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[Dark Schala]

I enjoyed it too. I think it's just that a lot of Suikoden fans just really wanted a continuation from 2. As great as that would be, it won't happen now. I see Suikoden more as a Final Fantasy type thing now where there are some common elements and themes but the games are not really connected. That lets me enjoy them as just "standalone" RPGs.

Except 4. It has some stuff I liked but I didn't enjoy 4 overall.

Suikoden isn't what it used to be but I'm just glad that it still exists and still has enjoyable games in the franchise.

Hrm. I liked Suikoden IV, especially when coupled with Tactics. It has some interesting lore. Honestly, those who played Suikoden IV without playing Tactics after kind of lost out on a lot of narrative/geographic elements. LOL, it's probably because I played The Wind Waker prior to playing GS4 and I was so used to sailing around after a while. Plus the soundtracks for both games are awesome, especially coming off of GS3's.

Edit: Tierkreis is a good RPG in its own right, with a solid soundtrack and solid gameplay. It just didn't feel very compelling for me, and it took me three restarts just to get through it. Plus there was that whole PR Interview thing, which left somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth.

I don't think I'll ever want Genso Suikoden to be like Final Fantasy, nor would I come to terms with it. They built so much up with Genso Suikoden 1-5, Rhapsodia and the Suikogaiden games. Why throw that away? They had a competent team with Genso Suikoden V, so to throw all that work away... it just angers me. They had a setting in place to go for after Genso Suikoden III, so I was hoping that someone like Sakiyama (Genso Suikoden V staff) would be able to take up the reins after Murayama left.

If Genso Suikoden ever becomes like Final Fantasy with similar narrative trimmings and gameplay mechanisms, it will no longer be Genso Suikoden to me anymore. I'll keep playing the games, but it'll feel like I've lost something I've treasured since I was a kid, and also the gameplay mechanics, the large-scale battles, the narratives about war and social justice, etc. There wasn't really anything like Genso Suikoden, and I don't think there is anything like it now. It'll be a shame if this type of game is lost. :/

The characters look Suikoden ish, but not very "main cast" like though (IMO). I hope it will be released in English, but that seems to be a longshot.

Maybe as a PSP remaster or downloadable title on PSN or something? *shrug*

At least this game seems to have Stars of Destiny rather than "Starbearers"!

 

[frequency]

Hrm. I liked Suikoden IV, especially when coupled with Tactics. It has some interesting lore. Honestly, those who played Suikoden IV without playing Tactics after kind of lost out on a lot of narrative/geographic elements. LOL, it's probably because I played The Wind Waker prior to playing GS4 and I was so used to sailing around after a while. Plus the soundtracks for both games are awesome, especially coming off of GS3's.

I don't think I'll ever want Genso Suikoden to be like Final Fantasy, nor would I come to terms with it. They built so much up with Genso Suikoden 1-5, Rhapsodia and the Suikogaiden games. Why throw that away? They had a competent team with Genso Suikoden V, so to throw all that work away... it just angers me. They had a setting in place to go for after Genso Suikoden III, so I was hoping that someone like Sakiyama (Genso Suikoden V staff) would be able to take up the reins after Murayama left.

If Genso Suikoden ever becomes like Final Fantasy with similar narrative trimmings and gameplay mechanisms, it will no longer be Genso Suikoden to me anymore. I'll keep playing the games, but it'll feel like I've lost something I've treasured since I was a kid, and also the gameplay mechanics, the large-scale battles, the narratives about war and social justice, etc. There wasn't really anything like Genso Suikoden, and I don't think there is anything like it now. It'll be a shame if this type of game is lost. :/


Maybe as a PSP remaster or downloadable title on PSN or something? *shrug*

At least this game seems ot have Stars of Destiny rather than "Starbearers"!

I liked 4's story and setting a lot. I just didn't have as much fun actually playing it.

I feel Suikoden is already lost. Suikoden now isn't really Suikoden anymore. I guess I came to terms with that. I've seen a lot of the series I loved and grew up with die or become something else entirely. I just try to be positive and enjoy the new things and hope they'll create some memories I can reminisce about when I'm 40. I don't want to spend the rest of my gaming life lamenting the many losses we've suffered this generation.

3, 4, and 5 had ties to 1 and 2 but I don't really feel like they are the same thing.
Suikoden games now are just enjoyable JRPGs in a world where there are less JRPGs than I'd like.

I would love to be wrong.


EDIT: Also, re-reading my own post, I just realized I'm way more cynical than I want to be

 

[Dark Schala]

I liked 4's story and setting a lot. I just didn't have as much fun actually playing it.

I feel Suikoden is already lost. Suikoden now isn't really Suikoden anymore. I guess I came to terms with that. I've seen a lot of the series I loved and grew up with die or become something else entirely. I just try to be positive and enjoy the new things and hope they'll create some memories I can reminisce about when I'm 40. I don't want to spend the rest of my gaming life lamenting the many losses we've suffered this generation.

3, 4, and 5 had ties to 1 and 2 but I don't really feel like they are the same thing.
They're just enjoyable JRPGs in a world where there are less JRPGs than I'd like.

I've love to be wrong.

Oh man, rereading my post, it seems to come off as confrontational. I'm so sorry. I don't come to GAF for arguments, but I guess I got pretty passionate. Suikoden is pretty much one of the few game series I hold in high regard, so... No hard feelings at all.

You know... Now that I think about it... Almost every RPG series I've liked when I was a kid/teenager ended up dying: Wild Arms, Shadow Hearts, Grandia, Breath of Fire, SaGa, Mana, Phantasy Star (numbered, not PSO or PSP), etc.

There just doesn't seem to be room for stuff like that (ie: series with a grand lore, and the games take place in the same universe, or lower-budget RPGs), but if Falcom can pull it off with Ys and Trails... I dunno what to think anymore. But Falcom also has a dedicated fanbase to rely on. I don't know if Suikoden, or those other game series I've mentioned, still have that.

It's just an unfortunate situation all around. Perhaps they're trying to stick to this formula to try to bring new players into the Suikoden fanbase.

 

[frequency]

Oh man, rereading my post, it seems to come off as confrontational. I'm so sorry. I don't come to GAF for arguments, but I guess I got pretty passionate. Suikoden is pretty much one of the few game series I hold in high regard, so... No hard feelings at all.

You know... Now that I think about it... Almost every RPG series I've liked when I was a kid/teenager ended up dying: Wild Arms, Shadow Hearts, Grandia, Breath of Fire, SaGa, Mana, Phantasy Star (numbered, not PSO or PSP), etc.

There just doesn't seem to be room for stuff like that (ie: series with a grand lore, and the games take place in the same universe, or lower-budget RPGs), but if Falcom can pull it off with Ys and Trails... I dunno what to think anymore. But Falcom also has a dedicated fanbase to rely on. I don't know if Suikoden, or those other game series I've mentioned, still have that.

It's just an unfortunate situation.

I didn't read your post as confrontational at all. I also dislike arguments. I thought we were just having a friendly chat. So sorry if my response sounded like I thought you were being confrontational!

I hold the original 2 Suikoden games in very high regard. 2 is one of my favourite games of ever. On the PS2, I would put 5 as a top 10 game of the generation. So it's a thing I am sad about too.

I guess I'm able to find some joy in that the series still exists.
My absolute favourite JRPG series was Wild Arms... so... yeah...
The last game Media Vision did was an iOS game I think...?

I miss Wild Arms so much, I imported Noora to Toki no Koubou blind just because of Michiko Naruke.

Wild Arms is pretty much the only series that has like no misses for me. Every game exceeded my growing expectations. I own all the soundtracks and theme singles, bought all the ADV Twilight Venom stuff, and found a lot to enjoy about the manga. I think the only thing I haven't experienced in the series is some mobile game from before the west cared about mobiles.

But I guess this isn't a thread about Wild Arms...

 

[ULTROS!]

Maybe as a PSP remaster or downloadable title on PSN or something? *shrug*

At least this game seems to have Stars of Destiny rather than "Starbearers"!

Speaking of downloadable, wouldn't it be juicy if Konami releases a PSN version of Suikoden II using the Retro Engine, retranslated dialogue (and obviously fixed dialogue), trophy support, and a post-quest side-story in Jowy's point of view?

 

[Dark Schala]

I didn't read your post as confrontational at all. I also dislike arguments. I thought we were just having a friendly chat. So sorry if my response sounded like I thought you were being confrontational!

I hold the original 2 Suikoden games in very high regard. 2 is one of my favourite games of ever. On the PS2, I would put 5 as a top 10 game of the generation. So it's a thing I am sad about too.

I guess I'm able to find some joy in that the series still exists.
My absolute favourite JRPG series was Wild Arms... so... yeah...
The last game Media Vision did was an iOS game I think...?

I miss Wild Arms so much, I imported Noora to Toki no Koubou blind just because of Michiko Naruke.

Ah, don't worry about it. (lol, this is such a Canadian conversation: "I'm sorry." "Don't worry about it, I'm sorry.").

Media Vision did Wizard of Oz on DS (which I found to be pretty good and the Sakimoto music was awesome), Valkyria Chronicles III, Revenge of King Piccolo on Wii, and Chaos Rings & Chaos Rings II on iOS recently. Really miss them doing Wild Arms, though. I miss RPGs about going on a grand adventure (though Trails fills the void a little). But hey, I thought Nora to Toki no Koubou was well-received. At least, according to its mk2 score.

Speaking of downloadable, wouldn't it be juicy if Konami releases a PSN version of Suikoden II using the Retro Engine, retranslated dialogue (and obviously fixed dialogue), trophy support, and a post-quest side-story in Jowy's point of view?

You're talking about the stuff of blissful dreams. I'd love a post-quest story with Jowy's POV + trophy support. :O

I think a Suikoden game supervised by Hideo Kojima would be more likely since this is Konami we're talking about, though.

 

[frequency]

Ah, don't worry about it. (lol, this is such a Canadian conversation: "I'm sorry." "Don't worry about it, I'm sorry.").

Media Vision did Wizard of Oz on DS (which I found to be pretty good and the Sakimoto music was awesome), Valkyria Chronicles III, Revenge of King Piccolo on Wii, and Chaos Rings & Chaos Rings II on iOS recently. Really miss them doing Wild Arms, though. I miss RPGs about going on a grand adventure (though Trails fills the void a little). But hey, I thought Nora to Toki no Koubou was well-received. At least, according to its mk2 score.

Canada yay!

Oh I had no idea how it was received (blind!). I literally bought it just because of Michiko Naruke.

I wasn't aware that Media Vision did VC3. Now I'm even more cross with Sega for being Jerks (capital J!).

 

[Ravage]

Media Vision did Wizard of Oz on DS (which I found to be pretty good and the Sakimoto music was awesome), Valkyria Chronicles III, Revenge of King Piccolo on Wii, and Chaos Rings & Chaos Rings II on iOS recently. Really miss them doing Wild Arms, though. I miss RPGs about going on a grand adventure (though Trails fills the void a little).

Interesting, had no idea they were behind VC3. Yep i wish they were doing Wild Arms instead, one of my favourite series of all time

But back to the topic at hand, i was looking through some of the Tierkreis gameplay video on youtube and they look pretty decent. Too bad this will never come over (

 

[Takao]

Yeah, saw that mentioned on a reply to their twitter. Certainly a possibility, but I'm surprised that Namco Bandai would allow them.

I'd be surprised if they were teasing a localization of a game no one in the US has picked up...

Spoiler

Medabots takes place in our world. OMG guys!

 

[B.K.]

Special edition announced.

Suikoden fans might want to start saving up for the 19,500 yen ($253) limited edition. This package includes the PSP game, an art book, soundtrack, radio drama titled "The Prior 100 Years," a large encyclopedia, an illustration from series artist Junko Kawano, poster, and a code for a Suikoden theme.

http://www.siliconera.com/2011/11/23/new-suikodens-massive-limited-edition-includes-an-encyclopedia/

I wonder if that encyclopedia is the same one Konami released in limited quantities online a year or two ago. I think that thing by itself goes for over 10,000 Yen on Yahoo Auctions.

 

[PumpkinPie]

Real Suikoden can live on in Frontier Gate!

WTF is this shit?

 

[B.K.]

WTF is this shit?

Tir costume for Frontier Gate. There's going to be a Suikoden II costume too.

 

[Dark Schala]

WTF is this shit?

Konami crushing our dreams.

Special edition announced.

http://www.siliconera.com/2011/11/23/new-suikodens-massive-limited-edition-includes-an-encyclopedia/

I wonder if that encyclopedia is the same one Konami released in limited quantities online a year or two ago. I think that thing by itself goes for over 10,000 Yen on Yahoo Auctions.

It definitely is from the pictures on KonamiStyle. It was updated to include Tierkreis info.

At least it seems like they're reprinting it. I'd love to get my hands on one from YJA.

 

[B.K.]

At least it seems like they're reprinting it. I'd love to get my hands on one from YJA.

Too bad you have to spend $250+ on the special edition to get it though.

 

[Urban Scholar]

I like the classic suikoden cover art for the game

 

[Akselziys]

Hrm. I liked Suikoden IV, especially when coupled with Tactics. It has some interesting lore. Honestly, those who played Suikoden IV without playing Tactics after kind of lost out on a lot of narrative/geographic elements. LOL, it's probably because I played The Wind Waker prior to playing GS4 and I was so used to sailing around after a while. Plus the soundtracks for both games are awesome, especially coming off of GS3's.

Edit: Tierkreis is a good RPG in its own right, with a solid soundtrack and solid gameplay. It just didn't feel very compelling for me, and it took me three restarts just to get through it. Plus there was that whole PR Interview thing, which left somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth.

I don't think I'll ever want Genso Suikoden to be like Final Fantasy, nor would I come to terms with it. They built so much up with Genso Suikoden 1-5, Rhapsodia and the Suikogaiden games. Why throw that away? They had a competent team with Genso Suikoden V, so to throw all that work away... it just angers me. They had a setting in place to go for after Genso Suikoden III, so I was hoping that someone like Sakiyama (Genso Suikoden V staff) would be able to take up the reins after Murayama left.

If Genso Suikoden ever becomes like Final Fantasy with similar narrative trimmings and gameplay mechanisms, it will no longer be Genso Suikoden to me anymore. I'll keep playing the games, but it'll feel like I've lost something I've treasured since I was a kid, and also the gameplay mechanics, the large-scale battles, the narratives about war and social justice, etc. There wasn't really anything like Genso Suikoden, and I don't think there is anything like it now. It'll be a shame if this type of game is lost. :/


Maybe as a PSP remaster or downloadable title on PSN or something? *shrug*

At least this game seems to have Stars of Destiny rather than "Starbearers"!

I agree with Dark Schala wholeheartedly XD

Her opinions and passion on Suikoden mirror my own :3

 

[Hours Left]

I agree with Dark Schala wholeheartedly XD

Her opinions and passion on Suikoden mirror my own :3

Ditto.

I'd take 10 more Suikoden IVs over another one of these million world tangents. (Though I'd prefer 10 more Suikoden Vs.)

Though there is one other RPG series that I think is pretty similar to the Suikoden series in narrative style, and that's the Kiseki/Trails series. The difference between them is that Falcom knows they have something special and awesome and make use of it, while Konami is just squandering the deep and intriguing world that they previously spent so much time building up.

 

[g23]

So no US release?

 

[Takao]

So no US release?

Konmai publishing a PSP game in 2012 in the west is very very unlikely. Even for Yu-Gi-Oh!.

 

[frequency]

We can always hope that the new hot thing to do is release all these PSP games we missed on the Vita come February!....................

 

[Dark Schala]

Minor update cuz I have time to do them. There is no new Suikoden news this week.

First, here's the story translation from the website.

The Centennial Monster...

That monster will appear without fail once every 100 years, devour everything, and continue to multiply... It is a fearsome beast. In order to prepare for the Centennial Monster, the Holy Aionian Empire has extended its reach to suppress the entire empire by forcing heavy burdens upon it.

But as time passes, the regional towns and cities have become dissatisfied with these heavy burdens and declared independence. In the beginning, a large-scale military battle between Holy Aionian Empire and the Regional Force occurred. There were massive casualties on both sides, but ironically, the existence of the Centennial Monster forced both sides to reconcile and work together.

Beneath the Aionian Banner, the Holy Aionian Empire, faced with an emergency, acknowledged the Regional Force's independence as a condition of combining their forces. Ever since, time has passed peacefully, at least on the surface...

This year, it will have been exactly 100 years...

In Terube Village, three youths--the hero, Miyura, and Gino--are spending their days training to prepare for the coming of the Centennial Monster. One day, on their way back from training in the barricade ruins, the Hero and his friends encountered monsters they'd never seen before. No matter how many they defeated, the monsters continued to multiply. Unable to move forward or escape, the companions retreated back to the ruins.

Once inside, a mysterious boy named Zephon suddenly appears in front of them and sends them 100 years into the past. There, they will meet the heroes who defeated the previous Centennial Monster...

A newly-woven story of the Infinity that transcends time...

Second, I updated this post with translations of the stuff in the pics. Let me know if I got anything wrong. I'll just repost the stuff here for easier access.

Hero - Tenkai Star

"...Please tell me what happened in this time period."

A swordsman from Terube Village. His father died when he was a child. His mother, Signey, died in battle during clashes against the Holy Aionian Imperial Army several years ago. His mother was a swordswoman specializing in the "Blue Flash" style, and had instructed him in the technique since his childhood. Since her death, he has continued his training alone, and was just accepted as a swordsman.

Miyura - Tenei Star

"As if we'll follow orders from someone who doesn't even understand facial expressions!"

A magician from Terube Village, and she is also Gino's older sister. After the Hero lost both of his parents, they have been raised as if they were real siblings. She is skilled at wielding a magic staff, and is one of the most skilled young mages in Terube Village.

Gino - Tentai Star

"You thinking about that again? You're way too serious."

A magic stone craftsman from Terube Village and also Miyura's younger brother. He is the Hero's childhood friend. At his sister's insistence, he became a craftsman of magic stones. He is easily pleased, but likes to behave in a silly manner for others' amusement and thus is scolded by Miyura.

Dukas - Tenko Star

"If Aionia is a monster, then you guys are some interesting monsters yourselves!!"

Commanding officer of the 4th infantry division in the Aionian Holy Imperial Army. He has been dispatched to Terube Village in order to keep them in line. Although he's a soldier, he has a carefree attitude and can exhibit on-the-spot speech and conduct. But he's very popular because he takes the duty of looking after his subordinates seriously.

Zephon - Tenkan Star

"This tree is called the Tree of Time. It extends its branches and leaves, transcending time."

A mysterious boy who suddenly appears before the Hero, and sends him and his friends into the past with the power of the Tree of Time.

 

[Xelinis]

Everyone should keep in mind that core members of the V team were still deeply involved in Tierkreis. Sakiyama served as the Tierkreis' Lead Planner and Tsugawa served once again as the Head Writer.

Despite my disdain for Tierkreis, I do acknowledge it as a brave experiment and I have little doubt that the team has learned a lot from its failures. I'm disappointed that they've decided against returning to the old world for the time being, but I'm still more than willing to give this new game a shot.

 

[Hours Left]

But without returning to the real Suikoden canon, what does this have to offer to fans of the series? Tierkreis judged on it's own merits is a fine RPG. Nothing spectacular, but it was fun. But as a Suikoden game? It was terrible.

This is going to be exactly the same thing. It will probably be a fine RPG, but it'll end up being entirely disposable, just like Tierkreis.

The thing that makes Suikoden unique is it's continuing storyline, world and characters. This is just another (presumably) middling RPG with a faux-Suikoden coat of paint, with none of the substance or relevance to main world that makes the series what it is/was.

 

[Diomedeskun]

For me, Suikoden is two things:

1. The established Suikoden world

2. A fun RPG with a light gameplay system, but a deep, mature, political story with highly developed characters and a complex plot.

If either of these criteria are met, I'll be ok. Otherwise, I'm not interested. I should have known better, but I played through about 90% of Teirkreis before I realized I wanted my time back.

 

[Dark Schala]

But without returning to the real Suikoden canon, what does this have to offer to fans of the series? Tierkreis judged on it's own merits is a fine RPG. Nothing spectacular, but it was fun. But as a Suikoden game? It was terrible.

This is going to be exactly the same thing. It will probably be a fine RPG, but it'll end up being entirely disposable, just like Tierkreis.

The thing that makes Suikoden unique is it's continuing storyline, world and characters. This is just another (presumably) middling RPG with a faux-Suikoden coat of paint, with none of the substance or relevance to main world that makes the series what it is/was.

I was extremely tempted to translate the "Blue Flash technique" bit as the "Blue Lightning technique" (due to the Hero's and his ancestor's strong resemblance to another blue-clad swordsman in the series (not Belcoot)), but I figured that'd make some people more frustrated than anything else.

Ummm... from what I could make out from the battle screen portion of the scan last week, "Runes" were not a selectable option. Skills are used. Interestingly, the HP values for each character are higher than normal. There is another stat which looks like it could be Skill Points or something. I... don't really like the game's overall aesthetic based on the scan from last week.

I'm willing to try the game out, but... low expectations here, especially after going through the story synopsis. I'm not really expecting a Suikoden game, even though my heart really wants to. Frankly, I'm disappointed that they went in this direction again, as this isn't what I've come to expect from and admire about the series at all.

Despite my disdain for Tierkreis, I do acknowledge it as a brave experiment and I have little doubt that the team has learned a lot from its failures. I'm disappointed that they've decided against returning to the old world for the time being, but I'm still more than willing to give this new game a shot.

Yeah, they still have a few underpinnings like using Stars of Destiny this time rather than Starbearers, and they've gone back to six-member parties. It seems like they're trying, but I'm feeling cautious towards the game.

I hope they go back to the Old World one day, but I'll admit that I have my doubts.

...It's interesting that they're using bits of the Old World of Suikoden (ie: Tir and Riou costumes) for Frontier Gate, and yet for this new Suikoden game...

 

[Shouta]

But without returning to the real Suikoden canon, what does this have to offer to fans of the series? Tierkreis judged on it's own merits is a fine RPG. Nothing spectacular, but it was fun. But as a Suikoden game? It was terrible.

So take the game on its own merits rather than comparing it to the canon?

I've personally never played Suikoden games just for the canon but for the formula they use and how well and different they use it. Caring too much for the canon is silly to me.

 

[Xelinis]

...It's interesting that they're using bits of the Old World of Suikoden (ie: Tir and Riou costumes) for Frontier Gate, and yet for this new Suikoden game...

What's more interesting is just how much Konami is now pushing the Suikoden Encyclopedia, of all things. Part of me says that they might be gearing up for something big, but another part says that I shouldn't be getting my hopes up.

 

[Dark Schala]

What's more interesting is just how much Konami is now pushing the Suikoden Encyclopedia, of all things. Part of me says that they might be gearing up for something big, but another part says that I shouldn't be getting my hopes up.

Yeah, it's interesting that they're bundling the encyclopedia with the game for a KonamiStyle pack (and selling it standalone as well). It has everything from GS1 to Tierkreis, so maybe they might want to get new players to read up on past games? (This is me clearly trying to be optimistic, but nah... I don't think it means much...)

I wonder if they're ever going to release that huge soundtrack box they had planned. Now seems like a good time to do it.

I was thinking the nods to Suikoden in Frontier Gate were because a few people from the Suikoden team were working on it and it could be used to promote FG, or it could be used to promote this new Suikoden game. Who knows?

 

[Xelinis]

I think what I really don't like about the reboot, however, is how anime-ish the whole plot feels.

Despite the clearly Eastern artstyle, Murayama's games had plots seeped in Western Fantasy. Elves, dwarves, kobolds, runes, and the heavy emphasis on politics, how often do you see these in Eastern fantasy? In fact, a very hefty chunk of Suikoden's story is based on the works of Michael Moorcock, creator of the Elric Saga.

 

[Hours Left]

So take the game on its own merits rather than comparing it to the canon?

I've personally never played Suikoden games just for the canon but for the formula they use and how well and different they use it. Caring too much for the canon is silly to me.

There are plenty of RPG series that I have no problem with them trying to create a brand new world with each installment, Suikoden is not one of them. The canon is very important to me, so I can't just take this game at face value unfortunately.

It's very possible that this will be a fine game but there's really no reason for this to be a Suikoden title outside of Konami being lazy and wanting to attract people using the name and some general Suikoden staples. (Which are meaningless without the canon to back them up IMO.)

My only solace currently is that these games are still being marketed separately from the main series, and I hope when they decide to get back to the real world, these games can just sink into obscurity.

 

[Xelinis]

The latest tweet confirms it: Kazuyoshi Tsugawa is back for Round 3.

 

[Dark Schala]

The latest tweet confirms it: Kazuyoshi Tsugawa is back for Round 3.

I have hope for the narrative. (For those who aren't too aware, Tsugawa wrote Tierkreis and also Genso Suikoden V.)

If this game has a subnarrative regarding an Empire vs a resistance group (and from the story section on the website, it sounds like there might still be minor tensions between these two factions), maybe we might get a good and/or interesting scenario out of this.

I think what I really don't like about the reboot, however, is how anime-ish the whole plot feels.

Despite the clearly Eastern artstyle, Murayama's games had plots seeped in Western Fantasy. Elves, dwarves, kobolds, runes, and the heavy emphasis on politics, how often do you see these in Eastern fantasy? In fact, a very hefty chunk of Suikoden's story is based on the works of Michael Moorcock, creator of the Elric Saga.

Yes, this is part of the reason why I haven't gotten too attached to the Million Worlds games. GS4, Tactics and GS5 at least remained in the spirit of what Murayama did with the world-building and plot in terms of politics, social order, different races, runes, etc. The Million Worlds games don't seem to have much of an emphasis on that, which makes it lose part of its lustre for me. I don't really come to Suikoden for the animeish plots or subject matter. :/

 

[Bebpo]

Isn't the reason why Konami gave up on Suikoden canon that Murayama left and has no intention of coming back again? They tried to get around it with spinoff-ish 4/5/Tactics and then went even further with new universe for the DS game and this. It seems like they just don't have the guts to try to finish the story that someone else started and built up over 3 games + gaidens.

It's too bad because I'd be willing to take a "outsider/fanfiction" story of Harmonia post Suikoden 3 written by Suikoden V guy if they made it. Hey, it's better than nothing and if it sucks we just pretend it's not canon, like Xenosaga ep2!

Although I think the bigger problem besides not having Murayama to write it, is that Konami A. has no money to budget a real full length Suikoden rpg and B. has nowhere near the rpg-talent staff to develop one.

Smartest thing they could do is license the name and series history/canon to a 3rd party rpg dev to make it themselves. Similar to how Bethesda bought the rights/canon/series history to Fallout and made Fallout 3.


I love Suikoden 1-3, but the series is dead to me and will be one of those storylines we'll never see conclude sadly ;_;

 

[duckroll]

So this game is supposed to be released in about 2 months, and there isn't a single screenshot or video of the actual game released so far? Is this a new record? Even Nintendo isn't this bad. Lol.

 

[R_thanatos]

So this game is supposed to be released in about 2 months, and there isn't a single screenshot or video of the actual game released so far? Is this a new record? Even Nintendo isn't this bad. Lol.

That's totally weird. all we have is some screenshots of cutscenes so far and the main characters artworks ...

The previous teikreis had screenshot of the game the day it was annonced ..

 

[frequency]

So this game is supposed to be released in about 2 months, and there isn't a single screenshot or video of the actual game released so far? Is this a new record? Even Nintendo isn't this bad. Lol.

It's because this is actually another pachislot game.

Spoiler

There are screenshots in some magazine. Of gameplay even. No videos though.

 

[Takamura-San]

I will only forgive konami if they release the suikoden collection for psp in the us ;_;






They won't damn you konami

 

[ULTROS!]

I got bored and decided to check out Suikoden PSP's gameplay.

OMG Tir can walk diagonally.

 

[Dark Schala]

So... it seems like this game might have more political leanings than I had originally thought. Basically, the empire is using the Centennial Monster as an excuse to gain access to the smaller surrounding territories. Hah, this kind of sounds like a Suikoden-esque tale. I have hope.

Spoiler

(I'm only setting myself up for disappointment, aren't I?)

Hm. Based on the kana, I'm going to revise my translation of "Ionia" to the proper "Aionia". It's more orthographically accurate (plus the prescriptive linguist inside me would prefer that I do this). ア(a)イ(i)オ(o)ニ(ni)ア(a). As a result, I shall go back and edit my posts containing the orthographical error. I shouldn't have translated it based on phonology in the first place. :/

They still haven't gone into detail about the battle system or the gameplay at all. They're only introducing characters at this point, which is kind of... weird. I swear we knew more about Tierkreis around its announcement.

But Norio Wakamoto's in this game, and apparently he's not a bad guy. :O

"The Holy Empire of Aionia"
They're using the opportunity to prepare for fighting the Centennial Monster as an excuse to take control of the smaller territories in the surrounding area.

The Emperor of the Holy Aionian Empire, Leopherias the 13th - Seiyuu: Tomokazu Sugita
The Captain of the Holy Aionian Knights, Makia Zafir - Seiyuu: Miyuki Sawashiro
The Prime Minister of the Holy Aionian Empire, Lugato Lugam - Seiyuu: Akio Ohtsuka

Norio Wakamoto, who voices Aaron (leader of the Scarlet Axe, a resistance group fighting against the Holy Empire of Aionia) says, "I had not fully grasped the whole picture yet, but I thought that I was going to voice a villain again. Turns out he's a respectable character!"

The other voice actors that have been introduced are:
- Hiroaki Tajiri
- Hiroko Ushida
- Takahiro Sakurai
- Ryūichi Kijima
- Ryūsei Nakao
- Aya Hisakawa
- Hidenori Takahashi
- Yousuke Akimoto

 

[decoyplatypus]

So... it seems like this game might have more political leanings than I had originally thought. Basically, the empire is using the Centennial Monster as an excuse to gain access to the smaller surrounding territories. Hah, this kind of sounds like a Suikoden-esque tale. I have hope.

Spoiler

(I'm only setting myself up for disappointment, aren't I?)

The question was probably rhetorical, but I'll take the chance to talk Suikoden:

I think you're only setting yourself up for disappointment if you expect it to have the same virtues as a Suikoden game. It's possible that this premise will lead to a more Suikoden-like story, but it's just as likely it will not. There are lots of other good qualities an RPG (and an RPG story) can have, so it's probably best not to expect any particular imitation of traditional Suikoden features.

Of course, I say this as someone who will ignore this game - just as I did Tierkries - out of fear that buying it (even if it turned out okay) would encourage more spin-offs. So I'm not exactly rational on the subject.

 

[g23]

Isn't the reason why Konami gave up on Suikoden canon that Murayama left and has no intention of coming back again? They tried to get around it with spinoff-ish 4/5/Tactics and then went even further with new universe for the DS game and this. It seems like they just don't have the guts to try to finish the story that someone else started and built up over 3 games + gaidens.

It's too bad because I'd be willing to take a "outsider/fanfiction" story of Harmonia post Suikoden 3 written by Suikoden V guy if they made it. Hey, it's better than nothing and if it sucks we just pretend it's not canon, like Xenosaga ep2!

Although I think the bigger problem besides not having Murayama to write it, is that Konami A. has no money to budget a real full length Suikoden rpg and B. has nowhere near the rpg-talent staff to develop one.

Smartest thing they could do is license the name and series history/canon to a 3rd party rpg dev to make it themselves. Similar to how Bethesda bought the rights/canon/series history to Fallout and made Fallout 3.


I love Suikoden 1-3, but the series is dead to me and will be one of those storylines we'll never see conclude sadly ;_;

Who would u outsource it to? I say give it to obsidian or square enix

 

[Tabris]

Ugh, this is so painful. Even using terms like this: "The Holy Empire of Aionia" just reminds me of what we're missing.

Why are they afraid of making a story based on The Holy Empire of Harmonia? I get the original team is done and the new team wants to do their own thing but c'mon man!

I love Suikoden so much that I loved Suikoden 4 due to having characters like Viki and Jeanne and ignoring all the bad elements to the game. Just due to the canon. I always wanted to know about the Island Nations and it was interesting. Silverburgs involved. Etc.

I am actually re-playing Suikoden series right now. I just re-mastered Suikoden 1 and 2 (pimping out every character) and I'm now playing Suikoden 4. Then I'll play Tactics > V and end with III (currently the "conclusion of Suikoden" )

 

[Dark Schala]

Who would u outsource it to? I say give it to obsidian or square enix

LOL. But in all seriousness, I'd give it to Falcom since they know how to treat games with canon well. This is if Konami decides to actually make a good, rational decision (lol).

The question was probably rhetorical, but I'll take the chance to talk Suikoden:

I think you're only setting yourself up for disappointment if you expect it to have the same virtues as a Suikoden game. It's possible that this premise will lead to a more Suikoden-like story, but it's just as likely it will not. There are lots of other good qualities an RPG (and an RPG story) can have, so it's probably best not to expect any particular imitation of traditional Suikoden features.

Of course, I say this as someone who will ignore this game - just as I did Tierkries - out of fear that buying it (even if it turned out okay) would encourage more spin-offs. So I'm not exactly rational on the subject.

Quite rhetorical.

Despite the inclusion of things like Stars of Destiny, politics, apparent rebel factions going up against an empire, etc., I'm not really expecting "Suikoden", exactly. More like elements of that being thrown into a spinoff title. You also took the words right out of my mouth: it's equally likely that this may encourage more spinoff-like games using the Suikoden brand name, or it might encourage them to make a proper game within the old world canon again. For some reason, I'm being somewhat optimistic and am hoping that it's the latter.

I do think it's rather problematic that we haven't seen footage or better screenshots (other than what was in magazines) of battles, ability systems, etc. It is not like Suikoden at all in that manner (ie: there are no runes, and the HP count per character is much higher than the standard Suikoden game).

I'm pretty torn regarding the game, to be honest with you. I don't really know how to feel about it at all. It isn't the Suikoden I grew up with, I know that. But for some reason, I just can't help but to feel curious about it, or even desire to play it. -_-

Ugh, this is so painful. Even using terms like this: "The Holy Empire of Aionia" just reminds me of what we're missing.

I love Suikoden so much that I loved Suikoden 4 due to having characters like Viki and Jeanne and ignoring all the bad elements to the game. Just due to the canon. I always wanted to know about the Island Nations and it was interesting. Silverburgs involved. Etc.

I know that feel, bro. And hey, another person on GAF who likes Genso Suikoden IV? Oh joy. My enjoyment for GS4 went up partially due to Tactics/Rhapsodia, but I liked it all the same despite numerous shortcomings.

 

[R_thanatos]

I know that feel, bro. And hey, another person on GAF who likes Genso Suikoden IV? Oh joy. My enjoyment for GS4 went up partially due to Tactics/Rhapsodia, but I liked it all the same despite numerous shortcomings.

The Lore was great but the rest was badi finished it but i won't get near it again .is suikoden tactics really enjoyable ? For information my suikoden lineage was 5,1,2,3,4 in that order

 

[frequency]

The Lore was great but the rest was badi finished it but i won't get near it again .is suikoden tactics really enjoyable ? For information my suikoden lineage was 5,1,2,3,4 in that order

I don't think Tactics was a particularly good game. But If you care about the characters and stuff, it's totally worth playing.

I also disliked actually playing 4, but enjoyed the story/setting/characters.

 

[Dark Schala]

The Lore was great but the rest was badi finished it but i won't get near it again .is suikoden tactics really enjoyable ? For information my suikoden lineage was 5,1,2,3,4 in that order

Ah, I had an ok post on GAF a few months ago detailing how I felt about it...

Edit: Thank you, based Post History (even though a lot of the time I kept pulling up my RPG completion list), and I'll add a bit more to it:

I liked Tactics. Its only crime was probably that it was linked to Suikoden IV, and hence people didn't bother picking it up. Tactics fleshes out the world of Suikoden IV, its story and its characters, since you're able to explore not only the Island Nations, but also Kooluk as well. I thought the narrative was better than IV's, outside of a few things being a bit predictable. Basically, the game begins seven years before the Island Liberation War, then resumes three years after. You can use your GS4 save to get Lazlo as well (it cannot be an NG+. It must be a save with all 108 Stars). Oh, and the game is chapter-based, signalled by plot-based battles..

Gameplay isn't original or very imaginative; it's kinda like a Suikoden re-skin of a lot of the good SRPGs out there (FFT, for example; it's not as complex as say... Disagea). But I love SRPGs, so I liked Rhapsodia/STactics's take on it. Select characters you want to use (sometimes you have to use certain characters), put them on the grid. The square tiles have elemental attributes (ex: wind, water, fire, earth, lightning, neutral, etc). If you use certain runes on those tiles, their abilities will either be enhanced or weakened. Characters also have elemental affinities themselves (ex: Snowe is Water Elemental, Kyril is Fire Elemental, Lazlo and Kika are Wind Elemental for some reason), so this can enhance or weaken healing or offensive spells as well. You can change elements, but by using certain (very rare) items.

The rest of the battles play out like how you would normally play SRPGs (ranged characters, melee characters, healers, etc). However, sometimes battles can be difficult because the enemies' levels scale with your main character, so if you're trying to level up low-level characters, it might be difficult to do so if enemies are coming right at them. Also, some characters can permanently die in battle if you're not careful (you'll know which characters can or cannot die, just like in normal Suikoden games). Controls can be weird during battle (to select areas on the isolinear grid, I mean). Skill points are distributed like they were in Suikoden III and beyond (E rank to S rank).

The battles can be challenging, but I like challenging. They're challenging if you want to S-Rank battles. This is based on how many turns you use to finish enemies off, total damage received, XP earned, finishing turns with characters on elemental terrains, and avg damage dealt to enemies. Some people might get frustrated with Kyril's inability to land finishing blows on certain enemies, but this is plot-based, and I kind of liked how this was handled.

The quest guilds were neat additions as well, where you can take on jobs yourself or through someone else, and you can earn SP, money or new recruits. In towns, you can buy runes, meet new characters, buy items, hone your weapons with the blacksmith, buy equipment, etc. You can also set your characters up at camp your caravan.

The environments were nice to look at, like Haruna. The character models weren't really that nice to look at, however. Weird blocky cel-shaded stuff. The soundtrack was great, and it had the full version of one of my favourite Suikoden themes. There are a lot of remixes from previous Suikoden games like GS1 and GS2 as well, so there's something in there for older fans. English voicework is ok.

I knew it was in a thread where we were busy bagging on Genso Suikoden III's numerous gameplay flaws even though the thread wasn't completely about that, lol.

Actually, Suikoden IV and Suikoden Tactics have really great soundtracks, even though they borrow themes from each other. I thought they were solid for the most part (there were some themes that were pretty meh, but the good definitely outweighed the bad). I love La Mer.

 

[Dark Schala]

Double-posting because I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I'm leaning towards laughing. I don't really like the model, but oh man...

Konami released a few screens for Frontier Gate's DLC equipment for Gradius, Love Plus, Suikoden and Beyond the Labyrinth. As you may already know, if you purchase Frontier Gate's OST, you'll get a code for Tir McDohl's equipment to put on your character. They have not released screens for Riou's equipment yet.

Similar to the Love Plus equipment, when you equip the Suikoden equipment, the battle music changes to Suikoden's theme song.

Source

I played the Frontier Gate demo and it wasn't too bad. It ain't Monster Hunter or God Eater, I guess. I don't really think it's worth importing for me personally, though, because I'm not going to be around a lot of people to play multiplayer with.

 

[Dark Schala]

I see that Konami wants me to spend money to import a physical copy of this... even though I have hi-res art of this stuff already! :lol

Suikoden: The Woven Web of a Century, the next game in Konami’s Water Margin RPG series, pays tribute to all of the previous titles. First print copies include a code to download seven Suikoden PSP themes.

Each theme has art from a different game in the series starting with Suikoden and going all the way up to Woven Web of a Century.

Source

There was new info that came out last week, but I got way too busy this week with exams and stuff to translate the whole thing. But here's part of it:

New info. There's a lot of repeated stuff, so I'll omit that. We already know that the Holy Aionian Empire is just using the Centennial Monster as an excuse to take control of surrounding lands, yeah? Yeah, I figured. Plus I'm sure that a lot of people don't care much since we haven't seen footage or a lot of screenshots or anything. Understandable. I do have to wonder why we've seen squat though.

The Scarlet Axe
An underground rebel organization which is active in various areas intent to defeating the Holy Aionian Empire. There are even supporters of this rebel group in the Aionian regional cities. When the Centennial Monster appears, people begin to notice the Scarlet Axe's movements and initiatives. How will this affect them and the main characters?

The Regional Forces
The Regional Force won independence and self-governance from the Holy Empire. Terube Village--where the main characters live--is part of this force. They are bound by oath to respond to the Holy Empire's requests for cooperation, but there are a large number of people who are dissatisfied with this. There is doubt that this system of cooperation is beneficial to both the Regional Forces and the Aionian Empire.

The Shining Leaf Knights
These are the imperial knights who supervise Emperor Leopherias XIII's personal bodyguards. Although this guild is part of the army, the Emperor's word can be given greater importance than the commander's, and give direct imperial command.

Emperor Leopherias XIII
Seiyuu: Tomokazu Sugita
"You've come a long way, Terube Village heroes."

The 13th Emperor of the Aionian Empire. He is compassionate, thinking of the people's happiness and future. He is worshipped almost like a god within the Holy Empire. When he learns that the main characters fought against the Centennial Monster, he summons them to the Imperial Palace. But what is his true objective in inviting the main characters?

Makia Zafir
Seiyuu: Miyuki Sawashiro (who also said: "I was allowed to do the voice for the main character as a child." Hrm?)
"If that is His Highness's wish..."

She is the calm, cool, and collected swordswoman who leads the Shining Leaf Knights. She is a direct descendent of the founder of the Blue Flash Style, Maximos Zafir, and she is extremely skilled in the style. She wholeheartedly devotes all her respect, affection, and loyalty to the Holy Emperor Leopherias XIII.

(Do note that the main character and his mother can also use the same swordfighting style!)

Lugado Lugam
Seiyuu: Akio Ohtsuka
"Hmm... It looks like you have quite a connection to these gentlemen."

The Prime Minister of the Holy Aionian Empire. He is in control of the... uh... 岩の根 (Origin of the Rock? Huh? That sounds dumb.), which is an administrative organization which extend throughout the entire Empire. He is also in charge of the research institution, and thus can be considered as the "Brains of the Holy Aionian Empire". He understands everything that he needs to do in any field. He is also a capable bureaucrat.

Damdin
Seiyuu: Hiroaki Tajiri
"I shall sever the root of evil which makes enemies of the Holy Empire!"

He is the Commander of the Holy Aionian Imperial Army, and also the leader of the First Branch. It's thought that the scales he was born with are even harder than the metal armour he wears. He is a person of conviction, and he doesn't take too kindly the existence of enemies to the Holy Empire. If you make him your ally, then there is no person that is more reliable than he is.

Quinelia Lewis
Seiyuu: Hiroko Ushida
"This strategy is the specialty of our branch. I have faith in our archers' training."

She is the leader of the Holy Aionian Imperial Army's Second Branch. She is very decisive and demonstrates great initiative. She is the direct descendant of the noble house of Lewis and is also a mother of one. She is a brave woman who is skilled with the bow. She is also nicknamed the "goddess of war", and adored by the rest of her branch.

More later on, since I have an exam tomorrow afternoon...

But as far as I can tell, they're concentrating a lot on this empire and its army...

 

[Finalow]

First print copies include a code to download seven Suikoden PSP themes.

very nice.
I'm curious about this game, give me a good Suikoden like Suikoden II.

 

[Dark Schala]

very nice.
I'm curious about this game, give me a good Suikoden like Suikoden II.

Ehhhh, I wouldn't expect Suikoden II-calibre. That's high-calibre.

The person in charge of writing it is the guy who wrote Suikoden V and Suikoden Tierkreis (Kazuyoshi Tsugawa), and this is actually a good thing since Suikoden V turned out alright. From the way the character descriptions for Woven Web/Centennial Tapestry are going, we might see something like Suikoden V? I hope?

However, the director of this game is Osamu Komuta. He directed Tierkreis too. Hm. :/