Should I get this game?

[Makis]

I consider myself a big fan of the Suikoden series, i've played Suikoden 1-4 and loved each one. That's all roses, but the problem is that i'm definetely not a fan of tactics games. I tried final fantasy tactics, ogre tactics, and a lot of other ones with names i cannot recall. It's not that i didn't like them, they just didn't have the spirit of a true RPG. in addition they had really strange equipment/skills systems that made no sense whatsoever, at least to me. But then this game is Suikoden so I feel that i should at least give it a try, and if i don't i might be missing out on important storyline, which is actually the part i adore most about the series. I would just like an opinion of whether i should buy this game (is it worth it on terms of storyline?) because after suikoden 2 i felt that the storyline got progressively weaker, and 4 just somehow felt like a graphic impression with major cutbacks on the story. but maybe i just expect too much

[Oppenheimer]

Hello fellow Ontarioite. Welcome to suikosouce. I was just in TO this past weekend, anyway back on topic:

Tactics is just about the simplist easiest tactics game you'll ever play. If you ever wanted to start in the tactics genre without anything too crazy bogging you down this is it. There's no class changes (ala Final Fantasy Tactics or Ogre Tactics) and you level up in Suikoden style (in that against stronger monsters you level up really fast). The runes are all here, although they all have levels now, so that is very Suikoden. It's also not terribly difficult with a forgiving "retry" system if you die.

Plot wise it is pretty good, it's highly better than IV, in fact it makes IV make more sense. But I wouldn't say it is as good as Suikoden II or III, as it tends to bog down in the middle and really has no driving force for most of the latter half of the game.

For an additional review, sars made a good one: http://suikox.com/ed/rhapsodia51010.html

[patapi]

I tried final fantasy tactics, ogre tactics, and a lot of other ones with names i cannot recall. It's not that i didn't like them, they just didn't have the spirit of a true RPG. in addition they had really strange equipment/skills systems that made no sense whatsoever, at least to me.

One of the reasons why I don't see how FFT is anything near the "best sRPG ever" status that its fanboys are trying to convince the rest of us to accept. I mean, what?

In retrospect, the skills system in Rhapsodia is better, as it actually have direct impact on your character performance in battle. It's basically an improvement of S3's skills system, so if you liked those, you wil have an easier time getting used to it.

It has been revealed the game was intended as a companion to S4 from the very beginning, and as such it's only natural that the only way to get a wholesome view on S4's story is to play both games side-by-side. It's a strange decision for sure, but it definitely explains why the storytelling of S4 --on its own-- didn't quite match up to the standards of the previous titles in the series.

I'd say give it a try first, probably through renting or similar channels. And, welcome to Suikosource.

[Felicitycat]

There are tie-ins to Suiko4 for the story, and some other smaller dialogue between the characters (during battle).

Also, as you probably know most of the characters you fight with are ones from Suiko4. I mean more Suiko4 characters than you can shake a Snowe Blade at. So, if you enjoyed 4's characters (I did), you might enjoy a play of Tactics. Some of them don't just fight, they're part of the story, a little.

I immensely enjoyed using characters I know in a different way. Like a true sequel. (I like playing Final Fantasy, and other RPGs, but there aren't too many true sequels with the same characters like this.)

[MatildaWhiteKnightLeader]

Suikoden Tactics also incorporates assist attacks and defense which FFT doesn't have cause it was much earlier. The plot of FFT was very good though as with other FF games. Suikoden 4 and Tactics go hand in hand. You need to play both games to better understand the plotlines of each game than just playing only one of them.

[son_michael]

suikoden tactics actually has some connection to past games but I dont want to spoil it for you

all ill say is 1 of these connections is the scarlet moon empire

[Agremsep]

Gameplay is decent and enjoyable. Storyline-wised, it's a major setback. For me, the gameplay and recruitment stint pulled me through the entire game of stale conversations and predictable outcomes in the story.

So, yeah, if you are a Suiko fan, you have to try it. Don't worry if you are not a SLG fan. Suiko Tactics is far from being a classic SLG.

[Walrus Man]

Playing ST made me appreciate S4 more than I did when I first played it. I know that fundamentally it is not a good way to make a game worth playing (not that S4 wasn't worth playing before) but it somehow worked for me. I used characters that I hadn't used in S4 and became very fond of them. Though I've liked other trpg systems better, I thoroughly enjoyed ST. My only qualm with the game was how former stars of destiny, scratch that, every non-necessary character could die for the entirety of the game.