Your Suikoden IV impressions

[Himuro]

Same here, that is a definite plus.

[Noot]

Few more thoughts:

-I recruited Cedric, who makes you run FASTER, so now the hero's goofy two-step is on full throttle! (Like he just took a bunch of diet pills.) I really wish it would stop distracting me from the rest of the game....

-I'm very addicted to this game, I just want to do everything. I played it 5 hours last night, and when I woke up I played it for 10 straight hours. (I'm stuck currently, so I thought I'd take a break.)

-I love the 3 party system on your stronghold--it makes it much easier to let the lower level party members gain experience, not to mention a party of mages to take down the really big monsters (like Leviathan).

-Hehe, the instruction manual on page 3 or 4 has the full map with all the islands revealed, so I just used that as a guide to find all the secret places. :mrgreen: Sure beats sailing around for another 20 hours just to find land!
_________________
~~Harmonian Tenhei Star~~

It's hard to bargle naudle zauss with all these marbles in my mouth.

[kagematsuri]

[Cedric]

Battles are so fast that I end up fighting them all the time. It's really fun now, which is something I can't say for any other game. The duel guage battles are outstanding compared to their earlier installments. The War battles are aslo refrehing, and you can fight them just about any time you want!

The camera is finally fixed! Although I don't understand the need to reverse the camera controls when you swtich from 3rd person perspective to 1st person free perspective.

Mini Games - So many to do. Although at the moment, Ritapon is the only fun one for me. Treasure hunting and net fishing are interesting too.

My favorite thing about this game is the Rune of Punishment. Ever since Luc revealed that True Rune bearers retain the memoriesof the past bearers, I've always wanted to see how that would be implemented in the future of the series. I didn't have to wait long with the ROP. To me, it passes Soul Eater to the number one spot in my list of favorite runes of all time. I liked Soul Eater only for it's nostalgic effects. Spells were great and all, but that was it. The Rune of Punishment showed players its history, and its effects it's had on its bearers and events.

The HQ system is pretty much back. Not much customization as the first 2 castles, but you can change its appearance which is more than I can say with Budehuc Castle.

Characters - Suikoden 4's characters are easier to appreciate than Suikoden 3. There are no gym teachers and cowgirls in this installment. (sorry if you liked Kenji and Kathy) There are plenty of pirates, a few mermaids, and characters clothed in tropical gear matching the climate. I can tell there will be more Suikoden 4 fanboys and fangirls (for characters) then there were in Suikoden 3. Perhaps the number will surpass the first two as well.

My only problem with this game is the numerous cutscenes. Many times, the screen will blank out and all of a sudden there's a group there. It's annoying. At the moment, most of the animated scenes weren't that long at all. At least Suikoden 3 showed how people got there in the first place. But it's a small worry, really.

Let's face it, nothing will ever become Suikoden 2. And as Sophia said in another thread, I'm very thankful for that. I applaud Konami for trying something different. However, for fans of the first two games, S4 is a step closer to them then Suikoden 3 was. I was worried about the future of the series, but right now, I'm at peace.
_________________

[ubertronmanguy]

I have to say I'm really suprised that so many of you actually like this game. I expected to come here and see some very angry posts about what is easily the worst the game in the series. The dialogue is far too short and it feels like there is always something that should be said that just isnt, I feel like I'm walking into the middle of a conversation of a group of people trying to make small talk. The frequency of the random encounters is insane, I would like to be able to five steps without getting into a fight. Ship travel is also a pain in the ass,I got so excited to actually see the return of a real world map I nearly exploded but after an hour of ship travel I was ready to kill myself to make it stop. I do however actually like some of the things in the game. I like the way the characters move around for the duels, the ship to ship combat while simple is fun, and there are alot of mini games. All in all I would say that S4 is a slightly below average rpg and if you compare it to the other games in the series it looks even worse.
_________________
Winne the Pooh>YOU

[Wolf Stew]

I'm probably about halfway through the game, and it's definitely exceeded my expectations so far. I heard so many bad reviews about Suikoden 4, but from what I've seen, most of the criticisms have been highly exaggerated.

I think the best thing to do with this game is to just play it and enjoy it for what it is. It seems to be a very stand-alone game in the series, though (with little or no tie-in to the previous games).

[Elc]

I'm not very far into the game yet, I'm taking my time, and I'm at the point following Dario's attack and where Katarina joins the party. So far, I'm enjoying the game, though navigating the ship was a little annoying at first, as I had to fight with it to get me to Middleport. I believe I've figured out what I was doing wrong, so I don't anticipate anything like that in the future. The random battles every few seconds (from what I've experienced thus far) can get a bit annoying when you are trying to navigate towards a port.

Of course, I like the soundtrack so far, though my least favourite would actually be "La Mer" (I believe it's called) though it's not a bad song. I haven't read all of the impressions in this thread yet, since I don't want to be spoiled on events I have yet to reach, but I also like the voice acting. I'll leave it at that, since I have no desire to get into any debate over Japanese vs. English dub.

I found it interesting how the game put you into each of the three combat systems within the first ten (or less) minutes of play. I lost the duel with Glen because I foolishly forgot that "Defend" counters "Special" but I found the later duel with Brandeau to be very easy.

So far, so good is all I can say.
_________________


"You make me smash the clock and feel, I'd rather die behind the wheel.
Time was never on my side, So on I wait my whole lifetime."

[jjrrs]

I don't know if this thought falls under this topic or not but is it just me or dose Flare's voice sounds like Karin from Shadow Hearts Covenent? anyone know the voice acting list?
_________________
SAVE A.D. - S.O.B.s
www.saveourbluths.org Note:website does not work
Narrator: Please tell your friends about this show.

[Pollensalta]

I am quite disappointed with this game. About the cut scenes.... that is also one of my least favourite parts of the game. A "cut scene" begins, about two words are said, it blacks out, you see a ship moving, blacks out again... so on and so forth, ad nauseum. The cut scenes are a pain in the ass and not much fun to watch.

Now, onto the characters. This is my least favourite thing... the characters are not well-developed at all. You learn next to nothing about their pasts, and it seems like the only ones really involved in the story are the hero, Lino, and Elenor. Even with Kika, you "decide to have her join", get her, and that's it. The events are far too short and are wrapped up way too quickly ("Let's liberate Middleport!" 2 seconds later... "Well, that was a nice convo. Let's go home.")

The four-person battle parties were a big negative in my mind as well. I actually *liked* having some people forced into your party for certain missions, because you usually learned more about their character or history. In Suikoden 4, you don't really have that... and the character development, and enjoyment of battles, suffer because of that.

I'm not saying it's a bad game, but I was disappointed.

[Elc]

I know for a fact that Rakgi is voiced by Brianne Siddall (either under that name or Ian Hawk) as he sounds almost exactly like Tsukasa and Elk from .hack//SIGN, as well as Jim Hawking from Outlaw Star, among others.

Anyway, I just got to the point where you get the headquarters and Leknaat appears (as usual) while you are trying to sleep. At this early stage, I already think I'm going to like this version of the headquarters, I can't wait to see how active it becomes. Suikoden IV is easily one of my favourite games on the PS2 to date, though it can get a bit frustrating when you're party has been thoroughly beaten around and has to deal with high encounter rates.

I've yet to get my hands on the Suikoden IV guide, the nearest EB Games had it, but someone had put it on hold. I hope I can find a copy before it becomes too difficult to find.
_________________


"You make me smash the clock and feel, I'd rather die behind the wheel.
Time was never on my side, So on I wait my whole lifetime."

[Sophita]

My current impression is that this game is incredibly hard to find. I went to four different game stores this weekend, and so far a grand total of none have it in. One mentioned they might get a copy in next week, so I'll have to check back. *sigh*

At least this is slightly better than Suikoden 3's release, which was so quiet I never knew they released a third one until I virtually tripped over it. 0.0
_________________

SCII month continues! DueFiumi.com

John Layfield wrote:

But bubbles... children love bubbles! XD

[Elc]

I agree, it's much easier to find Suikoden IV here than it was to find Suikoden III. I honestly can't remember seeing any copies of Suikoden III in any of the regular stores I frequent for games. Even the place where I had put down a reservation didn't seem to be getting it in, so I eventually found it at Wal-Mart.

With Suikoden IV, EB Games got it on Thursday and when I took a look yesterday, Future Shop had a few copies, which was a bit surprising. The guide, on the other hand, is another story. I had the option of buying it with the game, but I didn't have enough money to do so, and now I can't find it as it has sold out with no clue of when they would be getting any more in. So... I just placed an order on Amazon.ca, which looks to be a few dollars cheaper.

Hopefully you'll be able to find it soon. I know it can be frustrating when you can't find a game which you'd really like to play.
_________________


"You make me smash the clock and feel, I'd rather die behind the wheel.
Time was never on my side, So on I wait my whole lifetime."

[Barbarossa Rugner]

Well i suppose i will add my two cents as well. I am pretty far into the game and my impression of Suikoden IV is a good one. I was happy the instant i turned it on to find the opening theme.

As i progressed into the game i also noticed the hero's odd running style to go along with his dull reactions and almost total muteness. These things are minor to me so it does not retract from my gaming experience. The only thing that does annoy me is not the controls of the ships, but rather the slowness. Now i understand that it is necessary for the ships to be somewhat slow to extend the game and to allow for more random battles, but to me it is just too slow. The random battles are frequent, but this also does not bother me nearly as much as other people.

As far as the story line is concerned i am very pleased. I instantly had more of a Suikoden I and II feel when i started playing. It seems like very little influence is present from Suikoden III which is a plus for me. Although i could instantly predict something like Snowe's betrayal i was happy to see it happen. Since i haven't finished the game yet i can not truly display my thoughts, but so far i have no major problems with the game and am very pleased.

One thing that i would like to mention is that as i progressed in the game i continually felt the desire to replay it once i finish it. The last time i felt that way was during the first time i played Suikoden II. That is refreshing to me since i had no desire to replay Suikoden III for whatever reason. I think everyone is too critical of the game because of the Suikoden II factor. Everyone is waiting for Suikoden II reincarnated and it isn't going to happen.
_________________

The Rune on my Sword, the Dragon King Sword, is protected against any form of magic, Even the rune of the Gate - Barbarossa Rugner

[NeonMouko]

I'm going to try to avoid spoilers as best I can...

So far, I've beaten the game and I'm on my New Game+. So far, I'm not really disappointed. I'm not thrilled but I wasn't expecting S2, and so I wasn't disappointed when I didn't get it. Still, the game was enjoyable despite my nitpickings.

The ship controls are awkward, but I abused the "Chart path" option heavily and eventually got used to it. It makes it a whole lot easier, what with being able to change your direction like that. :wink:

The characters... some characters were developed, others seriously lacked substance. Some characters just randomly appeared without you even knowing it. I mean, when I first explored my ship and found Nico, I found myself going "Where'd YOU come from!?". It just seems to me that if they spring characters on you and have them recruited without you even knowing you DID it... but anyway, other characters had some kind of plot going for them but I wish they had taken it further. I wanted to know what exactly it was that Sigurd had done to make Keen mad at him (though that could've been in a confessional and I just missed it).

By the way, what about those scenes in the opening? Of Brandeau and Kika, or even the information about Rakgi's father's fate? I never saw any of that. Did I do something wrong? Should I have resisted using the rune or something? I don't think they ever said what exactly happened to Rakgi... and who is Edward? Was that information only the Japanese game had? Was it in a confessional? Or were those scenes for the opening only? I don't like it when a Suikoden game leaves you with questions like that.

The graphics are gorgeous, though the hero's wedgie run takes getting used to. I just wish there had been more locations. There was so much dead water on the map - surely they could've squeezed in a few more islands? More variety of monsters would've been nice, too. It gets dull fighting the same monster over and over, recolor or not.

I'm liking the many mini-games (the cat-and-mouse one cracks me up! :lol: ) and the characters are beautifully portrayed. It looks like they got live-action models to act out the movements, so they look pretty realistic. I miss the hero having a personality, though. I was never a fan of Mister Mute McGenericman. :P

Overall, despite these nitpicks, the game is very addicting. It hasn't made me cry like the other two did, but I do like what they did with Snowe. I just wish the other characters had gotten as much attention as Snowe.

[Wolf Stew]

I haven't finished the game yet (I'm on Chapter 8, and it's taken me about 24 hours of gametime to get there), but I largely agree with the last 2 posters. Suikoden 4 has been a very pleasant surprise for me....I'm really enjoying it. I'm also playing it without the aid of a manual or FAQs, which is how I prefer it. I'm glad the I avoided reading spoilers over the past several months, although it hasn't been easy!

-the ship is too slow and its movements can be awkward, but these aren't major problems.
-the story and its pacing are very good, which is probably the most important thing in an RPG.
-the characters aren't developed as well as in previous games....this is my major beef right now. For example, I've had Tal and Jewel in my party for the past 20 hours of gametime, and I literally know nothing about them or their past. This is a lost opportunity, and it's what separates the classic Suikodens (1 and 2) from this game, in my opinion.
-However, it's been a challenge *finding* all the characters scattered around the world, and exploring the world itself. I'm very slow about it. I'm getting a little concerned too, because I haven't found Viki yet! I'm totally dependent on my ship. :P And I've been looking for that deserted island since I left it a few chapters ago, and I can't find it anywhere! Ah, but that's what makes it fun.....