Suikoden V

by Konami

Product Features

• The longest Suikoden storyline ever, with cut scenes, multiple endings, storyline branches and unimaginable plot twists
• Uncover the 108 Stars of Destiny to build up and customize a home base
• Tactical Formation System for more than 20 strategic formations in battle
• Take 6 member parties into battle with over 60 playable characters -- millions of possible party combinations
• Strategic map battles with hundreds of troops in huge army skirmishes

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000CC5CHW
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches ; 8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: September 8, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,109 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of Suikoden with an all-new role-playing adventure filled with mystery and suspense. In the land of Farlena, a prosperous and beautiful country governed by the matriarchy and the benevolent power of the Sun Rune, civil unrest arises and the queen is forced to use the Sun Rune to quell the uprising, but at what cost? Journey as the prince in an expansive quest uncovering the mysteries surrounding the Sun Rune, the civil unrest and the dark intent of an unknown power in the greatest Suikoden saga yet!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suikoden is Back!, March 28, 2006

By 

Douglas R. Gustafson "Suikoden --------- Star... (Kent, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Suikoden V (Video Game)

Suikoden in all its glory is back! I have just finished the game and am now writing this review.

First of all, when I picked up this game, I wasnt expecting much, after the failure that was suikoden IV (I liked it, but it wasnt suikoden calibur) However, I was sadly mistaken. The graphics on this game arent that great but WHO CARES?! Where RPG's matter, this game gets it all right (Great story, awesome fortress, army battles are the best in this game.) One thing I did like about the graphics though was the birds eye point of view, like youre playing a 2-d RPG but its 3-d. Very awesome. I only have very minor complaints about this game (cant skip dialog, cant pause cutscenes, etc) But overall, I was very impressed

Maybe I'm just crazy, but yknow that feeling you got from PS1 RPGs that you just couldnt stop playing because the story was so good, or you beat a 50 hour long game in a week? Well, that feeling has been rare on PS2 due to companies having the philosophy of "If it looks better, it IS better" But yes, this game will definately have you hooked, and its sales arent stellar right now so please, do the world a favor and BUY THIS GAME! So we can get another awesome suikoden out there.

P.S. I am a suikoden Fan, but if a game is bad, i would tell you, so. If any of you are suikoden fans, this is on the level of Suikoden II (most claim to be the best game in the series)

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just might be better than II. It's that good., August 30, 2006

By 

D. Feagin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Suikoden V (Video Game)

Overall - 10/10 This was just a great game. The Storyline, Gameplay, Characters, and everything else were all top notch.

Storyline - 10/10 From the first scene in the game, the storyline had me hooked. It was a tragic tale that invokes all sorts of feelings, and makes you WANT to continue playing, and see what will happen next.

Characters - 10/10 Simply amazing. Not only does the game go into extreme detail with the Protagonist, Antagonist, and other main characters, but even with support characters who have but a small role in the actual story. The game does such a good job with this, that after playing through the game, you will feel like you know all of the characters.

Gameplay - 9/10 The game was vastly entertaining, with the classic Suikoden style battle system, with some cool new features. Unlike IV, V returns to the classic 6 person battle party as was the case in I - III, and adds a new system of "Battle Formations" which give you certain advantages and let you tailor your party towards Physical Attacks, Magic, or a balance. The "Skills" system, which was introduced in III is also back. The only thing keeping me from giving a 10 here is the extreme difficulty in recruiting some of the characters, which any Suikoden fan knows is a must if going for the good ending. I know that it took me multiple hours to figure out how to recruit some of the characters, and would frustrate a casual gamer, who isn't obsessed with perfecting games like I am.

Difficulty - 7/10 The game itself was not difficult, in that I never found myself in battles that I could not win, but leveling up and strengthening character weapons/armor is neccesary, and slacking in either of these departments would likely make my previous statement untrue. The War battles take a while to master, but once you get the hang of it, the shouldn't be TOO bad, as long as you follow the objectives given rather than trying to wipe out every enemy. Individual Duels are tougher in this game becuase I found a number of the participants harder to read than in previous Suikoden games. The most difficult part of the game, as I stated above, was recruiting all the characters.

Length - 10/10 This is an EXTREMELY LONG game, which should excite any RPG fan. If you simply play through the game and do not recruit every character and uncover every secret, you will likely spend 35-40 hours. On the other hand, if you, as I did, go for a perfect game, you will likely spend 65+ hours on the game.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Game, April 7, 2006

By 

S. Rhodes - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Suikoden V (Video Game)

If you're an RPGer, and you're a serious one, Suikoden V should be one of the RPGs on your list this year. It's fun, long, and showers a lot of replay value. The game just all around shines, and it's easy to see why. Suikoden IV was nothing special, but if you lost faith in the series after it, allow Suikoden V to restore that faith.

In the Queendom (yes, Queendom) of Falena, villagers are beginning to question Queen Arshtat's motives. Her form of justice was torching a village and it's countryside. As the Prince of Falena, you're sent in to investigate the matters for yourself. It soon becomes easy to turn your back on the Queen. There's a reason for her mor wicked actions, and after a while you're not going to be used anymore. You're going to investigate. The story begins kind of slowly, putting you to the task of running errands for most of the beginning, but once you get past that, the game really takes off.

For what it's worth, Suikoden V has a great story, and a brilliant cast of characters. Throughout the game it's great to watch your characters grow, including the Prince. There are tons of characters who you can get to join your cause, and all of them are very well developed. There are 108 characters in all. In most RPGs with an unrealistically large number of characters, the character development is terrible. This isn't true in Suikoden V. Each character is distinctly their own. The array of characters that join you is also interesting. You'll have just normal civillians. Chef's, detectives, ordinary peasants who are willing to fight for your cause. The way at which you obtain them is also interesting. Some will join based on what you say, others will join you depending on who is currently among your ranks. Some won't join you until you've got A LOT of people. This also works out to manipulate the ending of the game itself, as well as certain story sequences. The bulk of Suikoden V is actually getting all these characters, and it is perhaps the strongest part of the game.

The battle system is pretty cool too. You'll have six characters in battle at a time. You can set up your characters in battle in a way that you earn certain bonuses. There are formations that allow you to up your attack power, magical power and plenty more. It's awesome to tinker around with, and makes battling more interesting. The only thing that bogs down battling is the load times before it, which over time become pretty annoying.

Alongside the normal, everyday battle... you'll be able to duel as the story moves on. The duels aren't especially challenging. They way they're done is similar to Pokemon in a way. You can attack, use a special attack or defend. It's like Rock, Paper, Scissors. Everything has the potential to lose. For example, you can't defend against a special attack but you can use a regular attack to offset it. Those you're dueling will usually call out what they're going to do, and you'll have somewhere around three or four seconds to decide how to offset it. Dueling isn't especially hard, but it has its moments.

There are also army battles on land and sea, and to be honest, they're no different than the duels. You'll have to move closer to the enemy, but they pretty much play out in the same way. However, this is where the bulk of your 108 characters come into play. They are, essentially, your army.

Graphically, Suikoden V is good. Good, not especially great. Most characters are pretty detailed and the enviroments are colorful. The PS2 is capable of better, but in all honesty, Suikoden V is NOT by any means a bad looking game. It's a good looking game, just not as good looking as others that have set the bar. Soundwise, the game sounds great. Mixing classic music from the series with other tunes. The new tunes are used perfectly when setting the mood of certain scenes.

Suikoden V is full of good voice acting. It isn't always perfect, but it works out just right. Some characters sound perfect, others you're scratching your head and wondering what the deal is. You won't find yourself questioning the voices too often, though. Most of the voice acting is good, and the voices that matter you'll be proud of.

Suikoden V is a gem. It's got lots of replayability, and tons of well developed characters. It's one of the most exciting RPGs of the year, and any RPGer would be proud to have it.

The Good
+Great storyline
+Tons of characters
+Well developed charactes
+Fun battle system
+Overall good voice acting
+Good graphics
+Great soundtrack

The Bad
-The load times for battles
-Duels and army battles aren't really all that difficult