money to buy the better sequel.

[linkboy]

Suikoden II isn't only the best RPG on the PS1 (screw FF7, this game blows it out of the water), its the best JRPG ever made.

Konami totally knocked it out of the park with this.

I got my copy a few years ago from my local Play N Trade for $80. Some kid came in and traded in a PS1 and a fuck ton of RPGs (I'm thinking his mom made him do it to piss his dad off, or they had just divorced).

I walked in and the guy behind the counter pulled it up and showed it to me. I literally stopped in my tracks. Then he told me he was holding it for someone else. I called dibs if he didn't show up, they held it for a week, he never showed, I traded in some games to get enough store credit and it was mine.

Game is in mint condition.

First thing I did, ripped it to my PSP and left the disc alone.

I spent a decade looking for this game and it literally fell right into my lap.

[Dark Schala]

Ok thanks. I 've heard some things about the storyline by the way, so it should be interesting, but how is the writing and the pace of the game in general? Is there a nice flow regarding the storyline events? My favorite PS1 rpgs besides other aspects, also focus quite a lot on the storyline if this helps in any way (namely FFT, Vagrant Story, Xenogears).

I dig the Matsuno stuff too, so I guess I can try to comment on this (I'm just afraid I might be really biased in my remarks). Genso Suikoden II's localization is not as good as Vagrant Story's, so don't have high hopes for cohesive dialogue. The meaning and emotion is communicated pretty well, though.

I think the pacing gets much better once (spoilers for, uh... seven hours in, I guess? depending on your playstyle... could be 10?) you get your HQ, but it still sort of needs to find its legs until you get to the town called Greenhill, which isn't too far after that. Prior to that, yes, I can see someone dropping it. I'll try to be vague here: many of the storyline events prior to the first climax concentrate on forming alliances while staving off the enemy. I thought the chase for allies was interesting, but it might be a mileage-may-vary thing. The pacing, imo, gets very good before and after the first climax because things keep happening one right after the other, making the situation pretty tense. There are also multiple endings as well depending on your actions and how many allies you've gathered. You may also dictate the pacing depending on if you take the time to recruit people or not, so the time between story segments may be long or short depending on your playstyle.

If you're into that sort of thing--especially games that seem to focus a lot of war and politics--I think you should try to give it another chance. It isn't just a story about politics and war. It's a story of coming-of-age, and essentially tells the player about how even the deepest of friendships can be tested to its limits.

[Big Papa Husker]

I have only played Suikoden I. This thread makes me want to finally start Suikoden II.

[bede-x]

Ok thanks. I 've heard some things about the storyline by the way, so it should be interesting, but how is the writing and the pace of the game in general?

I love rpgs that focus on war and politics and Suikoden II delivers most of the way through, but the pacing is sometimes up to you, as you can choose to spend more time looking for new characters in certain places.

Personally, I think it's of the best games of its genre.

[Xeno_V]

Thanks for the answer Dark Schala, maybe I should give it another go when I get the chance (not anytime soon though). Even worse I have the game for like 7 years (I got it for 40 euros which was quite a bargain back then), and many times I even considered (gasp!) selling it as I don't keep games that I haven't played/completed.
By the way I also gave up on SIII after 15-20 hours or so, but the story couldn't get me hooked no matter what.

As far as I am concerned, SII is considered by far the best entry in the series, so maybe I should try this once again. There is not a single chance that I will even try the first game in the series though, finding 50 hours to spare for an RPG isn't exactly the easiest thing nowadays:/.

[Aeana]

While I admit that I tend to get emotional with certain types of things, Suikoden 2 made me cry like a baby. It is really quite a powerful story.
I haven't replayed the game in over five years because it just gets to me like crazy.

Thanks for the answer Dark Schala, maybe I should give it another go when I get the chance (not anytime soon though). Even worse I have the game for like 7 years (I got it for 40 euros which was quite a bargain back then), and many times I even considered (gasp!) selling it as I don't keep games that I haven't played/completed. By the way I also gave up on SIII after 15-20 hours or so, but the story couldn't get me hooked no matter what. As far as I am concerned, SII is considered by far the best entry in the series, so maybe I should try this once again. There is not a single chance that I will even try the first game in the series though, finding 50 hours to spare for an RPG isn't exactly the easiest thing nowadays:/.

Well, you're in luck, since you can finish Suikoden 1 at least twice if you put 50 hours into it!

[gaming_noob]

Is this game going to be on PSN any time soon? I've played I and III and want to try II.

[Big Papa Husker]

Is this game going to be on PSN any time soon? I've played I and III and want to try II.

Who the hell knows. The Japanese version has been on PSN for like 4 years. :(

[Dark Schala]

Thanks for the answer Dark Schala, maybe I should give it another go when I get the chance (not anytime soon though). Even worse I have the game for like 7 years (I got it for 40 euros which was quite a bargain back then), and many times I even considered (gasp!) selling it as I don't keep games that I haven't played/completed. By the way I also gave up on SIII after 15-20 hours or so, but the story couldn't get me hooked no matter what. As far as I am concerned, SII is considered by far the best entry in the series, so maybe I should try this once again. There is not a single chance that I will even try the first game in the series though, finding 50 hours to spare for an RPG isn't exactly the easiest thing nowadays:/.

No prob; and if you've had it that long, you should probably play it, lol. :)

If you didn't play GS1 or GS2 before playing GS3, you probably might not get a lot out of it since a lot of the plot elements and some of the revelations will have more of an impact if you've played the two games released prior to it. But my opinion of GS3 differs from a lot of people's (so... in short, I sort of agree; GS3 has a good story, but I don't really like the 'game' part of it).

GS1 isn't long. You can probably beat it in 15-20 hours depending on how you pace yourself. In fact, you can speedrun the game with 108 stars in under 10 hours if you really wanted to.

While I admit that I tend to get emotional with certain types of things, Suikoden 2 made me cry like a baby. It is really quite a powerful story. I haven't replayed the game in over five years because it just gets to me like crazy.

I do get teary-eyed when I play a game, or finish a game and the ending's rather beautiful, but there aren't a lot of games that make me full-on cry.

Even after all this time, and all of these playthroughs, GS2 still makes me cry like a baby.

Is this game going to be on PSN any time soon? I've played I and III and want to try II.

Probably not.

[SatelliteOfLove]

Second favorite JRPG on the PSX, and its only that because it shares the platform with Vagrant Story.

Funny story but Suikoden was the first rpg I got into on the PS1. Was totally hooked.

*brofist*

[SYNTAX182]

Just beat it for the second time this past month. Still as classic as the first time when it came out. My favorite in the series and probably RPGs in general.

[LongDongJunon]

Where the hell is the PSN version of the is game at already?

Jeez!

[Zee-Row]

Well, early on Sony had a staunch anti-RPG mindset in the US. They actively blocked RPGs from being released. Then Square announced Final Fantasy VII was coming to the PS1, and things changed.

Its because Bernie Stolar was running SCEA and then left for Sega. He was a horrible executive and got lucky with the Dreamcast launch.

[gaming_noob]

Who the hell knows. The Japanese version has been on PSN for like 4 years. :(

Probably not.

Well, that blows.

[Yjynx]

One of the best JRPG. Funny thing is that I only know that there are way for certain "character" to be still alive months after I finished the game. Perfect ending is the best for me.

[Augemitbutter]

Suikoden II isn't only the best RPG on the PS1 (screw FF7, this game blows it out of the water), its the best JRPG ever made. Konami totally knocked it out of the park with this. I got my copy a few years ago from my local Play N Trade for $80. Some kid came in and traded in a PS1 and a fuck ton of RPGs (I'm thinking his mom made him do it to piss his dad off, or they had just divorced). I walked in and the guy behind the counter pulled it up and showed it to me. I literally stopped in my tracks. Then he told me he was holding it for someone else. I called dibs if he didn't show up, they held it for a week, he never showed, I traded in some games to get enough store credit and it was mine. Game is in mint condition. First thing I did, ripped it to my PSP and left the disc alone. I spent a decade looking for this game and it literally fell right into my lap.

good stuff. you deserved it.

[Yuterald]

Suikoden II is incredible. The intro and the music that plays at the start makes me want to lose it:

Reminiscence

The cut scene direction during the flashbacks in the introduction are impeccable. I honestly don't know how ANYONE could not be feeling the game after watching that intro. It chokes me up to this day and provides those much needed spine shivers that most of today's RPGs could only wish they could supply. I wish Suikoden II received an update along the same lines of Tactics Ogre on PSP. Just an updated, well written script would do the game justice.

Although, Suikoden II did have a few completion/castle annoyances. The treasure chest that deletes an animal, enemies that get cut off that drop particular runes/castle items, etc. It's quite a mess if you are a completionist. But it doesn't matter too much because the game is so fucking awesome! =)

[I should be doing hw]

Not out of the realm of possibility... http://romhack.org/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3585#p95093 That's from the PSP version. What's nice about it is that it's a true widescreen conversion (no stretching!) and you can walk diagonally in both games. I heard it's actually based on the PC versions of Suikoden I and II, but I'm not sure if that's true or not. http://www.romhacking.net/forum/inde...,10159.60.html Someone has picked up the English translation of this, and his last update was on April 10, 2012. So, keep your fingers crossed!

I never got around to playing the first two Suikoden games, only the PS2 versions. Knowing there is a better version on the PSP always stopped me from picking them up on PS1. Good to know there is actually something going on in translating the PSP versions.

[IrishNinja]

I'd personally love to do a retranslation of Suikoden 2 if someone would do the hacking for me, since that's pretty out of my area.

a friend of mine (bishopcruz here @ GAF) tried this himself a year or two back, and ran into trobule trying to hack the text in as well, apparently it was pretty daunting. shame too, id love to see a ROM with it done proper, like Xenogears 2.0.

[Dark Schala]

In the last LTTP thread, someone suggested a good Water Margin translation to me. This thread just reminded me that I didn't order it yet!

Backordered on the American Amazon site (since Canadian Amazon didn't have it), but order placed. Can't wait for it. :3

I never got around to playing the first two Suikoden games, only the PS2 versions. Knowing there is a better version on the PSP always stopped me from picking them up on PS1. Good to know there is actually something going on in translating the PSP versions.

I feel like GS2 got more upgrades than GS1 did in the PSP collection (though moving diagonally is a very good thing, and the widescreen presentation is really nice).

The original GS1 isn't that bad, and it's on the NA PSN now if you wish. I generally hesitate to recommend it to others, though, because some might find that it, as a game in general, is outdated. At least that's what some people tell me, so I try not to do it much.

Although, Suikoden II did have a few completion/castle annoyances. The treasure chest that deletes an animal, enemies that get cut off that drop particular runes/castle items, etc. It's quite a mess if you are a completionist. But it doesn't matter too much because the game is so fucking awesome! =)

I still can't believe stuff like that got through.

Also, two recipes get deleted if you hand them in to the restaurant or the vault at different times, so you must submit both of them simultaneously. There are also animal/crop submission bugs (ex: give them two of the same thing and only one is shown, but both are still counted when making food).

Man, this thread. I feel like speedrunning GS1, at least after I finish my Mystic Quest playthrough. Even though it hasn't been that long since I played through both I and II.

I should just read my novels instead. Must hold out for later this summer.

[encephalon]

I'm in the minority, but I didn't really care for it. I didn't like the story and the gameplay was nothing to write home about, other than the character recruitment.

[Alex]

Yeah, I bought the original on a whim back in ... 97? Mostly because the back of the box looked like it was an RPG! That was it. Buying shit was harder back then, especially when you have a box art like Suikoden I. :lol You basically bought games that had pictures of swords and dragons and hoped you lucked out! Fell in love with it, bought the sequel as soon as it came out and it really is one of the best traditional JRPGs ever made.

It's aged a bit in certain areas (the original has aged a lot worse), mostly just polish and pacing, but it's such a well balanced game with so much content and most all of it is pretty great.

Be nice to get a new, proper one made for a console, while IV was shit V was pretty darn good even with it's jank. If they make a really good traditional JRPG out of it, throw in a little effort and budget I think it'd do just fine. Heck, I still remember the little boom III made back in the day, it did pretty decently here.

I never really think that theres any problems with trying to get a JRPG to sell because its a JRPG, to me it always comes across because most releases just seem so forcibly niche and shuttered across an endless sea of wacky subgenres. And I like a lot of that, that's cool, but there's such a dearth of the ol' earnest, wide appeal entries.

[Kincaido]

I still can't believe I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of this game back then. My older brother used to visit different states during his vacation days while I was in middle school. He would always ask me if I wanted any souvenirs or anything to bring back home. I would always tell him to look for a copy of Suikoden 2 if he was ever near an area with a game store. It was one of the games I wanted most. This was around the time that copies would sell on ebay for 100 plus dollars. Anyways, he called me out of the blue one day while he was in Texas and told me he found a copy with the disc only and asked me if I would like to have it. I told him yes and thanked him sooo much when he got home the next week. I played the hell out if for like three weeks since it was summer time. I still go back to play it every year or so. One of my favorite games ever.