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!

11 of 12 found the following review helpful:


A great - cheap - RPG  May 23, 2000
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.

11 of 12 found the following review helpful:


Strong story carries this title to 4 stars.  Nov 11, 1999
If you don't like old-school then this probably is not the game for you. The graphics in this game are not awful, I mind you, but they are certainly not what makes this title so great. So if your looking for hi-tech FMV that will make you drool, then stop reading this review and check out one of the newer titles. Now for you true RPG fans who stuck around after that warning, I commend you. This is a story based game. The story is powerful and it hits hard. Basically you lead an rebel army against the evil king. Now I know what your thinkin' "that's been done, how does that cliche story become powerful?". I understand but you've gotta trust me, this story is no cliche. Your gonna remember it when you finish, I guarantee it. Also featured in this game is an unique recruiting feature. As you progress in the game the need to build your army becomes greater, therefore you meet people along the way and are opted to recruit them. As they are recruited, they all add to your castle. It ain't easy though because they all want something. I still haven't gotten everybody. The only problem with this game is its length. Even an unexperianced RPer (who stuck around after the warning) should finish it in under 30 hours. That is of course, if you decide not to recruit everybody (which is an entirely optional quest). If you don't mind a game that looks like your playing Super Nintendo,but are lookin for a great story,then my friend, your game library is not complete without Suikoden.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:


Characters...so many characters!...  Dec 09, 2000 By Alex
Suikoden's chief appeal comes from its behemoth cast of 108 playable characters, some of whom join you for no reason whatsoever, some of whom you need to mollify with special items, or impress by other means, and most of whom have no semblance of any personality. There, I said it. By combining different character in special formations, you can also stumble upon combination attacks, but there are so many possible formations that this task is well beyond daunting.

Combat is a standard six-character front-and-back row affair, completely turn-based. Most magic spells and abilities are rune-based, while most runes can be bought en masse and assigned to virtually any character. This simple, functional arrangment makes for interesting strategies and fun boss battles, but during the frequent random encounters the routine of selecting "Attack" six times in a row can drive the player up a wall.

The graphics, music, and plot bridge the gap between the elegant simplicity of the 16-bit era RPGs and the complicated, flashy RPGs for the current-generation consoles. The music is very memorable. Although the graphics can become pixelated in combat, they allow the game to move at a fairly quick pace. The plot is nicely done, with your army of 108 characters staging a revolution to depose the tyrannical government. Luckily, the all-too-cliche supervillain doesn't become overly obvious until the last few parts of the plot.

Suikoden is a fine example of early Playstation RPGs, perhaps even one of the best. If you don't care too much for constant change and innovation, Suikoden just might fit your bill.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:


Like great stories?  Nov 18, 1999
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!

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