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Every character in SV has a reason for joining that is tied in some way to the plot or a significant character.  It's quite interesting to see all the subplots develop in this game.

Playing against Jeane in Blind Man's Bluff seems appropriate.  The ultimate poker face and distraction.

Don't forget to dump the executed bodies of evildoers into a river or bog.

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If for some reason you want to sell the artbook, let me know.  XP

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Since you were selling stuff in the marketplace forum, it got me thinking that you *might* sell the artbook or the SV limited edition.  Well, if you do happen to sell, I hope I can afford your price.

Thanks.  Those LE boxes are probably speculators trying to cash in on the box.  It may be a while before LEs circulate again.  Maybe when the game gets stale to Japanese gamers.

Not always.  Dedicated artbooks contain far more content than game guides.  When the company decides not to release an artbook, a game guide may suffice.

I am mostly interested in the artbook as a costuming reference, rather than to stare at the pretty pictures. The sketches and multiple views of a character from artbooks are very helpful.

Hey, random question - I remember reading *somewhere* at some point that Hudson was codeveloping Suikoden V with Konami.  Can anyone confirm whether or not that's true?

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Got to play about 7 hours in so far and it's shaping up nicely...Seems like the early story is reaching the boiling point between all of the different faces and it's just a matter of how good it gets from there. Lots of cutscenes though...Luckily, the early characters are easy to attach to and their interaction is very well handled, so I've gotten over the fact that MAYBE 2 of those 7 hours have been actual gameplay. I haven't felt this sense of raw anticipation for a game story since...heh, Suikoden 2. Knowing the series, the gameplay part will come in later and balance things out. All the pieces are in place for this game to completely rock. And six person battles are the ONLY way to go for this series.

Mixed feelings on the music. The opening is amazing, but I'm hearing a lot of tracks that I'm becoming attached to moreso for their place ingame than for the actual music part. Just doesn't seem to have the melodic out-of-context bite the first 2 games have, despite being similar to them. It does annihilate, destroy and spit on on 3's music though.

And what doesn't?

The True Holy Rune? It isn't an attack rune. lol

Dang, I've never been so motivated to play a game so extensively like this in awhile. I'm about 48 hours into the game now, and I'm near the final battle. I'm still loving Suiko II over Suikoden V, and that will probably be the final outcome. Definitely though, the major aspect of Suikoden V that has triumphed over all the others is it's ability to open up more background info on the characters and keep you attached to them like some people have already stated. And I think this was very important to accomplish since the majority of the characters are new. There's a need for immediate attachment to these characters since the storyline goes hand-in-hand with them, and it's made the story very intriguing. However, Suikoden I and II had this "special" thing that emotionally captivated me moreso than V. That sounds like a pretty pathetic reason for me to like II the best, but the vibe struck me in amazement the whole way, and there's no other way I can really describe it.

They were new. I think that about sums it up. With Suikoden I, there hadn't really been an RPG with that kind of emotional content before. Same with Suikoden II to a certain extent. I have found that my nostalgia has clouded my judgement at times. I went back to FF6 recently which I considered the best game ever (tm) and I found that it didn't hold up as well as it once did when I was a teenager. I suspect the same would probably be true of the earlier Suikodens.

As for Suikoden V, I think it's fantastic. I'm 22 hours in and I suspect just a little over halfway through with the game.

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The mole town was burnt to the ground and they just joined the HQ.

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I guess it's just hard for me to think there could possibly be another 30 hours of goodness.

I mean, what else could go wrong?

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53 hours and 30 minutes at 4AM this morning, I beat it! Hahaha.

**SPOILER** Jeez, you don't get a save point at the end for about 2 hours straight! *END SPOILER*

Great stuff, perhaps now would be a good time to play through Suiko I and II again. Oh, and like you, Conn, I rushed through it, only picking up around 75 Stars of Destiny. That's my worst ever! I was too emerged into the story to sidequest enough to get all the Stars. Time for another play through.

And yes, I definitely understand what you're saying Wanderer. Your mentioning of nostalgia does play a significant part to my "loyalty" towards the first two of the series. But as I mentioned in a post long before the new boards were in full motion, I think I was one of the few who began playing the series when it started in 1996 and then playing each successive Suikoden during the time of their releases. In other words, this path of playing led me to a more natural love and understanding of the series than one who decides to purchase and play through all the games in a short time span, not conjuring genuine thoughts as a result. However, being an adolescent during the first two made me view the games in a different way than right now. Ahh, so many clashing thoughts in my head...it shouldn't be such a big deal! I always viewed Suikoden as the superior RPG above others like the prevalent Final Fantasy, so my fanatacism of Suikoden controls me periodically. =P

Sadly, I accidentally spoiled myself on an upcoming heartbreaking plot twist so that's one surprise out the window. It's probably for the best. I would have been in complete shock during the cut scene.

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I'd say it's another few hours ahead.

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It's Sialeeds.

I remained unspoiled when I played through II. I'm very glad I did.

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If you remember correctly?

Well, I haven't played the game in about five days... but whenever I do start playing, I don't stop for seven hours. I think that I'll schedule tomorrow to be a Suikoden V day.

Alright, 30 hours in. Wow. This story is simply amazing. I'm really glad because the battles are terrible. This is one of those RPGs where I roll my eyes whenever I get into a battle. Part of the problem are the absurd load times and the other part is that the battles really aren't that interesting. Typical for a Suikoden game, they feel dumbed down to satisfy all of the party combinations.

Still, what's here is captivating. I just got past what was supposedly the "final battle." I knew it wouldn't be that easy. There were some amazing cutscenes too. I cried during one of them.

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Oh, great. I really dislike the army battles so this is a sequence I'm not looking forward to.

The only boss battle I've found to be difficult was the one in the Sindar ruins before you get your HQ. Even that one wasn't as difficult as much as time-consuming. The rest of the battles have been a breeze. However, considering past Suikodens, I expect the final boss to be highly irritating. In fact, I don't think there's a Suikoden out there (except the first) in which I've beaten the final boss.

I like the duels. They're no challenge whatsoever but they sure look cool!

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Ah, blast it. Yet ANOTHER Suikoden final boss with multiple body parts?

Well, for most of the Suikodens, I've asked someone to show me the endings (most recently, III). I don't remember what I did with II. No one I know has beaten that final boss...

Man, Suiko V's final boss...haha. I had to have ended the final boss fight with the SWEETEST move possible! Belcoot launched a double damage hit and performed it twice. Both hits were around 4000 each, so it was an 8000 hit altogether, WOO! All you gotta do is RUNE that bad boy! =P

That's not reassuring...

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39 hours in and I just retook Sol-Falena. I think the strongest attack I've inflicted on an enemy is 1500. Most average attacks hit for 300. My party is quite strong at this point but they're always strong at the end of Suikoden games... until the final bosses.

There can't be much game left. I don't expect it to be longer than 45 hours.

Yeah, you're getting close. But, who knows how, I thought the bosses at the end of every Suikoden were quite easy. With  108 characters to choose from, it shouldn't be that difficult to put together a well-rounded and kick-butt group.

Spoilers****

A powerful mage like Levi or Zerase should aid in restoring health and unleash some devastating magic blows. Believe me, the true runes at the end will rain down hell on that last enemy you face.

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*phew*

Well, I beat it. That was actually a highly suspenseful last two hours. Whoever made the decision of not including a save point before the final boss was nuts. There were three bosses before it that were bitches. I was actually pretty angry because two of my characters died within the first minute of the final battle. Thankfully, I figured out the Dawn Rune has a nifty resurrection spell. That saved my ASS. The rest of the battle wasn't too bad. Just heal often, attack often and use those high powered spells.

The final battle music was a disappointment though. Too quiet and reserved. I had to listen really carefully to even notice it was there.

Great game! The plot didn't completely hold up by the end but it was still quite a ride. Wasn't thrilled with the ending I got but since I didn't get all 108 SoD, I wasn't surprised...

That is "old school" for you.  If you played Final Fantasy 1 on the NES, the last dungeon was the same: no save point at all. 

3 bosses plus a duel, then the final boss.  Mess up the duel and I don't know if you have to start over or not.

Did anybody get all 108 SoD and choose the B ending?  I chose A and thought it was nice and fitting.  Ironically, it is because of the last dungeon with no save point, that I don't really feel like playing it again for the B ending.

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Isn't V the first game where the hero doesn't have a true rune?  Those heroes that leave seems to have true runes, which are considered dangerous.