Suikoden III
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Suikoden III (Gensosuikoden III) | |
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Developer(s) | Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo |
Publisher(s) | Konami |
Release date(s) | 11 July 2002 22 October 2002 |
Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
Mode(s) | Single player |
Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Media | 1 DVD-ROM |
Suikoden III (Japanese: 幻想水滸伝, /geŋsoː sʉikodeɱ/) is the sequel to Konami's PlayStation RPG Suikoden. It is a RPG for the Sony PlayStation 2. The game begins with a conflict between the Grasslands folk and the Zexen Knights. Later, the Harmonians arrive, wreaking havoc. The perennial enemies must team up together to fight off the Harmonians.
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[edit] General plot structure
The game, unlike its predecessors Suikoden I and II, deviates from the point of view of one hero and instead relates the story from three different characters: Hugo of the Karaya Clan (a Grasslander), Chris Lightfellow of the Zexen Knights, and Geddoe of the Harmonian Southern Frontier Defense Force. Players can play the first part of the game through the view point of Hugo, Chris, or Geddoe by using the novel Trinity Sight System (TSS). The TSS allows three chronological chapters per character, each chapter relating a certain event the character experienced during the Grassland-Zexen conflict. Players can save after every chapter and have the ability to switch characters and point of view after the end of each chapter.
[edit] Hugo's point of view
Hugo is one of the three main characters you watch in Suikoden III. His part in the game is that of the Karaya Clan Chief's son and an initial supporter of Grassland in the Grassland-Zexen conflict (IS 475).
Hugo fills the role of "Boy adventurer" prerequisite in many Japanese RPGs, and as a young male in his teens, is the closest in age and gender to the heroes of the first two Suikodens. Due to Suikoden III's structure, he is still not the main character- but rather, aptly represents the flames and desires of adolescence and youth, in stark contrast to the stately Chris or the older Geddoe. It is generally advised to follow Hugo's path first, as it is both easiest (Hugo always has Fubar and Sgt. Joe with him, whereas Geddoe and Chris in particular may lose companions often) and can get the player familiar with the game's structure very quickly.
In contrast to the powerful, well-balanced Geddoe and the warrior Chris, Hugo is a more classic "Thief" type character- he equips a knife that does moderate damage and he is fairly decent at Rune magic, but he is incredibly fast, often getting the first turn, and most importantly he has a very high Evade rate, to the point where most enemy attacks simply miss him.
[edit] Chris's point of view
Chris Lightfellow is the Captain of the Zexen Knights. Respected and revered as a hero, she is known as the 'Silver Maiden'. While she is dedicated to protecting her country and people, Chris finds herself increasingly frustrated with the Zexen Council, disagreeing with their methods. This dilemma only worsens as the conflict with the Grassland clans worsens, and she comes to regret certain actions.
Chris' storyline is much more personal than Hugo's; whereas Hugo is just caught up in the sweep of events and goes along with them, Chris is actually in a position of power (noted by the fact that she starts at a higher level than either Hugo or Geddoe). She is the instigator of events and not a follower of them. Chris also goes through somewhat more emotional trouble than Hugo, as she experiences a wide variety of lives outside Zexen; Hugo, who never visits Zexen territories and never really meets the people he hates, experiences only anger throughout his storyline, while Chris must come to terms with the very people she has been fighting.
[edit] Geddoe's point of view
Geddoe is the leader of the 12th Frontier Defense Force, otherwise known as border guards. He is a mercenary under the employ of Harmonia. His team consists of four others, Queen, Ace, Joker, and Jacques. A Karayan girl, Aila, also joins unofficially with them after her village is destroyed. Geddoe is the bearer of the True Lightning Rune, and not only aided the Flame Champion and the Fire Bringer from 50 years ago, but he also helped aid in the Flame Champion's escape after he was captured. He is much older than he looks, and knows a great deal about the unfolding events. He does not, however, divulge his information. His team prefers to remain enigmatic, hence their usage of aliases.
[edit] Budehuc/Lake Castle
As the players advance in the game, a storyline is unlocked with a youth named Thomas as its focus. After a visit from his illegitimate son Thomas, Lowma desires to rid himself of Thomas. Lowma, a Zexen Council member, appoints Thomas as the master of a rundown castle. After encountering some of the castle residents, such as Cecile and Muto, Thomas learns that his party cannot pay to keep the castle running. Therefore, Thomas decides to rent out land to potential store owners in order to earn money and promote commerce. A large number of these store owners are among the recruitable stars of destiny.
[edit] Importance of the 108 Stars
As with all Suikoden games, players are expected to meet and recruit up to 108 significant people (known as the 108 Stars of Destiny) in order to fully stop the conflict. However many "Stars" are recruited affects the ending and any special bonuses of the game. In Suikoden III, as the player meets certain 108 Stars of Destiny, the Trinity Sight System can unlock up to three other characters' points of view, each adding more complexity into the entire story.
[edit] Notable Achievements
Gamespot's RPG of the Year - 2002
[edit] New Features
- Theater
You can get 4 (5 if you load data from just Suikoden II, or 6 if you load data from Suikoden II containing a save from Suikoden I) script from many source, and give it to Nadir, in the bar after you recruited him. And you can choose the cast for the script. If you perform well, you will get some potch from Nadir. The scripts are:
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- William Tell
- The Little Match Girl
- He Cries Wolf
- Romeo and Juliet
- The Imperial Love from Suikoden II (contained in a save from Suikoden I)
- Neclord's End from Suikoden II
[edit] External links
Suikoden series by Konami |
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Suikoden | Suikoden II | Suikoden III | Suikoden IV | Suikoden V |
Spinoffs and related games |
Genso Suikogaiden Vol. 1 | Genso Suikogaiden Vol. 2 | Card Stories | Suikoden Tactics |
Compilations |
Genso Suikoden I&II |
Characters |
108 Stars of Destiny | Notable Suikoden characters (non-SoD) | Other characters |
Misc |
27 True Runes | Geography |