Suikoden DS

[Doombear]

Wow... I really hope this doesn't end up like Suikoden 1/2 (PSP title that was never released outside of Japan)

Scans here at the top of the page:

http://wiieveryday.blogspot.com/2008...-20080822.html

And some info copied from 1Up's small article

When Square Enix announced in 2006 that Dragon Quest IX would be released exclusively on the Nintendo DS, the reaction from the Japanese gamer crowd was not exactly muted. It was the news of the year, in fact -- the de-facto national RPG of Japan getting released on a portable system, something that would have been nigh-unthinkable on anything besides the DS, which all but dominates the industry in Japan. Now, another storied RPG has made a similar leap -- Konami announced this week that Suikoden, a role-playing series mainly released on PlayStation consoles up 'til now, is hitting the Nintendo DS. Not a remake, either, but the next original game in the series. The new RPG, titled Genso Suikoden Tierkreis


Although details are still scant on Tierkreis, many of the details that define the Suikoden series are already confirmed to be in the game. Battles use a four-member party system, are fast-paced and easy to learn, and allow for attacks involving multiple characters at once. The story is filled with political intrigue pitting superpower against superpower -- in this case, a shadowy "Society" to the north, led by the persuasive and charismatic Belfrayd, against a kingdom that seems to be styled after ancient Persia. The graphic style is a call-back to Suikoden II on the original PlayStation, and like in any decent Suikoden game, there is a new goofy talking-animal race to provide comic relief -- this time the Porpoise, a species of sentient, land-dwelling dolphin-y things.


Suikoden Tierkreis, which Konami's Japanese PR team pins at approximately 50 percent complete, has no release date yet in the country. A US unveiling has yet to be confirmed, but seems very likely. in Japan, is similar in structure to the rest of the series. Set in a pseudo-medieval fantasy world, the game begins with your hero, a young boy (whose name you must provide) who's part of the town watch for the sheltered village of Citro, and a handful of his companions checking out some old ruins on the outskirts of the area. What they find leads to high adventure, of course, and by the time they're through they'll have recruited up to 108 characters ("Stars of Destiny" in Suikoden parlance) to join the effort. Tierkreis may start off on a dark note for our hero, though -- the opening movie depicts the Stars of Destiny trying, and failing, to defend their fortress against a massive army. By the end of the cutscene, only four members are left to save the day. Foreshadowing, or just a bad dream?

[Odesseiron]

I saw this and it made me kind of sad. I'm sure it'll get released stateside, yeah. I'm was more upset that the next entry in the Suikoden series isn't on PS3. I didn't realy care for Suikoden 4 though. And 5 was so-so. 2 & 3 are my favorites.

DS is capable of putting out great games, was just hoping the nest in the franchise was next gen ;/ Oh well! I'm sure it'll still be okay

[Doombear]

And you can't rule out that a PS3 title isn't in the works right? At least i have my fingers crossed.

[Kaslo]

I actually loved 4 while my brother loved 5 (not asmuch as 1 tho). This is pretty exciting, kinda would have liked a remake of 1, anytime I can replace a PSX disc with a DS box I feel good inside (looking at you FFIV and CTDS!), but still pretty damn exciting.

[Xno Kappa]

Oh man, I really hope this gets released stateside. I've played every single Suikoden game but the first is still my favorite. The series starting going meh after 3 imo.

[Yuri-G]

Oh good, it was beginning to seem like maybe V was the last installment. Also good to see that this is a new game and not a remake, wonder if they'll title it Suikoden VI?

I want better screenshots, though... those pictures look too blurry to tell, but the character graphics almost seem like they're done in 3D. Heads will roll at Konami if this is true.

[Julian]

What... the shit?

I don't know if I should be jumping with joy in my bed, or if I should be facepalming.

It looks kinda spin-off ish like Rhapsodia, but from what they said, it sounds like it will still have the "recruit 108 stars of destiny" aspect to it, which kinda makes it feel like a real entry.

HOWEVER, the person who wrote this article sounds like a retard who has no idea what he's talking about. Although not exactly worded this way, it sounds like he implies that 4 party characters is one of the many things that defines Suikoden. So, I'll be taking this article with a grain of salt until I find more concrete information by someone who has at least played one suikoden game.

[Julian]

Moar info

Characters

The main character has no name, but apparently will be voiced by Takashi Hiroshi. It is unknown if this will just be in 'grunts' a la Lazlo and Freyjadour in Suikoden IV and V or like Kyril in Suikoden Tactics.

The character Jair (ジェイル) will be voiced by Ryotaro Okiayu. The female character Malikah (マリカ) will be voiced by Sakamoto Maya. Liu (リウ) will be voiced by Tetsuya Kakihara and finally, Dirug (ディルグ) will be voiced by Konishi Katsuyuki who is also voicing Viktor in the Suikoden radio drama detailed on this site.

A shark race may be introduced into the series if one of the images has been interpreted correctly. All together now; grrrroan!

Gameplay

The gameplay takes advantage of the Nintendo DS's touch screen. The top screen shows character status information. HP, MP, status effects and the like. Meanwhile, you can use the DS stylus to enter commands in battle on the touch screen.

Other observations include: The battle system appears to be a four person battle system, like Suikoden IV. As such, it is a traditional RPG, not a strategy RPG like Suikoden Tactics.

Looking at the status screen it appears traditional Suikoden MP is OUT, to be replaced with standard MP numbers comparable to HP. Like in Final Fantasy VII, for example (and 90% of every RPG ever).

MP change: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo
Maya sakamoto VA: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY ^_____^

[Xno Kappa]

The MP change thing is gay ; ;

[Kirin]

I am praying to the gods of Konami that this turns out to be Suikoden Tactics done right (obviously without the tactics part, but a properly executed side game A La what FF Tactics is to the FF series) and that Suikoden VI is headed for a next gen release.

I might be the only one to think this, but I feel the Suikoden series as a whole actually benefits from the advancement of system specs instead of being force fed into higher resolutions and higher end 3-d gaming. Konami has done right with the series as its evolved, and this in my opinion marks a step back from the progress 3 and 5 have made.

[Julian]

The one good thing from the DS release is that this may mean a Wii release for suiko6 :D

[Yuri-G]

ASFOPSDKFOPASDKFSPOFKASFDOPSFKASDFOPSA MP CHANGE <PAOSDKFSOPDFKASDOPFSKAFOPSDKFOPASDKF ASDOPFK ASDPFO ASKDF AS DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
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Sorry. I think I just had a stroke. I really hope this information is wrong. The MP system was one of the most interesting aspects of the battles, and it made magic something you had to use sparingly, unlike games where you spam your best spells once you have enough MP.

[Trichocyst]

I'm kinda bummed out by the MP change, but not enough to lose interest. I used MP so sparingly in Suikoden and exploited the shit out of the Kai+McDohl combo to lay waste to everyone I ran across as often as possible.

Pretty much any new Suikoden news is good Suikoden news for me.

[6souls]

the land setting reminds me of Expel from Star Ocean 2.

[Doombard]

I still have my copy of Suikoden 3 I bought from a grocery store video club for $6.

[Xno Kappa]

I'm one of the lucky few who still own the PS1 originals lol. I get tempted every now and then to put them up on ebay.

[Odesseiron]

I have 1-5. I finished 1-3, 4 was awful IMO, and 5 was good but I never finished it.

Whenever I saw a copy of suiko 2 in gamestop or another store I would snatch it up and sell it for about 150-200 bucks. Actually today I sold my last copy of suikoden 2 I had been holding onto for a while. Got $130 for it on half.com. I still have a copy for myself though :D

Order from best to worse IMO goes... 2 > 3 > 1 > 5 > 4

Hoping this new one will be good. The change in MP is kinda sucky, but oh well.

[Kazujiro]

I love the Suikoden series, I honestly don't care too much if they change things around... so long as we get a US release.

[Doombear]

Not sure if anyone else missed this article like i did (6 days old or so) but not a bad read.

IGN Hands on with Suikoden: Tierkreis

Sidenote: The article mentions Soma Bringer, and if you CAN play the game with the Translation Patch, i highly recommend that you do. Soma Bringer is one of the best DS RPGs i have played to date.

[Julian]

Looks like a December 2008 release date for US

:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDdddddddddddd