Suikoden V initial thoughts (no spoilers! bring the kids!)

[slimequest]

Yes, the prince is bishy. Moving right along...

The got rid of the awesome 3-D camera and first person mode from Suikoden IV, which I think was a step backward. Honestly, why would they? Moving around feels like a PS1 game. Treasure chests are "hidden" only because the camera doesn't show where they are because it gets obscured by buildings or whatever. You have three zoom choices, "really far out so you can see where you're going but everyone looks tiny and undetailed", "medium", and "can't see where I'm going but it's oh so detailed!"

Ultimately I'm getting used to it, but Suiko4 did it so much better. Running around in first-person mode was the best. Suiko5's system probably makes for much larger maps and all, and for what it is, it works. There were only a couple of awkward places to run around in because of buildings, etc blocking the way. So it seems like they got it right. It's way too zoomed out when it comes to scenes with characters talking (when it isn't a voiceover), though.

The characters are all great and have a lot of personality to them. The little group you run around with does seem like a tight-knit family. The prince himself seems to smile a lot. Everyone has a quirk or personality trait that adds fun or humor to the story. Speaking of the story, it's been consistently interesting almost the whole way through. Whether it be the overall main plot or the classic "Suikoden characters have to go do a random quest thing", it has kept me hooked.

Pacing-wise, it's a little slow starting out. There are too many "go to some place you'll have to find yourself and talk to someone but you don't know who it is exactly to trigger a plot point" things early in the game. Battles were few and far between and very easy early on as well. It's not unplayably BAD or anything, but it got a little tedious as I kept getting lost/didn't know which random person I was supposed to talk to.

Overall I'm enjoying it greatly and can't wait to play more. There are a few little things that might take getting used to at first, but that's true for every RPG, right? Regardless, buy it now and ignore Kingdom Hearts 2 please~ (I have nothing against the game personally but talk about overhyped and overdone even before it's released...)

Comments

Re: First Person View Whoa

[slimequest.livejournal.com]

Yeah, first person was awesome! I kept running at wild speeds into buildings/large-chested women if I moved while in it, though. Take that as a positive or a negative. It's still fun to look around at things and waste time.

Also, I enjoyed the first Kingdom Hearts and I might even pick up the second one, but it's not on high on my priority list ;D Hey, at least they're getting some older FF characters in it now.. I don't even know who half the newer Disney characters are, though ;x