Suikoden blows Final Fantasy out of the water
Written: Dec 16 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Deep character development, large playing area, stunning music score, interesting storyline
Cons: You'll have to search high and low for all the 108 characters
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| Shampoo-Girl's Full Review: Suikoden II for PlayStation 1 |
This happens to be one of the few games that are actually better than the ones in Squaresoft's Final Fantasy series. The only game that even comes close to this one in terms of sheer addictiveness & replay value would be Final Fantasy 3 ( FF6 in Japan ). I'm not saying that FF3 is better; they're both equally good.
I was very impressed with the opening. The music arrangement with its faint Mongolian-like chants had me humming all week long. Too bad the soundtrack ( 2 CD set ) never made it to the US. You might find it on ebay if you're lucky enough or you might have to order it from Japan and risk losing it in the mail. With themes like "The Neclord boss fight" & "Neclord's castle" ( really gothic! ), believe me, it's really worth your money.
The story takes place 3 years after the final battle in Suikoden 1. Old favorites, Flik & Viktor are back again along with Leknaat, Luc, Apple, Viki ( dumb witch! ) & some of the others from the prequel, including that nasty vampire, Neclord. You can also import your main character from Suikoden 1 ( if you remembered to save before the final battle ) once you've reached a certain level.
I never thought Konami would be able to come up with something this good. This is as close to perfect as any RPG can get. See?? You don't need all that fancy graphics and FMVs like the ones from Squaresoft to make this a winner.
Like Chrono Trigger, Suikoden 2 has multiple endings based on decisions you make during the game. In order to get the best ending, you must obtain all 108 stars of destiny. If you choose to abandon your quest half-way, you'll get the worst ending scenario.
The battle system is somewhat similar to that of the prequel. You can have 6 characters participating in a battle at one time. There are also super combo moves involving 2 characters or more. Some of these combos can be pretty useful at times, especially when facing a really tough boss.
If you're the emotional type, better get a box of Kleenex ready. You might probably need it later in the game. ( I used up half the box! ) Spoiler: One of the 3 main characters might get killed...oops!
I would recommend buying the guide book if you're planning on seeing the best ending. Some of the 108 stars are a little hard to find.
You can also find some really great FAQs on this game at www.gamefaqs.com.
The graphics are better than the blockish 3-D ones from Final Fantasy 7 & 8. ( well...at least it didn't give me a bad headache ).
It's also much easier to navigate the characters around the screen compared to FF7 & 8. Overall, I'd give this game my highest recommendations. I can hardly wait for the 3rd installment. ( There's a hint in the game that the 3rd installment might involve a dispute between the newly formed republic & the Kingdom of Harmonia....)
I'm keeping my fingers crossed....
Recommended:
Yes
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Shampoo-Girl
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Member: The Big Shampoo
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Tomoko Kawase rocks my world
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