Despite the bad reviews is this game worth playing?

[sticky-runes]

I believe the fact that they didn't release S3 in Europe was what killed the franchize....a really bad move indeed.

While the yanks and Japs were playing 3, us PAL users had to go without, plus we all didn't get those Gaiden and card spinoff games. So to us, Suikoden was already dead. Suikoden 4 breathed a little bit of life back into Suikoden for us and gave us a chance to reconnect with the series that we thought had abandoned us. It might not have been the sequel that many people were expecting or hoping for, but it's what we got. And I liked it.

They could have done Suikoden 6 on the DS instead of Tierkreis. Tierkreis ended up being like Suikoden 4 anyway, with it's 4 member parties, except they had it set in some weird realm unrelated to the main series. So it didn't win over many new fans and didn't offer much to old Suikoden fans either.

And that Tsumogu-blah-blah-blah game on the PSP (yet another Japan only release) can suck my arse.

[Sasarai10]

I believe the fact that they didn't release S3 in Europe was what killed the franchize....a really bad move indeed.

While the yanks and Japs were playing 3, us PAL users had to go without, plus we all didn't get those Gaiden and card spinoff games. So to us, Suikoden was already dead. Suikoden 4 breathed a little bit of life back into Suikoden for us and gave us a chance to reconnect with the series that we thought had abandoned us. It might not have been the sequel that many people were expecting or hoping for, but it's what we got. And I liked it.

They could have done Suikoden 6 on the DS instead of Tierkreis. Tierkreis ended up being like Suikoden 4 anyway, with it's 4 member parties, except they had it set in some weird realm unrelated to the main series. So it didn't win over many new fans and didn't offer much to old Suikoden fans either.

And that Tsumogu-blah-blah-blah game on the PSP (yet another Japan only release) can suck my arse.

What bugs me is,why they didn't release S6 and released Tierkreis instead....and besides that Tierkreis received bad reviews yet they released another "Suikoden" game only for Japan,and as i've read this one doesn't even follow the 108 stars concept


Hope one day,they'll realise their mistake and make a S6 (since many fans demand it) so the series can get back on its feet.

[Antimatzist]

It does follow the 108 stars concept, but in an entirely different manner than previous titles.

and besides that Tierkreis received bad reviews

It didn't receive bad reviews from gaming zines etc (at least I think it was well taken by the press, third highest metascore at metacritic.com for the SUikoden games, tied with Suikoden V. 76 is not a good meta-score, I'd say it's "above average". The user score is basically the same), it just didn't sell too well.

Hope one day,they'll realise their mistake and make a S6 (since many fans demand it) so the series can get back on its feet.

I guess every Suikoden fan wants it, but then again, let's face it: there are so few Suikoden fans that from a pure business pov, a new Suikoden is a high risk for Konami. I doubt we'll ever see another console Suikoden, even though I'd like to have one for Wii U (especially because if they wanted, I'm sure Nintendo would localize it and they make a brilliant job).

[BrucePrintscreen]

While the yanks and Japs were playing 3, us PAL users had to go without, plus we all didn't get those Gaiden and card spinoff games.

I may be in minority here but I think the Gaiden games are horrendously bad. The whole format provides next to no gameplay at all, and the stories are horrible. Characters pop up practically at random, with no logic whatsoever, and we are provided with the cheesiest backstories ever. Gaiden may very well have killed the franchise because you really have to be a hardcore fanatic of the series, to whom the sole vision of a familiar character provides a thrill, to enjoy it. To me, it almost killed my love for Suikoden altogether, by tainting my most beloved characters with a crappy feeling.

[Sasarai10]

I may be in minority here but I think the Gaiden games are horrendously bad. The whole format provides next to no gameplay at all, and the stories are horrible. Characters pop up practically at random, with no logic whatsoever, and we are provided with the cheesiest backstories ever. Gaiden may very well have killed the franchise because you really have to be a hardcore fanatic of the series, to whom the sole vision of a familiar character provides a thrill, to enjoy it. To me, it almost killed my love for Suikoden altogether, by tainting my most beloved characters with a crappy feeling.

So it was actually a good move that Gaidens were released only in Japan...otherwise thing would've been worse

[veriaqa]

I may be in minority here but I think the Gaiden games are horrendously bad. The whole format provides next to no gameplay at all, and the stories are horrible.

You're not alone. I agree with you.

I think what the series need is not Suikoden VI but a reboot for the whole series. Make it for the mobile (Android/Iphone). We could start with Suikoden IV: rehashing and polishing the story, using the spirit not 3D graphic, with every good features af all Suikoden's game included (6 battle party, entourage system of V, with hybrid war battle system of Tactics and II, etc) moving on to V, I, II, and end it with III.

This games should be cheap to produce and could generate new fans for the series too. If it works then after that we could be talking about Suikoden VI. If it fails, then at least we got a new mobile Suikoden games.

[BrucePrintscreen]

I may be in minority here but I think the Gaiden games are horrendously bad. The whole format provides next to no gameplay at all, and the stories are horrible.

You're not alone. I agree with you.

I think what the series need is not Suikoden VI but a reboot for the whole series. Make it for the mobile (Android/Iphone). We could start with Suikoden IV: rehashing and polishing the story, using the spirit not 3D graphic, with every good features af all Suikoden's game included (6 battle party, entourage system of V, with hybrid war battle system of Tactics and II, etc) moving on to V, I, II, and end it with III.

This games should be cheap to produce and could generate new fans for the series too. If it works then after that we could be talking about Suikoden VI. If it fails, then at least we got a new mobile Suikoden games.

This, exactly this! I totally second you.

How much does it cost? If I win the lottery I fund it myself.

[Antimatzist]

I often read that sprite games actually cost mor ethan 3D models, and I udnerstand why (because doing the sprites is actually a lot of hand work whereas the 3d models can "easily" be done in the computer). Also, I don't think remakes of the games would sell well. Also, a lot of times, the original source codes of old games is gone so it is a lot of work to re-do them.

But they should make them as available as possible - PSN and Steam would be good options (I guess I underestimate the work that needs to be done for a Steam release, but I'd say it is basically "integrated PSX/PS2 emulator with the game built in").

The main reasons for the SuikoGaidens not being released in the West is that they are a genre that's little known in the west. It got better in recent years and some publishers release a lot of visual novels nowadays, but back then, it would have been very unique.

[Wolkendrache]

Visual novels...

Once there were two brothers called Page and Pad who lived with their evil stepmother. Page loved reading books while Pad loved playing videogames. On Christmas, their stepmother, with a nasty smile on her lips, gave them presents. Page opened it, and there was a thick book in it, so he was very happy. When Pad opened his box, there was a playstation in it, so he was pleased as well. But when Page opened his book, there were only crossword puzzles and other brain games in it, and when Pad turned on the playstation, there was only Suikogaiden in it. The stepmother, watching the boys’ happiness turn into disappointment and sadness, said “if you don’t like it, why don’t you just switch them?!” Page replied “why should I read a novel on a frickin playstation?!” and Pad answered “why should I play games in a frickin book?!”
The end.

[BrucePrintscreen]

Suikogaidens are not visual novels, they are visual bad novels.

Seriously I remember facepalming when playing Suikogaiden II and all in a sudden in the middle of the battle Gilbert gets out of nowhere... Uh, why? Why all in a sudden is Gilbert popping up? Deux ex machina and all... Then the bad guy is unmasked and we do not see its face and are told an entire justification for all that crap. Show don't tell, anyone?

Sounds like a bad fanfiction with a few fanart stuck over it.

[LarpWarrior]

Well I couldn't take it anymore I've set suikoden 4 aside and moved onto suikoden 5. I'm so disappointed, I really, really wanted to beat this game but it's so bad it feels like a chore to play it.

I played the first 2 suikodens back when they were new and then around 2002 I stopped playing games all together and have only recently been playing video games again and have been on a major suikoden kick, within the past couple months or so I've beaten suikoden 1-3 back to back and thoroughly enjoyed each game and my interest in the series is pretty intense right now but suikoden 4 is such a killjoy for the series.

What got my interest in suikoden going again was playing suikoden tactics, I love that game so much that it inspired me to replay the older suikodens I loved and move on to the ps2 games. Being that I've beat suikoden tactics multiple times in was familiar with the story and characters so despite all the hate suikoden 4 I really wanted to play it and take in the whole story but the game is just too awful to justify spending anymore time on it for me.

Regarding suikoden tactics that game gets a fair amount of hate too but I'll defend that game to the death, I have played and beaten nearly every strategy/tactics rpg and in my opinion suikoden tactics is the most misunderstood and underrated game of the entire genre and I think suikoden fans would have loved it if it were based off any other suikoden game than 4..Konami could have used the exact same game engine and made say a prequel to suikoden 1 where you controlled members of the original liberation army led by odessa and I think the fans would have loved it. I say suikoden tactics is misunderstood because the most common complaint I see about it is that it's too hard but that is exactly what makes it a great strategy game! If youre familiar with the games battle system and you're trying to earn S ranks on every battle then it becomes apparent just how much forethought the game designers put into the game, the enemy ai and battlefields are brilliantly thought out. The battle at Small Border Town is my favorite srpg battle of all time. I think another reason people weren't able to get into tactics is because on almost every other srpg the player does best by playing defensively whereas in suikoden tactics that just doesn't work, the enemy ai won't let you get away with defensively pussy footing around the battlefield you have to go all out and launch a strategic blitzkrieg in the majority of suikoden tactics to do well which I think makes the game even more fun. And the elemental grid system and ability to talk in battles are awesome features exclusive to the game.

Anyways I'm bummed out suikoden 4 is so disappointing, I agree with veriaqa that it effectively killed the series and I also agree that Konami tried to revive it with how much better suikoden tactics and suikoden 5 were but 4 really did a lot of damage to a series that was beloved by fans up to that point.