Suikoden II

by Playstation

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00001X50L
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: September 28, 1999
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,206 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

GameSpot Review

Because the original Suikoden was one of the first PlayStation RPGs to grace the US shores, it garnered more attention than it deserved. Despite being a respectable enough RPG, Suikoden was a relatively shallow, quick-play RPG that was light on content and heavy on combat. Suikoden II addresses a number of the problems of the original Suikoden, and although it feels somewhat rehashed, it still holds its own nicely in today's cutthroat RPG market.

Suikoden II takes place several years after the first game's revolution, a time when the evil Highland empire is terrorizing the innocent, burning their villages by the handful to satisfy the bloodlust of the maniacal Prince Luca Blight. You hop into the medieval-styled britches of an idealistic young imperial rebel who is out to right the wrongs of the world. To help you defeat the evil prince, you'll have a bit of ancient magic and an army of friends. Sound familiar? Suikoden II's story mirrors that of many other RPGs, but it adds a few twists all its own for good measure. While RPG purists were disappointed by the lack of development of the first game's myriad characters, Suikoden II focuses fairly heavily on character development, preventing party members from turning into mere power-up satellites. The game still retains the quest to collect the 108 stars of destiny from the first game, but many of the characters serve more use than, say, welcoming the player to Toran Castle. The game's sense of scope is impressive, encompassing a huge world war and letting players build and staff their own castle.

Basic gameplay is very similar to that of the first game - your party can hold up to six of the game's many characters, each of whom has his own attacks, spells, etc. One of the cooler features of Suikoden's battles was the unite ability, which let two or more characters combine forces for a super attack. Suikoden II emphasizes these one-two attacks, giving players more of an incentive to experiment with new characters. Unlike those of some RPGs, Suikoden II's random encounters are quick and relatively painless - load time from the overworld or dungeon is almost nonexistent, and characters usually attack all at once, preventing the game's battles from being too big of an annoyance when one simply wants to advance the story. Magic, gained from rune crystals found throughout the world and in stores, earns experience similar to Final Fantasy VII's materia system, opening up more spells as you advance. Suikoden II doesn't use magic points; instead, it gives you a set number of uses for each spell per outing, making it one of the least magic-intensive RPGs on the market, another welcome break from the current trend.

As was the case with its predecessor, it feels as though an international conflict just can't be fully realized in Suikoden II without some large-scale battles. Instead of the strategy-free battle scenarios of the original, Suikoden II adds an actual strategic element to the game's battles. The end result can easily be likened to the TurboGrafx-16's classic, Military Madness - you position your units on a map and tell them to attack enemy units, defend, or use magic. These scenarios are far more interesting than the almost instantly winnable scenarios in Suikoden, but they still don't amount to much more than filler minigames, and many victories and defeats are determined by the game's story alone. While it's a minor point, some players will think they're winning and but then be forced to withdraw because of some random story event.

Aesthetically, Suikoden II is a few notches above its predecessor. The graphics are displayed in a noticeably crisper resolution than its predecessor. The game's town and overworld are entirely 2D and sprite-driven, while the battle engine combines polygonal terrain and spell effects with 2D characters. Brief CG cutscenes are sprinkled throughout the game, as well, bringing a little more life to scenes that just wouldn't have carried the same impact with simple 2D spritery. Nice hand-drawn portraits are shown for all the game's notable characters, as well. Even though the overworld graphics are beyond bland, the overall effect is an appealing one. The game, despite increased graphical detail, has little to no load time to speak of once you're in the game, an always welcome bonus. Suikoden II's sound is on par with the original's, sporting well-instrumented RPG fare, occasionally flaunting a vocal twist. The game's sound effects are nice and crisp, containing actual digital samples instead of the screechy synth noises of even Square's most expensive endeavors. The game's translation fares far better than the first title's did, overall. However, the competent text was obviously rushed through proofreading, marring what would otherwise have been a perfect translation. Fortunately, other than the text, nothing has been localized for the US version - characters actually drink alcohol, not soup or coffee, as many characters were forced to drink due to the heavy-handed censors of the Nintendo era.

Fans of the first Suikoden game will love the sequel - it improves on everything that had made the first game memorable. Suikoden II brings nothing new to the genre, but it executes well enough that no one will really care. --Peter Bartholow
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best of the series, April 18, 2006

By 

Justin R. Jang "player1" (Danville, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Suikoden II (Video Game)

I have played the suikoden series from the beginning and suikoden II is by far the best of them. If you enjoy enjoy an rpg with a good story and gameplay mechanics this should occupy your time. The major battles are one of best parts in my opinion. Your basicly playing a tatic game with recruited character for your army. Also there are a lot mini-games in your caslte. If you like a challenge try to recruit the 108 stars for your army. If you think a couple hundred dollars is too steep for this game wait a year or 18 months. Suikoden II should be released for Psp in 2007. Psp is remaking old rpgs for its system and this is one of them. I will get my copy even though I own the original. I just like the idea of playing one of my favorite games on a potable system. Overall suikoden II is one of the best 2-D rpgs of the 1990's. If your a retro gamer this is a game for collectors value and a fun game to play. And for rpg players, if you don't like to read play kingdom hearts or diablo 2.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When a game combines these many qualities, comes Suikoden 2, November 30, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Suikoden II (Video Game)

Everything about this game is going to change the way that you think of RPGs. It has emotional parts, action parts, everything possible packed into a solid 35+ hours of gaming. Truly one of the best RPGs to date on any system. However, my only 'con' about this game is this: This game is going to get trampled on. Trampled on by Square's collassal masterpiece (which I hated) and other games that have paid millions for advertising. While this game may not bare the best graphics, or advertise 8 times between every commercial break, it will grab your heart from the very beginning and never let go.

Join the main character, and Jowy for the ride of a lifetime which tells the tale of friendship and betrayel. Story twists around every corner, and a grand adventure only steps ahead. I dare anyone to play this game and not agree that this game is phenomenal. Abosolutely pleasent and fun in every single way. I can't find words to show my love for this game, but I'll leave you with this: Suikoden 2 is an instant classic. It's the perfect gift for any RPG Gamer on your list, and it's the perfect RPG of all time. Embrace yourself in it's story, characters and war, as you embark on the most incredible journey possible. I salute Konami.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Game, March 14, 2000

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Suikoden II (Video Game)

I'm not kidding as far as the title to my review. The "big name" reviewers have been so off when it comes to the Suikoden series - including the editorial reviewers right here on Amazon. Just read the "customer reviews". We all love it! Why aren't the "real" reviewers responding?

Suikoden is just like Final Fantasy (My second favorite series) except better. It's easier to play, has more lovable characters, has a simpler battle system, a more exciting plot, and a lot more options about how to spend your time. In this game, you will sincerely grow attached to the characters - and when one dies, you will weep. (OK, only if you're as sentimental as I am.) There are lots of games within the game - like tossing dice or going fishing or entering cooking contests. You don't have to do that stuff, but if you think it's fun, it's there for the taking.

You can hurry through the game, just trying as hard as you can to win it, or you can choose to slow down and play around with the characters inside your castle. What you do will affect the ending.

The makers of Suikoden II took all of the annoying glitches out of fantasy roll playing games. If you run into a random encounter that's just way too easy for you at your level, you can put your characters on automatic, and just have them take care of it so that you don't have to have a boring battle. When you go in shops, all the items say right on them whether they're as good as what you already have. They've just made it easier so that you can spend more time having fun!

The Suikoden series is my favorite. I would buy a Playstation just so I could play this game. I think maybe some of the reviewers who call it "nothing special" should ask themselves why all of us regular people who play it think it's incredibly special!