Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I haven't finished the game yet, but so far it's reasonably enjoyable.However, I feel compelled to write this review now, on the basis of one single glaring flaw: the dialogue and voice acting are appallingly bad. In the world of computer gaming, there is voice acting that's so bad it's good (i.e. you listen to it just for the amusement value) and then there's voice acting that is so bad it's painful. This definitely falls into the latter category. The characters sound like they were voiced by a group of random Canadians (that's not a dig on Canada, most of the voice actors really do have obvious accents) who spent about 4 hours one afternoon in a conference room at their offices doing the recordings and called it a day. It is truly, truly awful. My initial reaction was to be impressed that they crammed as many voice samples as they did onto the cartridge. But after 10 hours all I want now is to find an option to delete the voice track entirely.It is that bad.I don't consider voice a must-have in a DS RPG by any stretch of the imagination, and in this case, the game would have been much better had they just left it out.
As for the gameplay, it's average JRPG stuff. You navigate from place to place on a world map and then run around in a 3rd-person view (fixed camera) within each location. Lots of random battles as you run around the individual locations, but the individual fights don't take very long and you usually only have to traverse maybe 3-4 screens to get where you're going, so it's tolerable.When you get to a town you are presented with a list of locations you can visit (which I actually like; sometimes it's a pain in these games to run around the towns trying to find every single NPC hidden in every nook and cranny that you might want or need to talk to).
The combat system is a bit disappointing -- it's very simple, even when you manually give commands to your characters.(Overall, the game is very easy so far -- I am playing on the "Normal" setting, and I generally just hit the auto-battle button and watch my characters wipe out the enemies in either the first or second round of combat.) You have a basic attack option based on the type of weapon you wield, and the individual characters quickly learn a magic option with different spells of the expected types (damage, status conditions, healing, etc.) Each character can have up to 4 spells ready although there are a larger number to choose from as you progress in the game.There are two "ranks" (front and back) and the characters in the front rank protect those in the back rank (although there are also reach weapons, ranged attacks like bows, and magic, which can hit across ranks). Your selection of equipment makes a huge difference in the amount of damage you deal -- equipment seems to be far more important than level. That's about the entirety of the tactical depth I've seen so far, which is a bit of a disappointment, but maybe it gets more interesting later.Seeing the fight play out in 3D is nice, but I would rather have more tactical options (such as moving around the battlefield).I haven't played any of the previous games in the series but the description on Amazon made it sound like it was more of a tactical RPG than it really seems to be.
Definitely the best thing about the game is the graphics -- they are excellent, and there is a lot of variety.The character portraits are done in anime style but each character has a 3D model and you can see it in some detail on the equipment screen, including the equipment/weapons you're currently using, which is cool.There are some animated cut-scenes which are fun to watch (usually too short, but nicely done). I am from the old school of RPGs so super-spiffy graphics aren't a must-have for me, but I definitely appreciate them when they deliver, and the graphics in this game do indeed deliver.
Apart from the battles, there is a "trade goods" system that lets you buy low and sell high among the various cities you visit; it's easy to make a massive amount of money this way, so you should always be able to afford to buy the best equipment. The quest rewards are also generous.Some of the quests take on a mission type structure where you have to pick your party (there are combat characters and support characters) and then play through a pitched battle. I'm hopeful that perhaps this mission system will evolve into something complicated and interesting as the game goes along, with multiple battle groups that each have to complete different objectives or something along those lines.Fingers crossed.
The story seems like it has the potential to be interesting (travelers between an infinity of worlds, the classic debate between free will versus pre-determination of each person's destiny) but I'm having a hard time getting past the poorly-written dialogue and the horrible, horrible voice acting. To be clear, I don't think the dialogue being bad is a localization issue -- there aren't a bunch of typos and nonsensical word choices as one would find in a bad translation -- it just seems like whoever wrote the English dialogue really needs to go back and take some creative writing classes.It doesn't help that the main character seems to have the IQ of a gnat and is apparently surprised by more or less everything no matter how blazingly obvious.Half his lines are some form of "Huh?!?" or "What!?!"
So far this game is a definite "meh" which is too bad as I had high hopes based on what I had seen of the previews. We'll see if I can tough out another 10 hours or not.The combat is easy enough that I don't expect to hit any speed bumps, which means I will likely finish the game just to see how it turns out.
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Suikoden TierkreisProduct Description: The Million World universe lies under threat from the mighty One King,who harbors a plot to sow chaos throughout its vast expanse. The onlyones who stand a chance of opposing the One King's plan and thwartinghis evil machinations are the 108 Stars of Destiny, a group of magicalwarriors. When the members of the 108 Stars of Destiny come together,it will unleash a stunning battle of good vs. evil that will span theMillion World universe's near-infinite parallel worlds.
Customize Your Character
View larger. Suikoden Storyline
View larger. Lush Environments
View larger. Synopsis In Suikoden: Tierkries, the first handheld game in the enduring Suikoden RPG series, you'll use your DS to gather the members of the 108 Stars of Destiny and help put a stop to the One King's plan. Explore the vast Million World universe as you travel across parallel worlds to a variety of exciting cities, and experience a gripping, cinematic storyline that will immerse you fully in the battle to overcome the forces of evil. Send your warriors on exciting quests via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to level up your characters and savor the game's rich online community.
Key Game Features:
Experience the excitement of the first handheld game in the long-running Suikoden RPG series
Gather the magical warriors who comprise the 108 Stars of Destiny tothwart the mighty One King's sinister plan to create chaos throughoutthe universe
Travel across a universe of exciting parallel worlds in which you'll discover a variety of exotic locations and cultures
Savor a cinematic gameplay experience complete with new characters,rich animation sequences and gripping dialogue with voiceover
Send your characters on quests to be completed by other members of the Suikoden: Tierkreis community via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Suikoden goes online via Nintendo WiFi Connection! This all new, epic RPG in the long running Suikoden series incorporatesmany innovative features to the handheld RPG genre. An active onlinecommunity experience is encouraged by allowing players to send theircharacters on quests that other members of the Suikoden: Tierkreiscommunity will complete for them via Nintendo WiFi Connection. As yourcharacter travels around the community and completes quests he willeventually return to your party with new abilities and treasures. Thisprovides a new way to level up characters your characters which helpscreate a sense of community and provides a new way to experience RPGson handhelds.
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