A look back at: Suikoden II

The much-revered Suikoden II tends to be one of the greatest RPGs to ever exist according to quite a lot of people for...just about all it offers. Although really, I don't recommend playing this one until you have at least completed the first Suikoden, you know, because of a lovely little thing known as a save bonus.

So basically Suikoden II upgrades on basically everything Suikoden I had, a better storyline, better characters, better gameplay, everything. There are tons of things in this RPG it almost becomes a Pokemon game. Giving more than one rune slot is great. Having set battles against certain enemies is annoying at times but delightful other times. Watching just how bad the whole "war is hell" aspect, especially considering the main three characters (four if you want to count Pilika) are children.

Good lord, just look at the main villain of the game. Luca Blight is 100% human in appearance, but mentally his mindset is that of a completely evil murderer, and physically he will show he can stand his own. He makes all other villains in this game look lame in comparison, and even Jowy, after managing to off Luca, still doesn't compare. Sure, Jowy knows how to hold a throne rather well, but when met with Riou and Nanami on the field, he does the same sort of thing, telling Riou to give up the war to him. As much as his ways seem peaceful and all that, he really does not want to be seen as a loser, making him much more inferior to Luca even in his motives.

Surely Suikoden II is a game of greats, including minigames and sidequests, especially those involving getting certain characters. Hix and Tengaar have a somewhat funny one, Futch has a serious one, and Clive's subquest although extremely hard to do due to time constraints is one that ultimately feels worthwhile. Also Hai Yo's cooking contest is so much of a quest in its own right it actually gets its own credits if you finish it. Admittingly, the Neclord quest, as well as the trip to Gregminster seem like fanservice at the very most. A whole lot of fanservice when you consider how many of the Suikoden I characters decide to return. It's alright though. Especially when you can recruit the main hero from Suikoden I who still remains a solid character entirely.

So why do I still hold the first Suikoden in higher regard? Well, Suikoden II is pretty unpolished, and it has annoying RNG. What do I mean? Think about the war battles, as well as the cookoff challenge where outcomes are actually predetermined. Maybe you'll take down this one regiment on the field easily when you attack, maybe you won't. And that really could cost Stars of Destiny. Meanwhile, the judges you get are determined, so you may be at odds when you have a harsh judge, a vegetarian, and a meat lover all at once. The unpolishedness comes mostly from the awful translation. Suikoden I had it too, but this game has quite a few errors in its text you wonder who left them all in. I'll admit to gloating at it numerous times, even when I try to look past it.

But overall, Suikoden II like any other Suikoden game has replay value, having a lot of strengths that its predecessor didn't have and feeling like a wonderful experience and a perfect example of a sequel in a franchise. All this despite it being unpolished. Again, please play the first game first to get a much more refined experience as to why this game is just as good.