The "What do you like most about Suikoden" Poll

[Vextor]

Please choose one of these choices which you like the best.

[Sualtam Lugh]

That's like saying choose what child you want to die, and the rest of your family gets to live.

Hmm I guess I would pick the emotions. If you can get someone to cry without killing a person, then you know you're a damn good story writer.

[Hrestelan]

How the story is aimed towards an older audience

I picked that, because 90% of RPGs are about the teenager hero knowing his childish girlfriend then saving the world in a stupid and absurd way.

When I was 16 that was okay, but now that's sick.

[Saben]

Pity the poll can't use checkboxes instead of radio buttons because I agree with most of the answers... the question should be rephrased to be 'what do you like most' because I don't dislike the other elements.. Argh so hard, I'll say the politics and strategies, though.

[Stampede]

Not to say that I don't like a lot (or all) of the other elements, but one of the things I liked about it was the strategies and political maneuverings that are core to the conflict. Usually, strategy of ANY kind is confined to the bad guys, while you only get to use the strategy "hit stuff with swords!!!!!1!!shiftone!!1!" a lot.
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Continue to push until it has given, by the way.

[leena fighter]

Politics, definitely. I introduced a friend of mine to III and he was floored over the relations between Zexen and Grassland, and that the beginning was geared more toward establishing the setting and politics than anything else.

But I like it for really every other reason as well.

[Hajime Saitou]

The thing I like the most of in suikoden is the emotions I get from the story and charcters.

[StarlightEx]

The general plotline, I think that's what attracted me the most in the first time I played suiko2.
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[Kobold]

This is an annoying vote because you only get to choose one... <_< You should have allowed at least 3 votes...

All of the choices are reasons why i like Suikoden. The least affecting one would be the recruit 108 characters vote.

Since i was forced to vote for only one miserable vote, i'll have to choose the history and story and stuff...
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Kobolds are great!

[ubertronmanguy]

The main thing I like about Suikoden are the big strategis battles and dueling but seeing how those weren't options I choose the Politcal manuvers and strategies because I have always enjoyed that aspect of the series.
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Winne the Pooh>YOU

[Swedish Ninja Pirate]

Hey, where is the choose all option. Buhu I have to decide. Choosed the grey emphawhatever option. Really like that you dont know whio is evil and who is good.
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Shiver My Shuriken!!

[Queen]

I chose the general plotline option, because it seems to cover most of the other options.

My second definite choice would have been the hazy area between good/evil. Most games have it pretty cut and dry on that area. Suikoden is fairly complex in that area of the plot.

Then again Suikoden is fairly complex in its entirety(sp?). Another reason why I like this games so much.
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[Glen Cott]

I picked the fact that the game emphasizes the grey area between good and evil. This is because in nearly all the RPG's I have played pits random do-gooders against megalomaniac evil geniuses.
Suikoden is different.
In S1, you felt sorry for Barbarossa in the end
In S2, you understand why Jowy did what he did (in fact I think that he contributed to finishing the war more that Riou).
In S3, the trinity system is used to great effect to blur the line between good and evil, it shows you that that evil deeds may only be circumstance.
In my opinion, this is what sets Suikoden apart from the rest.

[Excalibur1027]

If I could, I'd pick all of them! But I guess I'd have to go with the gray area between good/evil. I like how everyone in the suikoden world has their own stories and reasons for the things they do and that no one is really evil (well...besides a select few).

But second would have to be the lack of the traditional "save the world" plot. However, from S3s ending I feel that the series may be going more towards the whole dooms day plot. Sad really...
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[Rheo]

There is way too many chioces -_-
I guess the emotion choice can kinda include the characters and the plot, hehehe

Actually, one reason I found Suikoden so special is the theme of "what is a hero".
For other games, hero is the guy who save the world, break the social norm, free of social restriction; for Suikoden, the moment you become the hero, you are loaded with social responsibilities.
In Suikoden 1, Gremio, Teo, Ted died; in Suikoden 2, Nanami died in front of Riou; and yet as a hero, people still expected them to fight on for the greater good. "Lord Riou, so sorry for your sister, but we still have a war to fight, now lets talk about the next battle's stragegy" They dont even have the right to fall into a depression.

The one thing that really stuck to my mind: When I was playing Suikoden 3, me and my brother found out that the Flame Champion had chosen to live and die as a human with his wife after negogiated for the 50 years Peace Treaty with Harmonia. and my brother said, " that is kind of selfish (for the FC to choose to die when he should live forever and continue to protect the Grassland)"
But what more do you expect. 50 years is a long time for a normal human being. He is a human too, just because he can live forever, doesnt mean he has to. Geddoe said something similar, heroes are not born as heroes, hero is a title people give them, and then they projected their ideals onto them. The Flame Champion only wanted to protect and fight for the land that he and his lover grown up and lived in, he never wanted to become hero. But because people are too scared to stand up on their own, they needed a hero to lead them, someone who is willing to be the first one to stand up.

Back on topic -_-
Honestly, my tear glands have been numbed for playing so many years video games, reading so many novels, and watching plenty of movies. I dont cry as easily, esp for a video game, since I know in the back of my mind that the characters are all a bunch of pixels.
For some odd reason, recent video games seem to think the a "tragedy" plus a bunch of complicated philosophy automatically makes a good story. (Granted, I was never too fond of the whole "mono no aware" thing)
Senselessly killing off characters, or makes a 30 mintues long FMV for saying farewell does not make me sad. If I dont feel an attachment to the characters, I wouldnt feel anything emotional.

Heck, they didnt even bother to show Kiba's death, but I was feeling so bad to know that he did die in that suicide mission.
I feel really bad for Tir for everything he had to go through.
I actually feel my eyes burning when I see the light hovering in front of Leknaat, and Leknaat talked to her student one last time. (This is the closest to crying for me in ANY games)

Most Stars of Destiny dont even have much to do with the war. They are simple people doing their simple things. The farmer, the cook, the elevator girl. Even the Tenkai star in Suikoden 3, a group of simple people trying their best, working together to protect their home. Nothing grand like saving the world, the Fire Bringers are more concerned about protecting their homeland; saving the world, for them, its just a bonus.

No grand love story, no exaggreated friendship and family love, just a simple yet sincere humanity.

Thats what I like about Suikoden.

(Now that I think about it, maybe I should have voted for characters |||)
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