Been Playing: Suikoden V
I've done even less gaming this semester, since most free time I have is PULI TIME! (And because I make EVERYONE behold my Puli, here is a smattering of pics of Pogacs: http://pogacs.tumblr.com/).
I enjoyed SuikoI, and I LOVED SuikoII, ranking it as not just one of the best games I've played, but also one of the best stories I've come across. The protagonists were complex and memorable. IMO, the bittersweet, Normal ending of SuikoII is superior to the Best ending. It is the more logical conclusion to the murky plot. When I first beat those two Suiko games, I did it without FAQing, so I missed some 108 stars, didn't know how to save certain characters, and I think my experience was superior for it. Then I went back armed with FAQ knowledge and got the "better endings."
SuikoII left me fatigued, and with very high expectations for the next games in the series. The third and fourth games came out while I was in grad school. I own them, despite tepid reviews, and I never got anywhere with them. I thought I played SuikoV, but it turned out I was mistaken! Luckily I was able to find a used copy on Amazon for $30 bucks - with box and instructions!
I've heard great things about SuikoV, that the plot and characters are on par with SuikoII. I was also warned about the agonizingly long intro. Oh dear lord. It really is a visual novel that one can't speed through. And it really does last about 10 hours! It took me months to plod through it, "playing" a half hour here and there. I can't even call it playing, I am moving the Prince and Lyon from one conversation or FMV point to another. In 10 hours, I could have completed another playthrough of Dishonored. Or one of the Assassin's Creed games accumulating dust on my shelf. Or any number of the games I have on Steam. I almost didn't make it. I was ready to call it quits when the game finally started. Somewhat.
I am not engulfed in this story the way I was with SuikoII. Maybe it's because I am older and less patient. Maybe it is because the random encounter rate is so aggravatingly high, it interrupts the flow of the story. I keep thinking I would much rather play a game from Sialeeds' POV, or a prequel involving her or Arshtat during the succession war. The Prince is too much of a blank slate for the player, and I get too distracted by his outfit. What the hell is he wearing?!
The plot has yet to go to interesting places, and I hope it does. I liked how it immediately establishes that Arshtat may no longer be fit to rule, and she knows it. I think the Sacred Games were rushed to prepare for Lem's succession as soon as possible. I was expecting Arshtat's contingency plan was to abdicate, and set Lem on the throne with Sialeeds as Regent. I was disappointed to learn that Sialeeds and Haswar dropped all claims to the point of no offspring.. I can understand why, but it seems to shortsighted. That leaves the royal bloodline as risk of dying out... well they are both still young, right?
I hope the outcome will not be the Prince on the throne. That would be refreshing. I hope he is not the one to receive the Sun Rune either, now that it rejected Lem. Once again, Sialeeds perhaps? She's awesome and is my favorite character in the game. I don't think the Prince should secede and form his own country either.
And OF COURSE Lyon is former Nether Gate.
I like how I can take an entourage with my combat party, allowing me more flexibility and it makes the 108 more useful. Magic is still too limited.
Recruitment has been frustrating. I played FAQless until the Braska Mines. At that point I had only 4 useable characters, and I knew I had to have missed someone. When Gunde the Dwarf joined my party, only to leave suddenly with the rune and gear I put on him, I said, "FAQ it, this is becoming absurd." I hate doing that, but at this point I had spent about 24 hours on the game and was getting pissed. It was taking too damn long.
It turned out I had missed Cornelio. A character who is utterly unconnected to the plot, and I had no reason to suspect he existed, in a location I had no reason to re-visit at that point in time. Apparently his purpose is solely to fill up empty spots in the party until better characters are recruited. I eventually acquired him, and now I feel like I am cheating. I know I would never have met him if not for the FAQ. Same with the Window Dwarf - I teleported back to the Dwarf village to look for Gunde, couldn't find him, and FAQed to see if I was wasting my time. The dwarf I could recruit was so easy to overlook - she is so small and blends in with the background. I also wouldn't have figured out where to take her without the FAQ.
I am not sure if I would have recruited Takamaru. I noticed someone at the prison, who wouldn't talk to me, so I knew I should go back at some point. However I probably wouldn't have had Leilei in the party without the FAQ. And that prison makes me so bitter. I think I saw another guy in there, too, who still wouldn't talk to me. Grrr. I suppose this is the rationale for finding Egbert - I guess I am supposed to stumble around the mines instead of beelining it to the prison a couple of times for recruits. I don't see how this is intuitive.
Many characters keep refusing to join my party. I know the recruitment is very time sensitive, and I don't like how I feel so pressured to look them up. I am trying not to, so I can earn whatever ending I get.
I just finished refilling Lord Lake, and am about to revisit Beaver Lodge. Now that the obvious plot objectives are done, I hope the next developments will be fun and surprising!
I enjoyed SuikoI, and I LOVED SuikoII, ranking it as not just one of the best games I've played, but also one of the best stories I've come across. The protagonists were complex and memorable. IMO, the bittersweet, Normal ending of SuikoII is superior to the Best ending. It is the more logical conclusion to the murky plot. When I first beat those two Suiko games, I did it without FAQing, so I missed some 108 stars, didn't know how to save certain characters, and I think my experience was superior for it. Then I went back armed with FAQ knowledge and got the "better endings."
SuikoII left me fatigued, and with very high expectations for the next games in the series. The third and fourth games came out while I was in grad school. I own them, despite tepid reviews, and I never got anywhere with them. I thought I played SuikoV, but it turned out I was mistaken! Luckily I was able to find a used copy on Amazon for $30 bucks - with box and instructions!
I've heard great things about SuikoV, that the plot and characters are on par with SuikoII. I was also warned about the agonizingly long intro. Oh dear lord. It really is a visual novel that one can't speed through. And it really does last about 10 hours! It took me months to plod through it, "playing" a half hour here and there. I can't even call it playing, I am moving the Prince and Lyon from one conversation or FMV point to another. In 10 hours, I could have completed another playthrough of Dishonored. Or one of the Assassin's Creed games accumulating dust on my shelf. Or any number of the games I have on Steam. I almost didn't make it. I was ready to call it quits when the game finally started. Somewhat.
I am not engulfed in this story the way I was with SuikoII. Maybe it's because I am older and less patient. Maybe it is because the random encounter rate is so aggravatingly high, it interrupts the flow of the story. I keep thinking I would much rather play a game from Sialeeds' POV, or a prequel involving her or Arshtat during the succession war. The Prince is too much of a blank slate for the player, and I get too distracted by his outfit. What the hell is he wearing?!
The plot has yet to go to interesting places, and I hope it does. I liked how it immediately establishes that Arshtat may no longer be fit to rule, and she knows it. I think the Sacred Games were rushed to prepare for Lem's succession as soon as possible. I was expecting Arshtat's contingency plan was to abdicate, and set Lem on the throne with Sialeeds as Regent. I was disappointed to learn that Sialeeds and Haswar dropped all claims to the point of no offspring.. I can understand why, but it seems to shortsighted. That leaves the royal bloodline as risk of dying out... well they are both still young, right?
I hope the outcome will not be the Prince on the throne. That would be refreshing. I hope he is not the one to receive the Sun Rune either, now that it rejected Lem. Once again, Sialeeds perhaps? She's awesome and is my favorite character in the game. I don't think the Prince should secede and form his own country either.
And OF COURSE Lyon is former Nether Gate.
I like how I can take an entourage with my combat party, allowing me more flexibility and it makes the 108 more useful. Magic is still too limited.
Recruitment has been frustrating. I played FAQless until the Braska Mines. At that point I had only 4 useable characters, and I knew I had to have missed someone. When Gunde the Dwarf joined my party, only to leave suddenly with the rune and gear I put on him, I said, "FAQ it, this is becoming absurd." I hate doing that, but at this point I had spent about 24 hours on the game and was getting pissed. It was taking too damn long.
It turned out I had missed Cornelio. A character who is utterly unconnected to the plot, and I had no reason to suspect he existed, in a location I had no reason to re-visit at that point in time. Apparently his purpose is solely to fill up empty spots in the party until better characters are recruited. I eventually acquired him, and now I feel like I am cheating. I know I would never have met him if not for the FAQ. Same with the Window Dwarf - I teleported back to the Dwarf village to look for Gunde, couldn't find him, and FAQed to see if I was wasting my time. The dwarf I could recruit was so easy to overlook - she is so small and blends in with the background. I also wouldn't have figured out where to take her without the FAQ.
I am not sure if I would have recruited Takamaru. I noticed someone at the prison, who wouldn't talk to me, so I knew I should go back at some point. However I probably wouldn't have had Leilei in the party without the FAQ. And that prison makes me so bitter. I think I saw another guy in there, too, who still wouldn't talk to me. Grrr. I suppose this is the rationale for finding Egbert - I guess I am supposed to stumble around the mines instead of beelining it to the prison a couple of times for recruits. I don't see how this is intuitive.
Many characters keep refusing to join my party. I know the recruitment is very time sensitive, and I don't like how I feel so pressured to look them up. I am trying not to, so I can earn whatever ending I get.
I just finished refilling Lord Lake, and am about to revisit Beaver Lodge. Now that the obvious plot objectives are done, I hope the next developments will be fun and surprising!