Which Suikoden has your favorite story/writing?
- Thread starter Slatsunus
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II has the best story but the worst translation. Literally unfinished in certain points (Sajah Village).
V has the best translation, but the story is kind of rough. Lots of characters making frustrating, stupid decisions and not elaborating on why.
V has the best translation, but the story is kind of rough. Lots of characters making frustrating, stupid decisions and not elaborating on why.
Suikoden 2 is the strongest start to finish. I think Suikoden 5 has some neat ideas, but the first five and last ten hours are a mess.
V is my favorite but you're not totally wrong. Sialeeds' heel turn… questionable.
Depending on where in the story, it's a toss-up between I and II. II has some greater individual moments but there's a lot of ho-hum in-between.
I loved them all, but 3 had the strongest story with 2 and 5 closely behind. I thought the Trinity Sight system was really effective, and it also did a lot of the heavy lifting for the Suikoverse lore. However, as a game I think it aged pretty poorly, with 1, 2, and 5 all playing better today.
I'd have to replay 5. At the time, I thought that 5 and 2 were tied as the best Suikoden games. That was almost twenty years ago.
It's either 2 or 5 though. 3 is right behind them.
It's either 2 or 5 though. 3 is right behind them.
Suikoden II still has the best setting and cast of characters, even if I think Suikoden V is a better overall game experience.
Man, I really need Suikoden I & II HD ASAP.
Man, I really need Suikoden I & II HD ASAP.
I would say 3 has the best characters and the most developed story but playing through it wasn't always the most fun.
Vote 2. It was the best when all things were considered. I think 3 and 5 beat it in some areas but they had other things holding it back such as imbalance of character arcs and pacing issues imo.
3 was the only Suikoden with a story that kept me playing, despite tedious pacing and some major gameplay issues. I needed to see it through.
2 but not by a lot. I think 2 is the best but if you only focus on story then it becomes harder. They all have great story. 4 had a lot of issues. But even the story I feel was really good. It needed more time in the oven then the rest.
But for writing then Chris Lightfellow is probably my favorite character in all games.
But for writing then Chris Lightfellow is probably my favorite character in all games.
3, but it may be from most recently experiencing it through the manga. The Trinity system was amazing, and all three (five, really) core casts were interesting. It did rely a lot on having 1 and 2 do the heavy lifting to set up the world, so that 3 could do a lot of really interesting subversions.
It also helps not having a mute main character. Hugo, Chris and Geddoe are all leagues beyond poor Riou. Also, the way 3 instead handled the existence of the Flame Champion was pretty damn inspired.
It also helps not having a mute main character. Hugo, Chris and Geddoe are all leagues beyond poor Riou. Also, the way 3 instead handled the existence of the Flame Champion was pretty damn inspired.
I played 2, 3, and 1.
Suikoden 2 was a very "right place right time" kind of game when it released during my mid-teen mouse years. I was extremely engrossed in how unique and fresh it seemed, and the story between the main characters really emotionally hooked me.
I tried to replay it about a decade or so later, but it didn't go so well. By that point in my life, the mediocre (sometimes outright terrible) localization of the game was a lot more apparent. I found myself surprisingly disappointed.
I liked S3. It didn't quite grab me like S2 originally did, but it had enough good moments that I felt positive about it. I found Hugo and Chris to be a bit disinteresting at first, but I have grown to appreciate their characters a little more over time.
I can't remember much about Suikoden 1, despite that I played it last of these three.
Suikoden 2 was a very "right place right time" kind of game when it released during my mid-teen mouse years. I was extremely engrossed in how unique and fresh it seemed, and the story between the main characters really emotionally hooked me.
I tried to replay it about a decade or so later, but it didn't go so well. By that point in my life, the mediocre (sometimes outright terrible) localization of the game was a lot more apparent. I found myself surprisingly disappointed.
I liked S3. It didn't quite grab me like S2 originally did, but it had enough good moments that I felt positive about it. I found Hugo and Chris to be a bit disinteresting at first, but I have grown to appreciate their characters a little more over time.
I can't remember much about Suikoden 1, despite that I played it last of these three.
2 is going to win and it probably the overall best but I gave my vote to V. V is so close to nailing it, the implications of political relationships in regards to the throne, the responsibility of the ruler to the realm, the question of divine right of kings (or queens in this case). There's a lot going on. They don't quite stick the landing but its really close. Honestly I felt worse when
III has some good moments too, especially in some of the ties to 2, but gets overshadowed by its main villain.
Sialeeds betrays the party than anything Jowy does, maybe because he was too similar to Delita to me, just not as much of an asshole.
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She feels limited by what her ties to the throne allow her to do, who she can marry, the whole system. As the queen's sister, her options are limited or else she becomes a political threat to usurp the throne. On top of which, the queen herself is prone to bouts of madness and extreme cruelty. In some ways V is the most GOT of all the Suikoden games. People just focus on Luca's violence but theres not a ton of reasoning there outside of his mother's death.
2 has a great personal story, but Suikoden V has the best political story in the series IMO.
And the way you gradually see more of the onion of "what happened" as the story progresses is fantastic and doesn't feel contrived. The way various factions interact (especially the manipulation by the Barrows family and their fall from grace) is great too.
I like 3 a lot, but it doesn't have as much of the politics - what happens with the Zexen knights and the merchant council is fairly well glossed over, and Harmionia's politics aren't dwelt on much either.
Yes, you should start with 1 but you might want to wait until the remaster is out. Both 2 and 3 benefit from being played in order. 4 is almost entirely separate but not very good. 5 is mostly separate but has some callbacks to 2, so that would be the one safest to play right now, as it's also super unlikely to get a remaster anywhere within the next ten years.
2 is one of my favorite games of all time, so that one. I enjoyed 5 a lot, too, and I think some story beats are better, but overall I prefer 2.
I enjoyed Tactics, more for the gameplay than the story though. 4 was alright? Can't remember that much about it, but I know I liked it more than 3, which I didn't enjoy.
1 was fine as an intro to the series.
I enjoyed Tactics, more for the gameplay than the story though. 4 was alright? Can't remember that much about it, but I know I liked it more than 3, which I didn't enjoy.
1 was fine as an intro to the series.
I voted V, but I probably would replay II more. III is a great culmination of the first two games and is able to soar higher because of the strong storytelling in them. If 3 didn't have the
it wouldn't be half as good.
plot about Luc trying to change fate and end the curse of the True Runes
I voted 3 - the trinity sight system was a great way of telling the whole story.
For those interested, I highly recommend the manga adaptation of 3. Characters and story points are greatly fleshed out. Even Hugo and the tribe members become very well rounded characters.
For those interested, I highly recommend the manga adaptation of 3. Characters and story points are greatly fleshed out. Even Hugo and the tribe members become very well rounded characters.
This is a very difficult question.
I think at the end of the day, 3 has the best story that also best-realizes many of the themes of the first 2 games, but my favorite story in the series is, by far, 1.
I think at the end of the day, 3 has the best story that also best-realizes many of the themes of the first 2 games, but my favorite story in the series is, by far, 1.