Customer Reviews

Suikoden 3

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This third installment in the Suikoden series proves to be as good as its predecessors if not better. This game signals the series first time in 3D and first game on the PS2.

GRAPHICS

This game is completely in 3D and it couldn't look better. It's the second best looking RPG on the PS2(Final Fantasy X is the only game that looks better), and the characters and locations look great. Though some may shun the switch from 2D to 3D the change was really necessary and improves the experience. Afterall there were those who didn't like Final Fantasy going into 3D and Final Fantasy 7 is one of the series best.

GAMEPLAY

One of the keys to sustaining an enjoyable RPG is a battle system that doesn't get tired after hours of play, and Suikoden 3 succeeds. Once again you have six characters in your party, but this time you have to control them in pairs adding a new level of strategy and helping the battles go faster.

STORY

By far this games strongest quality is it's story. This is probably the best story for an RPG on the PS2 so far. It's compelling and thanks to the Trinity Sight System(A system that allows you to switch between 3 characters at the end of every chapter) the game has alot of varitie. There is also a big plot twist for those who played the first two games, though you don't have to be familiar with the first 2 installments to enjoy this game.

OVERALL

A must own for anyone who likes RPG's or even just enjoys the occasional Final Fantasy. This game is long, I clocked in about 70-75 hours playing it and it never once gets boring. There's also plenty of side-quests to enjoy and extra stuff to do. So go buy this game!

The Suikoden RPG series has always been about people who get caught up in events far beyond their control, and how they rise up to that challenge. Hallmarks of the Suikoden games are the necessity of gathering 108 allies (based on an old Chinese legend) and building a castle headquarters where your main base (and source of mini-games) will be.
Suikoden 3 is different from past games since it gives you the option of choosing from one of 3 initial heroes to play as. These include a female knight, a tribal youth and a mercenary, each of whom represents a different side of a dangerous, escalating war.
To actually finish the game, you WILL have to play all the 3 chapters of each character; this is no problem however since each character's story is compelling and always intriguing. The great thing about this system, or Trinity Sight, is that you see the story from various viewpoints, so the depth and secrets that are revealed are really rewarding as you play through the game.
And that is what Suikoden 3 is all about. Do not look for flashy CG and cinematics, since there are none (except for a magnificent anime movie 'trailer' of the game at the start screen), but that really shouldn't matter. It's the game's story and the characters you will grow attached to that will captivate you.
Graphics are mixed; the art style is wonderful Japanese anime fantasy style, though the 3D in-game models are slightly cartoony in proportion but not too cutesy- the best part is that they express emotion better than any other game out there; this makes for entertaining cut scenes. The environments are detailed and wonderful.
As for gameplay, this is still a turn-based combat system, with the requisite 'army' and one-on-one duels present. Overall though, the gameplay is easy, control is excellent and loading times are only a few seconds in length. No detraction from the fun.
Finally, as for replay, there are hidden characters to play as, multiple endings, 108 allies to recruit, a castle with tons of fun stuff to do and the option to load save games from past Suikodens to unlock more secrets.
In terms of story, replay, depth and compelling characters, Suikoden 3 is unquestionably the best RPG out there now. Fans of Suikoden MUST get this game, but I heartily recommend it to everyone who loves RPGs or at least a deep, involving story.
What are you waiting for? Get this game NOW!

I own the japanese version of this game, and it is quite impressive. Fans may or may not be disappointed by the 3D graphics from the 2D sprites. I will admit, though I love this game and the series to death, the graphics themselves don't compare to some of the earlier RPGS (Final Fantasy X comes to mind). However, facial expressions are done extremely well and accurately. The music is very nicely and correctly put together and it's not overly annoying (though I will say you might get irritated with the battle music after hearing 100+ times in the first 2 hours or so). The anime intro really gives the game a unique feel that can separate it from most other RPGs on the console. The most compelling of the game, however, is the story and the character development. Both of these dig much deeper than any of the previous Suikodens. Everything isn't as it seems and you'll be very surprised where this game leads you. After all, in war, who is really right?

This game is for the people looking for intelligent, fun rpg that keeps you guessing and intrigued by the storyline. You'll get very attached to the characters. However, graphics wise or to a casual gamer, this may not be a good choice to choose. Square is much better for just picking up a game and trying it.

One thing I cannot speak for is how people will like the Trinity System (I thought it was an interesting way to approach the story and very powerful). Also, I cannot say how well the translation is on the english version, since I only played the japanese version. From what I've seen, aside from some irritating name alternations from the translations of japanese to english, everything seems to have been quite nicely.

There are several instances in the RPG world where sequels are often disappointing and lack the charm in the original. However, Suikoden 3 is one exception. With a solid storyline and great characters, Suikoden 3 aims to please gamers just as much, if not more, as its predecessors.

While its graphics are not up to par with Final Fantasy X and various other games, Suikoden 3 makes up for this with the Trinity Sight System, an innovative idea that puts the gamer in the different characters' shoes. The characters are done very well, particularly the main characters, and within a few hours, gamers can find themselves growing increasingly attached to the characters. Some scenes are touching, others are filled with powerful storyline twists that will shock both old fans and newcomers to the series.

The music is nice, and fits the overall mood of the game. The tension can be felt as a war is played out; the peaceful setting of a castle can be experienced through the smooth music rolling out. The plays that the man Nadir hosts are interesting and fun to play around with. With about 100 characters to use in the place of plays such as Romeo and Juliet, William Tell and The Boy Who Cried Wolf, gamers can be kept laughing in their seats. The way some characters act also adds a certain depth to them.

Battles require a certain degree of strategy. The levelling-up system ensures that a challenge is present throughout the various major battles in the game. The challenge factor of Suikoden 3 is definitely better than average, since the battle system mostly disallows gamers from building their characters up to ridiculous levels and pummelling the enemies into pulp. Wars have to be played out correctly, or it may result in one or more of the 108 Stars of Destiny's deaths, which is very undesirable. Duels require correct guessing of the opponent's intentions, so that they may counter. Mess up, and the gamer might find himself in a precarious situation.

And there is, of course, the 108 characters to obtain. While some of them are gotten automatically, others have to found, and this adds to even more fun and hours of gameplay in Suikoden 3.

A minus factor of the game, however, is the removing of the freedom to traverse the world map. This restricts gamers' movements to merely within towns and dungeons, which can get very mundane after a while. Also, the world map in Suikoden 3 is tiny compared to Suikoden 1 and 2. There aren't many places to go, and there are no side quests to perform, unless defeating 'treasure bosses' are counted in. Navigation is removed here as well, since just about every location in the game has a map, which allows for easy navigation, thus removing the challenge in trying to find your way in a complicated dungeon. Camera angles are fixed, and more often than not gamers may find themselves growing frustrated that they are always going back and forth between two screens because of the sudden switch in camera angles. Hold the analog or directional button in a fixed direction, and the gamer might very well find himself getting out of a room, only to find himself running back in because of the directional switch.

However, on the overall, Suikoden 3 is still a very enjoyable game, easily providing 40+ hours of gameplay with its storyline and characters. Buy this game. You won't be disappointed.

Parents: If your child likes RPGs or "story telling" games. This is perfect for kids...or adults for that matter. This is one is still on my all time favorite games list. (:

Anyway...

This game was monsterously entertaining to me. The story was a masterpeice with an army of potentially 108 to recruit for your use. Granted not ALL of the will be able to be used on your combat team of six, but most of them will be and you can custimize all of them to a point.

Keeping a story interesting with a potential number of 108 personalities, over three veiwpoints and four main characters would be a challenge for most book writers. Stuffing so much content in one story can sometimes cause it's down fall. "To many cooks in a kitchen ruins the soup" and all that. Somehow Suikoden III, made a masterpiece with it all instead of hindering themselves. I was truly impressed.

During the course of the story you can alternate between four different veiwpoints: a "barbarian" kid, a lady knight, and a mysterious mercinary, and the unlucky new ower of a run down castle that is looking for residents to stay afloat. Each of the first three member resprisents a veiwpoint into each side of an upcoming war with a unseen evil pulling the strings. Through most of the game each group of friends find themself getting sucked into the mystery without even really meeting each other untill the end of the game. During each veiwpoint or "Chapter" each characters can come by and potentially recruit 108 hidden charcaters, not all of them able to be pick up by a single main character or all at once. Some of them are hidden, some are given to you ether way they all end up hanging at Thomas' run down castle while they are not being used because this old castle happens to be the boarder of each waring party making it a neutral and protected area from all sides. The way the story makes this all seem very logical and conicidental is ingenious.

The gameplay is also nothing short of amazing. Like any RPG it takes charcter building to survive, but because the characters always switch and you have only a certain amount of money you cannot become "godlike" in the very begining and make the game effortless for yourself. The "mini-games" are also challengeing because are large scale battle moments that resemble risk and one on one time duels. Not to mention puzzles galore. Unlocking characters can also be considered a minigame.

Not to spoil much, but the replay value is also high for if you find all 108 characters the first time around you can unlock the mini storyline of the main villan.

So if you like RPGs than this one is a MUST. I can't stress that enough. Get Suikoden III. Do NOT, however, mistake Suikoden III for Suikoden 4. Suikoden 4 was terrible.

Though I consider myself a fan of the Suikoden games, they honestly never managed to completely snag my interest. It took me upwards of a year to beat Suikoden II because there were spots where the story lagged and made me want to rip my hair out in frustration. I figured that I'd rent Suikoden III first just to try it out, and then shell out the money for the game later when the price went down.

I beat it on the rental.

Storyline - 10/10

We're treated with a story that starts out like the previous two did, with tension between two countries and the flames of war threatening to consume the land. Enter your three main characters: Chris, the Silver Maiden of the Zexen Knights; Hugo, son of the Karaya clan chief and a child thrown in over his head; and Geddoe, a mystery-shrouded mercenary working for Harmonia in the Southern Frontier Defense Force. Each character has three chapters of their very own, from their point of view and influenced by their own opinions.

The Trinity Sight system was done remarkably well, and though you watch the same events, you're watching them through different eyes. You may think a certain thing about one character, only to have your opinion drastically changed because of a chapter of another character. Because of the Trinity Sight system, more characters get time in the spotlight compared to the previous two games, allowing for more characterization. That, and you now have to use more characters in battle, so you can't just stick with the same party through the whole game.

Graphics - 8/10

The graphics are nice, but they're nothing compared to games like Final Fantasy X, Metal Gear Solid 2, Shadow of Destiny, or really any game where the characters look REAL. The sprites kinda remind me of Grandia II (and that isn't a bad thing, because I rather liked Grandia II), but their facial expressions are always drastic; the eyebrows are never only slightly raised in surprise, they're either in neutral position or trying to climb up into the character's scalp. While it's nice to know that they actually put facial expressions into consideration, I honestly think they could've done a better job with it.

Sound - 7/10

If there was one thing I LOVED about the Suikoden series, it was the music. Suikoden III, however, has lost that edge. Most of the music is done by synth, doing away with actual people playing the music. Doing away with that was a really stupid thing for them to do, in my opinion, because hearing music played by musicians puts a sort of emotion into the music that you just can't hear from a computer. That's not to say the music is HORRIBLE...in fact, I liked the soundtrack more than I like most RPGs' soundtracks. But for a Suikoden game, the music was below par.

Sound effects are your average bag of RPG fare. Wind magic sounds like wind, water magic sounds like water, lightning magic sounds like lightning, and fire magic sounds like someone let off enough antipersonnel explosives to reduce the Grasslands to a paste-filled crater, etc. Nothing ground-shaking, just average.

Gameplay - 10/10

If you've played the previous two games, the first thing you'll notice is the change in the battle system. Instead of inputting six commands for six characters every turn, you'll be inputting three commands for six characters every turn. That means you can only use three rune attacks or three items a turn. Rune spells now have a chanting time, which depends on your support character (as some characters, like Jeane, can reduce chanting time) and your character's compatibility with that specific rune. Characters who are chanting can also get interrupted by attacks, so there's a possibility that you'll have to start all over again.

The major battles, while back again, are severely disappointing. They're more like glorified regular battles, except you do less damage, you can't heal, and your characters are controlled by a [unintellegent]AI. If the leader of the group dies, the entire unit is killed, even if the rest of the unit was in perfect health. This adds a level of frustration, since the opposing unit generally heads for your leader first (if only the AI controlling YOUR characters was so smart!).

Character customization is back and perhaps better than ever with the introduction of a skill system. Your characters gain skill points for every battle they fight, and they can spend those skill points on fighting skills at a Training Center or magic skills from a Tutor. Abilities like "Swing," which allows your character to attack twice, completely do away with the need for Double-Beat runes.

One thing that needs to be noted about customization is the severe lack of runes compared to the previous two games. You'll notice that Darkness, Spark, Gale, and a multitude of other runes have bowed out of the picture for now, only to be replaced by a plethora of command runes. In fact, most characters start with at least one command rune attached, and 99.9% of the command runes that characters come with are completely non-removable. As far as magic runes go, the Jongleur rune (which is godly in the hands of characters compatible with it) and the Shield runes are really the only two "new" additions. And you get to play around with quite a few True Runes by the end of the game, so that makes up for it.

Overall - 9.5/10

Honestly, I don't think I could've asked for more in a Suikoden game. If you're a sucker for interesting characters and a good plot, then I highly recommend buying it. However, if you're hellbent on keeping things the way they were, I think a rental would be more appropriate. Though I adored this game, I know that it doesn't suit everyone's tastes. But despite what you want in an RPG, Suikoden III most definitely warrants a rental at the very least.

There are several reasons this game is ingenious. First of all, the plot. With three major characters (and three additional characters that are unlocked during the game), you play most of it through different points of view. You see some of the conflicts played from both sides, actually fight against one of your other characters at times. Aside from that innovation, the plot is amazing. Almost half the game is in story mode (I'm guessing the reason they didn't do voice acting in this was because it would have been way too much memory or something), and it's an amazing story for an RPG. Hell, it's an amazing story period, which is something I can say for almost no non-Suikoden RPGs. There are many surprises and it really gives you a feel for all these different characters. Some reviews I've read I think are clinging a little too much to RPG tradition. If you're looking for an RPG where, after you kill the villain, a big demon comes out and you have to kill Satan at the end, this is NOT your game. This one actually has a story.

Also, there are about 85 or so playable characters, and it manages, using a relatively concise number of skills, etc., to make them all fairly individual.

ANother AMAZING aspect of this game is its brilliant design. Everything is designed to be convenient, non-repetitive, etc. Like old Suikoden games, there really isn't the necessity of fighting a bunch of pointless lengthy battles to build your characters. It pretty much happens along the way. Unless you want to build up all of your 80 or so characters, in which case, it may take you a little longer. Also, like the older Suikoden games, the teleport and blinking mirror function you can get later in the game make it so once you've already went through an area a few times you don't have to drag it out by walking through it again and again. Even so, the dungeons and plains are fairly short. The game is a challenge at times, but mostly you'll be in it for the incredible story.

The extras are another huge plus. I did miss the cooking competitions from Suikoden 2, but the theater function (make your characters act in a play), comment box (the other characters write you notes), horse race, card games, etc. etc. etc. well make up for it.

I don't play a whole lot of FF (see role-playing games where a big demon comes out of someone's body at the end and you have to kill Satan), but to me Suikoden 3's graphics were pretty damn cool. Music is prettty good (I ended up not turning it off and playing records during gameplay).

The fighting system is good and strategic though, as I said, not that hard. Dungeone are re-used very succesfully (for instance, you come back to the same dungeon with a different character, it doesn't feel repeated). Numerous battle functions (normal, one-on-one duel, war style battle with armies and such (kind of))

All in all, if you're looking for a clever RPG that won't insult you or put you through too much run around, you all know Suikodens are your best bet. I'm not really a hard-core RPG fan because of the usual ba story-lines, abusive repetition, etc., so I don't know what expectations you all have. I've heard some Suikoden fans say it's too different for them. With any new addition to a series you're going to be giving up some of the old, but what they replace it with is well worth it.

Suikoden 1 was decent. Suikoden 2 was excellent, perhaps my favorite console RPG of all time. Suikoden 3 was good and rich, but somehow, it didn't grab me like its predecessor.

This game certainly surpassed the first 2 visually. However, I didn't care for the battle system -- more specifically, I didn't care for the two-person team system. It was clumsy and made little sense (okay, I almost don't mind the challenge of only being able to do combo attacks once per fight, but not being able to control half my fighters?! Sorry, I don't go for that).

I had issues with replaying the same scenarios OVER and OVER and OVER. Yes, I understand the purpose of this was to get different characters' perspectives, but honestly, there was more annoying redundancy than variation, and when I found out the actual storyline was only 5 chapters deep, and that I was supposed to consider the first 3 chapters to be 9 chapters because I had to play them 3 times each, I felt very cheated. Still, I enjoyed the surprise about one of the characters in particular, and that ultimately grabbed me.

You'll see far fewer familiar faces in this game than 1/2, and I'll spare you the disappointment right now: your rewards for loading a fully completed, 108-star-achieved save file from Suikoden II are almost nonexistent. Certainly nothing compared to the pleasant little surprise that II gave you.

Finally, my biggest problem was that I just didn't care about any of the main characters of this game the way I cared about Michael, Jowy and Nanami in S2. Granted, the main villain won me over, but a game should not have its central character interest around the villain. I'll admit the characters in this game are varied, but I found the S2 trio to be far more lively -- in the first 5 minutes of that game, I felt closer to the three main characters than I felt to the multitude of heroes in this game after completing it.

Overall, If you loved S2, you'll find S3 to be decent. Where S2 snatched you right up, you need to hack and crack at S3 for awhile before it keeps your attention, but I'd say it's still worth the money.

This game was very good, It was very interesting. If you like RPG's you should play this one. I liked the graphics. It was enjoyable, but I became desperate to know how the story ended and 82 hours for me are like forever, it took me like seven months real time. So that's why I had it with RPG's. But the game is very good. The story is extremely good and keeps you interested throughout the game. I like the fact you play the game from three diferent point of views, one per main character. I was anxious to know the truth about the Flame Champion. Anyone can like this game because of gameplay, story, graphics, cutscenes, but this game is perfect if you like long games, and have time to spare. The only thing I would have liked different is that the characters actually talked, instead of making sounds and their dialogues being written.

I've never given four stars to a game I liked, so I won't but this Suikoden has a few problems that may tick Suiko fans off. I especially got hooked on this Suikoden solely because of the Lizard Clan. They are actually what convinced me to give this game five stars, otherwise...it would have received a dreaded four. In any case...

Story: The Suikoden series has always followed an intricate and amassed story of a leader gathering an army to fight against a great threat. This Suiko does not fail here, especially since you play the story roles of not one, but four people. In each story, you guide the central character through a series of events that makes him/her meet up with the other three main heroes. Also, the story of the True Runes is brought into the spotlight more in this Suiko than the previous volume, so if you've been wondering, you should be satisfied with what you learn. However, the whole gathering of the Stars of Destiny bit has taken a nap and is not even mentioned in this game and Leknaat will not be there in classic form to explain it to you.

Characters: The four main characters are Geddoe the Harmonian mercenary, Hugo the Karayan hunter, Commander Chris of the Zexen Knights and Thomas the soon-to-be castle manager. Each of them have their doubts and reasons for being involved in the game's events. Each of them, along with their most trusted group members, are developed enough to not to appear boring. At one point, you will have to choose someone (not Thomas) to be the final leader character to guide the 108 Stars of Destiny and their army to victory. Although, if there are characters who deserve praise, it's definitely the Lizard Clan and the Duck Clan party members. They along with the members of their Clans make for another classic Suiko experience since the previous games also had non-human allies.

Music: Uh-oh. Well I'm not one to complain about music, but I find some songs in this game a little lackluster. The boss, event and town themes are great, but the standard battle themes are very mediocre because they sound either too perky or too lacking. The standard battle theme is very important in RPGs, so if it stinks, it's hard to enjoy combat. This game also seemed to lack a good song of sadness, which is surprising since the other two Suikos had heartbreaking sad themes.

Gameplay: Another gripe here. Map travel is quite annoying in this game since in order to get a certain area, you are required to go through a rather unnecessary hike along a meadow road to get back on the main road. This is something you will end up doing a bit too much and it may bore the heck out of you. Gathering the Stars of Destiny seems to have remain unchanged as you either receive people by story automatically or you go on some errand to earn their aid.

Battle: Double uh-oh. What happened here? The battle system is somewhat of a joke in this game. Thankfully you still can have six people at a time, but you pair up the characters into three teams. What this means is you have three teams of two people who are responsible for each other only. For example, Alanis the mage girl is teamed up with Dupa, the Lizard Clan chief. Alanis can use medicine to heal Dupa but she can't use it on Koruku the dog or Geddoe the mercenary. Also, if you want double combination attacks at all, you must always pair up those same two people (can be annoying if your setup is composed of various characters). Magic also has a new system where there is an actual charge time to spells before they can be cast. The speed is determined by skill level (which you can raise at schools and libraries) and if the character is generally very good with that elemental rune. What makes this bad is that one element has to be cast with caution: fire. If you're not careful with the spell's actual execution, you can end up cooking your teammates instead of the monsters. Thankfully, a turn meter is available during battle to show you the point at which the spell will be cast. On a final note, there is no longer a Rune combination feature for the big spells, so don't bother trying to cast two spells at the same time for a big Rune attack.

System: Well the newest system in this Suiko is the skill system. Skills are the abilities of characters that improve their combat efficiency. Skills are either innate (by level) or bought at learning centers to add to a character's list. Each character can reach a certain grade level with skills. Anything from B+ to S is great while B and below is average/horrible. Skills cost skill points (which are earned after battles) to first attain from a center as well as upgrade. Depending on what the highest letter grade they can attain, the point cost for upgrading can either be grossly high or happily cheap. You can also tell how good a character can be with a skill by reading the skillmaster's comment. If the master says you need way more practice, skip it; if he says you have unbridled potential, grab it. These skills greatly improve your fighting and spellcasting to the point monsters may not ever get a turn in, so you should definitely invest in skills to get anywhere.

Overall: Suikoden 3 is cool in some ways, while quite lame in others, and because of this odd contrast, Suikoden 2 will seem way better to fans of the series. Give it a try if you're a fan, otherwise beware the downsides. For completing the game, you do get a nice extra which will please fans of a certain character who has been in all the Suiko games to date. If anything, the game's ups outweigh its downs.