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When I look back now at when I bought this game, as well as several other great games, I can't remember exactly what inspired me to buy it. What I do know is why I kept it. Suikoden 2 is not only the best game in the suikoden series, it's also one of the greatest role playing games to ever grace the market. The story is rich and immersive, the characters memorable and iconic, and the battle system is classical perfection.The game puts you in control of one of the two main characters who, although they are best friends, have opposing destinies. When their own country betrays them for an excuse to go to war, the two start on a path to try and find their place in the world, trapped between the home that betrayed them and their sworn enemies.
A lot happens during the course of the story, not unlike the drastic changes that would take place during a war. Yet the story never stretches itself thin. It keeps you interested in every step up to the final confrontation. The game also takes advantage of genius war tactics, that were used in actual campaigns in history, as part of the story.
There are also the customary 108 characters that are collected through out the game. Some are support characters that will add functions to your army and dimensions to your base castle, and most of them are playable characters that you can use in battle. Each of the characters, even if shortly introduced, are memorable and full of dimensions that are sometimes established with only a few short sentences. Even in such situations, the characters are rich with life making this perhaps the best cast in any suikoden game. Each character is animated in an anime-esque style, which makes sense it being a japanese game. Even if you are not a fan of the style of art it is the perfect face for the game when you see it all together.
The battle system in the game is traditional RPG turn based format. But they use the turn based system to perfection. There are six characters on screen, 3 in the front row 3 in the back. Characters in front can attack freely but characters in the back row can only attack if they have long range weapons, such as a bow. Characters that share some kind of history, or know similar fighting styles, can team up to do combined special moves. These moves range from being simply entertaining to completely devastating. Charactes who can't attack from the back row can still function as fighters if they have a combo attack with another character. This adds a well rounded strategic element to the set up of a conventional group, since characters with combo attacks usually need to be in the same row or in the same column to perfom their attacks.
I have beaten this role playing game multiple times and still find it just as entertaining as the first day i picked it up. It is truly a gilded great, and that's not just a funny phrase. Anyone who has looked for this game in recent years has probably found it ranging from $55 to $250! I will certainly say, I am grateful I never sold this game, and if you ever obtain it, you will not be disappointed.
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When I bought this game I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. I had never played it nor its predesessor before and didn't know what to expect. After I had started playing it, I couldn't stop until I had finished it with all 108 characters and got all of the secrets I could find. It really is that good!!You take the role of an anonymous young boy who is serving in the youth brigade of the Highland Army with his best and childhood friend Jowy. After the two are decieved by their home country of Highland in a surprise night attack, they embark on a quest to bring their country back to rights and out of the control of the evil prince Luca Blight. It is a poignant tale of friendship, love, trust, betrayal and destiny which will have you gripped till the end. The characters are those whom you feel a real connection with and actually start to harbour feelings for (I say that at the risk of sounding totally cheesy, but it's true.) The story is admittedly not a hundred miles away from that of every other RPG out there but there is something that makes it seem very special.
Many people I have heard have tried to put it down for its graphics, which are to say the least are hardly ground breaking, but with a story and gameplay this good who cares. I personaly think that if Konami had created Suikoden II in 3D, it would have made it considerably less enjoyable. The music also adds a lot to the atmosphere of the game (especially noticeable in the amazing starting sequence.) There are great orchestral tunes for the more dramatic parts yet happy, perky tunes for the more light-hearted moments. No matter the situation the music and SFX are always fitting.
The battles play major role in the game and are very similar to the first game (which i played after the second.) There are the usual random party battles with up to six characters being in the party at once. In these battles you will fight many different enemies in a variety of different backdrops. Characters have the commands to attack using standard weapons, use magic from their different runes which can be attached, use items (e.g. curative and attacking) of which each character can carry three, defend, change between back and front row positions, and special unite moves. Unite allows the characters to team up with other specific characters and use a more powerful combined attack. Not all of the characters can use these attacks. This is a great way of encouraging you to experiment with characters rather than staying with the same old party throughout the game. There are also one-on-one battles with important characters at certain points of the game, which aren't exactly brilliant but offer an interesting change. Then there are the strategic army battles in which the good guys (you and your followers) take on the bad guys (the Highland Army) with entire armies. These are some of my favourite parts of the game and are great fun. Although sometimes you are forced to lose because that is the way of the story line.
All of the elements of Suikoden II come together to make the most complete, entertaining and truly epic game I have ever played. If you don't buy this or at least give it a chance and try it you will truly have missed something special.
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