PlayStation 2

Suikoden IV

Nachdem sich Konami vor einiger Zeit dazu entschloss, der PAL-Region das RPG „Suikoden III“ vorzuenthalten, trifft nun wenigstens der vierte Teil der Rollenspiel-Saga unter anderem auch hierzulande ein. Mit einer spannenden Story und innovativen Features konnte Konami bereits mit den ersten drei Teilen bei RPG-Fans punkten. Ob Suikoden IV ebenfalls mit vielen Innovationen vollgepackt ist oder nur einen müden Aufguss darstellt, erfährt ihr in unserem Review dazu.

I remember playing a really cool RPG for the original Playstation system. That game was titled Suikoden. There have actually been other games released under the Suikoden franchise. The latest installment has just hit the Sony Playstation 2 game system. Roughly titled Suikoden IV. The story now takes place in a more tropical setting, on large pirate ships that roam across the deep blue sea. It seems Konami really has a knack for the ocean now, with this title and the recently announced “Lost in Blue” for the Nintendo portable DS system. That title is somewhat of a follow up to Konami’s Survival Kids. It is a game that I am pretty much drooling over until it’s release date. But the story of this new title is much like the older games.

The Suikoden series has always been a dark horse favorite of RPG critics and fans alike. That’s because, despite being published by a big-name company like Konami, the series feels a bit like an underdog when compared to comparable titles from Square Enix. For newbies to the RPG world, let me make it simple to understand: going up against Square Enix in RPGs is like going up against EA Sports in football – it’s a one-sided battle you’ll probably lose.

Looking back, 2004 was a spectacular year for fans of the role-playing game and seeing as how games like X-Men Legends and Star Ocean: Till The End of Time happily lit up our PS2s, fans like myself, cannot wait for this year’s offerings. You can bet that this girl is really anticipating the arrival of returning favorites like Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits Von Gut Und Bose and, having been a fan of the Suikoden series since the second chapter was released a long while back, cheered when Suikoden IV was announced. Will this new chapter be the one remembered most? Well, not exactly, but it’s still a ride well worth taking.

Hell, I've played through the game and have obvious problems with it, and I still want to pick it up just so I can play through it again (yes, there's a New Game Plus and yes I have an obvious problem). But that's what it ultimately boils down to: If you're a Suikoden nut and loved the other three titles, then chances are you'll enjoy yourself with this one too. But if you're an RPG fan in search of something new, then keep in mind that Suikoden has definitely seen better days.

The nautical theme and the really nice graphics helped keep my interest in Suikoden, but the highly repetitive gameplay bogged it down a bit too much for me. If you know what you are getting into, then you will probably enjoy Suikoden IV, but otherwise, those other top RPG titles for the console hold the most popular crown for a reason. Suikoden IV earns a respectable 3 + GiN Gems.

Gameplay usually isn't the most important feature in an RPG, but in Suikoden IV it just drags an otherwise "great" RPG into the realm of "slightly above average." The many attempts to recreate the magic of the first two games are more than welcome, the storyline is one of the better ones I've experienced, and the production values are definitely there. It's just the tedious ship navigation takes can test your patience at times. I guess a sailor's life isn't for me.

Suikoden IV retains both interesting storytelling and a compelling cast, but it mixes in a number of flawed and frustrating elements. There's enough of the traditional Suikoden formula here to give this title a draw, despite some broken seafaring and a tedious encounter rate, but the game can only be recommended with caution. Those who are well used to abusive levels of random battles will find the game less ornery than most, but even those hardy souls may need an extra touch of patience for Suikoden IV.

Na teoria, "Suikoden IV" é um grande jogo, mas um descuido sem precedentes em sua produção o rebaixam ao meramente medíocre. Antigos fãs poderão aproveitar mais certas nuances, mas ao mesmo tempo serão os que mais vão sentir falta da alta qualidade da produtora Konami.

Konami's Suikoden series has been around for a decade -- first appearing on the PlayStation in 1995 -- but it's never received Final Fantasy type acclaim. The closest the series came to hitting it big was 2002's Suikoden III, its first appearance on the PS2, as well as the game that alienated some hardcore fans. Sadly, this fourth chapter isn't likely to bring back the following. Suikoden IV has the same grandiose scale and storytelling style as previous entries, but is hampered by an overabundance of combat and a lack of inspiration.

Suikoden IV, as previously mentioned, is by no means a bad game. It's just horribly average, with some hugely disappointing lows counterbalanced by some genuinely excellent high points. On balance, those high points outweigh the low points, and the storyline and characters make this into a game which we can, albeit with reservations, recommend to fans of the genre. Those new to Japanese RPGs, or with a low tolerance for the kind of outdated design elements that made the genre so inaccessible to newcomers for years, should look elsewhere for their fix.

The Suikoden series has gone through some bizarre changes over the course of its lifespan. After the first two, fairly modest games, a plan was hatched to make the third game an ambitious fantasy epic, with sweeping changes to gameplay and, for the first time, full 3D graphics. Suikoden III was both a success and a failure; the story was groundbreaking and riveting, but elsewhere the game lagged. Sensing fans longed for a return to form, Konami tapped Junko Kawano, the creator of the first game in the series, to helm the latest installment. The result is, sadly, less than compelling.

Let's recap. Why do you play games? If you're looking for excitement, this game falls short. If you're seeking new experiences, this game offers none. If you want an exciting story, dramatically told, this game will leave you cold. If you're looking for interesting characters, this game's generic cardboard cut-outs will bore you to tears. If all you want is entertainment, you'll find it impossible to avoid the fact that vast swathes of this game are simply no fun at all. Suikoden IV plays like a game that's generations out of date, and it's so in thrall to established genre conventions that it never stops to think that it's failed in the basic purpose of a game: to entertain.

Suikoden IV, sadly, effectively undoes all that and pretty much pulls the entire series into the muck. Ideally, an RPG should try to hook you within the first hour. In Suikoden IV, you won’t get attached to anything until several hours into the game and only after running countless errands and going through redundant gameplay routines. The only thing getting the hook will be your patience.