Gensô suikoden IV

I *loved* the first two Suikoden games, so naturally, when I saw this one on the rack at Future Shop, I instantly picked it up.

However, while it is definitely worthy of the Suikoden series, there are some flaws to be pointed out.

First, while your headquarters is now mobile, and an enjoyable addition to the game, this can end up mired in some very tedious travel time, especially if you're backtracking all the time.

Next on the 'Oops List' is the linear nature of this game. I have not played Suikoden III, but the first two were much more open-ended and free-roaming.

Finally, Suikoden IV is lacking in true character development. I have played the majority of the game, and thus far I haven't learned anything about the main character other than what he does for a living. This extends into inter-character interaction, which was excellently handled in Suikoden I and II, but seems to have taken a back-step here.

On the plus side, the voice-acting is well-done. One minor character's voice is just too shrill to be enjoyable, but this does little to detract from the game, as you likely won't interact with her often enough for this to be a problem.

While it does get tedious at times, Suikoden has the usual assortment of addictive mini-games, from coin-tossing to the ever-present dice and fishing games.

Large-scale combat has been redone yet again, and is enjoyable, though there really isn't any point to it beyond 'take the city back'. Again, this hardly detracts from such a well-done game.

Rent if you like, buy if you must. On the whole, Suikoden IV works hard to earn its place in the Suikoden lineup, and, for the most part, it succeeds.

I must admit i haven't played all of the suikoden games, actually just 4 and 5.

I will give you my own impression of the game in brief

Pro

+ beautiful soundtracks + beautiful graphics + plenty of characters to discover + you command your own ship and it is to some extent customizable +great story + no bugs or annoying glitches + plenty of funny mini games

+ might be a cheap buy now since it isn't a new game anymore

Cons

• story is way too short - some random encounters can be quite annoying, especially if you have to travel to far away places - very linear storyline, you cannot make any decisions that will have an impact on the story - should have some more places to discover - the main character as well as the others actually have a story that isn't very developed in the game itself - you might need to grind to develop characters you could recruit only late in the game which might become quite boring during lack of places and story

This was a very underrated game by some while I was annoyed at lack of land battles I did like the naval battles though they could have been better.

I also liked the story and the True Rune behind the game The Rune of Punishment and how it can be an even bigger curse to the wielder of it also the fact this was set hundreds of years prior the first Suikoden game I thought was a pretty good move.

This is a great game and all of the main characters are quite likable each with their issues and it has its own share of sub games like in Suikoden II and Suikoden III.