"Suikoden V"

Try the fifth game then. It's pretty much the first Suikoden with a somewhat more complex story (and longer loading times).

Okay, now I'm totally fucking pissed off!

Aparently because I didn't visit the 2nd floor of the Inn in Yashuna Village before I went to Sable I missed 1 of the 108 stars:-(

Which, in Suikoden terms, means I get a bad ending - Which basically means I just wasted the last 30 odd hours...

- edit -

Make that 35 hours....

/throws controller through screen

/is thankfull PS2 is attached to the CRT

Edited by Scimarad at 12:05:27 19-08-2006

About 4 hours in now and enjoying it. Although things are still a little slow (it's the games at the mo, and I'm just off to find that swordsman), I'm hoping once the story is established it'll loosen the reigns somewhat and give me the freedom to explore, take things at my own pace and level these peeps up!

Murbal -- It will. You get yoru first go on the world map shortly, so you can do a bit of levelling then. The backstory is helpful, promise.

Scimarad -- That's Suikoden for you. I noticed that this version in particular is very time sensitive when it comes to the SoD. Still, it gives you a reason to play again, and using the new game + feature your second time through should be a bit easier. I've read certain scenes and conversations are different in NG+ too.

I had to restart when I read on some forums somewhere that you need to suck up to your sister at the start if you want the good ending. That cost me about 8 hours though.

Edited by Prehensile_Plant at 10:33:49 01-10-2006

I'm wondering if I'll actually need to buy another game this year - Suikoden V could eat up pretty much every hour I have on the PS2.

I know I will though :-/

The plot gathers momentum after the games. Stick with it and you shall reap the rewards :D

I've gotta say I really enjoyed it from the start. I just loved the interaction between various characters especially Sialeeds, Lym and Miakis. They really do make you feel part of that extended family and by extension care about what happens to them.

I really can't believe the IV an V are part of the same series in that regard...

Can somebody explain to me the star thingy?!

Star Thingy: There are 108 characters for you to recruit -- not all of them are usable in field battles, though you generally find that they are in the starttegy army battles. Each character is called a 'star' short for Star of Destiny.

If you miss a few stars (or just one) you cannot get the game's best (or true) ending.

Suikoden games revolve around one hero character who must gather the 108 stars of destiny together in order to defeat some great evil.

This all comes from the fact that the Suikoden series is loosley based on a classic Chinese novel (well, it's so large it's a series of books, my own set is over 4 volumes) called 'Outlaws of the Marsh' (or 'Water Margin' but my own set is the former, so I like that best). It's about the struggles of an army who fights against the unjust regime of the 12th century. Each member of the army is supposdly the earthly embodiment of 108 Heavenly spirits or Earthly Fielnds, who are released in the opening chapter. Gathering together those 108 will give them the power to reach their goal (which is various things at various times, but generally overthrowing the corrupt officials that surround the Emporer and getting amnesty).

It's a great read, told in a traditional storyteller style that reflects its origins as a folktale. Anyway, that's where the 108 thing comes from. The 108 SoD and the whole struggle against a corrupt regime are the most obvious links with the original novel. Anyone who likes the Suikoden games should give it a read, I reckon.

Been getting up early to squeeze in half an hour or so before work... Sraped about 8.5 hours now, Gizel has just turned up at Sol-Falena.

It's all been fairly slow up to now (albeit still entirely captivating), but I've just got this feeling that it's all about to kick off pretty soon...

...It's kicked off now - and in the process gone from being 'engrossing' to 'bloody marvellous'.

Great characters - one of the benefits of taking so long to set the scene is that you really start to feel for the characters. Isn't Kyle just the biggest perv?

Murbal wrote:
Great characters - one of the benefits of taking so long to set the scene is that you really start to feel for the characters. Isn't Kyle just the biggest perv?

I agree, the character exposition and development in this game is second to none (well, maybe to Suikoden III). I love how no-one in the Suikoden universe is truly evil, they are just pursuing their own agenda. Don't know about Kyle though, I've seen worse. :-)

Having to form three parties is definitely a problem if you haven't levelled many characters. I enjoyed the final dungeon, but the frequency of random battles often made it a chore.

I understand your frustration: I deleted my final dungeon Digital Devil Saga save file because I was concerned that my PS2 would end up in pieces if I was defeated by the same cheap boss one more time.

I did a lot of putting together parties, fighting a bit to level up, then talking to the change person girl to get healed and reset. I found it worled a treat and my members got up to speed in no time.

I have started playing this and its my first Suikoden game. So far the story is quite good but the pace is a little slow and I seem to have had very little interaction so far. Most of the game has been dialogue and cust scenes with very few battles. I have just got to the end of the trials and then set sail for the queen's homeland. Does the pace of this game pick up a bit or is this the pace of the whole game?

Don't worry, the first seven hours or so are just a sort of prologue. Not that the game suddenly turns into an all-out action adventure after that, but the pace definitely picks up once you get your base.

One thing, if you're going to play this to closing, MAKE SURE you get all 108 SOD.
This is the one suikoden where the ending completely phails if you don't have all 108 stars.

Bad advise. Getting all 108 stars in V is impossible without a FAQ, and the thought of playing the game with a step-by-step walkthrough on your lap and the nagging paranoia that you might miss a character anyway doesn't sound very appealing to me. Just play the game to, gasp, have fun.

itamae wrote:
Bad advise. Getting all 108 stars in V is impossible without a FAQ, and the thought of playing the game with a step-by-step walkthrough on your lap and the nagging paranoia that you might miss a character anyway doesn't sound very appealing to me. Just play the game to, gasp, have fun.

That happened to me with S4 : (.
But at least i got all 108. Even though the extra ending was shit.

Not too bothered about the ending been bad without all the stars - there is always Youtube. Goning to have to crack on with this then, kinda got pushed to one side after getting a 360 for christmas.

Did you see georg in SI or SII?
My memory fails me : (

He was in 2, I believe.