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Sorry, I shouldn't do this...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 24 / 41
Date: September 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

...but I figure it's a good time to mention a nice website. www.suikosource.com is THE place for info regarding the Suikoden games, as well as info for upcoming releases, series games not released in the US, and even the excellent novel, "Outlaws of the Marsh" (on which the games are based). No, I don't work for the website, I'm merely a satisfied customer.

It is a shame that the game has been delayed AGAIN (judging from the release date up top; I had heard that it would be here in November, then in January, and now we're up to March). The game has been out in Japan for some time; Konami is typically bad about bringing this series over (anyone who bought Suikoden II, maybe five of you , may remember the delays and the still-persisting bugs - here's hoping they get it right), but you can read about the game on the website above.

About the game, well, it is set on the Island nations (the home of Amada from Suikoden II), about 150 years before the events of the original Suikoden. You (the main character) are the inheritor of the terrible Rune of Punishment, one of the 27 true runes, but seemingly the worst of the bunch. Sure, the rune gives you power, but at the cost of sapping your life (most runes grant eternal life) until you die, at which point the rune finds another unlucky bearer. I can't say much more, since I refuse to read through the entire plot summary before I play the game, but if you must know, suikosource is the place to go.

Yes, I am culling together info from websites, so don't lambast me! Think of my scoring as a potential score - I am a fan of the Suikoden series, and the info I have found makes this game appear really good! Of course, I was a bit disappointed with the third game (as were the makers - check out some of their interviews!), but I have high hopes for this newest installment. Happy gaming (er, in March)!!

Addendum: I reviewed this game before it came out, but I still think it was quite good. Many of the reviewers here have underrated this game, in my opinion. Yes, there are flaws in the game mechanics (most notably is the insanely high encounter rate while you trudge out to sea - this is pretty much corrected once you recruit Viki and obtain the Glowing Hand (Blinking) Mirror for teleportation, but for some reason, the game designers won't let you teleport to key game destinations). However, I like the storyline (particularly after a 2nd runthrough) and the battle mechanics. I like many of the characters present in the story (indeed, Snowe Vingerhut is quite nicely developed, and the addition of Ted was a good idea as well). Suikoden has suffered immensely, graphically, from its transition to 3-D (the characters and backgrounds seem washed out and dull, and the Stars of Destiny don't differ that much from common folk). Nonetheless, I found this game much more enjoyable than the 3rd outing (the triple character system seemed to hurt the development of the storyline). I think this underrated game deserves a chance, particularly at the price that Amazon has it at!

cool game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 4
Date: January 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The playing experience is cool.I like duel which was a little improved.The part on traveling in the ocean was kind of boring.
I say it is good to play it and have some fun. The hero in the game is pretty quiet. Only you can tell him what to say.

(It is still a good game!!!)

Just AMAZING!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 7
Date: September 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

if you love this types of games, this one is a MUST HAVE!

Someone who ACTUALLY played it

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 11
Date: January 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Alright I'm gonna start off by saying I'm a huge RPG fan. I have all the Suikodens, Final Fantasies, Quest for Glories, Chronos, Legend of Dragoon, and I'm very honest with them. There's some i love (see Suikoden II) and some I wasnt too impressed with (see Legend of Legaia) and Suikoden IV is NOT as bad or mediocre as some magazines made it out to be. I hear a lot of people complain about the towns. Interestingly enough all these people are in their first or second hour. I'm in ONLY the third town and the third town was very colorful and unique. If someone hasnt played enough to reach the THIRD town their opinion on the game and the graphics of towns based on the first one where u spend the first two hours, then they should not be playing RPGs. For those who have played Baten Kaitos and stuck with it past the second town (the first two were nothing special) got treated with unique and amazing towns that were just pure eye candy and for those who played Skies of Arcadia and overcame the blocky, weird characters and two building town at the beginning of the game were treated to one of the best RPGs of that console era. My point is this, Suikoden is a respected trusted franchise for a reason, do not base your purchase on the someone's experience within the first two hours or even the first five. An RPG is a tale that develops and gets to the point were you feel for the characters. People like Snowe, Troy, and Glen are some unique powerful characters and are all within the first three hours. The beauty of what makes a suikoden unique is the castle aspect. I wont tell you where or when your base is but it is pretty cool, not as cool as previous ones but still a cool base. You cannot review a suikoden without seeing YOUR own base, where the majority if the action and development happens.
Your character doesnt seem to have much personality but in Chrono Trigger, what many consider THE best RPG ever, Chrono does not say a word, Chrono does not show emotion, but Chrono is a great character. Why is this? Because you feel for Chrono, you become Chrono, the hero is this game is not as cool looking as Chrono, but he has the same exact personality... yours. Dont buy this game because of what others say, like I said Ive seen my share of RPGs, I've played all the classic of nearly every system, and Suikoden IV's story, graphics, and battles are not the absolute best, not even in this series, II holds that distinction, but they are better than 90% of the ones out there. I was pleased with this game, and I am going to continue being pleased for another five hours when i wake up tomorrow to finish playing. Make the choice, if you love RPGs go for it, if not, everyone has their thing, just give it past the first few hours cause you might be the one missin out. You never know

Not the best, but definately not Suikoden III

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: January 15, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I am a huge HUGE fan of the Suikoden series and I've been singing its praises from the beginning. Suikoden I and II were magnificent, but with the third installment bringing it into the new era of 3D rpg gaming, it suffered massive flaws. You can tell the developers felt the same way because the fighting system has been restored to it's original I/II style with some tweaking and the Duel system is thankfully back, which was always fun. The army battles from the first three are not included, but they changed drastically with every game anyway, so it's not to be missed considering a new style of war: Ship battles. Since the game is set at sea, ships do battle with rune cannons a la Sid Meier's Pirates! styled scenes where some strategy goes a long way, but it's more important you have fun in the battles. This game is not too hard at all. In fact, it's not hard, period, but it's fun. The music is nostalgic and sounds like a PS2 enhanced greatest hits soundtrack from the first two Suikoden games. Also, voice acting is now included, which is very new to the series. The story's not Xenogears and it is indeed geared towards younger audiences, but that's not to say this game isn't something worth following. The graphics might... not be up to par, but fans of Suikoden won't mind that. True, you might expect more, but you give it credit because it's still pretty. The eyes and hands look a tad creepy but, really, it doesn't matter too much. It looks like Suikoden III and plays kind of similarly but isn't nearly as slow as III. The gameplay is paced well and the story never bores. I find the game a lot of fun, but it's not the prettiest around. If you're into the look, get Star Ocean 'Til The End Of Time (also a very good game), and if you want your stories gritty and mature, you're probably looking for Shin Megami Tensei, but fans of this series will not want to pass this up. Especially if you loved I and II more than III.

great game and prequel

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: January 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

the game was good and had some very good characters the only major problem i had with it is that the main character seem to be like the silent heros from the old days of rpgs meaning that he had no soul or character and didn't seem to have no character. i mean even hugo, chris, and geddoe have a character but other then the game was pretty good. the voices wasn't too bad either and the naval battle system was great.

Fun, But I Have Mixed Emotions

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 14
Date: February 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Well, I just beat Suikoden 4 without getting all 108 characters and I thought I would write a review. I have all the other Suikodens and I enjoyed them (especially 2), but for some reason no one likes to read my reviews. Oh well.
So Suikoden 4 takes place about two centuries before Suikoden 1. If the gamer is expecting to see many returning faces, they will be disappointed. Needless to say, the game starts off rather slow. Give it about 2-3 hours, and you will be hooked. Unfortunately, there is never really any reason why there is a war like in the other three games. Instead, events seem to just happen and the characters react. The action is pretty one-sided for the most part. While you collect your 108 characters, the enemy doesn't seem to attack and the ball is always in your court. I will list a few pros for this game as well as a few cons.

Pros
1. The graphics look very nice. They are a step about Suikoden III.
2. The voices don't really kill the mood. For the most part, they are all well-acted for an rpg.
3. Magic is easier to cast in this game than in 3.
4. Some of the characters are great and will probably grow on you.
5. For the most part, the music is nice. Sure a few songs are crappy, but the soundtrack fits the game well. There are times when I would prefer to listen to Iron Maiden, but the music for this rpg will do.
6. There are many sidequests to look out for.

Cons
1. While many characters are entertaining, some lack depth and are just there to fill in space. I didn't really feel any emotions towards many of them. Furthermore, the conflicts each main character has don't really make much sense and the audience is left wondering what the hell is going on.
2. The naval battles get old after a while. The last battle is a piece of cake if your fighters are at least at level 41 or so. I don't think Konami really thought this through.
3. Speaking of the sea, getting too close to islands will knock your ship off course. It gets annoying after a while.
4. There are too many random encounters in the game and the enemies don't really drop enough money. The equipment in this game is quite expensive and without money, it is definitely hard to stock up for your characters.
5. I will not spoil it (there is another one, though), but the ending is lacking. It leaves you wondering what this has to do with the 25-30 hours you put into this game. The other three Suikodens tied everything together at their ends, but this one does not.
6. Beginning=slow. Middle=drawn-out, one-sided, but interesting. Ending=disappointing.

Well, these comments are all I have to say about Suikoden 4. I did enjoy this game (even though it sounds like I hated it), but it certainly is lacking in depth compared to its predecessors. I would recommend picking it up because like the other games, it will soon be gone I imagine. On a completely awkward final note, Konami should hire me to write the script for Suikoden 5- I could probably do a better job making a story with awesome characters and gameplay.

Peace Out.

It's like Skies of Arcadia meets Suikoden...RPG Heaven! ^_^

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 16
Date: February 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

DISCLAIMER:
Before I begin, I should point out that I am biased in that I am a huge Suikoden fan, that I love anything having to do with old fashioned naval warfare, and that my favorite video game ever was Skies of Arcadia. That should be taken into account when reading this review. ^_^

INTRODUCTION:
Suikoden, as a series, has been around for some time (for those of you unfamiliar with the series). It has not become, nor has it ever truly been intended to be, a mainstream best-seller. It has however achieved "cult classic" status along with the likes of Lunar, Skies of Arcadia, Star Ocean, and other console RPGs which are typicaly well regarded yet which also sometimes lack the critical acclaim and popular success of other AAA titles such as Final Fantasy, KOTOR, etc.

Suikoden IV has thusfar received - allbeit not dismal - fairly underwhelming critical reviews, and has been lambasted by fans as being full of small flaws which add up to detract from the enjoyment of the game utterly. Everyone is welcome to their opinion, but I must say that I sharply dissagree with these people.

COMMENTARY:
The primary flaws attributed to Suikoden IV (sensitive and "unintuituve" ship control, a too frequent enemy encounter rate, a shorter story than Suikoden III featured, the lack of Suikoden III's "Trinity Sight System," and an alleged - yet, to me, mystifying and untrue - lack of character development) all fall into the categories of being either a) easily overcome by reading the game manual, b) consistent with other similar games which people, for some reason, seem to overlook the shortcomings of, or c) stem from a lack of experience with the Suikoden series.

In short people are spoiled and, frankly, more than just a teeny bit lazy when it comes to games these days it seems.

Here are some tips for those finding the game unenjoyable due to the above "flaws."

Sensitive or "unintuituve" ship control, and/or difficulty reaching port because of being "turned away" from islands: Press the camera button until you are in the overhead ship view. Toggle the compass in the lower right hand corner on. The red dots represent the ports. Don't approach the islands anywhere but at ports. Some islands are unexplored, and their ports are not visible on the compass yet. Simply keep your distance, and follow the island's border until you find a port. As for controlling the ship, press forward on the left analog stick to begin movement, then press the acceleration button to speed up. Steer with the left analog stick using GENTLE and GRACEFUL movements. That is the whole point of the analog control sticks - that you don't need to push them very far to make subtle course corrections. (Seriously, how some people manage to even walk at all in action games that utilize analog controls is a mystery to me if they cannot be more precise in their movements than this...)

Random enemy encounters being too frequent: Yes, Suikoden IV features an encounter rate higher than most. Yes, it is higher than in Suikoden III. However, it is not - by FAR - the highest encounter rate ever seen in an RPG of this sort. If this bothers you, then perhaps RPGs aren't for you. The point is to level up as much, and as quickly as possible, so that you are well prepared for future boss battles. I for one am thankful for the plentiful opportunities to level. Can you imagine how long it would take to level up the many many characters you will have to use in the game if the encounter rate were much slower?

A shorter story than Suikoden III featured: Suikoden II's plot was even shorter. My advice? Don't rush. This isn't Fable, where no matter how much time you spend finding secrets and tackling sidequests, you'll still finish in under 30 hours. Unlike some games, in Suikoden if you take your time and level up your characters, buy (or craft) the best armor you can for them, stop and enjoy the scenery in first person mode (the waterfalls on Nay-Kobold's bridge are lovely...), try to get all 108 stars of destiny, etc. your gameplay time will baloon to 80+ hours in short order. And that's a small number compared to what you could experience. I spent over 200 hours in Suikoden III maxing everyone out. For me, that was too long to spend leveling everyone up. That's why I'm pleased with the training options and the frequent enemy encounter rate in Suikoden IV, and it's why I look forward to spending around 90-100+ hours in Suikoden IV (which is FAR more than enough and MUCH more than your money's worth) to max out all of my characters, and explore the entire world map.

No "Trinity Sight System:" Suikoden III was a fun and interesting experiment on Konami's part. Suikoden IV is not Suikoden III. Suikoden IV is character driven, and at it's heart is exploration and wonder. Suikoden III's core was stat building, a robust skills system, and the juxtaposition of three unique storylines. I found it distracting, confusing, and at times frustrating to have to start all over again with a new character. Don't get me wrong - I loved Suikoden III. But it lacked something that it's two predecessors had in terms of plot development and character development. Suikoden IV rekindles the spirit of Suikoden I and II in my humble opinion, in a way that Suikoden III - for all it's greatness - could not. In my view, by focussing on one character instead of three and building his relationships with the other stars of destiny, a more compelling and emotionaly satisfying story is created.

Lack of character development: This complaint simply always confuses me to no end. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but after playing the drab storyline of Suikoden III, Suikoden IV's fresh adventurous spirit and in-depth voice acted interaction between the main characters is a welcome departure. Infact, I daresay suikoden IV has the most well executed character development of any game in the series, save - perhaps - for the venerable Suikoden II.

REVIEW:
Graphics - The best graphics of the Suikoden series to date, which while inferior to most games of the generation, are remarkably expresive and convincing in the context of the world in which the story takes place. Character animations are some of the most lifelike (almost to the point of being slightly creepy) I have ever seen in a game. There is nothing robotic or forced in the animation whatsoever. They act like humans (and mermaids, and Nay-Kobolds, and...everything else...) would in real life (if the latter beings existed...which I like to think they do...^_^)

Gameplay - The combination of ship battles that are highly reminiscent of Skies of Arcadia, a varied and beautiful series of locations, a large overworld set on the high seas, the fun of piloting your own ship, the recruitment of 108 characters, multiple genuinely enjoyable minigames (of a calibur higher than one would expect from a game of this sort by the way), and the simple but fun combat sequences all combine to make for an immersive and enjoyable experience. I cannot fault the gameplay.

Story - The story is well told, and makes sense (unlike much of Suikoden III in my opinion...). The emotional ressonance of the relationships which form - and sometimes break apart - during the course of the game, is at times simplistic, at times intricate and powerful. In particular, the evolution of Snowe is a compelling and unique character arc.

Audio - Contrary to most reviews, I must say that I love the audio in Suikoden IV. The music is moving (to me, anyhow) and, once again, reminiscent of Skies of Arcadia as well as past Suikoden titles. The voice acting is startlingly good for an RPG of this sort. Infact, it may be the finest english translation of Japanese dialogue I have ever heard outside of blockbuster titles such as Final Fantasy.

CONCLUSION:
Please, have some patience and persistence. If after you've been to the first three or four islands, gotten used to the ship controls, and leveled up a bit you still dislike this game, then my apologies for being a weirdo who loves this game. But I must confess that the lack of effort and imagination by some reviewers - professional and otherwise - with respect to this game, dissapoints and saddens me to a high degree.

This is a real gem of a game set in a beautiful and fully explorable world of seagoing adventure. If you can just give it a fighting chance, use your imagination (You remember that thing you had in your mind when you were little right?) and ignore the negative hype, you will likely not be dissapointed.

Thanks Konami for a great game, and thanks to amazon.com and techdepot for the quick devlivery.

Better than expected Rpg, but play with a walkthrough

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I finally got around to playing this game several months after its release. The game look great and is available in 480p progressive scan, it sounds great, the combat system is fluid, and the leveling system intelligently discourages "the grind" and assures that your characters will preety much be at the right level for optimal play. There's also a whole bunch of addicting mingames. The story is also pretty good too.

The game has one major, dealbreaking, flaw: it takes a long time to travel between areas by ship because the encounter rate is high. Fortunately, there is a character that allows you to teleport in between areas, and if you get this character at the earliest moment possible, in the early mid-game, then you will experience all of the great things winthin the game, without having to deal with the major flaw.

So, if you play this game with a walkthrough and get the ability to skip ship travel at the first moment its available, you'll experience a satisfying and great looking RPG.

Sail by the stars and you may just sink.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

To me, a disappointment in the Suikoden series. It seemed so promising, and though much of the game can be very entertaining, it is definitely a game that will need patience to beat. Here's my break down:

Gameplay: 6/10
The gameplay is probably what you would expect for most RPG's.... except for one small little detail. You spend most of your time traveling on a large ship out on the ocean. The problem with this... when you're moving, it gives you no "sense" of actually getting anywhere. That, along with the fact that the islands you're visiting are somewhat far apart, keeps this game at a snails pace. But its not all bad. If you add in the numerous playable characters, the classic RPG battle system, and the customization, you might be able to overlook the boredom of the sea.

Story 9/10
This is where Suikoden IV excels. The story is quite frankly captivating. You find yourself connected to the nameless hero. If you let yourself, you'll feel his pain, his joy, his excitement and the finality that is his story.

Graphics 8/10
Lets face it, this isn't the newest game on the block, and if you keep that in mind, you'll do just fine. When it was released, it was about the standard for this type of game. Nothing spectacular or horrendous about it.

So, if you can just keep in mind that patience is a virtue, this may very well be a game that you would appreciate.

-Brandon S. Johnson

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