If Suikoden II were lackluster in any area, it would be the graphics department. It’s obvious Konami didn’t make use of the latest technology available when designing the graphics of this game. While they succeed in maintaining an old-school feel, they fail to deliver at a graphical level 90s gamers are now used to. Instead, they decided to keep two-dimensional characters, making the graphics resemble that of Suikoden.

The average graphics are greatly overshadowed by this title’s awe-inspiring soundtrack. The soundtrack to Suikoden II may very well make you misty-eyed. They seem to create the perfect track to fit every aspect of the game. When there was a touching moment in the game, you would hear a beautiful soft-toned track to go with it. If you were facing a boss, there would be a high-paced, fast-beat track. In fact, I’d say the soundtrack of Suikoden II ranks up there with the likes of Final Fantasy VIII and Grandia.

The most important part of this game though, and why it will be a great success, is the storyline. Suikoden II has the one of the most epic storylines of any RPG to date. It will make you laugh, cry, smile, and snarl. Suffice it to say, this game can put you through a variety of emotions. Though some may disagree with me, I feel the main thing RPGs lack is replay value. It seems like once you’ve finished the game, the storyline ends and so does your drive to play the game. That is why games such as the Pokémon series continue to sell to the masses. However, Suikoden II in its own way has a Pokémon-esque feel to it. How you ask? Well, as in the original Suikoden, you not only are in charge of running your army, but you also have to constantly recruit new people to join, each with their own special abilities. With 108 different characters to recruit, this game will easily give you a good 30+ hours of gameplay. Of course, you don’t have to collect all 108 characters. But if you do, you will enjoy the ending of the game that much more.

For the experienced RPGer, this game will not provide much difficulty. With only one CD of play, Suikoden II can be beaten in some 30 hours, while games such as Xenogears and FFVIII can last up to 100 hours. The bosses for this game can be easily defeated if you summon the right runes; this will anger those gamers that are looking for a good challenge. Ultimately, if you’re looking for a game with a real challenge, don’t purchase this game.

One thing that will draw you to this game is the fact that you can load your original Suikoden save onto Suikoden II when you begin the game. What this does is enables you to get McDohl, everyone’s favorite hero from Suikoden, and it jacks up the stats of your party members from Suikoden. While this isn’t all that an important feature, if you’re a big fan of Suikoden II, it’s an added bonus being able to fight as McDohl again.

An innovative feature this game has is its variety in its battle system. While it has the basic Attack, Item, and Run commands, it also has commands such as Bribe, Unite, and Rune. Bribe is exactly what it sounds like; you pay the enemy off without having to fight. The amount you have to pay depends on the level of the enemy you are fighting. The Unite command can only be done by certain party members. If two to five members of your party have a special technique that they all share, the unite option will become available. This is a very good command to use because it can cause massive damage depending on the party members and their levels. Lastly, the Rune command is the most important command in the game. This is what will allow you to beat bosses and other difficult enemies. Runes can be bought at Rune Shops in different towns, and then you can either attach them to a character magically or embed them in a character’s weapon. If you attach them to a character magically, the rune command in the battle menu becomes available and it will give you a choice of magic attacks that you can use. If you embed the rune in your weapon, then when you use a regular attack on the enemy, the rune will come into effect and add some extra HP damage to the enemy.