Suikoden Tactics -- Final Opinion.

I have completed Suikoden Tactics with a total time of forty-two hours and thirty-six minutes. The story of Suikoden Tactics turns out to be one of its strongest assets, but only for those who have played Suikoden IV. If Suikoden IV's story seems small and tightly told in comparison to the others in the series, there is a good reason for that as it really is half the story. The other half of the story of the Island Nations and the Kooluk Empire is told in Suikoden Tactics. Suikoden Tactics starts up around the same time that the hero of Suikoden IV and Snowe are doing their Furball patrol in the back streets of Razril and goes all the way through what happens after the war between the Kooluk Empire and the Island Nations. It tells a rather mean story that further explains what the Rune Cannons are that feature so prominently in Suikoden IV. It reveals the horrifying secret behind them, and it goes on to deftly bring in the Scarlet Moon Empire from the original Suikoden, so that the entire series is connected. Suikoden Tactics is a rather interesting tale that isn't the standard for the genre. On the surface it's politics and intrigue as in any Suikoden title, but there is a lot there for those wanting something new or different. I can't imagine what I would make of this story having not played Suikoden IV.  It seems to me one would be missing so much from not having played the other game. Most of the characters you can recruit come from Suikoden IV's 108 Stars of Destiny. They come with all the baggage established in Suikoden IV. You know their relationships and their histories. All of the little bits between characters referencing the events the previous game would come off as seemingly random bits of character development without getting the references. A lot of the charm would be gone. As I stated in previous entries Suikoden Tactics brings an interesting new system to the genre and it also brings along a couple of flaws. The graphics are actually really good for the PS2 and the genre. The music is classic Suikoden stuff. The controls are workhorse and functional. I don't think you can do much with them considering the genre. I enjoy the Vandal Hearts functionality in the menu based towns. The optional quests in the quest guild help to round out and give flavor to the world if you so wanted. Otherwise you can just go from story battle to story battle and streamline the game. There is a ton of optional stuff to see and do. The game will make you want to pull your hair out at times, but that comes with the genre to a degree.  I'm giving Suikoden Tactics an 8. I don't know what's next up, I just know it's not going to be Suikoden V. I need a little break from Suikoden.