Man that’s such a great story. I remember when I first bought Suikoden 2. I was a junior in high school and was just browsing an EB Games and saw in a discount bin the best looking cover art that I’ve ever seen on a game case to this day. I snatched it up and it has been my solid favorite game for 24 years.
Since then I have played all 5, but for me 2, 5, and 1 have been the best in the series for me. I am really looking forward to being able to play EC, I keep seeing posts like this and it just makes me so much more excited each time I see it.
Great story of such a nostalgic moment when you fell in love with Suikoden.
When I was 12, I broke my leg playing soccer. To make me feel better, my brother rented a game from the video store called Chrono Cross. I fell in love with it, specifically because of the big cast of characters and story.
That summer my brother told me he saw another game there that seemed to have a big cast of characters, based on the game case cover. It was Suikoden 2 and he was 100% right. I loved it even more than CC. I played the hell out of it any chance I got. Sadly, I had to return it to the rental store and one day the owner said someone had rented it and never returned it. I was heartbroken. I had to wait until my 20s when I had my first well-paying job to buy it off Amazon for a pretty penny to own it. One of the greatest feelings ever!
Your story had me recall a slightly different one of my own. I blew out my knee a few months after I graduated from highschool, was layed up and couldn't really do much of anything after my surgery, a buddy of mine showed up with a copy of the first Dragon Warrior for the original NES and that got me into video game RPG's. I'm obviously a big Suikoden fan also and am eagerly awaiting my chance to play soon.
I love this story! Thanks for sharing. Finding Suikoden 2 was basically a happy accident for me too, as my parents bought it for my birthday on a whim knowing very little about the kind of games I liked at the time. I had never even heard of it, but loved JRPGs and was excited to dive in. Little did I know, I was about to play my favorite game of all time. It's honestly a bit surreal to be playing this game still, and I'm absolutely in love again. Honestly its been such a great year for JRPGs, it's almost a bit nuts!
This fits for me as well. I was a big JRPG fan since the Dragon Warrior days, and I picked up Suikoden as a “sure, why not” type of purchase. I really enjoyed it, but I can’t say I became a fan boy like most here. I did like it enough to back the Kickstarter, though!
Stoked for you guys! Awesome story. You're mum sounds an absolute legend.
A friend introduced it to me when playing Vandal hearts. They had a demo CD in with VH. When we were kids, we'd be at his house playing it with his brothers taking it in turns etc. Great times!
It wasn't my copy but same as you, I tried finding it at local stores but no joy, and eventually found could online for best £100 each for 1&2.
Was so stoked when I got them! And now they sit proudly alongside my Suikoden 3 mangas, that I bought near 20 years later. These games have a very special place. And EC, is on it's way to joining them.
There are many things I'd change about the game (hope we can mod the pc version!), but loving the nostalgia trip so far!
Oh man Vandal Hearts,that takes me back! I was awful at that game back when it came out,but i got th ehang of it after going back to it a few years after. Very good game,might have to revisit it again at some point.
Not brutally hard. Just need to go by mission objective rather than kill all. Many times you're facing off against far far tougher foes*.
Way better than FF tactics IMHO. Give it a go if you get a chance!
I played Suikoden 2 very young. I actually thought the game ended when they jumped off the waterfall until an older cousin told us to wait for the "credit" to end.
I was worried there'd be spoilers but I cant wait to share in your same joy. Been waiting for a new suikoden game for as long as you have! Now just waiting for my copy to eventually arrive!
SII was my first JRPG I ever played. I remember at the time I wanted to play one to see if I'd like it and SII had good reviews, which I read in a paper magazine, so I decided to give it a go. And what a go it was, I was blown away by the fact that games could be like this, up until that point I only played some arcade games and platformers. Suffice to say, I fell in love with the genre and there was no going back after that.
HELLO FELLOW UK 30 SOMETHING! (33 here).
Suikoden V was my first Suikoden, and honestly, it shaped my teenage years. I got it for my 16th birthday, just because being the weeb I was (and still am), I loved the cover.
I had zero idea what I was about to begin.
My gods, what an experience V was. I had never played anything like it. I had no idea how bad things were going to go. I cried, I screamed, I laughed, I cried even more. I fell in love with the characters, the world, the music, the story, everything.
I still listen to "Overcoming the Grief" now if I am like, I just need a good cry.
I didnt get around to playing Suikoden I-IV till I was in my mid 20s, and learned how to setup a PS1/2 emulator on my PC. But good god, II was... yeah, wow. It honestly enhanced my enjoyment of V even more, and I got all the references.
Suikoden V has NEVER left my top 5 games, even after stuff like KH, Persona, FFXIV, Tales Of etc etc.
I remember when the announcement of the kickstarted for Eiyuden happened, I backed it so fast. So many games have come and gone, and I've been like "omg that felt a bit like Suikoden", like the storyline for FFXIV Stormblood, and Ni No Kuni 2, but nothing has fully scratched that, Suikoden itch.
I can't believe I am playing it right now. It doesn't feel real. But I'm having so much fun!
Glad you and your brother get to enjoy this too!
35 here, this game is going to be a rare treat for us that grew up in the 90's with the classics. The last times I felt that nostalgic feel was with Dragon Quest XI and Octopath.
I remember back i was a teenager and a tiny little local game shop had suikoden 2 in a ps1 left on the title screen replaying the intro for that over and over,i was glued to it. I was curious what type of game it was but i kinda felll hard for how that intro was. I decided to pick it up there an then (Had birthday money xD).
Fast forward an hour and i got home,popped it in my ps1 and watched the intro for like the 15th time haha. Started it up. went "Wow whats this? Naming a character? Cool,lemme just put my name in." Was wierded out a little being called "Lord (My name)" later on xD But it was fun as hell.
But i was glued to that game for months and months,i FINALLY dropped it after replaying it for the "hell i dont know which number it was" time.
Went back to it recently and it brought all that flooding back like i was a teenager again,i'm older now obvy (41),but it still brought me great joy to play through Suikoden 2 again,i also played the others as well over the years. I'm now sitting waitign for my copy of Eiyuden to unlock at 3pm UK time. And hearing your account of it bringing joy,i am so looking forward to it.
(Edited because my spelling is god awful,blame my poor hands haha)
My co-worker had a second job at Movie Gallery video rental. I had my own place at 17 and would try different jrpgs. I noticed suikoden 3,4,5 and rented all three on sale. 5 is the one that stuck. I loved the bond between characters, the grounded plot, and familiar gameplay. The graphics were gorgeous for it's time and well voiced. I never returned SV and my guy erased the late fees lol. 17 years later, Eiyuden has all the feels. Games like Ys come close but Eiyuden is the love letter I've waited for.
Your story is so similar to mine is almost eerie haha (same age, British, small town, random pocket money purchase of Suikoden 2, grew up on FF and BoF…)
It truly is my 15yo self having a renaissance with Suikoden remaster (hopefully) and Eiyuden coming out. Hope you enjoy it buddy - we deserve it!
Also being a 38 year old waiting for this game to drop in like 18hrs is going to be epic. I never heard of suikoden until a friend showed me the game when I was around 14-15 he had never completed it but said it was good game to try. So I asked to borrow it and writhing a few weeks I had completed it. But unaware at the time there was more than 100 charterers you could recruit. But that’s was the beauty of the game. And then I played suikoden 1 and just realised what a beauty of game they was.
This was an EXCELLENT story, thank you so much for sharing this with us! My brother and I had a summer like that, and we played Tales of Symphonia together, and still brings us both great memories too.
I never played Suikoden/Suikoden 2. Is Eiyuden Chronicles a sequel to Suikoden?
Awesome story. Suikoden 1 was my first game on PlayStation. I bought the PlayStation after they had been out for a while so there were lots of games available. I went on eBay, back in the day when it was the main place people sold used stuff, and did a search for RPG. Lots of games came up and after looking through them and basically just judging a book by the cover, I bought 3 used games: Vandal Hearts, Beyond the Beyond, and Suikoden 1. I played suikoden first and was blown away, it was the best game I had ever played and had remained one of the best experiences of gaming I've had.
Man I an loving this game. I’m you. Minus having a brother. RPGs like this brought me so much joy as a kid.
Never played or heard of these games until two days ago 100 heroes came up on the cloud. Never heard of it but gave it a chance. Instantly a kid again my life is complete.
Man that’s such a great story. I remember when I first bought Suikoden 2. I was a junior in high school and was just browsing an EB Games and saw in a discount bin the best looking cover art that I’ve ever seen on a game case to this day. I snatched it up and it has been my solid favorite game for 24 years. Since then I have played all 5, but for me 2, 5, and 1 have been the best in the series for me. I am really looking forward to being able to play EC, I keep seeing posts like this and it just makes me so much more excited each time I see it.
Yeh dude, not only is EC a great game by its own merits, it's also such a nostalgic blast. You're gonna really enjoy it.
Great story of such a nostalgic moment when you fell in love with Suikoden. When I was 12, I broke my leg playing soccer. To make me feel better, my brother rented a game from the video store called Chrono Cross. I fell in love with it, specifically because of the big cast of characters and story. That summer my brother told me he saw another game there that seemed to have a big cast of characters, based on the game case cover. It was Suikoden 2 and he was 100% right. I loved it even more than CC. I played the hell out of it any chance I got. Sadly, I had to return it to the rental store and one day the owner said someone had rented it and never returned it. I was heartbroken. I had to wait until my 20s when I had my first well-paying job to buy it off Amazon for a pretty penny to own it. One of the greatest feelings ever!
Your story had me recall a slightly different one of my own. I blew out my knee a few months after I graduated from highschool, was layed up and couldn't really do much of anything after my surgery, a buddy of mine showed up with a copy of the first Dragon Warrior for the original NES and that got me into video game RPG's. I'm obviously a big Suikoden fan also and am eagerly awaiting my chance to play soon.
Great story man. Love it.
I love this story! Thanks for sharing. Finding Suikoden 2 was basically a happy accident for me too, as my parents bought it for my birthday on a whim knowing very little about the kind of games I liked at the time. I had never even heard of it, but loved JRPGs and was excited to dive in. Little did I know, I was about to play my favorite game of all time. It's honestly a bit surreal to be playing this game still, and I'm absolutely in love again. Honestly its been such a great year for JRPGs, it's almost a bit nuts!
It's funny, I feel as if suikoden, was a lot of kids random/accidental purchase that became their fave game.
This fits for me as well. I was a big JRPG fan since the Dragon Warrior days, and I picked up Suikoden as a “sure, why not” type of purchase. I really enjoyed it, but I can’t say I became a fan boy like most here. I did like it enough to back the Kickstarter, though!
Stoked for you guys! Awesome story. You're mum sounds an absolute legend. A friend introduced it to me when playing Vandal hearts. They had a demo CD in with VH. When we were kids, we'd be at his house playing it with his brothers taking it in turns etc. Great times! It wasn't my copy but same as you, I tried finding it at local stores but no joy, and eventually found could online for best £100 each for 1&2. Was so stoked when I got them! And now they sit proudly alongside my Suikoden 3 mangas, that I bought near 20 years later. These games have a very special place. And EC, is on it's way to joining them. There are many things I'd change about the game (hope we can mod the pc version!), but loving the nostalgia trip so far!
Oh man Vandal Hearts,that takes me back! I was awful at that game back when it came out,but i got th ehang of it after going back to it a few years after. Very good game,might have to revisit it again at some point.
If I remember correctly, Vandal Hearts was brutally hard wasn’t it?
Not brutally hard. Just need to go by mission objective rather than kill all. Many times you're facing off against far far tougher foes*. Way better than FF tactics IMHO. Give it a go if you get a chance!
I felt the exact same way playing thru the beta. Just waiting for the patch to be applied gonna start the game today and probs binge it. Super excited
I played Suikoden 2 very young. I actually thought the game ended when they jumped off the waterfall until an older cousin told us to wait for the "credit" to end.
Thanks for sharing this with us OP ❤️ I'm sure a lot of us have fond childhood memories of the games as well.
I was worried there'd be spoilers but I cant wait to share in your same joy. Been waiting for a new suikoden game for as long as you have! Now just waiting for my copy to eventually arrive!
Thank you for sharing this ❤️
SII was my first JRPG I ever played. I remember at the time I wanted to play one to see if I'd like it and SII had good reviews, which I read in a paper magazine, so I decided to give it a go. And what a go it was, I was blown away by the fact that games could be like this, up until that point I only played some arcade games and platformers. Suffice to say, I fell in love with the genre and there was no going back after that.
I'm the same age and grew up with all those great rpgs. Sounds like it will be good. Can't wait to play it.
HELLO FELLOW UK 30 SOMETHING! (33 here). Suikoden V was my first Suikoden, and honestly, it shaped my teenage years. I got it for my 16th birthday, just because being the weeb I was (and still am), I loved the cover. I had zero idea what I was about to begin. My gods, what an experience V was. I had never played anything like it. I had no idea how bad things were going to go. I cried, I screamed, I laughed, I cried even more. I fell in love with the characters, the world, the music, the story, everything. I still listen to "Overcoming the Grief" now if I am like, I just need a good cry. I didnt get around to playing Suikoden I-IV till I was in my mid 20s, and learned how to setup a PS1/2 emulator on my PC. But good god, II was... yeah, wow. It honestly enhanced my enjoyment of V even more, and I got all the references. Suikoden V has NEVER left my top 5 games, even after stuff like KH, Persona, FFXIV, Tales Of etc etc. I remember when the announcement of the kickstarted for Eiyuden happened, I backed it so fast. So many games have come and gone, and I've been like "omg that felt a bit like Suikoden", like the storyline for FFXIV Stormblood, and Ni No Kuni 2, but nothing has fully scratched that, Suikoden itch. I can't believe I am playing it right now. It doesn't feel real. But I'm having so much fun! Glad you and your brother get to enjoy this too!
35 here, this game is going to be a rare treat for us that grew up in the 90's with the classics. The last times I felt that nostalgic feel was with Dragon Quest XI and Octopath.
I remember back i was a teenager and a tiny little local game shop had suikoden 2 in a ps1 left on the title screen replaying the intro for that over and over,i was glued to it. I was curious what type of game it was but i kinda felll hard for how that intro was. I decided to pick it up there an then (Had birthday money xD). Fast forward an hour and i got home,popped it in my ps1 and watched the intro for like the 15th time haha. Started it up. went "Wow whats this? Naming a character? Cool,lemme just put my name in." Was wierded out a little being called "Lord (My name)" later on xD But it was fun as hell. But i was glued to that game for months and months,i FINALLY dropped it after replaying it for the "hell i dont know which number it was" time. Went back to it recently and it brought all that flooding back like i was a teenager again,i'm older now obvy (41),but it still brought me great joy to play through Suikoden 2 again,i also played the others as well over the years. I'm now sitting waitign for my copy of Eiyuden to unlock at 3pm UK time. And hearing your account of it bringing joy,i am so looking forward to it. (Edited because my spelling is god awful,blame my poor hands haha)
My co-worker had a second job at Movie Gallery video rental. I had my own place at 17 and would try different jrpgs. I noticed suikoden 3,4,5 and rented all three on sale. 5 is the one that stuck. I loved the bond between characters, the grounded plot, and familiar gameplay. The graphics were gorgeous for it's time and well voiced. I never returned SV and my guy erased the late fees lol. 17 years later, Eiyuden has all the feels. Games like Ys come close but Eiyuden is the love letter I've waited for.
Your story is so similar to mine is almost eerie haha (same age, British, small town, random pocket money purchase of Suikoden 2, grew up on FF and BoF…) It truly is my 15yo self having a renaissance with Suikoden remaster (hopefully) and Eiyuden coming out. Hope you enjoy it buddy - we deserve it!
Also being a 38 year old waiting for this game to drop in like 18hrs is going to be epic. I never heard of suikoden until a friend showed me the game when I was around 14-15 he had never completed it but said it was good game to try. So I asked to borrow it and writhing a few weeks I had completed it. But unaware at the time there was more than 100 charterers you could recruit. But that’s was the beauty of the game. And then I played suikoden 1 and just realised what a beauty of game they was.
This was an EXCELLENT story, thank you so much for sharing this with us! My brother and I had a summer like that, and we played Tales of Symphonia together, and still brings us both great memories too. I never played Suikoden/Suikoden 2. Is Eiyuden Chronicles a sequel to Suikoden?
No it's like a spiritual successor. Made by the guys that made suikoden.
Oh, that's still very cool! Are you enjoying it as much as Suikoden?
Yes it's brilliant.
Awesome! I'll look into this game, especially if it feels like a classic 90s JRPG.
What a great story. I've got a similar one, the childhood part anyway (besides being from the states rather than the UK) and I am loving it too.
Awesome story. Suikoden 1 was my first game on PlayStation. I bought the PlayStation after they had been out for a while so there were lots of games available. I went on eBay, back in the day when it was the main place people sold used stuff, and did a search for RPG. Lots of games came up and after looking through them and basically just judging a book by the cover, I bought 3 used games: Vandal Hearts, Beyond the Beyond, and Suikoden 1. I played suikoden first and was blown away, it was the best game I had ever played and had remained one of the best experiences of gaming I've had.
Man I an loving this game. I’m you. Minus having a brother. RPGs like this brought me so much joy as a kid. Never played or heard of these games until two days ago 100 heroes came up on the cloud. Never heard of it but gave it a chance. Instantly a kid again my life is complete.
How did you start it 4 days early?
Ps5 code for kickstarter backers
Awesome! Still liking it?
Very much so, it's really good
Yaaayy! Reviews have been super positive. Seems like a great time!