Flashback: Suikoden II

If you've never heard of the Suikoden series, then you probably didn't play video games (or, to be more accurate, have a PSX) in the 90's.  If either of those are true, and you are an RPG fan, I highly suggest you get a PSX emulator, a bunch of roms, and just take an entire month off of work.  Go to the nearest beach you can find (preferably one with an internet cafe), and just boot up that laptop.  Now relish in the classics, and if you've got enough time, go beachside with Suikoden II.  It'll be the most romantic experience you've ever had with a video game, I guarantee it.

Maybe a few glasses of wine, while you're at it.

But not too many, you're going to want to remember this gem.

Suikoden II is certainly on the list of greatest RPG's of that generation, and up against names like Final Fantasy VII, Crono Cross and Xenosaga, most RPG fans would be hard pressed to figure out how this game managed to compete.  In a few words, it managed by being a lot different than the competition.  Whereas games like Final Fantasy and Xenosaga had you running around with a maximum of 9 companions, Suikoden had upwards of 50 playable characters to choose from!  The numbers were insane, and so was the customization.  A very simple system makes for an even more fun game; party members simply bought a better version of their weapon when they visit the store, and it can be imbued with magical runes that do all sorts of fun junk.  Essentially, this was a game for those that didn't want to have to chose between Big Bruiser B and Samurai Swordsman 4. You could, theoretically, use both of them and still have a solid team endgame.

Not only that, but the amount of effort put into spriting and detailing every enemy and boss in the game must have been murderous.  The detail in the bosses was absolutely stunning, and it certainly added to the aesthetic of the game, which happened to be completely sprite driven (a method that was becoming less and less encouraged by developers at the time, due to time restrictions and new technology).  Last but not least, you could involve six party members at a time in one battle, which meant that you could literally swap out whoever you wanted in any way that you wanted in order to make the perfect team (or, y'know, if you just would rather use the cute, knife-throwing chick who's totally into you rather than the annoying squirrel creature).

"Don't mind me, guys and gals.

Just showin' off the guns."

The other cool thing about Suikoden II is that it has a universe that is topical: it's based around Feudal China and its surroundings during that time.  Mix in a little bit of the old mythology and lore of yesteryear, add in a few kobolds and birdmen, and you've got Suikoden in a nutshell.  The game centers around Riou, the speechless main character, and his Sister in their quest to reclaim their homeland from an insane general aptly named Luca Blight.  Luca, being the insane douchebag that he is, decides he wants to harness an ancient power that literally devours entire cities to...uhm...devour entire cities.  Luca's not exactly what I'd call a dynamic character, as he is portrayed to be the antagonist that everyone should have seen coming, but totally ignored despite some obvious signs.

Whaaaaaat?  General Luca Blight?  A bad guy?

...I don't see it, nope.

So, obviously, the story doesn't start out very complicated.  However, along the way, you'll meet plenty of politicians and people that you really do start caring for.  And seeing the world crumble before your very eyes as this asshole takes control of just about everything you love kinda starts to get to you in a way that most RPG's just can't.  Just as an example, this girl follows you around after she watches her entire family get murdered and her entire village burn to the ground.  She is incredibly depressing, and a constant reminder that you have something very real to fight for.

The result of all this is a very real world that seems quite cohesive and accessible for when the game was made.  I almost hate to say it, but this world just feels more real than pretty much any RPG made at the time.  Oh, and let's not forget the last thing that made me absolutely love this game: character design.

Eat your heart out, SNES.

Oh, and tell NES that he needs to start looking after himself.  He's put on...weight.

With over 100 characters to find and add to your massive army against Luca Blight, you'd better have some pretty damn interesting characters, and this is something that Konami not only got completely right (as shown above), but also really set the bar for.  So much so, well, let's just say that Square Enix started to get goosebumps after they realized that Final Fantasy VIII needed to have some very, very complicated characters to compete with that kind of roster.  Lastly, let me just add that if you can manage to flesh out a cast of about 60 distinct characters from one another and manage to make you remember most of them by the end by name, you've got some talent.

This is Clive.

You will learn to love him.

YOU. LEARN. LOVE. CLIVE.

So, in conclusion, any RPG fan out there who is most likely still playing Skyrim at this point (Skyrim fans: "Just...one...more...quest...!"), to you I say, "Make time for the classics."  They won't disappoint, I promise.

I'm actually secretly in love with that fucking squirrel thing,

~CascadaKatana

PS- Speaking of RPG's, I currently have no one to hang out with because they are either playing:

A) Skyrim

B) Mists of Panderia

C) DOTA 2

D) All of the Above (Just kidding, no one has time for that huehuehuehue)