• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Suikoden Community Thread | Please tell me the answer, is fate unchangeable?

RyoonZ

Banned
Hi guys. Just got my account approved.
Suikoden is the best JRPG for me. I loved all of them except the DS and PSP one. Never beaten Tactics though.
 

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
Welcome aboard, and I think you should give Tactics/Rhapsodia a shot if you ever have the time / if you find it on the cheap.

It sheds way more light on 4's geography and history since that stuff wasn't properly expanded upon in the mainline game. The mechanics aren't difficult to grasp if you've played other TRPGs before.

Also, I love the soundtrack.
 

RyoonZ

Banned
I played it but never finished it. I think I'm only at meeting with Kika about level 11 or so.
I also didn't recruit all star of destiny in Suikoden 3, I miss the drama guy and a few others. I don't have internet connection back then. I relied on magazine guide to recruit SOD for Suikoden I,II,IV and V.
 

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
Well, if you still have your copy on-hand feel like going through it sometime, a bunch of us could definitely help you out (or you could look up a faq; your call).

I just like seeing people experience the games from new perspectives or for the first time. What people have to say is so interesting, even if it's something they dislike about the games.

IV's problem was that the ship was not only slow but the world was so barren that just using the ship would be a process of tedium. Nothing was in that ocean. It is called the Island Nations and there are barely any islands to govern. They should have learned from Skies of Arcadia on how to design a world vast place full of adventure.

Aside from speed, the ship HQ in itself was probably one of the better hqs in the series in terms of things to do.
I never thought I'd see another person share that opinion. I usually keep it to myself. I completely agree with this post, but the latter portion, especially.

I was somewhat hoping that we'd get a Suikoden game with a nation in the sky, or at least a nation with more aerial travel because I wanted to see what the series would do in terms of aerial warfare but Konami doesn't seem to give a shit anymore. I just want my darn Harmonia game.
 
how ironic i mentioned a quickening pace in my last post, that was before i ran into the
Tai Ho dice game
.....i'm so glad i saved before hitting that point, but it still took a while! Once that was done it was a breeze
defeating the smoke dragon and gaining my own castle!
Onwards and upwards we go!!
 
It was my source for infinite money really.

Sometimes you have to abuse save/reload but it's better than fighting battles for cash.
 

Tiu Neo

Member
Well, if you still have your copy on-hand feel like going through it sometime, a bunch of us could definitely help you out (or you could look up a faq; your call).

I just like seeing people experience the games from new perspectives or for the first time. What people have to say is so interesting, even if it's something they dislike about the games.


I never thought I'd see another person share that opinion. I usually keep it to myself. I completely agree with this post, but the latter portion, especially.

I was somewhat hoping that we'd get a Suikoden game with a nation in the sky, or at least a nation with more aerial travel because I wanted to see what the series would do in terms of aerial warfare but Konami doesn't seem to give a shit anymore. I just want my darn Harmonia game.

I liked the ship as a HQ too, but it had a small problem, for me: I really liked how I and II HQs started in a precarious state, and got better when you got more and more SoDs. That didn't happen in III (the castle grew a bit, but was always in ruins) and in IV (because it's a ship).

That said, I really appreciated the change, and would love to see future games experiment with different kinds of HQ. Airship would be cool, a settlement that becomes a village, then a town, then a big city, according to the SoD you recruited, would be pretty cool too, and could add a bit more of depth to the HQ.
 

Vanz

Banned
Just found this thread and I can't believe Suikoden has a such loyal fanbase, I always thought it wasn't a very popular series. It's great to have more Suiko-buddies lol.

Man I'd kill for a next gen Suikoden :(
 
I spent all day yesterday playing Suikoden I just because.

This makes the third time I've beaten it, it's still fun to me.

Since I know Konami was waiting on me to beat it the third time, I can now officially authorize the release of Suikoden II on PSN.

Yep...get to it.
 

Tiu Neo

Member
I spent all day yesterday playing Suikoden I just because.

This makes the third time I've beaten it, it's still fun to me.

Since I know Konami was waiting on me to beat it the third time, I can now officially authorize the release of Suikoden II on PSN.

Yep...get to it.

Thanks man, but you sure took your time :p
 

Xelinis

Junior Member
Back in December, I was invited to become the fourth admin for the Suikoden Revival Movement and we're now looking for number five. We're looking for someone who's mature, a good writer, and (most importantly of all) fluent in Japanese.

If you're interested, shoot me a PM.
 

Magnus

Member
So what exactly is the g'damn hold up in getting Suikoden II on the PSN? It's not facing a legal/copyright issue like Earthbound on the VC, is it?

I wish to own (the right to play) this game legally again and actually finish it! Still bummed I sold my bashed up copy years ago (I did buy it for only $20 used, though in rough shape, and later sold it for $60, despite all the damage, haha).

LOVE the castle-building/recruitment stuff. Loved the bit of it I got in Breath of Fire II and discovered Suikoden I afterwards and fell in love. Great stuff. Is that a theme that continues in III-V?
 

Heartfyre

Member
So what exactly is the g'damn hold up in getting Suikoden II on the PSN? It's not facing a legal/copyright issue like Earthbound on the VC, is it?

I wish to own (the right to play) this game legally again and actually finish it! Still bummed I sold my bashed up copy years ago (I did buy it for only $20 used, though in rough shape, and later sold it for $60, despite all the damage, haha).

LOVE the castle-building/recruitment stuff. Loved the bit of it I got in Breath of Fire II and discovered Suikoden I afterwards and fell in love. Great stuff. Is that a theme that continues in III-V?

The thing about putting titles on the PlayStation Store is that the game that is uploaded cannot have any changes made to it whatsoever, and there's a lot wrong with the NTSC version of Suikoden II. Vocal tracks would not play as often as not, the save transfer would mess up Tir's name as he moves between both games--these are problems that wouldn't make it through QA these days, and, in my own speculation, could be part of the reason why Suikoden II hasn't hit digital distribution.

There is indeed a castle in one form or another in Suikoden III-V, though they don't evolve as much as castles previously in the series. Recruiting the 108 Stars of Destiny is a part of the Suikoden DNA that even the latest spin-off games haven't discarded, remaining core to every title in the series.
 

Arthea

Member
This topic finally got me posting. Hi Suikoden people!
What would you do for Suikoden 6?

I love series, all of them, including 4, you can sue me for that. I just love universe and gameplay, and characters, and stories, and sea voyages doesn't bother me that much, considering everything.
 
This topic finally got me posting. Hi Suikoden people!
What would you do for Suikoden 6?

I love series, all of them, including 4, you can sue me for that. I just love universe and gameplay, and characters, and stories, and sea voyages doesn't bother me that much, considering everything.

hi. i'd buy a LE, kiss some random guy and do a good deed.

4 is okay. i had fun for two playthroughs, but it lacks the story focus somehow.
 

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
This topic finally got me posting. Hi Suikoden people!
What would you do for Suikoden 6?

I love series, all of them, including 4, you can sue me for that. I just love universe and gameplay, and characters, and stories, and sea voyages doesn't bother me that much, considering everything.
Oh, good, another GS4 person. I'm happy for that. Despite the fact that GS4 admittedly has poor game, pacing, and narrative structure, I dunno. I like it anyway. One of the best soundtracks in the series.

As for what to do with GS6, I'd implement some of the stuff they included in Suikoden PSP, actually. I thought some of that stuff like the dinner parties with various characters at night, the trapping, and some of the dungeon stuff worked well. So more things to get to know your teammates with, the best. I know Gunloc and I had been discussing the possibility of the MC wooing certain party members (regardless of gender) and having that affect certain combination attacks or the ending in the past.

Obviously I think it's high-time we got to Harmonia. The Kiseki games are getting to go to its series' Harmonia now, so I don't see why a theoretical GS6 wouldn't move to Harmonia considering its role in everything has been heavily hinted at in games since. We only got snippets of it in GS3 and Suikogaiden 2. I think I'm ready to go.

Lin Siniang said:
Guys, Suikoden is dead. Suikoden V came out in 2006, over 7 years ago.
Girl, no. :/
 
Oh, good, another GS4 person. I'm happy for that. Despite the fact that GS4 admittedly has poor game, pacing, and narrative structure, I dunno. I like it anyway. One of the best soundtracks in the series.

As for what to do with GS6, I'd implement some of the stuff they included in Suikoden PSP, actually. I thought some of that stuff like the dinner parties with various characters at night, the trapping, and some of the dungeon stuff worked well. So more things to get to know your teammates with, the best. I know Gunloc and I had been discussing the possibility of the MC wooing certain party members (regardless of gender) and having that affect certain combination attacks or the ending in the past.

For real, I think by adding a relationship system, the popularity of the series would increase rapidly. RPGers love dating/relationship building mechanics. And a series like Suikoden is perfect for this type of addition.

Obviously not every single character can be datable, but I think you should be able to get a pair ending (love, friendship or otherwise) with most of the 108 characters. Plus, the Suikoden series is one of the first JRPG series to feature same sex relationships, so hopefully those would be included as well as options. With a series that has such a large cast, they could practically include someone for every taste. My mind is racing with all the possibilities. (Unique unites, skills, scenes, etc.)

I haven't played 1000 Year Tapestry yet, but the idea of dinners seems like one the few cool things they tried in that game. I know I enjoyed them in Grandia.

Obviously I think it's high-time we got to Harmonia. The Kiseki games are getting to go to its series' Harmonia now, so I don't see why a theoretical GS6 wouldn't move to Harmonia considering its role in everything has been heavily hinted at in games since. We only got snippets of it in GS3 and Suikogaiden 2. I think I'm ready to go.

While I'd love to go to Harmonia, I'd really be down for almost anything as long as it's in the canon world. There are so many interesting and yet unexplored locations and events that have been just hinted at or grazed over that I don't know why Konami would have trouble selecting a few to base a new game on.

It's not like their idea of creating uncanon spin-offs really revved up the fans. :/
 

Arthea

Member
Oh, good, another GS4 person. I'm happy for that. Despite the fact that GS4 admittedly has poor game, pacing, and narrative structure, I dunno. I like it anyway. One of the best soundtracks in the series.

I can't agree on poor part. I'm inclined to think that GS4 got a lot of hate for not being a sequel to GS3 than actually being a bad game. Because it isn't bad. Pacing problems, they do exist, in GS5 too. Narrative structure, well aside from anticlimactic ending I don't have problems with it, it is a bit too little of a story for Suikoden game, that's true.

But on the other side of equation we have what:
Sea battles - it's nothing less than awesome!
Lottery, amazing minigames:
0b00aa68-6e93-4b5a-b340-aa37a2fa39e2_zps46c73448.jpg
you can plant and harvest mushrooms there! what else can you ask for?

Very interesting true rune, it's arguable, but I thing one of the best in series.

Great coop atacks, great characters! One of the best female character in series also
OK, I'll admit, her voice actress did amazing job, that's part of it, but not all.

And only remember your reaction when you encounted this lil guy for the first time. Remember your reaction? I would bet it was pretty hilarious

well, I can talk for hours, people still won't give this game a chance, unfortunately
 

Tiu Neo

Member
I can't agree on poor part. I'm inclined to think that GS4 got a lot of hate for not being a sequel to GS3 than actually being a bad game. Because it isn't bad. Pacing problems, they do exist, in GS5 too. Narrative structure, well aside from anticlimactic ending I don't have problems with it, it is a bit too little of a story for Suikoden game, that's true.

But on the other side of equation we have what:
Sea battles - it's nothing less than awesome!
Lottery, amazing minigames:


you can plant and harvest mushrooms there! what else can you ask for?

Very interesting true rune, it's arguable, but I thing one of the best in series.

Great coop atacks, great characters! One of the best female character in series also

OK, I'll admit, her voice actress did amazing job, that's part of it, but not all.

And only remember your reaction when you encounted this lil guy for the first time. Remember your reaction? I would bet it was pretty hilarious


well, I can talk for hours, people still won't give this game a chance, unfortunately

The minigames are great, the soundtrack is probably one of my favorites, but it had some serious problems and limitations, like the four people party and the sloooooooow exploration, until you got Viki. Most of the new secondary characters were pretty forgettable, too.

At the time, the big time skip (that made harder to put returning characters in the game) didn't help the game in the eyes of most fans, too, but I think it was quite refreshing. I wouldn't mind if Suikoden VI happened hundreds of years before IV, too.

That said, it's still a pretty good game, and I think people should give it a chance, if they like the series. Konami was trying something different with the series, some things worked, others not much, but it's still a Suikoden game, at its soul.
 

Arthea

Member
I'm not telling that GS4 has no problems, it has. But I wouldn't call it mediocre, replayed it recently, still like it. As I said, it's no mediocre, a good game with some bad problems, would be my diagnosis.
Also ya, soundtrack is very very nice. La Mer simply can't be disliked by anyone, no?
 

daoster

Member
I think its obvious that a lot of what Suikoden 4 did was a response to Suikoden 3 complaints at the time. The music, the fast battles (even though they were 4 people), the mini games, the returning character, hell even the character art all screamed look, Suikoden!

I think the reason it was far back in time because... Well they didn't know where to take the series with Murayama gone.

I still love the game though, especially when paired with Tactics.
 
I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I'll take 1000 Suikoden IVs over another Tierkreis or 1000 Year Tapestry.

Gimme dat canon world.
 

Tiu Neo

Member
I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I'll take 1000 Suikoden IVs over another Tierkreis or 1000 Year Tapestry.

Gimme dat canon world.

Yes, even another Suikoden IV would be preferable to what we get today (even worse if you don't know japanese) :(
 

Arthea

Member
I'm not seeing the good game part in IV at all. The story is jumbled, the characters are forgotten and underdeveloped, nothing ever happens in the story, it holds no significance towards Suikoden lore, there are random battles in towns, travel is hampered by a slow and tedious means of transport, for a game about exploring the seas there are barely any islands to explore and land on, characters are recruited mostly by talking to them, the 4 party battles leave a lot to be desired, and the character designs are atrocious.


Not bad, but certainly not good either.

For example, the Rune of Punishment. How does it even work? The game offers very little explanation. Suikoden IV is a mediocrity defined.

The story (main storyline) isn't particularly good, that's my main problem with this game.
Nothing ever happens? Don't even know what you mean. A lot happens, don't want to excessively bore you repeating all story. A game does somewhat loose focus on the story in the second half of the game, as Dark Schala pointed out.
It does hold some significance in my eyes, Rune Cannons for one, history for 2, people of island nations appear in other games.
Random battles in towns aren't really relevant to discussion how good a game is, and it's certainly can be any problem only in the beginning of a game.
Sea travel is everybody's complaint about this game. It's not particularly good, true.
This is funny part, because of awesome minigame/huge sidequest - Treasure hunting game, we are forced to explore a lot. First you need treasure maps, which require explore whole available world, then you need find places in the maps, and using amazing dowsing skill of Rene find treasures. Then again it's optional.
Characters in all games of series are mostly recruited by talking to them, and in 4th as in others, not all just join you because you talk to them.
The size of party isn't again that big of an issue, because combat is nice, fast and coop attacks are awesome and abundant.
Character designs I find nice, they may look not so good now, but back in PS2 era, GS4 was rather good looking game.
About True Rune of Punishment. How many true runes are explained in games? I hardly can think of one explained so extensively as RoP. Leknaat tries to explain it, if you can call anything she says explaining, she's supposed to be cryptic. Then there are backstories of RoP, owners and they stories. To make long story short, this rune consumes your life energy and uses it for destruction, the more destruction, the higher absorption of life essence. In the end if you use it, you die sooner or later. It's literally deadly rune.

also when I see your avatar, I think Snow! and then suddenly Snowe pops to my mind and I think "wrong face attached", than Snow (FF13), and again "wrong face attached".
I will think that was intention of your choice, OK? (><)

I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I'll take 1000 Suikoden IVs over another Tierkreis or 1000 Year Tapestry.

Gimme dat canon world.
I'd take too *heavy sigh*
 
This thread convinced me to finally play the Suikoden series. Despite the consesus that II and V are the best, I wanted to start from the original since I had read that it is pretty short for an RPG. So I just beat it and I quite liked it - but it was far from being perfect. My 2 main complaints were that the story didn't have any impact on me at all, it was enjoyable but rather childish and the battle system was too simplistic, basically all you had to do was simply press Attack except some rare use of Runes. Apart from that, the game had many good elements and I'm gonna check the sequel. How much better is it really?
 
don't miss this one: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=528636

Suikogaiden Vol.1 finally translated.


This thread convinced me to finally play the Suikoden series. Despite the consesus that II and V are the best, I wanted to start from the original since I had read that it is pretty short for an RPG. So I just beat it and I quite liked it - but it was far from being perfect. My 2 main complaints were that the story didn't have any impact on me at all, it was enjoyable but rather childish and the battle system was too simplistic, basically all you had to do was simply press Attack except some rare use of Runes. Apart from that, the game had many good elements and I'm gonna check the sequel. How much better is it really?

did you get all 108 stars? it's about 50% better i'd say.
 
did you get all 108 stars? it's about 50% better i'd say.
I recruited about 96 of them. The recruit process was very fun actually and together with the castle upgrades I found them the most entertaining aspects of the game. I also liked the rock-scissor-paper large-scale battles but I hear that they're gone in II in favor of a worse system.
 

Jarekx

Member
I think I am going to start play suikoden II again tonight. I wish I could play a psn version on my vita but I've lost hope on that front. At least I still have my disc!
 

Tiu Neo

Member
I recruited about 96 of them. The recruit process was very fun actually and together with the castle upgrades I found them the most entertaining aspects of the game. I also liked the rock-scissor-paper large-scale battles but I hear that they're gone in II in favor of a worse system.

I wouldn't say it's worse, it's... different. It's more like an SRPG battle system with a bit of RPS mechanics thrown in it.

The first game large scale battles felt like a great minigame, II's large scale battles have an ok-ish SRPG battle system.
 

daoster

Member
With today's Breath of Fire announcement, is it even safe to ask for a Suikoden VI?

Japanese gaming companies (at least the "major" ones) don't seem to have a clue on what they're doing.
 

Akselziys

Aksys Games Dev.
Don't tempt the Beast of the Apocalypse to come forth by completing the holy triad of JRPGs falling from grace x_X

First - Breath of Fire 6
Second - Suikoden 6
Third - Wild Arms 6

ph33r :O and sadness ;-;
 

B.K.

Member
With today's Breath of Fire announcement, is it even safe to ask for a Suikoden VI?

No. It was never safe.

Don't tempt the Beast of the Apocalypse to come forth by completing the holy triad of JRPGs falling from grace x_X

First - Breath of Fire 6
Second - Suikoden 6
Third - Wild Arms 6

ph33r :O and sadness ;-;

Just wait until Square Enix announces Xenogears Episode VI for mobile platforms!
 

Tripon

Member
Don't tempt the Beast of the Apocalypse to come forth by completing the holy triad of JRPGs falling from grace x_X

First - Breath of Fire 6
Second - Suikoden 6
Third - Wild Arms 6

ph33r :O and sadness ;-;

Evil man.

Also, I'm in the middle of my Suiko one playback.
 

Tiu Neo

Member
Don't tempt the Beast of the Apocalypse to come forth by completing the holy triad of JRPGs falling from grace x_X

First - Breath of Fire 6
Second - Suikoden 6
Third - Wild Arms 6

ph33r :O and sadness ;-;

I can see Konami fucking with Suikoden VI (sadly), but Sony wouldn't release Wild Arms 6 only for Facebook and Mobile platforms, would they? ;_;
 

Niahak

Member
I can see Konami fucking with Suikoden VI (sadly), but Sony wouldn't release Wild Arms 6 only for Facebook and Mobile platforms, would they? ;_;

Media.Vision has been making pretty underwhelming games since WA5 (and some on non-Sony platforms, like the Wizard of Oz game several years ago).

Plus Akifumi Kaneko left the company some time ago, so Wild Arms is probably dead. Unfortunately. If it came back, it would probably be a cash-grab.

I picked up a couple more volumes of the Suikoden III manga and may just replay that game again soon... I like how that game has gotten better on each replay.
 

fertygo

Member
Can we hope resurrection ala Persona?

With new Key staff that can sell the new direction to fan etc.

I don't think Konami have that kind of talent though, eh
 

Tiu Neo

Member
Media.Vision has been making pretty underwhelming games since WA5 (and some on non-Sony platforms, like the Wizard of Oz game several years ago).

Plus Akifumi Kaneko left the company some time ago, so Wild Arms is probably dead. Unfortunately. If it came back, it would probably be a cash-grab.

I picked up a couple more volumes of the Suikoden III manga and may just replay that game again soon... I like how that game has gotten better on each replay.

Hmmm, I thought Sony owned the franchise. Oh god.
 

Niahak

Member
Hmmm, I thought Sony owned the franchise. Oh god.

Looking at the wikipedia page for the series, it gives conflicting info: the opening sentence says it's owned by Media.Vision, but other things in the article hint that it's owned by Sony (as does the official website).

I guess Sony does own the franchise, but the games are so entwined with Media.Vision that they might not give it to another partner easily.

Also, it appears there is already a "Wild Arms Mobile", puzzle / flash-y games developed for Japan-only mobile platforms. It's already happened.
 
Top Bottom