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Possilbly the first RPG with unlimited replayability!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Suikoden is a game that's easy to underrate. The game can be completed in less than 20 hours. The graphics and FMV's are good, but not groundbreaking. The story is noble, but not extremely original. Most of it's 108 characters are pretty forgettable. And it's `large battle' scenarios are little more than a thinly disguised rock-paper-scissors game. Yet despite all that, Suikoden is an RPG that really needs to be played to be appreciated.
First of all, there are a total of 108 characters that you recruit. You can choose a party of 6 from all those who've you recruited. These characters and their fighting abilities are the backbone of the Suikoden game. Some of the characters seem pretty useless in battle, with weak attacks and defense. However, some characters' abilities can combine with others to create a more powerful attack. Finding the 108 characters is part of the fun...it's NOT easy! Another fun aspect is trying to figure out who can combine with whom, and how powerful their combined attack is - something that you may feel compelled to do each time you recruit someone new. And, oh yes, don't forget that you're in a war and must defeat the enemy...the whole point of the game!!!!
Additionally, some quests have hidden benefits if you have certain party members with you. For instance, if you travel to an Elfan village, it's a good idea to have the elf in your party because you may be able to get more items or information than humans alone would. In this vein, you have to think who be really beneficial at any given part of the game. While it may seem like a waste to keep a character that throws a frying pan as their weapon, he could be of particular use at some point. So it's not always best to keep only your strongest characters in your party.
Normal battles are pretty standard turn-based battles. There is an added bit of strategy here in how you set up your party for battle. Characters with long-range weapons can be placed anywhere, but characters with close range weapons (swords, daggers, etc.) must be placed in the front. Keeping track of how to place 108 characters like this sounds like quite a task, but it's really not so daunting once you figure out who's who.
"War" battles are the one facet of the game that I'm not fond of. You choose one of three tactics to fight: Archers, melee, or magic. The computer chooses one, too. Then the battle ensues with a rock-paper-scissors type of resolution. (Melee beats archers, archers beat magic, magic beats melee). These battles add little to the storyline, are not exciting to watch, and ruin the tempo of the game. Luckily, they happen fairly infrequently.
Even less frequent is the one-on-one battle. These are basically tests of strength (both attack and defense strength) of a character. If he can survive against his opponent, he is worthy to carry on. Otherwise, he must go back and train (fight more monsters with the group until he levels up). These battles are like checkpoints, and sometimes will advance the storyline when your foe is defeated. They are not as much of a distraction as the war battles, but it is merciful that they are infrequent.
The ending that I saw was pretty decent and worth the 20 hours of play. Supposedly, a more elaborate ending awaits if you find and recruit all 108 characters (I had only 80+ characters). Just knowing that would make me want to play through the game again more diligently (We had borrowed the game last time, so I kind of rushed through the second half). I think that the whole game took me 16-18 hours, so it was pretty short. Because of the sheer number of characters and combinations, this game could be replayed several times and not get old.
Because of the high demand and low supply of this game, it is usually pretty expensive (IF you can find a copy of it). It is definitely NOT worth the high prices that it is selling for at the time of this writing (ranging from $80 to over $200). But if you're lucky enough to find one for a more reasonable price, you won't be disappointed.

the first of the best!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

first off, the time it came out, this was by far the best RPG ever. The main character (unofficially "Tir" Mcdhol) ends up on the side of a rebellion that leads him against his own father and the emporer. This game was refreshing as there was no "save the world" to it just a good war story. No more no less. My only gripe with this game would be that it doesn't have the improvements to it that later games in the series had, multiple rune slots, jeane's breasts, jeane and viki as playables, jeane wearing too many clothes, etc. The main character in this game however is by far the best main character of the seriese to date. I bought this game when it came out and am surprised to see what it is going for now. Some of the prices are easily above $100. WELL WORTH THE PRICE! Actually, it is a bargain at that price.

MY FAVORITE GAME

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 19
Date: March 16, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Suikoden is my favorite game for Playstation. It's easy to play, but is a very in-depth RPG. You get to meet tons of characters, and put them in different fighting "groups" depending how well they get along and how tough they are. You get to build your own castle! You fight big scale wars and small scale, traditional battles. The story moves really fast, and is really engaging. You will be heart-broken whenever one of your "friends" dies. The story gets you THAT involved.

And all of the drudgery of some RPGs has been taken out. Random encounters are made faster and less tedious, shopping for items is simpler and more straight forward. I tell you, they thought of everything when they made this game! The characters even walk really quickly so you don't have to run everywhere you go.

I've now played Suikoden II, and I really love that one as well. But there's something about this first one - I don't know. If you're one of those people who always has to get the latest version, I think you should change your ways in this case. The second one's great, but there's nothing else quite like this first one. In fact, I'm sort of jealous of people who have never played it, because they get to start from the beginning without knowing what's going to happen!

And one more thing. The ending is great. It's not one of these, "let's just roll the credits" kind of endings. They make up a little story about what happened to every single person you met. The ending takes a long time, and is really rewarding. As soon as you're done, you'll want to start all over again by buying part two!

A great - cheap - RPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: May 23, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Okay, the graphics are pretty old school. Not much better than SNES quality, you might think. But forget about them. Play the game...

I won't spoil the story (and you've got that big review up top to read if you want to know) as one of the major parts of any RPG is the plot. And while the translation isn't great - typos abound - the story works well. It stays interesting towards the end and I did start to care about some of the characters.

There are three types of battle - group, major and solo - which offers some welcome variety. Group is your standard party vs monsters battle. If you've played any Final Fantasy games you'll be right at home. Solo and major battles aren't far off being rock-paper-scissors, but they're still fun.

People have complained that Suikoden is too short. Personally, I thought it was just right. Took me about sixteen hours to get through - and I didn't find all of of the 108 characters by any means. I can't spend hours and hours playing a game each day, so Suikoden lasted me a couple of weeks. Long enough not to feel cheated, but not so long that I lost interest.

All in all, this is a very decent RPG and you can't go wrong at a budget price. If this were a more expensive game, it'd get four stars. But at half that price then it's a real five star game.

Like great stories?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 18, 1999
Author: Amazon User

This game is the best. Have you ever sat down to read a really good book? You can't tear yourself away? That is exactly what this is like! It doesn't matter that the game has super nintendo graphics. SOme of the best RPGS ever were on super nintendo. This RPG has one of the best story lines. After playing this game you will see what I mean. Then, when you finish the game and want more, try playing the second!

Best game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: February 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is hands down my favorite game ever made... Sure it's kinda old by now and therefore not as fancy technology-wise, but the story is enough to keep me involved, and the fact that there are 108 distinct characters to recruit, PLUS all the NPCs that you don't recruit. Lots of personality. I can't even tell you how many times I've played through this... the second one is pretty good, too, but the first is definitely the best. A must-have for any true RPG fan.

Suikoden-A fantastic and unforgettabel RPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: August 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Suikoden is the best RPG ever made, The story is so fantastic that i almost cried the first time i played it. The music is GREAT,i don't think i ever heard something better on playstation! The charecters is FORMIDABLE and you will think of them a long time after you have turn off the playstation. there is nothing bad whit suikoden,nothing! i just love it...and the same will you do if you just like RPGs a little bit.

Still my favorite of all time...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I remember getting this game when it came out. I didn't hear anything about it but my mom was willing to buy me anything. I'm glad she bought it for me.

This game is truly epic. The music is awesome. It's no par with FF7's music. It truly is some of the best. The battles are great. There are normal ones which are fun. You get to use 6 characters. Your party is up to you. Over the game you get 108 different characters, of which 2/3rds are playable in battle. There are also duels. Duels are fun. Wars are awesome in this game. There is alot going on. The graphics are well done. For a 2d game. There are tons of different good looking sprites. The story is also magnificent. My favorite story ever. You come to love the characters. The game also ends perfectly. It is a tear-jerker. Right after the final battle I may have teared a little. The game is fun though. If you see it buy it. The game is well worth it because it is my favorite game of all time. It beat out MGS on my list, so it's good.

Another classic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The Konami we all know is back. Remember all the good quality games we used to get from this company? Well, Konami is trying to get back into shape, and Suikoden, the year's best RPG, is a step in the right direction. The story is simple. You are the son of the General Teo, one of the emperor's most powerful generals. Immediately, your father leaves to fight a battle up north leaving a few of his trusted friends to watch over of you. Soon after, you come to realize that you and your father been serving on the wrong side. The Emperor and his generals' minds have been brainwashed. The result is unhappy subjects and an enslaved country. Knowing this you join the Liberation Army and when their heroic leader is assassinated by the baddies, you are chosen as leader. Your job now is to recruit thousands of men to join the Liberation Army and restore peace to the country.
Suikoden is full of beautiful backgrounds (especially your castle which you can name), not to mention outstanding effects for magic spells. The music is incredible, rivaling the soundtrack of Square's Final Fantasy 3! Some of the sound effects used in spells are reminiscent of those taken off old He-Man episodes, which oddly enough sounds terrific. All this plus intricate plot twists and an inspiring storyline constantly push this game forward. Suikoden is undeniably one of the best RPGs ever made. Not only that, but Suikoden isn't a game that can be finished in a few days either. Suikoden is long (about 25+ hours) and it doesn't get boring... ever.

Suikoden, an Unforgettable Classic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: June 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I have owned this game for about 2 years now, and still play it. This is a must-play game, with an unforgetable storyline and over 60 playable characters. Guaranteed at least 50 hours of gameplay. If you haven't already, order it, or pick it up where possible.

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