Suikoden

Some say bigger isn't better. I say go big or go home and Suikoden agrees with me. A classic JRPG that keeps that doesn't really adventure out the usual. Monsters, magic and medieval. But it isn't doesn't have you running around with three characters, recruiting the random ninja or berserker to add diversity to your party. No, you're running around with your party of six looking to make an army of 108!

This isn't isn't a long game, but it is a big world. Suikoden world expands into mountains and planes and sea; taking a long time to traverse through it all. Plus you're playing as a fugitive on the run from the corrupt emperor and his evil sorceress, so where their army is, you usually can't go. No worries, you've fallen in with a good crowd, the rising Rebellion. You need to start recruiting people to your cause, because you're fighting a whole nation. Wizards, ninjas, pirates, elves and a giant tiger-man all come and join your cause, if you can convince them. Some will just join you because they think you're cool, sometimes you have to help them first and some you just have to pay to join. Once your group starts amassing, you get a cool fortress that you all work out of.

Now the game-play is classic turn style RPG, with speed, strength and defense all determining how the battle pans out. Six characters are place with three in the front and three in the back. Each character had a different range, with Short Range having to be in the front to actually inflict damage, and Long Range can attack anyone from anywhere, or is a magic attack. This helps and hinders your team, with having too many Short range fighters being useless, unless they have a strong magic. Having a good team is one that is diverse and with characters that are compatible, which sometimes they can unite an attack. (Like all the elves, fishermen or pretty girls can 'Unite.')

Now as fun as this game was, there was a few irks. First you can only carry 10 items, second your armor and equitable items (not weapons) count as your carry items, so that leaves you with 6 - 5 actual free spots. Also each potion or consumable item counts as a single item, so no collecting Red Flower x10, you have the actual Red Flowers fill ten item spots in your team. Magic was another irk. Magic comes from runes that you equip onto your characters. So a strong magic user can be an offensive fire user in one battle, and a defensive earth user the next. But to switch runes, you have to go to rune shops to get them unattached or reattached. These shops are few and far between, and your fortress does get one of these shops, but not soon enough.

Suikoden has given me a good time, which I want to continue into the sequel, which uses the firsts game data. The only thing stopping me from actually doing it is the rarity of Suikoden II. A used copy will send anyone back some moolah, plus most people aren't willing to part with the game. We will have to wait to see that log any time soon.