SoD count: 95/108 Time: ~53 hours Plot: just got to Gordius
Am I almost done with this damn game? Yes? No? Geez.
I'm getting frustrated with it again... the damn war battles are really starting to become annoying. I also find it quite vexing that every time I get used to a regular battle party, I end up not being able to use them after a certain point.
Interesting that women are expressly forbidden from entering Gordius village. Men were certainly not forbidden to enter Alma Kinan, as far as I can remember at least... Hm. I'm not even going to bother commenting on the implications of that.
I just want to BEAT this game, and put it away for a while. Not that I don't like it (really!) but goddamn is it ever pissing me off at the moment.
Guys, honestly... "kidnap the Princess from the battlefield and put an end to the war." When has a plan like that EVER worked, in any game? I don't know what's about to happen, but it sure as hell isn't going to be a good thing. This is a plan of Kooluk-caliber failure.
But, alright... I'll go marching into battle, intent on kidnapping the Princess, while splitting my party into 3 groups. Gee, I sure hope no unexpected enemy ambushes come waltzing up while I'm distracted...
More than anything I'm just happy to have Miakis back. :D
SoD count: 78 83/108 Time: ~45 hours Plot: see above
Suiko5 progress SoD count: 53/108 Time: ~36 hours Plot: Just got to Sable
I'm feeling better about the game as a whole. There are times when I even enjoy playing. It's still my least favorite of the series though. The plot is SO ACHINGLY SLOW. I feel like I haven't made any actual progress, plot-wise, since escaping Sol-Falena. The tedium is lessened somewhat by my having characters that I actually like in my battle party now. I really hate how you're forced to make room for mandatory characters in your entourage at times, but when those characters leave, the characters you kicked out to make room don't come back. Really obnoxious.
War battles are also a huge problem. There is no way to issue commands to all (or even several) units at once, which is extremely frustrating in battles where your troops are spread out and you have to scroll across an entire half of the damn map just to issue commands. Even using the select button trick doesn't fix this, as it still leaves about a second of time during which your forces are sitting ducks unless they're acting on a previous command.
In comparison to Suiko4, I really don't understand how so many people can hail this as the superior game in almost every regard. The time-consuming, tedious sailing and high encounter rate are constantly bitched about by Suiko4 haters, and yet this game has nearly identical problems, the annoyance factor being compounded by the ridiculous load times. 4 didn't have the best load times either, but they were nowhere near this bad. I suppose on the world map the encounter rate isn't so bad in 5, but in dungeons, good lord. It's at least equal to the encounter rate at sea in 4. I could overlook that though, as I did in 4, if it weren't for the load times. It makes an otherwise enjoyable battle system irritating.
I know it seems like I have only bad things to say about this game every time I talk about it, but I don't dislike it. I'm just now getting to a point where I can feel that Suikoden charm when I'm playing, I have a fondness for a good amount of the characters, I care at least minimally about the plot, etc. I'm just still waiting to be wowed, and I'm beginning to wonder if I ever will be.
I'm really disturbed by the amount of pedophiles in this game. I mean, what the hell? The youngin's in this game aren't even hot.
Anyway, I've recruited a whopping 19 Stars of Destiny after like 20 hours. Why am I so slow? I just got the Dawn Rune and am currently getting the fuck out of Dodge (Rainwall), and hopefully will not be forced to go back there anytime soon. As much as it excites me (yes, like that) to be around a backstabbing fag like Euram all the time, I really cannot fucking stand the rest of the people in that city. Also lol @ the word "fop" being used in any canonical sense.
I'm still on the fence about this game. I'm just starting to get to the meat-and-potatoes part of the plot, so hopefully it will get better. I like a good amount of the characters, but I don't LOVE them yet. (The characters I did love didn't make it... ;___; Or they're stuck back in the fucking palace. Goddamn.) The plot is good, but not GREAT. I need to be wowed! WOW ME, DAMNIT!!
Okay, so I recruited Lucretia in Suiko5. It's bad enough that she's not a Silverberg, but I tried my absolute hardest to put that aside and give her a chance.
Still hate her.
Even the blatant lesbianism couldn't save her. She's full of herself in that really obnoxious "I know everything but I'm going to pretend like I don't" way. I really cannot fucking stand her. I hope she has some glorious redeeming moment, because if nothing changes then she'll fester with Gizel on the bottom of my favorites list.
Seriously though... no Silverbergs = fucking failure of the highest caliber. It's like Final Fantasy without a Cid, Star Ocean without an underdeveloped planet, Xenosaga without horrible, brain-scarring sexual innuendo. SILVERBERGS ARE A PART OF SUIKODEN. HOW CAN THERE BE NONE?
I would laugh if my saying that was followed up by there being no underdeveloped planet in Star Ocean 4. Except by laugh I mean cry. Not that I'll get to play it anyway, FUCK YOU PS3.
minigaming
pissed off