Lawrence.com

The Suikoden series has come a long way since its first installment on the PlayStation. Two years ago, Suikoden III was released and many touted it as the breakthrough game of the series. The Trinity Sight System, which gave the player a view of the action from multiple vantage points, made it one of the more unique titles. The story also kept the player locked in on the TV screen. It was these two elements that made Suikoden III great. As sad as it is to say, with Konami's latest installment of the Suikoden series, there is no Trinity Sight System and the story has been dumbed down.

Suikoden IV takes place more than a 100 years before the first Suikoden. You play a hero who has just graduated from the Gaien Academy and is now a Gaien Knight. You embark on missions as part of the army, which is how the story unfolds. As noted earlier, the story this time around is definitely not as interesting as Suikoden III, especially the beginning. The story takes about 6 or 7 hours before it actually begins to kick off. With no Trinity Sight System, the game just isn't as interesting, This was quite disappointing as it was this feature that set this series apart from giant RPGs such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior.

One unique aspect of the game is how it takes place completely at sea. Although sailing can be slow and tedious, it is still fun. The new ship battles are also extremely enjoyable as well. I only wish the game would have used the ship battles more as that is something that takes a lot of thinking and strategy. The combat system has been improved and quickened. The only problem is there are too many times where the game's enemies are just too easy. You'll be using the auto fight feature, because it is a waste of time to go through and pick specific commands for each party member.

Graphically this game was quite poor. The cities and environments just don't have any flavor to them. The details are very weak, and the cities seem deserted with what looks to be only about 20 people populating the areas. The effects aren't spectacular, either. All the magic and rune cannons just don't match up when it comes to the impressive lighting and coloring of other RPGs.

The score is well done but nothing that will give you goose bumps. It is mostly ambient music and seems to hide in the background. The voice acting is much improved this time around. The only problem I had was how your character, the hero, never speaks the entire game. I can see why Konami decided to do this, as it is consistent with other games, such as Zelda, but when it comes to RPGs in this day in age, the main character must utter some dialogue. The whole effect just makes some conversations awkward.

Overall Suikoden IV is fun, but it just doesn't hold itself up with other RPGs and it definitely is a let down when compared to Suikoden III. RPGs are meant to be artistic, and Suikoden IV just lacks that style. The world is not very pretty to look at, and that is something RPGs covet now. There are more than 100 characters you'll meet throughout the game, which is very impressive, but then that means it just doesn't allow you to become personally involved with the characters. I'm sure if you are a hardcore fan of the Suikoden series you will enjoy this game, but you will be disappointed as well. If you are a casual RPG player or just getting into the genre, you're better off starting off with another game.

Graphics: C-

Sound: C

First Play: C-

Last Play: B-

Gameplay: C+

Overall: 75% C