Which Suikoden game do you think was the best, and why? Please consider supporting me at www.patreon.com/xygorgaming OR through RUclips membership by clicking the JOIN button above!
I remember when I played this on my bro's old PSX, I thought it was a pita, because of the menu LOL. But the game ultimately was very enjoyable. Suikoden going into 3D space was just a move too soon imo... late 2000s, the combat landscape of JRPG has changed so much, turned based games were just not as interesting anymore in all honesty. I found myself playing more action JRPG than turn based. I think a lot of games just adapted to this a bit late and some just never got a chance.
Suikoden II and IV are my favorite out of the ones I played. I could not get into III due to the separate stories. II was the first one I played and I really enjoyed the ship battles and story of IV.
I order them as 2, 5, 3, 1, 4. I replayed S5 a couple years ago on an emulator and was surprised how well it held up since its release, long prologue and weird 108 stars ending aside. Hopefully we'll get a 3+4+5 remaster (or at least a port) if this collection does well. If they do make a S6 I think I'd like it to be set in Armes rather than Harmonia, I feel like we need just another game or two before reaching Harmonia.
@@tacklebox_82 Looking forward to it! Kickstarted it, looking forward to it! Looks like we'll be getting Suikoden in Spring and Eiyuden in the Fall/Winter.
Suikoden changed my life and as a big fan of yours, I am so happy you made this! I watched the Philoharmic Orchestra play a poem to Suikoden Live in October live this year for my birthday. Top 5 moments ever! The music, the characters, the story, just unmatchable! I am hoping 1 day for Suikoden 6. I would love to have you on as a guest on the Miyazaki Man podcast to talk all things games and Suikoden and your channel! Audience of up to 17,000 usually. Keep doing what you're doing, it is great stuff and truly valued!
Suikoden really got me into JRPGs and through some tough times, I'm always revisiting the first two _and_ I spent way too much on the Eiyuden kickstarter. I'll forever love this franchise so much.
Im playing through all the suikodens using emulators in my phone...just finished suikoden tactics and now starting suikoden 5 im currently at rainwall after the fall of falena
I loved 3. The foray into 3D gave it such charm. The music was great, especially rhe victory fanfare. And I love the Trinity System. I'm actually playing this on ps2 today. 2 had the amazing cooking game, and 1 introduced me to exploiting in-game betting mechanisms. 4 & 5 I don't have fond memories of, but are still worthy of a playthrough. If there are more games, I haven't played them!
I don't remember much from when I used to play these games as a kid, but what I do remember is the feeling I felt when I did. I remember Suikoden 2 really making emotional when I finished the game. Ah what a time to be a kid back then.
My brother loved 3 the most by a large margin. It might even be his favorite game ever. I loved the story but had it 4th. 2-5-1-3-4. I absolutely loved the story in 5. Fantastic. I spent countless hours reading suikosource in high school n it’s such a shame it ended. I’ve gotten so many people into the series I almost feel guilty 😂
@@TheTomtaru I’ve beaten both games so many times, I’d be very interested in that. A small part of me is glad they didn’t continue the series. Once the person who originally had the Vision and story for that world is replaced, it could only lead to disappointing conclusions and many inconsistencies. Perfect example, Star Wars.
I mean 2 is basically just 1 but better in every aspect of the game, my only disappointment in it is Luca wasn't the main Villain, although recruiting Tir in 2 remedied that for me. Yeah I know I'm contradicting myself.
Playing Suikoden 1&2 back to back is probably my favorite jRPG experience, and something I did several times because of the games are relatively short. I even tried to play the Suikogaiden visual novels despite not understanding japanese. I have very fond memories of 3 which I found to be very charming, and I liked 4 (despite being probably the lowest rated by fans and me hating maritime settings). By the time I played S5 and Tactics, I was already getting burned out on jRPGs and didn't even finish them. Looking forward to those remasters and Eiyuden.
I burnt out on JRPG's a long time ago, so I feel ya. However, a bit off topic.... if you haven't played Persona 5 Royale, you're missing out! I was hooked. First JRPG i've played in years and I loved it.
Suikoden 4 holds a special place in my heart. I absolutely love tropical settings. Something about high sea adventures brightens my adventurous spirit.
@@Xygor It really is one of the smoother feeling games in the series. I remember my first time ever playing a Suikoden game was the demo for this game. So it actually got me incredibly interested in the series as a whole.
I just found out about this series maybe a month ago. I finished one and now I'm absolutely enjoying two. I can't wait to see what else this holds! Awesome time on the video drop for me lol
On a random note, I have a theory that Jeane the rune sage is the true charm rune personified, kind of like how the Star dragon sword is the personified version of the true night rune, many men in the series become infatuated with her through seemingly no effort of her own, it is stated that one of the other characters saw her in the bath and she has no rune markings on her body, meaning that she is not a wielder of a true rune, and she is in both suikoden 3 and 4, two games that are removed from each other by almost two hundred years, implying that she is immortal.
With how successful Octopath Traveler became recently, it makes me happy that this type of presentation is being accepted and appreciated. I hope that means maybe we can bring back XenoGears and Tales of Phantasia with a similar uplift that keeps a similar presentation. Or just port them.
Great content here! Been a long standing fan of the franchise since i was a kid and excited to see a breathe of new life into this series. I rank them as 2,1,5,3,4.
the explanations of every suikoden hit home with me 4 didnt deserve the hate 3 wasnt terrible but it lost its roots. I whole heartedly loved the video and i come back often to just listen.
Suikoden was the first RPG I've ever played, my childhood friend introduced me the 2nd game. I was hooked by it, played it everytime I was given the chance. that was the only game I played on my PS1 beside Harvest Moon: Back to Nature and Crash Bandicoot. I was in 3rd or 4th grade when it was released I can't remember. until now, Suikoden 2 is my most beloved game, I still played it over and over, and I'm planning to play it again on the remaster or the PS1 version after I finished my final thesis. in my country, the Suikoden fanbase is overshadowed by another J-RPG fanbases, so very few people I could share my thoughts about this franchise. Thank you for making this video! cheers~!
My brother and I were very lucky to stumble upon Suikoden I during the magical time of discovery in used game stores before widespread home internet. We were instant fans and I personally remained loyal to the franchse owning all the original release games in the main series. It made me appreciate the shared universe all the more. My favorite is 2. No surprise there with 1 and 5 following. 4 gets a lot of hate but I thought it was really good. The ship setting just felt claustrophobic. The sprawling epic, did a fantastic job of potraying its characters in a politically affected fleshed out multi dimensional manner instead of good guy/bad guy tropes. One of the alltime great JRPG series and one of my favorites. Great work. If it wasnt for the fact that I'm already subscribed, this video would make me hit the button.
This is amazing - thank you so much! Really informative but also really relaxing to watch 🙂 I really like 5 but 1 is my favourite, I play it every year!
Glad to see you give Suikoden IV some love! It’s my favourite in the series, partly due to the island, pirate and ship-based setting. Wish more RPGs would tackle that! It also had FANTASTIC sound design, I can still distinctly remember so many of the sound effects and the rune spell SFX.
Thank you for this video. Now I understand the Legacy behind this title I heard so much about it over the years but never played but also about the Eiyuden Chronicle trailer I was impressed by when it came dropped
These games were some of my most favorite rpgs by far. I remember playing the first game was I was in my late teens when they first came out. They were also some of the first games I got for my father when I bought him his own PS1. Making memories with him playing those games really made them that much more special.
in your retrospective on the Suikoden saga I agree 100% of the concepts you expressed. in my reviews of Suikoden 3, 4 and 5 many of the things you said are things I actually said too. you have all my respect in my opinion you are a true expert admirer of Suikoden (like me 😁)
Great video, I hope the series can keep going strong if the remasters + Eiyuden do well. Been playing through them all for the first time recently and I am loving Suikoden 5 the most while going through it, but 2, 1 & 3 were amazing experiences, especially 2! Don't think 4 is as bad as most people say either (love the music!), and I look forward to giving Tierkreis + Woven web a try one day.
Thank you! I too hope the remasters and Eiyuden are great. I think there is more momentum for this series to continue now than at any point since it went defunct.
@@Xygor For sure! It was the remaster announcement that caught my eye at first. Them after searching about what Suikoden was, it was the fans of the series putting out great content like yours which made me decide to give it a try and see why these games are so beloved, hope many others do the same!
Thank you friend , i remember playing this game, number 2 over here in canada when i was a kid, Really cool main character and his main weapon which i didn't know about until i played this game and as a kid looking into what my main guy was using as his weapon!
I've read Outlaws of the Marsh a good 3 or 4 times over the years, all because I loved Suikoden so much. Wu Song is a total bro. The soundtrack to the Suikoden series I've always found to be rather forgettable personally despite people often lauding it. Though I do love Exceeding Love.
Fun fact: The music in the Beyond Coast incident at the beginning of "Policenauts" where Jonathan's tether breaks off and he drifts into space is the prototype for the Suikoden battle bgm
Great video! I really enjoyed this comprehensive retrospective on the Suikoden series. It's clear that a lot of effort and passion went into creating this content. As a fan of classic RPGs, I appreciate the in-depth analysis and insights provided. Keep up the fantastic work, looking forward to more content from your channel!
2 just had one of the greatest villains of all time. Required an ambush 18 of the 108 stars and then a 1v1 against half of a true rune. Even then he allowed himself to die when he still could've killed the hero. Luca Blight was just built different.
Yeah, 2 really did have great villains, and I love how the story narrative spent so much time on them. There aren't many RPGs that actually focus on the villains and I think that's a mistake.
@Xygor Gaming It truly is an underrated series and even though 1 and 2 may be dated, I've still played them recently and they're still fantastic RPGs, maybe meant for beginners, but fantastic nonetheless
@@joshuaseidnitzer2062 yeah, I think I and II have actually held up a lot better over time than some of the games that tried to use 3D from this era though.
One of my top franchises with the second game commonly holding the spot as my favorite game of all time. I love FF7, and it's also one of my favorites, but I was never a final fantasy fanatic. For me, it was suikoden and wild arms.
With 3 being my favorite, effen ouch. Not many anime stylized games gone into 3D yet and I thought the models were gorgeous. The story was simply epic. My favorite cast. I loved being able to have mounts.
my profile picture says it all 1 resonates with me more than any of the others do. 2 was better for gameplay 3 was a spit in the face with combat 4 made me feel tinglys getting back to the roots and 5 hit hard. tactics was fun but your right on all points.
1:00:44 No way. Time travel has been around since Suikoden 1, when you go back to the Village of the Hidden Rune in Ted's past. But it is admittedly much more prevalent in Woven Web
I found Suikoden 3 when I was 14 a couple of years after it came out, and fell in love with it. When I became an adult I searched out copies of the remaining numbered titles as well as tactics.
50:06 I am not sure if the timrline adds up, but as for the anime style, the same happened with the Castlevania series (also by Konami) after the series started turning up consistently lower sales. Introducing animeish style was a way for them to try and appeal to younger audiences (by being hip), but it didn't work that well.
Love these games. It was all about the story and music for me. Loved 1, 2 and 5 but they all hold fond memories and should be played if you get the opportunity.
Suikoden 2 is and always will be my favorite video game of all time, It was so formative for me. The ways that it innovated at the time that it did, with the breadth that it had is just so crazy; with all of it's diverging ways to enjoy it and not in a grind your face off way. If I could ever nominate a game to be placed on a shelf next to great works of literature it would absolutely be Suikoden 2, It really is the zeitgeist for the entire series. It's the story they wanted to tell in the first place, and it is so compassionate and real. I could not be any more hyped for Eiyuden, between that, the remasters, Armored Core, and Elden Ring, Finally. Some truly good-for-the-right-reasons games.
I remember playing 4 at my uncle's in middle school on his PS2 and this was a random game he got from his friend. I loved it as soon I started, I remember being stranded on an island and refusing to leave then the characters portraits changed to a notebook looking sketch version of them 😂
One of my favorite JRPG franchises. It's hard to pick a favorite, but I'd say it's either 2 or 5. I enjoyed all of them, including Suikoden IV and Tactics. Having said that, I still haven't played the Nintendo DS offering. I do have a DS, so I have no reason for missing it, I just never did
Suikoden III was my introduction to the series, and will always be special to me. Then I played 2 before 1. So I’m excited for the re-release to play them in order!
I like all of them to a point. Suikoden 1was the first rpg i got for Ps1 and has been my favorite rpg since. I played all 5 again last year. 1, 2 and 5 are amazing. 3 is really fun and vibrant. 4 is a slog and i only like it after about halfway through. Anytime i go to play them again, 4 is the only one i dont look forward to. Great video, love it. Look forward to the remasters and eiyuden.
Glad to see more amazing suikoden videos! 3&2 r my favs although 3 is heavily underrated.Hope more people give it a go. I adored the trinity play style. Offered varying viewpoints to the narrative. Reminds me of a Tarantino film. Plus some of my fav writing in the series. Best writing definitely belongs to 5 which is my 3rd fav.
I discovered 2 by accident and played it first but to this day I love it. Dumping many hours at the time but I found going back to the first one Even at its prime was a struggle and I never got into any of the later games either. 2 will always hold a special place in my heart.
I had only played the first 2 and I loved them both, that's why I cant wait for the remaster. If they ever remaster any others I will check them out for sure.
So suikoden and I have a rough history but I still absolutely adore the game. For some reason (I think I spilled something on the old one) I didn't have a memory card. I got to either the first or second army battle and lost. It was a bit before I picked it back up. But after I did man what an awesome game. Getting every character was awesome. Can't wait to play it again in 2023.
Suikoden 2 was the best one hands down. It just had a certain charm that made it so fun to play. The other ones were good too, but 2 was by far the best one.
Suikoden was one of the first games I bought when I got my PS1 in '97. The game was used, but it was the reason for me to buy the system. Though it might be hard to believe, I was way more invested in the story and characters than FF7. FYI you could run in Suikoden 1 with a character who has the Holy Rune equipped. If Stallion is in your party (he has the True Holy Rune) you can even run on the world map.
Hello and Happy New Year! My all-time and personal fave will always be Suikoden 2 and 5. Suikoden 4 and 5 I think are underrated seeing the sales record, specially 5. Not sure if it's because it was released very late in the PS2 life cycle. In terms of the story, I love all of them. But in terms of the gameplay and battle system, Suikoden 3 felt the weakest for me followed by 4. Moving forward, I am looking forward for Eiyuden Chronicles as well as the Reworked Suiko 1 and 2.
I will never forget how I got this amazing game. Back in the 90s my best friend lend Suikoden for another game to a kid in school. The kid then wouldn't return the other game to my friend. They fought multiple times over this, in the end my friend just gave me Suikoden because his mom was forcing him to return the game even though the other kid "lost" my friends game. I remember looking at the box art and thinking "wow this game looks like trash" how wrong I was.
I need a 3 remake. People really underestimate how good that story was, it was life changing for me. Percival has remained a favorite of mine since its release and its to the point I have two copies of the game
Great video! I know you said 3 was not your Fav game. For me it was. It was the first Suikoden game i played so that is prob why i have a soft spot for it. . For me it goes 3, 5, 2, 1, 4. But i am looking forward to the new remakes and maybe with those it will change my mind! Keep up the great videos!
The first game is my favorite, can't wait for the remasters to get on steam. At the time I was way more into Western rpgs (Ultima, Wizardry, old Elderscrolls, etc..) but Suikoden blew me away, loved it! I found Suikoden and Vandal Hearts to be my favorite games from the PS1 era :)
Appreciate your feedback, it's really hard to beat the first game. So many awesome things about it when there were virtually no RPGs on the PlayStation. I reviewed Vandal Hearts too and the series, check it out!
You don't need to have all 108 stars in Suikoden 1 to unlock Tir McDohl in Suikoden 2, you just need to load a file which was saved at the last save point in Gregminster. Having all 108 stars in Suikoden 1 changes which character will be with Tir in Suikoden 2 and includes more bonus scenes to. Great video! Suikoden 3 was never released in Europe so hopefully one day it'll get a HD re-release and I can experience it.
@@Xygor No problem! Not having all 108 stars, Ellie from the inn in Banner Village takes the place of the character we all know and love guarding Tir when he is fishing. It's pretty much her purpose in the game.
I remember buying the game at circuit city on clearance when ps one games still came in those huge dvd style boxes lol. I replayed it and finished it like 5-7 times.
Dam just somehow got recommended here . This was my child hood man . Growing up from ff2 and 3 to chrono trigger secret of mana . Progressing to the ps
Great summary of the series. Never played the first 2, so i can't comment on those. Agree with you on the main series for the PS2. Could never get into 3. Beat it, but had no desire to replay it, even years later. Game just felt like it dragged on too long. Part 4 (like you said) doesn't deserve all the hate it gets. It was very short, you can get to the final boss within 20 hrs. of gameplay, although you will probably have to grind a bit to beat him, wish they would have fleshed out the MC better, he had the personality of a doorknob, still a solid game, better than 3 IMO. 5 was a masterpiece, one of the best stories in any RPG I've played. Other than the slow starting, and towns that are overly huge without purpose, still a great game. Would disagree with you on Tactics, I have to admit you have to like Strategy JRPGs (like FF Tactics) to like this game, but I thought it was a great game. It IS hard, which may turn off some people used to the ease of getting through the main series of the game, and you will probably have to do some grinding. Yes, the battles are long, but that is the norm for these type of games (same could be said for FF Tactics as well as the Valkyria Chronicles series), but if you want a challenge, this is a good game to pick up. But it's not for everyone.
Growing up during the ps1 era, i was more engrossed and captivated with 2d sprite based JRPGs like Suikoden (specifically 2) than the 3D Final Fantasy games that was all the rage at the time. And i think the reason for that was simply because the 3D technology just wasnt there yet, and i loved watching anime back then, so naturally the art style of sprite based games were more appealing to me
@@Xygor it's absolutely fantastic! Soooo much better than 3. Definitely called back to its roots. When you said that I'm the video, I paused to celebrate with my roommate. Lol. 4 had a few shortcomings, but it's SUCH a good game!
Which Suikoden game do you think was the best, and why?
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I remember when I played this on my bro's old PSX, I thought it was a pita, because of the menu LOL. But the game ultimately was very enjoyable. Suikoden going into 3D space was just a move too soon imo... late 2000s, the combat landscape of JRPG has changed so much, turned based games were just not as interesting anymore in all honesty. I found myself playing more action JRPG than turn based. I think a lot of games just adapted to this a bit late and some just never got a chance.
Suikoden II and IV are my favorite out of the ones I played. I could not get into III due to the separate stories. II was the first one I played and I really enjoyed the ship battles and story of IV.
I order them as 2, 5, 3, 1, 4. I replayed S5 a couple years ago on an emulator and was surprised how well it held up since its release, long prologue and weird 108 stars ending aside. Hopefully we'll get a 3+4+5 remaster (or at least a port) if this collection does well. If they do make a S6 I think I'd like it to be set in Armes rather than Harmonia, I feel like we need just another game or two before reaching Harmonia.
@@AngryCosmonaut I have yet to play 5 but want to. What do you think of eiyuden chronicle?
@@tacklebox_82 Looking forward to it! Kickstarted it, looking forward to it! Looks like we'll be getting Suikoden in Spring and Eiyuden in the Fall/Winter.
I came to this video because of the news of Yoshitaka Murayama.. Long live legend of suikoden and eternal thank you for creating this wonderful game!
Suikoden changed my life and as a big fan of yours, I am so happy you made this! I watched the Philoharmic Orchestra play a poem to Suikoden Live in October live this year for my birthday. Top 5 moments ever!
The music, the characters, the story, just unmatchable! I am hoping 1 day for Suikoden 6.
I would love to have you on as a guest on the Miyazaki Man podcast to talk all things games and Suikoden and your channel!
Audience of up to 17,000 usually.
Keep doing what you're doing, it is great stuff and truly valued!
Thanks for the praise, and my fingers are crossed with you that there will be a Suikoden VI.
I've been waiting for this one honestly.
Suikoden 2 is definitely the best of the 3 I've played.
Hope you enjoy then!
Suikoden really got me into JRPGs and through some tough times, I'm always revisiting the first two _and_ I spent way too much on the Eiyuden kickstarter. I'll forever love this franchise so much.
You and me both! Can't wait for Eiyuden Chronicle.
@@doomlordkaka yep, can't wait!
@@doomlordkaka suikoden 1 & 2 are being remastered?
Im playing through all the suikodens using emulators in my phone...just finished suikoden tactics and now starting suikoden 5 im currently at rainwall after the fall of falena
@@doomlordkaka ohh this is some good news thx! You made my day
I loved 3. The foray into 3D gave it such charm. The music was great, especially rhe victory fanfare. And I love the Trinity System. I'm actually playing this on ps2 today.
2 had the amazing cooking game, and 1 introduced me to exploiting in-game betting mechanisms.
4 & 5 I don't have fond memories of, but are still worthy of a playthrough. If there are more games, I haven't played them!
5 is definitely worth a playthrough it's the game of thrones of the suikoden series stay away from 4 tho it'd god awful
@@HollowRick agreed on. Suikoden Tierkries was really good too
I made it a decent way into Tierkries. As soon as I realized it wasn’t connected to the others, I stopped playing. I bought a DS to play it.
If you can find a copy there is Suikoden tactics, which acts as a direct prequel to Suikoden 4. I also really love 3 btw.
I don't remember much from when I used to play these games as a kid, but what I do remember is the feeling I felt when I did. I remember Suikoden 2 really making emotional when I finished the game. Ah what a time to be a kid back then.
It was an emotional ending regardless of which one you got, for sure!
My brother loved 3 the most by a large margin. It might even be his favorite game ever. I loved the story but had it 4th. 2-5-1-3-4. I absolutely loved the story in 5. Fantastic.
I spent countless hours reading suikosource in high school n it’s such a shame it ended. I’ve gotten so many people into the series I almost feel guilty 😂
Thanks for your memories and glad you love the series too!
I've personally always had a hard time getting any of my friends to try it, so I've only gotten like one or two people into the series over the years.
they're actually rereleasing Suikoden 1&2 :D
@@TheTomtaru I’ve beaten both games so many times, I’d be very interested in that. A small part of me is glad they didn’t continue the series. Once the person who originally had the Vision and story for that world is replaced, it could only lead to disappointing conclusions and many inconsistencies. Perfect example, Star Wars.
Suikoden 3 is one of my favorite games of all time
excited to play 1 & 2 remasters on Switch, hopefully they all get remastered
2 gets all the love and for good reason but I still love the protagonist from 1 and the Soul Eater rune.
And getting tir in your party. Is awesome in 2 and at one point both tenkai stars do a true runic unite
I mean 2 is basically just 1 but better in every aspect of the game, my only disappointment in it is Luca wasn't the main Villain, although recruiting Tir in 2 remedied that for me. Yeah I know I'm contradicting myself.
Yah but 12 year old me flipped shit when Viktor and flik showed up after I thought they died in the end of one.
Honestly I love 5 it doesn't get enough love
Can you swap out the main character in your party cus he ugly lookin and everyone else looks so bad assss.
So excited to watch this. Thanks for the amazing vids!
Glad you like them! Hope you enjoy this one too. Which was your favorite Suikoden game?
@@Xygor 2!
Playing Suikoden 1&2 back to back is probably my favorite jRPG experience, and something I did several times because of the games are relatively short. I even tried to play the Suikogaiden visual novels despite not understanding japanese.
I have very fond memories of 3 which I found to be very charming, and I liked 4 (despite being probably the lowest rated by fans and me hating maritime settings). By the time I played S5 and Tactics, I was already getting burned out on jRPGs and didn't even finish them.
Looking forward to those remasters and Eiyuden.
Those two were indeed such a good back to back experience. Hoping Eiyuden recaptures that magic!
I burnt out on JRPG's a long time ago, so I feel ya. However, a bit off topic.... if you haven't played Persona 5 Royale, you're missing out! I was hooked. First JRPG i've played in years and I loved it.
I remember when the 1st one came out. It's one of my favorite games. I can't wait until the HD remastered games come out.
I can't wait to try them.
I had no idea there was an HD remaster coming.
Hell yeah, now I just need Breath of Fire 3 and Wild Arms on my Switch.
@@planescaped it looks really good.
@@planescaped Breath of Fire and Wild Arms both have spiritual successors coming too!
Suikoden 4 holds a special place in my heart. I absolutely love tropical settings. Something about high sea adventures brightens my adventurous spirit.
Right on, IV was better than a lot of people think!
@@Xygor It really is one of the smoother feeling games in the series.
I remember my first time ever playing a Suikoden game was the demo for this game. So it actually got me incredibly interested in the series as a whole.
I like how true rune story really well written in four
Also the castle is big ship also a plus
I just found out about this series maybe a month ago. I finished one and now I'm absolutely enjoying two. I can't wait to see what else this holds! Awesome time on the video drop for me lol
Thank you! I'm jealous you get to experience the series for the first time. A lot of sweet things are in store for you!
On a random note, I have a theory that Jeane the rune sage is the true charm rune personified, kind of like how the Star dragon sword is the personified version of the true night rune, many men in the series become infatuated with her through seemingly no effort of her own, it is stated that one of the other characters saw her in the bath and she has no rune markings on her body, meaning that she is not a wielder of a true rune, and she is in both suikoden 3 and 4, two games that are removed from each other by almost two hundred years, implying that she is immortal.
With how successful Octopath Traveler became recently, it makes me happy that this type of presentation is being accepted and appreciated. I hope that means maybe we can bring back XenoGears and Tales of Phantasia with a similar uplift that keeps a similar presentation. Or just port them.
Couldn't agree more!
Great content here! Been a long standing fan of the franchise since i was a kid and excited to see a breathe of new life into this series. I rank them as 2,1,5,3,4.
Thank you, glad to hear your feedback! I almost have the same order as you.
the explanations of every suikoden hit home with me 4 didnt deserve the hate 3 wasnt terrible but it lost its roots. I whole heartedly loved the video and i come back often to just listen.
Thanks for your thoughts! What a great series, huh?
Suikoden was the first RPG I've ever played, my childhood friend introduced me the 2nd game. I was hooked by it, played it everytime I was given the chance. that was the only game I played on my PS1 beside Harvest Moon: Back to Nature and Crash Bandicoot. I was in 3rd or 4th grade when it was released I can't remember. until now, Suikoden 2 is my most beloved game, I still played it over and over, and I'm planning to play it again on the remaster or the PS1 version after I finished my final thesis.
in my country, the Suikoden fanbase is overshadowed by another J-RPG fanbases, so very few people I could share my thoughts about this franchise. Thank you for making this video! cheers~!
Thanks for watching, and for leaving your Suikoden memories here!
This series and Wild Arms are the games that made me a gamer. I wish they would adapt it to Android
Wild Arms was a great series too...the upcoming spiritual successor to that should be fun too!
You can emulate it with some PS1 emulator or RetroArch, on android phone or dedicated handheld device.
My brother and I were very lucky to stumble upon Suikoden I during the magical time of discovery in used game stores before widespread home internet.
We were instant fans and I personally remained loyal to the franchse owning all the original release games in the main series. It made me appreciate the shared universe all the more. My favorite is 2. No surprise there with 1 and 5 following. 4 gets a lot of hate but I thought it was really good. The ship setting just felt claustrophobic.
The sprawling epic, did a fantastic job of potraying its characters in a politically affected fleshed out multi dimensional manner instead of good guy/bad guy tropes.
One of the alltime great JRPG series and one of my favorites.
Great work. If it wasnt for the fact that I'm already subscribed, this video would make me hit the button.
Right on! It was so fun to discover the first one, with so little hype, in the days before FF7. Thanks for the praise of the channel!
This is amazing - thank you so much! Really informative but also really relaxing to watch 🙂 I really like 5 but 1 is my favourite, I play it every year!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Glad to see you give Suikoden IV some love! It’s my favourite in the series, partly due to the island, pirate and ship-based setting. Wish more RPGs would tackle that! It also had FANTASTIC sound design, I can still distinctly remember so many of the sound effects and the rune spell SFX.
A better game than most people give it credit for!
It's my personal favorite.
Yes! More love for Lazlo!
@@BattleSKY8 Medium length hair, bandana and a tattoo on the back of his hand - I love every part of his design ^^
My favorites are always 1 2 5 for me and bro loved this video made my day keep up the great work man I always look forward to these types of videos
Thanks for the feedback! Hope all is well.
Thank you for this video. Now I understand the Legacy behind this title I heard so much about it over the years but never played but also about the Eiyuden Chronicle trailer I was impressed by when it came dropped
Glad you liked it! Can't wait for Eiyuden!
@@Xygor I do hope one day you make a video on Falcolm games! The Trails and Ys games in particular!
These games were some of my most favorite rpgs by far. I remember playing the first game was I was in my late teens when they first came out. They were also some of the first games I got for my father when I bought him his own PS1. Making memories with him playing those games really made them that much more special.
Great memories! Thanks for sharing.
your content is incredible, absolutely love it
Thank you! Lots more to come.
Much love. Suikoden 5 was definitely my fav
That one is overlooked by a lot of people!
Thanks for the information about the remaster, it is now on my WISHLIST for 2023!
Right on, mine too! Thanks!
in your retrospective on the Suikoden saga I agree 100% of the concepts you expressed. in my reviews of Suikoden 3, 4 and 5 many of the things you said are things I actually said too. you have all my respect in my opinion you are a true expert admirer of Suikoden (like me 😁)
Thanks for this feedback! Glad you enjoyed it.
You always gave Suikoden its flowers that’s what i like about you. You did not wait for the remasters.
I will still play them!
They are making remasters?
@@ocrawford77 Yes indeed. Rumor has it they will release it March 9
@@ocrawford77 yes, I and II remaster is due sometime this year. I cover it toward the end of the video.
Great video, I hope the series can keep going strong if the remasters + Eiyuden do well. Been playing through them all for the first time recently and I am loving Suikoden 5 the most while going through it, but 2, 1 & 3 were amazing experiences, especially 2! Don't think 4 is as bad as most people say either (love the music!), and I look forward to giving Tierkreis + Woven web a try one day.
Thank you! I too hope the remasters and Eiyuden are great. I think there is more momentum for this series to continue now than at any point since it went defunct.
@@Xygor For sure! It was the remaster announcement that caught my eye at first. Them after searching about what Suikoden was, it was the fans of the series putting out great content like yours which made me decide to give it a try and see why these games are so beloved, hope many others do the same!
Thank you so much for this video , suikoden series holds a special place in my heart ❤️ , and suikoden 5 will always be my favorite 😍
Likewise in regard to love for the series! Glad you enjoyed it.
Love the longer form content!
Glad you like it!
Suikoden 4 is my personal favorite, because without it I would have never discovered and played the rest of the series.
Now that's a unique take! But glad to hear that was your starting point.
Suikoden 4 was great. I only hated how many random battles there were.
I just really like saying “ Lino En Kuldis”.
Thank you friend , i remember playing this game, number 2 over here in canada when i was a kid, Really cool main character and his main weapon which i didn't know about until i played this game and as a kid looking into what my main guy was using as his weapon!
favourite series by far. had to search for years to get a physical copy of 1 & 2. Suikoden 2 still the best in series by far! great job on this
Glad you enjoy it!
That was awesome. Thanks so much. 2 is my favorite but I can't play it through without beating 1!
Glad you liked it!
im glad i found you. thank you for the recaps.
Thanks for watching! Many more to come!
I've read Outlaws of the Marsh a good 3 or 4 times over the years, all because I loved Suikoden so much. Wu Song is a total bro.
The soundtrack to the Suikoden series I've always found to be rather forgettable personally despite people often lauding it. Though I do love Exceeding Love.
Fun fact:
The music in the Beyond Coast incident at the beginning of "Policenauts" where Jonathan's tether breaks off and he drifts into space is the prototype for the Suikoden battle bgm
Great video! I really enjoyed this comprehensive retrospective on the Suikoden series. It's clear that a lot of effort and passion went into creating this content. As a fan of classic RPGs, I appreciate the in-depth analysis and insights provided. Keep up the fantastic work, looking forward to more content from your channel!
Glad it was helpful!
I apologize for ending up breaking my original copy of Suikoden II, it was actually played to death.
Now that's a special achievement!
2 just had one of the greatest villains of all time. Required an ambush 18 of the 108 stars and then a 1v1 against half of a true rune. Even then he allowed himself to die when he still could've killed the hero. Luca Blight was just built different.
Yeah, 2 really did have great villains, and I love how the story narrative spent so much time on them. There aren't many RPGs that actually focus on the villains and I think that's a mistake.
goosebumps hearing the stories explained, thanks for the video :)
Glad you liked it!
I’ve never seen anyone else have the same pfp. Good taste!
Love suikoden!! Arguably my favorite series!!
Wasn't it great?
Great vid.
Thank you for making this.
Thank you for watching it!
Yessss Next year something coming out can't wait.
Can't wait!6
Playing Suikoden 1 and 2 back to back is the way to go
Yes, that is the best way to dive into the series!
You need to make a video on the original Phantasy Star! Keep on rockin brother! Love the videos🙌
I will definitely do Phantasy Star games at some point. I really like 4.
Ayeeee like #500! I love the Suikoden series and I can't wait for the future developments!
There's more promise for the future of Suikoden than any other time since it went defunct I think!
@Xygor Gaming It truly is an underrated series and even though 1 and 2 may be dated, I've still played them recently and they're still fantastic RPGs, maybe meant for beginners, but fantastic nonetheless
@@joshuaseidnitzer2062 yeah, I think I and II have actually held up a lot better over time than some of the games that tried to use 3D from this era though.
Best game ever, still replay all of them once a year.
One of my top franchises with the second game commonly holding the spot as my favorite game of all time. I love FF7, and it's also one of my favorites, but I was never a final fantasy fanatic. For me, it was suikoden and wild arms.
Two great series'! I will cover more Wild Arms games soon.
5 made me realize how much I enjoy Suikoden.
Even though we didn't think it was the end of the mainline series, it was a great game.
With 3 being my favorite, effen ouch. Not many anime stylized games gone into 3D yet and I thought the models were gorgeous. The story was simply epic. My favorite cast. I loved being able to have mounts.
I still like it too!
I am glad Suikoden is finally getting a remaster!
Yes, and it looks awesome!
so insane that I randomly found suikoden late 90's at a yardsale and i didnt know what it was but liked the cover so i bought it.
Kind of funny because of how cheesy the case for the first one was!
@@Xygor i liked it with lots of the characters in the middle
Suikoden was my favorite RPG when I started playing it... and THEN I got a Castle and it became the Best RPG EVER!
Can't beat the castle building, can you?
Here to hoping the remaster of 1-2 sells enough to get this series a new game. I replay these titles at least once every couple years.
Right on, agreed!
my profile picture says it all 1 resonates with me more than any of the others do. 2 was better for gameplay 3 was a spit in the face with combat 4 made me feel tinglys getting back to the roots and 5 hit hard. tactics was fun but your right on all points.
I appreciate these memories! Did you shed a tear at Mathiu's fate at the end of Suikoden I?
Oh man this brings me back. After 5 minutes of watching i just wnred to play Suikoden once again...
Great to hear it! So many great memories from it.
1:00:44
No way. Time travel has been around since Suikoden 1, when you go back to the Village of the Hidden Rune in Ted's past.
But it is admittedly much more prevalent in Woven Web
Not as a core game mechanic though.
I found Suikoden 3 when I was 14 a couple of years after it came out, and fell in love with it. When I became an adult I searched out copies of the remaining numbered titles as well as tactics.
After playing all of them 3 is still my favorite, but all except Suikoden 4, and tactics are in my top 10 games of all time.
Still love them as well but I don't feel that they live up to the other games in the series.
50:06 I am not sure if the timrline adds up, but as for the anime style, the same happened with the Castlevania series (also by Konami) after the series started turning up consistently lower sales. Introducing animeish style was a way for them to try and appeal to younger audiences (by being hip), but it didn't work that well.
Love these games. It was all about the story and music for me. Loved 1, 2 and 5 but they all hold fond memories and should be played if you get the opportunity.
Suikoden 2 is and always will be my favorite video game of all time, It was so formative for me. The ways that it innovated at the time that it did, with the breadth that it had is just so crazy; with all of it's diverging ways to enjoy it and not in a grind your face off way. If I could ever nominate a game to be placed on a shelf next to great works of literature it would absolutely be Suikoden 2, It really is the zeitgeist for the entire series. It's the story they wanted to tell in the first place, and it is so compassionate and real. I could not be any more hyped for Eiyuden, between that, the remasters, Armored Core, and Elden Ring, Finally. Some truly good-for-the-right-reasons games.
Hard to disagree with this take. So many aspects of that game, especially in regard to the characters and story, still stand out.
I remember playing 4 at my uncle's in middle school on his PS2 and this was a random game he got from his friend. I loved it as soon I started, I remember being stranded on an island and refusing to leave then the characters portraits changed to a notebook looking sketch version of them 😂
One of my favorite JRPG franchises. It's hard to pick a favorite, but I'd say it's either 2 or 5. I enjoyed all of them, including Suikoden IV and Tactics. Having said that, I still haven't played the Nintendo DS offering. I do have a DS, so I have no reason for missing it, I just never did
Right on, 2 and 5 are really great! Hope you enjoyed the video.
Suikoden III was my introduction to the series, and will always be special to me. Then I played 2 before 1. So I’m excited for the re-release to play them in order!
Great! The rereleased versions really look like they're going to be great.
@@Xygor I can’t really see how they’d manage to mess them up. I hope I don’t eat these words!
@@zakunick1 Haha, they better not!
I like all of them to a point. Suikoden 1was the first rpg i got for Ps1 and has been my favorite rpg since. I played all 5 again last year. 1, 2 and 5 are amazing. 3 is really fun and vibrant. 4 is a slog and i only like it after about halfway through. Anytime i go to play them again, 4 is the only one i dont look forward to. Great video, love it. Look forward to the remasters and eiyuden.
Thank you for the praise and your thoughts on the series!
Yuber shakes in his boot when Hai Yo with 3 Killer Runes rocks up. lmao
Have to respect it!
Suikoden 1 was different 🔹️💙🔹️
True!
Glad to see more amazing suikoden videos! 3&2 r my favs although 3 is heavily underrated.Hope more people give it a go. I adored the trinity play style. Offered varying viewpoints to the narrative. Reminds me of a Tarantino film. Plus some of my fav writing in the series. Best writing definitely belongs to 5 which is my 3rd fav.
Never heard it compared to the Tarantino films before, but that makes sense!
I discovered 2 by accident and played it first but to this day I love it. Dumping many hours at the time but I found going back to the first one Even at its prime was a struggle and I never got into any of the later games either. 2 will always hold a special place in my heart.
I had only played the first 2 and I loved them both, that's why I cant wait for the remaster. If they ever remaster any others I will check them out for sure.
So suikoden and I have a rough history but I still absolutely adore the game. For some reason (I think I spilled something on the old one) I didn't have a memory card. I got to either the first or second army battle and lost. It was a bit before I picked it back up. But after I did man what an awesome game. Getting every character was awesome. Can't wait to play it again in 2023.
I can't imagine playing any RPG without a memory card, haha.
@Xygor Gaming thankfully we don't really have to worry about such things as memory cards or sticks anymore. Hdd/ssd are great things.
I'm NEVER TIRED OF SUIKODEN love the game
Isn't it an unforgettable series?
@@Xygor yes it is, and i will buy it again when S1&S2 remaster on steam got release
Suikoden 1 and 2 Remastered coming to Steam, by the way. Got it on my Wish List, so if you're a fan make sure you check it out.
I cover this at the end of the video. Pretty exciting.
Suikoden 2 was the best one hands down. It just had a certain charm that made it so fun to play. The other ones were good too, but 2 was by far the best one.
I tend to agree! Such a classic!
Suikoden was one of the first games I bought when I got my PS1 in '97. The game was used, but it was the reason for me to buy the system. Though it might be hard to believe, I was way more invested in the story and characters than FF7. FYI you could run in Suikoden 1 with a character who has the Holy Rune equipped. If Stallion is in your party (he has the True Holy Rune) you can even run on the world map.
Hello and Happy New Year! My all-time and personal fave will always be Suikoden 2 and 5. Suikoden 4 and 5 I think are underrated seeing the sales record, specially 5. Not sure if it's because it was released very late in the PS2 life cycle. In terms of the story, I love all of them. But in terms of the gameplay and battle system, Suikoden 3 felt the weakest for me followed by 4. Moving forward, I am looking forward for Eiyuden Chronicles as well as the Reworked Suiko 1 and 2.
I will never forget how I got this amazing game. Back in the 90s my best friend lend Suikoden for another game to a kid in school. The kid then wouldn't return the other game to my friend. They fought multiple times over this, in the end my friend just gave me Suikoden because his mom was forcing him to return the game even though the other kid "lost" my friends game. I remember looking at the box art and thinking "wow this game looks like trash" how wrong I was.
Sounds like a total victory for you! Haha.
@@Xygor yeah, amazing memories and an amazing game.
Suikoden IV is a lesson in how not to do a silent protagonist. At least the boat could "run". I >still< need to play V though. One of these years....
You'll probably like it a lot more than IV!
I need a 3 remake. People really underestimate how good that story was, it was life changing for me. Percival has remained a favorite of mine since its release and its to the point I have two copies of the game
Maybe someday!
Great video! I know you said 3 was not your Fav game. For me it was. It was the first Suikoden game i played so that is prob why i have a soft spot for it. . For me it goes 3, 5, 2, 1, 4. But i am looking forward to the new remakes and maybe with those it will change my mind! Keep up the great videos!
I appreciate your feedback, I know a lot of other people who like 3 too! And thank you!
The first game is my favorite, can't wait for the remasters to get on steam. At the time I was way more into Western rpgs (Ultima, Wizardry, old Elderscrolls, etc..) but Suikoden blew me away, loved it! I found Suikoden and Vandal Hearts to be my favorite games from the PS1 era :)
Appreciate your feedback, it's really hard to beat the first game. So many awesome things about it when there were virtually no RPGs on the PlayStation. I reviewed Vandal Hearts too and the series, check it out!
You don't need to have all 108 stars in Suikoden 1 to unlock Tir McDohl in Suikoden 2, you just need to load a file which was saved at the last save point in Gregminster. Having all 108 stars in Suikoden 1 changes which character will be with Tir in Suikoden 2 and includes more bonus scenes to.
Great video! Suikoden 3 was never released in Europe so hopefully one day it'll get a HD re-release and I can experience it.
I actually didn't know that, I thought sure you needed to have all 108 stars. Thanks for letting me know this.
@@Xygor No problem! Not having all 108 stars, Ellie from the inn in Banner Village takes the place of the character we all know and love guarding Tir when he is fishing. It's pretty much her purpose in the game.
Suikoden 3 was given a UK release on PSN in 2015 and might have been in other EU areas.
I know it was in the UK because I have it and still play it.
I remember buying the game at circuit city on clearance when ps one games still came in those huge dvd style boxes lol. I replayed it and finished it like 5-7 times.
You must have really liked it too!
Dam just somehow got recommended here . This was my child hood man . Growing up from ff2 and 3 to chrono trigger secret of mana . Progressing to the ps
Mine too! Hope you enjoyed it.
Great summary of the series. Never played the first 2, so i can't comment on those. Agree with you on the main series for the PS2. Could never get into 3. Beat it, but had no desire to replay it, even years later. Game just felt like it dragged on too long. Part 4 (like you said) doesn't deserve all the hate it gets. It was very short, you can get to the final boss within 20 hrs. of gameplay, although you will probably have to grind a bit to beat him, wish they would have fleshed out the MC better, he had the personality of a doorknob, still a solid game, better than 3 IMO. 5 was a masterpiece, one of the best stories in any RPG I've played. Other than the slow starting, and towns that are overly huge without purpose, still a great game. Would disagree with you on Tactics, I have to admit you have to like Strategy JRPGs (like FF Tactics) to like this game, but I thought it was a great game. It IS hard, which may turn off some people used to the ease of getting through the main series of the game, and you will probably have to do some grinding. Yes, the battles are long, but that is the norm for these type of games (same could be said for FF Tactics as well as the Valkyria Chronicles series), but if you want a challenge, this is a good game to pick up. But it's not for everyone.
I appreciate all these thoughts. Sounds like we agree on a lot. I know a lot of people like Tactics more than I and I respect that.
Growing up during the ps1 era, i was more engrossed and captivated with 2d sprite based JRPGs like Suikoden (specifically 2) than the 3D Final Fantasy games that was all the rage at the time.
And i think the reason for that was simply because the 3D technology just wasnt there yet, and i loved watching anime back then, so naturally the art style of sprite based games were more appealing to me
That was the best way to do that! I think today’s HD2D games are kind of a vindication of that.
The best Suikoden is objectively 2. But my favorite is 4. So fully underrated.
Finally someone who agrees with me on 4 being underrated!
@@Xygor it's absolutely fantastic! Soooo much better than 3. Definitely called back to its roots. When you said that I'm the video, I paused to celebrate with my roommate. Lol. 4 had a few shortcomings, but it's SUCH a good game!
One of my fav series growing up
Great, mine too! So you know how good it was.
I truly hope the Suikoden series gets a remaster/remake
Me too! I think the chances are better than ever for it.
so cant wait to play the suikoden remaster in a couple months
Yeah, that will be great!
I played all the mainline games throughout the years, but 4 was the only one I never beat. I'd like to revisit them all some day
It's worth revisiting, and held up pretty well!
looking forward to the eyuuden chronicles
It's going to be lit!
Suikoden 3 was my first one and i have such an attachment to it
It was a great game! Many people first found the series through that one.
@@Xygor that's where I found it! I'm excited for the remasters. I hope they do 3
@@itschmadam there's much more energy and hype behind the series right now. So, hopefully!
I traded some magic cards for a Playstation and suikoden 2 back in the 90s. Still my favorite game of all time
Hopefully you didn't trade Black Lotus!