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Suikoden is Back!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 61 / 68
Date: March 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Suikoden in all its glory is back! I have just finished the game and am now writing this review.

First of all, when I picked up this game, I wasnt expecting much, after the failure that was suikoden IV (I liked it, but it wasnt suikoden calibur) However, I was sadly mistaken. The graphics on this game arent that great but WHO CARES?! Where RPG's matter, this game gets it all right (Great story, awesome fortress, army battles are the best in this game.) One thing I did like about the graphics though was the birds eye point of view, like youre playing a 2-d RPG but its 3-d. Very awesome. I only have very minor complaints about this game (cant skip dialog, cant pause cutscenes, etc) But overall, I was very impressed

Maybe I'm just crazy, but yknow that feeling you got from PS1 RPGs that you just couldnt stop playing because the story was so good, or you beat a 50 hour long game in a week? Well, that feeling has been rare on PS2 due to companies having the philosophy of "If it looks better, it IS better" But yes, this game will definately have you hooked, and its sales arent stellar right now so please, do the world a favor and BUY THIS GAME! So we can get another awesome suikoden out there.

P.S. I am a suikoden Fan, but if a game is bad, i would tell you, so. If any of you are suikoden fans, this is on the level of Suikoden II (most claim to be the best game in the series)

Suikoden V brings the series back to great form

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 50 / 51
Date: September 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Konami's Suikoden series has been a fixture in the Playstation console systems since the PS1. While not as graphically beautiful as Square-Enix's Final Fantasy series of role-playing games, Konami's own Suikoden rpgs more than held its own in complexity of character development and storylines. These two factors have become something the Final Fantasy rpgs have really lacked since Final Fantasy VII. I would even say the Final Fantasy series hit its high-point in Final Fantasy VI and has been downhill since. Not so with the Suikoden series. From the beginning the series has beautifully combined characters and storylines to create a game that still uses the basic stats and experience mechanics of most Japanese RPGs but with a unique brand of npc recruiting and a wholly realized complex world which grows and reveals itself with each successive game in the series.

In 2006, Konami released Suikoden V in North America and there were some trepidations on how well the game would turn out. The previous game in the series, Suikoden IV, was abit underwhelming in its execution. A rarity in the Suikoden series in that the game was just ok; with some fans calling it awful. But even Suikoden IV still played better and its story less cliche than most rpgs coming out of Japan. Suikoden fans needn't have worried about this latest entry in the series. Suikoden V doesn't bring anything new or innovating in terms of graphics to the genre (but then Suikoden games never has in the past) but what it did was bring back the series to the high-standard of character development and storyline the series was very well-known and critically-acclaimed for.

Set six years before the events which played out in Suikoden I, Suikoden V takes places in the Queendom of Falena whose current Queen has in her possession the Sun Rune. The Sun Rune is one of the 27 True Runes which makes the backbone of what makes the critical events of the Suikoden Universe so unique to the role-playing genre. Queen Arshtat rules Falena with the Sun Rune but events prior to the beginning of the game (told in flashback) has set into motion a dangerous game of political machinations and powergrabbing between two powerful groups in the Houses of Barows and Godwins with the Sun Rune in the middle of it all.

The player is given control of Queen Arshtat's only son to figure out just what sort of secret plans either Houses has in store for the Royals. Accompanying the player are Arshtat's sister Sialeeds, his bodyguard and lifelong friend Lyon, and Georg (a familiar face for those who have played the previous games in the series). As the game's story unfolds the complexity of the power struggle between Barows and Godwins and those of the Falenan Royal Family becomes more than a struggle for the realm of Falena but for its ultimate survival as something powerful and beyond human comprehension has slowly influenced those in close proximity. There's moments of extreme sadness and ultimate sacrifices and love. Machiavellian plots and counterplots from both the protagonists and antagonists keep the player guessing as to how the story will play out. There's also betrayals and genocidal actions which gives this entry to the series the dark edge the previous fourth Suikoden lacked.

Unlike most JRPG's (Japanese RPGs), Suikoden V doesn't have an end-of-the-world storyline but one which stays regional, but makes the plot no less epic and actually gives the game more freedom in how the story unfolds. Suikoden V's story has to rank up there with Suikoden II's as one of the best rpg storylines ever and only lags behind the second game due to that game's having a brilliant and memorable villain in one Luca Blight. The main characters and most of the 108 Stars of Destiny characters were well-written with their own distinct personalities and motivations for joining the fight. The dialogue during the game is mostly done through text with each character show in anime-style profiles. The cutscenes on the other hand uses voice acting which for a rpg was done pretty well with voice actors who actually gave each character voiced a distinct personality. It would've been nice if Konami had included the Japanese voice-acting in addition to the English translation. It's a minor gripe, but nothing that takes away from making Suikoden V such a great game.

The gameplay mechanics returns back to the 6-party formation from the first three games in the series. There's still the usual co-operative attacks when certain combinations of characters are put in the battle party. The co-op attacks could involve just two characters all the way up to six characters combining to create devastating non-runic attacks. There's also co-op attacks between characters using runes. These combined runic attacks are some of the most damaging attacks in the game and allows the player a reason to actually bring a balanced party of 6 characters that's made up of fighter strong in physical attacks and those adept in runes. The newest change in the battle mechanics occur in the war battles. Gone is the turn-based system that's worked well in the first four games. Suikoden V's war battles now takes place in real-time which makes for much more hectic battles. The player must constantly know where each of his units are and how they're stacked up against the opposing forces. This change in the system was a good one and here's hoping that in the next Suikoden game for the upcoming nextgen systems, Konami builds on this real-time war battle.

Suikoden V is a great game and also brings the Suikoden series back to great form after an interesting but lackluster attempt at innovation with Suikoden IV. This fifth entry did everything right in what made the series great. It had a great and compelling storyline with complex and distinct characters. Suikoden V misses surpassing the great Suikoden II in greatness just due to that game having certain classic and memorable characters. This is an unfair comparison but something that still puts the second game ahead of V, but just barely. That shows just how great this game really is. Already announced by Suikoden's creators that V will be the last Suikoden game for this current generation of Playstation console system. The next installment will have nextgen hardware at its disposal and I, for one, can't wait to see what the next one will turn out to be. Until then I shall continue to play and enjoy Suikoden V the second time around with its New Game + option that unlocks after a player finishes the game.

Just might be better than II. It's that good.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 20
Date: August 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Overall - 10/10 This was just a great game. The Storyline, Gameplay, Characters, and everything else were all top notch.

Storyline - 10/10 From the first scene in the game, the storyline had me hooked. It was a tragic tale that invokes all sorts of feelings, and makes you WANT to continue playing, and see what will happen next.

Characters - 10/10 Simply amazing. Not only does the game go into extreme detail with the Protagonist, Antagonist, and other main characters, but even with support characters who have but a small role in the actual story. The game does such a good job with this, that after playing through the game, you will feel like you know all of the characters.

Gameplay - 9/10 The game was vastly entertaining, with the classic Suikoden style battle system, with some cool new features. Unlike IV, V returns to the classic 6 person battle party as was the case in I - III, and adds a new system of "Battle Formations" which give you certain advantages and let you tailor your party towards Physical Attacks, Magic, or a balance. The "Skills" system, which was introduced in III is also back. The only thing keeping me from giving a 10 here is the extreme difficulty in recruiting some of the characters, which any Suikoden fan knows is a must if going for the good ending. I know that it took me multiple hours to figure out how to recruit some of the characters, and would frustrate a casual gamer, who isn't obsessed with perfecting games like I am.

Difficulty - 7/10 The game itself was not difficult, in that I never found myself in battles that I could not win, but leveling up and strengthening character weapons/armor is neccesary, and slacking in either of these departments would likely make my previous statement untrue. The War battles take a while to master, but once you get the hang of it, the shouldn't be TOO bad, as long as you follow the objectives given rather than trying to wipe out every enemy. Individual Duels are tougher in this game becuase I found a number of the participants harder to read than in previous Suikoden games. The most difficult part of the game, as I stated above, was recruiting all the characters.

Length - 10/10 This is an EXTREMELY LONG game, which should excite any RPG fan. If you simply play through the game and do not recruit every character and uncover every secret, you will likely spend 35-40 hours. On the other hand, if you, as I did, go for a perfect game, you will likely spend 65+ hours on the game.

A Brilliant Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: April 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you're an RPGer, and you're a serious one, Suikoden V should be one of the RPGs on your list this year. It's fun, long, and showers a lot of replay value. The game just all around shines, and it's easy to see why. Suikoden IV was nothing special, but if you lost faith in the series after it, allow Suikoden V to restore that faith.

In the Queendom (yes, Queendom) of Falena, villagers are beginning to question Queen Arshtat's motives. Her form of justice was torching a village and it's countryside. As the Prince of Falena, you're sent in to investigate the matters for yourself. It soon becomes easy to turn your back on the Queen. There's a reason for her mor wicked actions, and after a while you're not going to be used anymore. You're going to investigate. The story begins kind of slowly, putting you to the task of running errands for most of the beginning, but once you get past that, the game really takes off.

For what it's worth, Suikoden V has a great story, and a brilliant cast of characters. Throughout the game it's great to watch your characters grow, including the Prince. There are tons of characters who you can get to join your cause, and all of them are very well developed. There are 108 characters in all. In most RPGs with an unrealistically large number of characters, the character development is terrible. This isn't true in Suikoden V. Each character is distinctly their own. The array of characters that join you is also interesting. You'll have just normal civillians. Chef's, detectives, ordinary peasants who are willing to fight for your cause. The way at which you obtain them is also interesting. Some will join based on what you say, others will join you depending on who is currently among your ranks. Some won't join you until you've got A LOT of people. This also works out to manipulate the ending of the game itself, as well as certain story sequences. The bulk of Suikoden V is actually getting all these characters, and it is perhaps the strongest part of the game.

The battle system is pretty cool too. You'll have six characters in battle at a time. You can set up your characters in battle in a way that you earn certain bonuses. There are formations that allow you to up your attack power, magical power and plenty more. It's awesome to tinker around with, and makes battling more interesting. The only thing that bogs down battling is the load times before it, which over time become pretty annoying.

Alongside the normal, everyday battle... you'll be able to duel as the story moves on. The duels aren't especially challenging. They way they're done is similar to Pokemon in a way. You can attack, use a special attack or defend. It's like Rock, Paper, Scissors. Everything has the potential to lose. For example, you can't defend against a special attack but you can use a regular attack to offset it. Those you're dueling will usually call out what they're going to do, and you'll have somewhere around three or four seconds to decide how to offset it. Dueling isn't especially hard, but it has its moments.

There are also army battles on land and sea, and to be honest, they're no different than the duels. You'll have to move closer to the enemy, but they pretty much play out in the same way. However, this is where the bulk of your 108 characters come into play. They are, essentially, your army.

Graphically, Suikoden V is good. Good, not especially great. Most characters are pretty detailed and the enviroments are colorful. The PS2 is capable of better, but in all honesty, Suikoden V is NOT by any means a bad looking game. It's a good looking game, just not as good looking as others that have set the bar. Soundwise, the game sounds great. Mixing classic music from the series with other tunes. The new tunes are used perfectly when setting the mood of certain scenes.

Suikoden V is full of good voice acting. It isn't always perfect, but it works out just right. Some characters sound perfect, others you're scratching your head and wondering what the deal is. You won't find yourself questioning the voices too often, though. Most of the voice acting is good, and the voices that matter you'll be proud of.

Suikoden V is a gem. It's got lots of replayability, and tons of well developed characters. It's one of the most exciting RPGs of the year, and any RPGer would be proud to have it.

The Good
+Great storyline
+Tons of characters
+Well developed charactes
+Fun battle system
+Overall good voice acting
+Good graphics
+Great soundtrack

The Bad
-The load times for battles
-Duels and army battles aren't really all that difficult

Only for the Old School RPG Players

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have been a fan of the Suikoden series since the beginning and I have to say that five is the greatest one created. Graphics aren't ground breaking and the character/battle system isn't anything new but that is the game's greatest feature. This game brings back the game play of Suikoden 2 which is good in my book (Felt that they were slipping with 3 and 4).

Overall: If you are a fan of the older RPGs this game is a must have. If you are in real-time battle, innovative game play and/or fancy graphics you may want to look somewhere else for a RPG. If you decide to play this game I suggest you buy the guide but only after you beat it the first time.

As good as Suikoden 3

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: August 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I enjoyed this game. The storyline takes some suprising turns but can't say I liked the characters as much as Suikodean 3. I also liked the change of the battle system from the previous Suikodeans.

One of the best games ever made

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

For those of you who are new to RPGs let me explain a little bit about Suikoden. It has been a popular series since the first one came out in 96. That one, though good enough for its time, is generally considered too short and graphically outdated, in fact, as FF7 will show, the graphics were outdated even back then in 96. But it was a good game, very nice character development and many characters (over 100 in fact, but most do not play a central role in the story and are never really explored) it does have a nice feeling of war in it. The second game is longer, and is considered a masterpiece. When the ps2 came out, we (suikoden fans) were expecting some classic 3D games with great storylines, like the first 2. We were totally let down with the next 3 games Konami would make for the PS3, Suikoden 3 and 4 and Tactics really killed this series and were no where near as epic as the first 2. Well, about a year and a half ago, along came Suikoden 5. The fifth Suikoden is a masterpiece, much better than any release before. This is perhaps, an apology from Konami to long time fans for the lousy games they had been making. What I love about this game (other the being an epic war story like the first 2) is the graphics. It is 3D, yet it looks almost like a 2D game, it is really nostalgic. It looks alot like Suikoden 2, and is what the first one should have been. But there are voice overs and 3D scenes. The war battles were pretty nice, though I think Suikoden 2 perfected that, and Suikoden 3 looked like an absolute joke. The story itself begings in the Queendom of Falena (a country only briefly mentioned in about one sentence in Suikoden 2.) This country is ruled by the matriarchy and overseen by the benevolent power of the Sun Rune. Yet the shadow of Civil War looms. The Godwin faction, an extremely powerful senate faction with their own grand city and a vast army, hungers for the imperial throne and the powers of the Sun Rune. Leading a coup and killing the Queen, Gizel and his father Marscal install the young princess Lymslia as a pupet Queen with the intention of using the Sun Rune to destroy other nations and rule the world. Escaping to saftey, the rest of the story focuses on the young prince (you name him) in his struggles to win this civil war and destroy the evil Godwin faction. It must be said that in this game, there are less shades of gray than the previous game. No one in this game can question the evilness of your opposition and that if they prevail, they will most likely bring doom to Falena. Well, like past games, in this one you collect 108 stars. It is a lot harder to obtain them all in this game, and some can be easily missed if you don't get them in time. The good ending, is well worth this effort. The soundtrack is very good, not quite as good as the first two, but it does have a few very memorable tunes. I believe this game is probably the best Suikoden. Its hard to say, both this one and number 2 are really great games and play out like an epic war story. Like I said though, in this game there are a lot less shades of gray with the villains, in the first one the emperor seemed like a good man, in the second one, your main enemy and best friend is a good person doing what he thinks is right, though he seems to have less morals than the main character. In the third one, there really isn't an enemy, just oppossing views. Well, Luc was an enemy, but the whole story involving him was a disaster. In the fourth one, there are a couple enemies, they are both totally forgetable. In Tactics, Iskas, don't make me laugh. Well, the Godwins really make this game memorable and worth playing again.

I think it is important to explain the views of the three major factions in this game

The Godwin Faction: They want to turn Falena into a military dictatorship. They wish to eradicate any form of self government within the country, basically, a strong centralized government. They also (and pretty much the whole reason for this game and their motives) wish to use the Sun Rune to pursue a very aggressive foreign policy, both on the neighboring Armes Kingdom and the rest of the world.

The Barrows Faction: They wish to consolidate power and improve foreign trade with other nations. They are not very expansionistic and neither are they democratic. They do not seem to be as pro totalitarian as the Godwins though... The Barrows faction used to be as powerful, or perhaps even more so, than the Godwin faction. However, it is clear in the very beginning of the game that although they still have substantial clout in the senate (simply go into the senate and talk to everyone, you will learn the current political climate) they are not nearly as powerful as the Godwins.

The Royal Family before the Queens assassination: Made up of Queen Arshtat and her husband Ferid, they look to contain the power of the nobles (especially the Godwins and the Barrows) and preserve most of the status quo, ie, the senate. They have basically, the same ideals as the Princes faction, but they do not wish for a constitunial queendom, at least, not to the extent of making a parliment made up of members to represent the various regions and substantially curb the power of the royal family. One would assume this because it was not done during her reign. Mostly they are very concerned with the growing power of Marscal and Gizel Godwin.

The Royal Faction after the assasination of the Queen: Basically, the faction that will fight on the side of the Prince of Falena. They want to improve relations with neighboring countries and establish a democratic form of matriarchy, one in which each independent city/clan is represented in a parliment. They wish to keep the Sun Rune as Falena's royal heirloom, but they do not wish to use its tremendous power to subjugate foreign nations.

suikoden v

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 11
Date: April 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

this is the original suikoden gameplay revival. after I playing suikoden , and suikoden II.this game is the best of all on every aspect of the suikoden games .history, gameplay, humor ,tragety, perfect score even the price .a classic gem as the the original suikoden buy one copy and keep it .final fantasy games are left on the dust with this game,with the exeption of FF#3 for the snes and 7 for the ps1. and don't get me wrom final fantasy games still are my faborites but they lost the crown aster final fantasy 7. after that just mediocrecy games exemt for ff9.

Finally, a game that requires Stradegy.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: June 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This RPG is one well worth buying. Here's why.
Most of the recent RPG's I have played just trot along
giving little thought to how the game progresses. I was very suprised that this game was difficult enough to keep me playing.
One of my favorite parts is the "Dual Matches". This is a one on one battle where you have to choose what you do by listening to your opponent's aggressiveness. The "War Battles" are also interesting. These battles play much like Age of Empires.
The dungons are quite complex and take some memorization. A world map is found when you find one of the 108 optonal characters in the story. Finding them is a sidequest on it's own. So all in all this game goes on my top 10 rpg list and is well worth buying.
These are my recommendations.
Chrono Cross
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII
Suikoden V
Silent Hill 1-3
Final Fantasy Tactics
Suikoden IV

Suikoden V and the Adult Gamer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: May 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I personally did not care for Suikoden 3, Loved Suikoden IV, and enjoyed this one even more...especially the new battles over land and sea. I was frustrated that you can actually have some the the SOD's die on you in battle! yuck! The loading times are better than IV, although still annoying (I keep hoping that the PS3 will take care of that). The story was really good, and if you look around still kind of relevant to today's headlines. I have played through once and am replaying again since 4 of the SOD's in the first game got dead. And I never could get the guy who does the appraisals or the dwarf chick. So I understand there is a different ending when all of the 108 SOD's are there. I'll find them all if it kills me.

This is great game, you have to be willing to invest some time and energy into it. I liked the fact it was easy to make potch since everything was so stinky expensive. Well worth (in my never to be humble opinion)the time, effort, and money to play and play again. It has it's flaws, but what game doesn't?

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