Bunch of question about Sukoden 3

[Earthbound]

Hey!

I live in Europe so I have never been able to play Suikoden 3.(jealous) However, on a moment of impulse/insanity I bought an American Playstation 2 and a copy of Suikoden 3 from Ebay. so now finaly I can play Suikoden 3!!!

Ok So I have a bunch of questions actually:

1. Are there many missable stars of destiny? Characters that can only be recruited at a certain point in the game, and if not recruited in that point in the game, you can never recruit them?

2. On the first playthrough, should I play with a recruitment guide? or should I just try and beat the game without any guides the first time, and then play the game a second time to get a "perfect" game. What do you guys think?

3. Which Hero/Scenario should I choose first-last?

4. Does the Castle Upgrade by stars of destinies recruited like in Suikoden 2, or by Story progression like in suikoden 5?

5. I heard there are some battles/duels that you don't need to win. Is it a big disadvantage to lose some of these battles/duels?

6. This is kinda advanced question about NTSC-PAL:
Would I need a converter to play American Playstation 2 on my TV?
Like: http://sewelldirect.com/MayFlash-NTSC-t ... verter.asp
My TV model = Toshiba Regza 37C300PG

Sorry for so many questions

[Oppenheimer]

Welcome to the site.

There is a search engine that will help you find the answers to your questions. Also, you could just look around at the stickies, for example, the optimal play order is the second sticky from the top of this very page.
http://www.suikosource.com/phpBB3/viewt ... =10&t=4469

Also, doing a quick search for the word "missable" in this forum would turn up other topics about missable characters, such as this topic:
http://www.suikosource.com/phpBB3/viewt ... =10&t=9631

So asking questions is okay, but only if you've tried to look them up on your own first please.

[magnaangemon01]

1. Are there many missable stars of destiny? Characters that can only be recruited at a certain point in the game, and if not recruited in that point in the game, you can never recruit them?

Watari is easily missable as he can somewhat be hidden by the buildings in Iksay Village but you have the entire game to get him. But you do need him to get Ayame.

2. On the first playthrough, should I play with a recruitment guide? or should I just try and beat the game without any guides the first time, and then play the game a second time to get a "perfect" game. What do you guys think?

Me and my wife played without. It is quite possible to beat the game without one, however, we found that with a guide, we were able to get certain stars sooner that made Thomas' chapters so much easier.

3. Which Hero/Scenario should I choose first-last?

Hugo's is the easiest. He can do multiple attacks and massive damage. Second hardest is Geddoe. He can do massive damage but not multiple hits. The hardest is Chris. She does not have much Fire Skill and is somewhat constricted.

4. Does the Castle Upgrade by stars of destinies recruited like in Suikoden 2, or by Story progression like in suikoden 5?

By Stars of Destiny.

5. I heard there are some battles/duels that you don't need to win. Is it a big disadvantage to lose some of these battles/duels?

No.

6. This is kinda advanced question about NTSC-PAL:
Would I need a converter to play American Playstation 2 on my TV?
Like: http://sewelldirect.com/MayFlash-NTSC-t ... verter.asp
My TV model = Toshiba Regza 37C300PG

Not sure.