suikoden
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Suikoden spiritual successor 'Eiyuden Chronicle' hits crowdfunding goal
Suikoden spiritual successor Eiyuden Chronicle is well on its way to raising $1 million, at which point developer Rabbit & Bear has said it will also release the game on consoles.
The Banner Saga, Suikoden 1&2, Resident Evil: Revelations 2, more coming to Vita
The Vita got plenty of love during the PlayStation Experience keynote, as ports for Octodad: Dadliest Catch, Resident Evil: Revelations 2, The Banner Saga, Suikoden 1 and 2, Super Time Force Ultra and Towerfall Ascension (and its expansion) are all on the way to Sony's handheld. Both Suikoden games will arrive next week on Vita (as well as PS3), and Resident Evil: Revelations 2 will launch in the spring of 2015. A Vita version of Drinkbox Studios' Severed was also announced during the PlayStation Experience keynote, joining ports of Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions and Bastion (which is also going to PS4) that were announced earlier in the show.
The delightful smoothness of classic Japanese role-playing games
This week, Rowan Kaiser and Kat Bailey have switched roles -- with Rowan taking lead in this week's column focusing on the wonderful world of Japanese role-playing games. I was only defeated once in Suikoden. Even that was an accident – I thought it was a fight I was supposed to lose. Calling the game "easy" is something of an understatement. With a little bit of planning, you can win virtually every fight in the game, including the final boss battle on auto-pilot using the "Free Will" option in the combat menu. Yet, despite this easiness, Suikoden is one of my favorite Japanese role-playing games. "Easy" isn't the right term for it exactly. Instead, Suikoden is smooth."Smoothness" isn't a common criteria used to judge games. If anything, it's the opposite. Getting the difficulty level just right, so that the game seems like a challenge but is completable with practice, seems like it's an ideal. Or, you can use Sid Meier's model of games as "interesting choices" – but if the game isn't challenging, those choices don't seem to matter, right? I think acceptance theories like those are part of the reason that Japanese role-playing games are considered less important than they used to be.
PSN's classic JRPGs: What holds up?
This is a column by Jason Schreier dedicated to the analysis (and occasional mocking) of his favorite genre, the Japanese role-playing game. Whether it's because they're too antiquated or just too niche, he believes JRPGs don't get enough attention in the gaming industry today. It's time to change that. "Hey Jason," you say, an innocent twinkle in your eye. "I've never played any old-school JRPGs. Where should I start? Which are the best ones? Do any of them hold up in 2011?" Excellent questions, my hypothetical friend. There are plenty of ways to get your paws on the classics, but it can be tough for newbies to tell exactly which ones are worth playing. You could try asking a more experienced JRPG fan, but he might be too blinded by nostalgia to discern whether or not his favorite game has aged well. So to help you sort through the chaos, I'll be delving back into a whole bunch of old JRPGs over the next couple of weeks. I'll spend about 30-60 minutes with each one -- certainly not enough time to properly review a game, but enough to get a feel for whether it holds up today, and how it compares to my memories of it. Today we'll start with the PlayStation Store, a veritable treasure trove of classic JRPGs.
New Suikoden title coming to PSP
Konami announced a new Suikoden installment coming to PSP, Genso Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki, at Tokyo Game Show today. The new title has a website, trailer and Twitter account, one of which you can watch right here. You could watch the other two if you really wanted to, but we doubt they would have as many epic anime eyeball close-ups as the above trailer. No word yet on pricing, gameplay, developer details or a release date, but that trailer should keep you occupied until more information emerges -- if it starts to get boring, make a game out of it. Every time a dramatically zoomed-in facial features fills the screen, take a shot of Sailor Jerry (or milk, as your age and country restrictions permit). The months will fly by.
Konami registers 'Genso Suikoden' in US
Late last week, Konami registered the title Genso Suikoden with the United States Patent and Trademark office. While no further details are available, the filing may be one of many different possibilities: a new game in the series (known simply as Suikoden in North America), a remake of the original Suikoden or a US release of the poor-selling Japan-only PSP compilation, which included slightly enhanced versions of Suikoden I & II.The nearly 15 year old series has been getting quite a push from Konami in recent months. In late 2008, Konami released the original PlayStation version of Suikoden on the PlayStation Network, while the Nintendo DS received the latest game in the series -- Suikoden Tierkreis -- in March.[Via Superannuation]
Suikoden Tierkreis pre-order customers obtain not-so rare bonuses
Pre-ordering Suikoden Tierkreis will net gamers the not-so rare combo of an art book and soundtrack at Amazon or GameStop. Tierkreis (the German word for Zodiac) is another in a long line of Suikoden role-playing titles from publisher Konami, this time offering players a unique online experience. The mode allows Tierkreis players to trade items and characters and battle exclusive online monsters to obtain rare (phat) loots. Suikoden Tierkreis hits the Nintendo DS on March 17. Seriously, few things entice consumers like the art book / soundtrack combo. If only the rest of the competitive retail world realized bundling collectible tchotchkes could drive more business, we'd always pre-order our beer.[Via Go Nintendo]
Grab 108 friends to watch this new Suikoden: Tierkreis trailer
Konami's new trailer for Suikoden: Tierkreis does an excellent job of making the handheld RPG look epic and exciting, mixing dynamic animated scenes with in-game battle footage -- even if the narrator does totally murder the pronunciation of the title. The accompanying press release offers a bit more detail about the unique online mode in the sequel. Players will be able to visit other players' games via Wi-Fi, using the in-game "door to the Infinity." They can then be hired by their host players to help with quests, dividing up the experience at the end.Konami calls the game "the fight of your life," but the company has the fight of its life coming up March 17, when it releases Tierkreis in North America on the RPG-overloaded DS.%Gallery-32053%
PS1 classic Suikoden now available on the US PSN Store
Just one new item on the US PSN Store today, but it's a good'n. If you're an RPG fan and a retrophile then you'll no doubt be thrilled with the release of Suikoden onto the PSN Store. This great (if schizophrenic) JRPG will set you back $5.99. It's a pretty rare find nowadays, so it's good to see that it's being made available via digital distribution. This is how it should be; PS1 classics preserved in time via the PlayStation Network. Real classics. Not Reel Fishing.
Konami casts new Suikoden screens
Say a warm "O HAI" to another eighteen screens of Suikoden Tierkreis. The 3D work in Konami's title might struggle to match the likes of, say, Phantasy Star Zero, but it still looks lovely. Commence gawking here!A quick recap of this, in case it slipped your mind: you play as one of 108 heroes. All 108 are attempting to slay the main antagonist, "The One King," and each works independently of the others. Every hero will be fully interactive, and can be recruited to your party, which is limited to four characters at a time.There's also a promising online mode planned for the March release, and ... some not-so-promising voice-acting (make the jump to see what we mean).%Gallery-33395%
Suikoden Tierkreis getting localized with a quickness
Konami is wasting no time in bringing us grateful westerners Genso Suikoden Tierkreis. Siliconera's Spencer was informed by a representative of Konami's North American arm that localization was already underway, and that the U.S. would see the difficult-to-pronounce RPG in "early 2009,″ which Spencer took to mean Q1 2009. We should have all wrapped up Chrono Trigger by then, right?What we probably won't get are the incredibly expensive two special editions of the game, which will be available from Konami's Japanese online store. For ¥10,550 ($104), the Konami Style special edition (as seen here) will include the game, an artbook, the original soundtrack, a book cover, a bookmark, and a drama CD. The second bundle will throw in all of that and Genso Suikoden Volume 1 and Volume 2 drama CDs, a 2009 calendar, and a set of four cards, and will set you back ¥19,200 ($190!). Two for the fans, we think.%Gallery-33395%
Konami unleashes 'Suikoden: Tierkreis' for DS
For those of us who thought Konami had shown it all, boy were we wrong! From out of nowhere, the company whipped out a new Suikoden game today, exclusive to DS, drawing the attention of handheld role-players everywhere. Suikoden: Tierkreis, while not the easiest title to pronounce, is easily in the running for the best Konami has to offer this holiday (unless you're a soccer fan -- or just a sucker, man).Series veterans will be pleased to know that Tierkreis "again follows the story of the 108 Stars of Destiny as they challenge the almighty One King, who intends to create chaos in the universe." (Everyone else, well, we think you get the gist: gang of heroes takes on one, big baddie.) But the most intriguing aspect of Tierkreis is an online mode that let's you entrust characters to other players over the Nintendo WiFi Connection, essentially leaving the grinding up to a complete stranger. "This provides a new way to level up your characters, which helps create a sense of community." What's that? You fancy yourself a loner, you say? Well then, fancy leveling up 108 characters all by yourself! %Gallery-32053%
Suikoden: Tierkreis to feature 'rich' online experience
We've got roughly a gazillion RPGs to look forward to on the DS, and Genso Suikoden: Tierkreis is near the top of the pile. The game was first revealed last month in Famitsu, but since then an official site has opened (though is not exactly bulging with content yet, aside from the occasional character profile, as seen above) and Konami has dropped further details on the title.The meat of the new press release is the news that Suikoden: Tierkreis will feature all-new online elements, which (Konami hopes) will spawn a "rich online community." How does it work? Apparently, players will be able to dispatch their characters on quests that other members of the community will then complete for them, before their character is returned to their party with new equipment, abilities and treasures. Make that two forthcoming DS RPGs with awesome online modes![Via press release]
Suikoden Tierkreis: the beloved RPG series comes to DS
Genso Suikoden Tierkreis is a new entry or spinoff in Konami's Suikoden series ("Tierkreis" is German for "Zodiac"). The name showed up in a trademark registration recently, but the platform was unknown until now. Take that, other platforms, we've got this one!This game uses a similar look to the Final Fantasy remakes: chibi-ish 3D characters on lovely, detailed backgrounds. The story is wildly different from other Suikodens, starting as the assembled crew of 108 heroes is already in combat with the villain, and all but four are defeated. Your job is to gather the group again. As if Dragon Quest IX didn't already seal the deal, it seems fairly clear that the DS is the platform for RPGs this generation.[Via NeoGAF]
Suikoden title trademarked, but will it appear on PSP?
Normally, we'd slap a Suikoden story under the main PlayStation console, since all the other games have hit there. However, if you remember a while back, we caught wind that Suikoden VI was listed and removed as a PSP title. Now it appears Konami has trademarked a new title for a Suikoden game -- Tierkreis. This is German for "Zodiac", but it is unknown if this has any bearing to the game itself. Is this Suikoden VI? Is it the same one listed as for the PSP? Or is it the oft-rumored Suikoden 1 and 2 collection on its way to the PSP? Time will tell, but until we have more than a trademarked name, this is all speculation.
Suikoden VI listed, then removed, as a PSP title
German news site GameFront recently posted an interesting story regarding the listing of Suikoden VI for the PSP on a retailer's website. The story has been roughly translated on the NeoGAF forums. The retailer was in Japan and the entry has been removed -- but the rumors live on. Is Konami hard at work on Suikoden VI and moving the series onto the PSP? Or was it a clerical error and should have read PS3? Either way, until Konami makes a statement, we'll have to wait and see if anything comes up at E3 or the Tokyo Game Show.
ESRB rating points to Suikoden on US PSN
An ESRB rating for Suikoden has surfaced suggesting that the oft-revered RPG could become digital distribution content for the North American PSN. Re-rated as a PS3 and PSP title, it seems that there's something definitely in the works; however, as Siliconera points out, other Konami titles like Castlevania Chronicles have been rated in the past but have yet seen a release. It could be a long time (or never) before we see this classic on anything other than a PS1 disc.Hopefully this does come into fruition. It was quite disappointing that the PSP pack Suikoden I + II didn't see release outside Japan. So, if the game does come out on the PSN, North American PSP gamers will finally be able to take Suikoden on the go.
Promotional Consideration: Behind the boxart
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.We spend a lot of time analyzing boxart, partly because many consumers are first introduced to a game by its cover, and partly because we're people with odd interests. We've brought in designer and illustrator Julie Giles to give us some insight on the packaging process. Julie has worked with Konami to lay out the covers for titles in the Castlevania and Metal Gear series. She also helped put together the award-winning Castlevania 20th Anniversary package, arguably the finest preorder offering for a Nintendo DS release.Are you ever curious about how your favorite boxart pieces were put together? Or what decisions influenced a particular cover's look? Read on for our interview!
Rumor: Suikoden VI in the works for Wii
Take this one with a sandbox full of salt, because it's roughly a third-generation rumor. In the NeoGAF thread about the PS2 port of Gundam Musou (poor PS3), poster Jonnyram reported that some 2ch posters reported that the latest Jump magazine reported that Konami is planning Suikoden VI for the Wii.If this is true, we would be really surprised it would obviously be a boon to the Wii, which is still lacking in established Japanese RPGs. The Suikoden series, loosely based on a historical Chinese novel, has long been a favorite of, well, people willing to pay $255 for a PlayStation game. The main series has appeared on the PlayStation and the PS2, with other releases (a card game and a port of the first two games) on the GBA and PSP.This isn't the first time such a wacky rumor has appeared on GAF. Just over a year ago, remarks from the series' producer caused some posters to speculate (wildly) that the next game would show up on Wii. A year and like a billion consoles sold later, it doesn't sound so wacky.
Castlevania: Poster of Awesome
Okay, so you think you're cool because you got the preorder bonus package with your copy of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. Well, you're right. You are cool, and we are jealous.But here's a Portrait of Ruin promotional item that we can all covet together. This poster comes with the soundtrack CD, and features art from Suikoden character designer Fumi Ishikawa that we wish had been used in the game. Oh, and about the actual item this poster is included with-- did we mention that the actual Portrait of Ruin music is amazing? We almost forgot about that part.This poster is only being included with the first shipment of CDs, and, of course, this package is only available in Japan. We grudgingly accept that; our wallets ill need a drain such as a $21 CD.
