I would like to play Suikoden I & II but I don't have a PS1 memory card at the moment. So would it be okay if I play this game first or will I miss something?

You will be able to understand the story line without prior knowledge of the previous Suikodens. However...

The identity of the main villain of Suikoden III remains concealed till almost the very end. When he finally takes off his mask, you see a new, unfamiliar face. But if you have played the first two Suikodens, you'll see a very well-known character who appeared in both games, and you're in for quite a shocker.

On the other hand, the same awaits you when you suddenly discover that the main villain of Suikoden III is your party member in the first Suikoden, so... it works both ways :)

So. Do all Suikoden`s take place then in the same world? Please, tell us more about Suikoden. I am finding myself suddenly very open-minded and appreciative of Japanese RPG`s.

Suikoden 2 feels like a mix between Baldur`s Gate and Ultima. I don`t why, it just feels. Can`t stop playing... am... not... addicted... to... games... must... drink... coffee... play...more...

Yes, the Suikoden universe is interconnected... though so far each game (with the exception of the Suikoden Gaiden games which are sidestories and the Suikoden Tactics game, which takes place in Suikoden IV's locations) takes place in a different "land", often an entirely different continent. But character from one game from the series can appear in another game... sometimes as a playable character and sometimes merely going about their own business.

Each game *is* stand-alone however. And I happily played Suikoden III without any knowledge of previous games. However there are characters who will appear in the game that have... histories in the previous games. For instance, in Suikoden I there is a character who appears as a young boy, in Suikoden II (years later) the character appears again but is a teenager, In Suikoden III (later still) the character has grown to a man...

Suikoden games all take place in the same world, albeit not always in the same country. And there are recurrent characters and even recurrent families. For example, the Silverburgs are a family of strategists, so in each Suikoden you meet a different member of the family - Matthew in the first, Apple in the second, Cesar in the third, Eleonore in the fourth (even though she's always drunk :)), and... well, the fifth is the only game that doesn't have a Silverburg strategist, but one Lucretia Merces instead.

Uh... I'm not a Suikoden geek. No, not at all :/

Another thing about Suikoden: you do know that these games are based on a classic Chinese 17th century novel? It's originally called Shuihuzhuan ("suikoden" is just the way Japanese pronounce the Chinese words), meaning "water margins", and is very popular in China, every pupil knows it.

Of course, the world and all the characters of Suikoden are entirely fictional, but it borrows basic elements from the book, such as the whole "rebels gain an army to defeat a corrupt regime" premise, the 108 Stars of Destiny, etc.