Suikoden 3
The Flame Champion

Review by Chi Phan

One of the most underated rpg series is without a doubt the Suikoden series. Suikoden 1 was one of the earliest rpg game that didn't feature any cutting edge graphics or gameplay. What Suikoden 1 did provide was a moving and touching storyline that brought die hard loyal fans to it's userbase. You're looking at one of them. As the Playstation life span started to grow. So did the need for rpgs. Word quickly started to spread about Suikoden. To this date, trying to find a copy of Suikoden 1 is just not possible. Not many fans are willing to give up their copy. When Suikoden 2 was release during the mid life span of the Playstation, it drew in new fans that missed out on the first Suikoden. Unlike most sequels, Suikoden 2 did something that most sequel didn't. One, a direct sequel that uses the previous save game file from the first game to load up. This allowed gamers to access some key story scene sequence and access to characters from the first game. This was the Playstation first true direct sequel. The Second was the fact that unlike most sequels, the game kept everything the same. It didn't improve on the graphics, gameplay or anything like that. It squarely put the emphasis on the story. These days, you would notice that each sequel or next installment of a new game in a series always have newer graphics and bigger gameplay but yet the story isn't as good. This is why this series appeal to the old school rpgers. Many core traditional rpg gamers quickly put the Suikoden series at the top of the list. To this date, Suikoden isn't the most popular series base on sales compare to other rpg sales but it's one where it has a loyal fan base that would rival the Final Fantasy loyal fans. But that was then and this is now. With the next generation of console wars underway and the Playstation 2 the now system, Konami decided to do a fresh and clean start on Suikoden series but yet still keep that direct sequel element. How do they do this? By improving the overall graphics to use the Playstation 2 engine, improved in gameplay with 3-D environment, and start the third installment 15 years ahead of Suikoden 2. Thus introducing new characters and leaving behind many characters from the previous 2 Suikoden games. A new beginning. But is this a good new beginning? That is the question.

Legend of the Past A New War Suikoden 3 starts off with the clans of the grasslands and the Zexen nation forming a treaty after years of war with one another. During the treaty process, things went bad as the Lizard Clan leader was assassinated by what appears to be by the hands of the Zexen knights. Angry by this betrayal during the peace signing, the Clans of the grasslands started attacking the Zexen knights who claims innocent to the assassination. As war broke out across the Grasslands causing chaos and disordered, the powerful country of Holy Harmonia took upon this situation to begin their campaign to conquer the Grasslands again. With the threat of Harmonia approaching the Grasslands, rumours of the re-emergence the Fire Champion began to surface. You see, over 50 years ago, Holy Harmonia was on a war campaign to conquer the entire Grasslands. They were pretty successful too until an unlikely young hero leading a small band of fighters calling themselve the Fire Bringers started to gathered all the Clans of the Grassland into one strong resistant force against the Kingdom of Harmonia. This young hero soon became a legend called the Flame Champion cause he possessed the true fire rune. Since the great battle between the Grasslands and Holy Harmonia ended 50 years ago, tales of the Flame Champion became fairy tales. That was then and this is now. Holy Harmonia is once again a major threat and all is lost unless the Flame Champion reappears. Where is the Flame Champion and who is the Flame Champion? That's for you to find out as you journey deeper into the storyline. Suikoden 3 story is pretty complete and much longer than the previous Suikoden stories. One of the reason for that is that it uses a Trinity Sight system. See, during the first 3 chapters of the story, the story gives us an insight or point of view from 3 different potential main hero. They are Chris, Hugo, and Geddoe. Now this is new to the Suikoden series but not new to the rpg genre at all. Different point of views have been done before. Kartia and Star Ocean 2 are 2 rpgs that comes to mind off the top of my head. It's still one big story overrall but inorder for the gamer to get a glimpse of the entire story background, they will need to play all 3 different scenarios. For example, you can be playing Chris scenario and during that scenario, something happen at the other end of the battlefield involving Hugo but you won't know what's going on unless you play Hugo scenario. By playing all the scenarios, you will get the big picture of the entire plot and sub-plots. Unfortunately, getting the big overall picture on the story doesn't necessary mean that it's a great story. The story is very detail and everything but in the end, I just wasn't moved by it. The one thing that past Suikoden stories have is that each one have an emotional touching storyline that moved the gamers emotionally. Here, I wasn't too interested in the story at all. The tale of the Flame Champion fail to capture me to the point where I should cared about the Flame Champion and who is he. I just really wasn't interested in the Flame Champion and his adventures at all. It would've been better if they had gotten McDohl instead of the Flame Champion. Lack of key emotional defining moment is another problem. There's only two and that involves HugoS friend and a young victim. That's not all, the story fail to have that one good hero. I'm sorry to say but Chris, Geddoe, and Hugo fail to capture my imagination as the true hero for Suikoden 3. I just wasn't moved by them or really cared much for them. Lastly I didn't like the use of 108 stars in this game. It seems like with each new Suikoden game, the meaning of the 108 stars seem to be deteriating. In Suikoden 1, the 108 stars are members of your rebel forces where you have to recruit to fight against the evil empire of the Toran Republic. That's fine. It gives meaning to the point of recruiting 108 stars or the reason to recruit 108 stars. In Suikoden 2, the meaning of 108 stars became a little bit less clear but you pretty much figured out that you are recruiting the 108 stars to fight with Flik and Vitkor group. Here the 108 stars in Suikoden 3 literally have no meaning. For three third of the game, you are recruiting people for the only purpose of having them open up shops at some guy's castle. How demeaning is that when you go from asking people to join your rebel alliance to fight against the evil Toran Empire to asking people if they like to go to Lake Castle to open up shops there. That's what it is in this game. 108 star really have no meaning in this game. Another case in point, 108 stars are members that make up your party or at least joined your party for a cause when you ask them. Here you have some members that have died even before they joined your cause and yet they end up as one of the stars. That's not right. You also have bad guys as 108 stars? Say what? How can you have bad guys as one of the stars. The whole meaning of the 108 stars took a dive in this game. This is probably one of the most thing that annoyed me about this Suikoden and makes me say that it's not really a Suikoden game. The whole story is missing that Suikoden feeling to it that makes Suikoden special. And in the end, the story isn't special at all. I find it to be a little above average. If there's going to be a Suikoden 4 then I hope to see that great Suikoden touch in the storyline.

The Mighty 6 Xezen Knights In terms of quantity, Suikoden 3 owns all. LOL. Hey, how many games out there will give you up to 108 characters for party members? Not a whole lot, if any at all. So quantity is there. Now for quality of key good characters with good developement out of the 108 characters feature in the game? Not a whole lot. But that's not surprising. You really can't focus much character developement for all 108 characters. Only the key ones. The difference now is that unlike the first 2 Suikoden games, this game feature 3 key characters. This time the heroes in this game all speak and have their own personalities and dialogue. Before the main hero which the player controls wouldn't say a word. Now the heroes in the game do speak their own words and interact within the storyline. The main characters that the gamers will control are Hugo, Geddeo, and Chris. Since the game uses a Trinity Sight system, you will have to control each characters one by one during their chapters until chapter 4 where you have to decide on the one main hero out of the 3. You can read more on the Trinity Sight system in the gameplay section. Each of the 3 main heroes come with their own parties of a sort to begin with. Chris will be surrounded by her fellow Zexen Knights, Geddoe will be accompanied by his fellow Defense Force members, and Hugo with his small party from his Karaya Clan. The game does put a strong focus on the 3 main characters as it slowly develope their personality and storyline. The supporting party members aren't develope as much and are there mainly for dialogue and interaction. And the rest of the 108 members aren't really develope at all. They are more or less cannon foddler. But that's okay. The problem I have with the characters in this game is that none of them have that special Suikoden touch that appeals to me. I even find the main characters lacking as well. I hate to say it but this is the first Suikoden game where I just wasn't into the characters as much. Geddoe, I find him to be too plain and boring. Chris is nice but again I just wasn't interested in her at all. Hugo is the one that reminded me a little of the 2 previous Suikoden heroes but that's about it. Just a reminder. None of the support cast appeal to me at all as well. Well maybe one in Lilly and that's because she's the only one with an original personality. If you look at the previous Suikoden games, the hero never talks but yet there was something special about them that made you fall in love with them. And there was something about the support casting that was great as well. Now, with no Flik or Viktor and only about a very very small handful of returning characters from Suikoden 2, the Suikoden magic touch seem to be gone. I just couldn't find anyone of these characters to warm up to. It's not bad or anything just that it's missing that magical special Suikoden touch that makes the previous Suikoden characters in the other 2 games special.

The Flame Champion This is the biggest noticeable improvement from Suikoden 3 to the rest of the Suikoden games. Gone are the 2D world with sprite drawings. In place is a rich 3D world with beautifully rendered texture character designs and backdrop. The colors in this game is done nicely with a beautiful mixture of dark and bright colors. The attention to details in the character design are excellent. From their costumes and outfit to the movement of the outfit when the characters move around. It's nice to see some of the outfit ruffling like the wind when the characters run around or move about. It makes it very realistic. The characters face are done with detail attention as well from their eyes to their mouths. Background details are very good as well. But is this what you would call perfect graphics? No. Somethings that are missing or lacking to make it perfect. Magical spells aren't as in-depth and awesome as I would like it to be. They are still nice but for the higher level spells, I was hoping for some really awe inspired rendering of magic spells. It's good but not awe inspiring at all. Another thing lacking is FMV or anime scenes. I think this game could've used either of them. The opening sequence has an anime to it which was very good. Talk about a major tease. I would love to see anime sequence in this game. I think it would make this game look even better. Good graphics but can be much better with some added stuff to it.

Let's Play A Song The backbone of the Suikoden series next to it's story has always been excellent to perfect musical scores. I wish I can say the same about Suikoden 3 music. Music in this game is above average to just good. The problem here is that it's missing that special tune that define the game. In fact the entire game music isn't special. Suikoden music has always been special to the point where it's glued to your heart with fond memory of the game. Here I can't recall any music as memorable. There's no Sadness in the Night or McDohl's home theme. The overall music is just lacking of that special Suikoden touch. Music is still good when you play the game but more than likely you're forget about the musical scores in this game. However, the only strong major musical score comes from the opening anime theme. That's the only moment where the music is perfect and excellent. Unfortunately it's a musical score that take place outside of the actual gameplay. I hate to say it but music in this game was a disappointment for me. For the first time as a Suikoden fan, there wasn't one tune that I really like in this game that I can't stop listening to it.

The name is Yuber Charge!!!! Game Information    Genre: Turn Base Rpg    Publisher: Konami    Disc: 1 Disc DVD    Memory: 135 KB    Players: 1 Player Mode    Vibration: No    Dual Analog: Yes    Digital Control: No    Rating: Teen    Release: November 2002 Gameplay is a combination of something new and something old from the previous Suikoden games. Most of the bare Suikoden traditional gameplay are still there. Your main objective is as always to recruit 108 characters in this game. But unlike the previous Suikoden games, you won't be able to really recruit all 108 characters. But that doesn't mean you won't be able to get all 108 characters. The overall game is still a straight forward traditional turn base one with a little bit of a strategy element thrown in. The gameplay uses a Trinity Sight system which allows you to take the quest from three point of view all forming one major storyline. The story is broken up into 5 chapters. At the beginning of chapters 1-3, you get to choose who's view point or adventure that you want to play first. Eventually you still have to play all 3 of the main characters quest during the first 3 chapters inorder to move the story ahead. As you complete each the characters scenarios during each chapter, you will unlock some side quests point of view from other characters that aren't the main character. There's really one other side quest view point in Thomas scenario. I don't really even call it a side quest as you could fit it perfectly with the story so you can say the extra scenario is part of the gameplay. The game is pretty straight forward with an easy World Map. You shouldn't have any problems finding out where to go next. As you progress into Chapter 3, you will begin to be able to recruit party members for your Castle. Some recruits will be easy while other recruits, you will need to meet certain criteria before being able to recruit them. Equiping armours and items are the same as with most rpg games. Just go to shops and buy what you need. You can also get some rare items/weapons from treasure chests from defeating small sub-bosses in certain areas. I don't really need to go into using and equiping armours/items. Each character will come with their own weapon. You can increase the strength/stats of a character weapon by taking your party to a blacksmith. Of course increasing the level of your weapon depends on the amount of money you have and the level of your Blacksmith hammer. Magic comes from your Runes. The type of magic you get depends on the runes you have equipped. There are many different variation of runes magic as well as different types of runes. Types of runes ranges from runes that can be equip on your head, left arm, or right arm as well as the type of magic spells like elemental ones. The number of magic spells as well as the level of the magic/runes depends on the level of the characters and whether or not he/she is a strong magic user. When you travel around in towns or out in the fields, it will be done by running/walking or riding a horse. It depends on the character you play. For instance, with Chris you are more likely to ride on a horse than to run/walk across fields and towns. The other 2 characters you pretty much have to walk/run on your own. This is kind of annoying as sometimes it takes forever to travel across an open field. Even when you are running. A small annoyance at best. As you travel across fields, forests, and dungeons, you will get into random encounters with monsters. The encounter rate in quite fair and good for gamers. I know that some people don't like to have alot of random encounters when they are moving around but with this game, the encounter rate is very good. Sometimes you can even go nearly all the way across a screen before even getting into one encounter. That's how good it is. Money or zeny is kind of hard to come by in this game. Trying to forge your weapons to the latest levels or getting the latest armours for your fighters can be pretty hard to do. With the exception of Chris scenario, she has alot of money to start off with since she's a captian of an army, but the other 2 characters are going to be broke to begin with. So how do you offset this problem? By playing the lottery. Yes, the game include a lottery system where you can buy a certain set of tickets. There are 2 phases, the buying phase of the lottery and the drawing/collecting your winning phase. The buy phase is only active if you haven't brought any lottery tickets. Once you buy a lotter ticket or tickets, you enter the lottery draw phase. You can buy up to 10 tickets but that's it. Once you enter the lottery draw phase, you won't be able to buy anymore tickets until the draw phase is over. The draw phase or the result of the draw usually takes place about 20 minutes of gameplay. Once you move ahead and advance the game timeline to 20 minutes or more, you can check to see if you have any winning tickets. The stuff you can win varies from various items to alot of money or just a little amount of money. There are other ways to win some money as well such as by playing some of the mini gambling games feature in this game. But overrall the lottery system is you main source of getting alot of money quickly. Skill points are divided up into 2 kinds. Physical and magical. You can learn and increase your fighters skill points at tutorials in the game. Magic skill points help increase the power and speed of your casting. While phyiscal skill points help in increasing a fighter defense and offense stats. It's a pretty simply skill system where everyone should be able to understand. That should summed up the brief overall gameplay. The battle system is used in three ways. First is the return of the duel system where you have some one on one battle between certain characters during the game. One on one battle is turn base and consist of 3 options/command. They are Defend, Attack and Death Blow. Each command has an advantage over the other and the outcome of these duel depends on your ability to counter the other guy's move. For example, if your opponent is defending then you should attack with the Attack command as that's the only command that will be to your advantage against the Defend command. It's sort of like rock, paper, and scissor. But that would be too easy if you knew what the CPU was using and countering it's command with the right command. So to make it a little harder, the CPU gives hint of what it would be using by the way of what the CPU would say to you in phase of sentences. Each phase of sentences would apply to one of the 3 commands (Attack, Defend, and Deathblow). It's not really that hard. But that's basically how the dual system work. Second part of the battle system would be the semi-strategy battle system. Unlike Suikoden 2 where the strategy part is real strategy rpg, this is more semi-strategy than real strategy element. When the strategy rpg element enters the game, you have a semi field maps with round movement points connecting together with lines. Each round movement points, starts off being neutral. Your army, like with the enemy armies are divided into units. You can have up to 4 character in one unit plus a support member. Each unit is place on a movement point. When a unit lands or move onto a round movement point, that movement point changes from a neutral color to the color of your army. Each unit has one action to perform. Whether it's to move the unit, attack or cast a rune spell. This is done in turn base so you get to make all the movements of your units first then the CPU get to do it's movement. When you attack a CPU unit, battle is done automatically by the CPU so you have no control on what the members in that unit do in terms of action. You can only hope that your guys are strong enough to win the fight between the 2 units. There are really only 2 commands from battles between 2 units. Attack and retreat. Terms of winning a strategy war is base on the conditions set at the beginning of the strategy map. General conditions on winning is totally defeating all the CPU units or staying alive for a certain amount of turns. The overall strategy element is very simple but I found it less interesting cause the player don't have much control over the unit itself during the battle. Just having the commands of attack or retreat isn't very engaging for the player at all. I found this to be a disappointment in the gameplay element. I prefer the strategy element from Suikoden 2. Now the last element of the battle system is the traditional turn base one. This too was a let down. It's pretty simple but with some added new element which I didn't like. You can have 6 party members in battles. Now unlike previous Suikoden game where each party member have their own turn, here, party members are pair up. So instead of having each member getting their own individual command menu, you have command menu assign to a pair. This is tricky cause since you can only assign a command to one member, the other member is left to do the attack command. This is annoying cause you may want the other member to do something else instead of attack. Commands are the basic stuff. Attack, rune(magic), defend and items. The battle system in itself is turn base. Casting magic, attacking, defending, and using item is all self explained in the game. Easy stuff. Just the fact that you can only really choose one command for one fighter out of a pair is annoying. Especially in a boss fight. For example: one guy is casting a big fire spell that damages everyone in a certain area. Anyone means including any of your guys as well. So with one guy casting that spell, the other guy whom you won't be able to make a command for cause you assign the first guy to cast that fire spell will run up to attack cause any fighter that hasn't been assign a command will default to attacking, get's hit with that big fire spell from your other fighter. This is extremely frustrating at times and will handicap you from casting certain spells due to the pair system. I really didn't like the pair system. Now beside the pair system, you have the combo system. Certain members can perform combos with one another. Type of combos can range from 2 members combo to 5 party members combo. The combos can be pretty cool to look at and some are pretty useful. But nothing really special. Well that pretty much summed up the battle system. The overall gameplay is pretty basic traditional stuff. Most of the Suikoden element are there with some added new stuff. The gameplay isn't cutting edge or anything but it would get you by. I don't have any real complaint about the gameplay but I don't really have anything to bragged about that I'm really excited about in term of enjoyment of the gameplay.

Score: 7/10

Feel my power! Extras? Well in all honestly there's not alot in terms of extras. There aren't any side quest or extra bosses. Some small sub-bosses that you can beat up for items but nothing major in terms of actual storyline extra bosses. A few small mini games to win some prizes and extra money but nothing worth mentioning. Well a suppose if you manage to collect all 108 members you can get a final point of view side story from the main bad guy's point of view. But I don't know if you can really call that extra since getting all 108 members is a requirement anyways. And the extra point of view is more or less closure on some sub-plots that was left out during the initial game. Now replay is pretty good in terms of value. Since this game uses a Trinity Sight where you get different view points of the 3 characters until Chapter 4 where you have to choose a main character to finish off the game. You can pretty guess that there's 3 endings to be had. So if you finish the game off with one main character, then you can replay the whole game again or just the beginning of chapter 4 again and choose another character to finish the game off and see how it ends with their point of view instead. So you can say there's multiple endings in this game. On that account, the replay value is very good. Although in the end it's still the same story and ending but with a little bit of difference in point of view on how each of the main characters say good-bye to one another. Sort of good on replay but okay on extras.

I hate to say it but in terms of Suikoden 3 as the third installment in the Suikoden series, it's kind of disappointing. One of the main reason was the fact that the whole Suikoden special touch that makes this series special in my heart was missing from this game. Playing this game didn't feel like, I was playing a true Suikoden game. The story didn't grabbed me like the previous Suikoden storyline and neither did the characters and the music. Gameplay was okay. When you compare this game to the other 2 Suikoden games, this game came off as plain and uninteresting. Whether it's fair to compare this game to the other Suikoden games or to just judge it on it's own is the question. But since it is the third installment of a series, and somewhat of a direct sequel even though it takes place 15 years ahead, you can't help but compare it to the other Suikoden games. And for that this game is a failure. Not a complete failure but a failure for a Suikoden game. Final Score: 7.5/10 Time to complete: over 60 hours for a complete game. Difficulty: Easy Favorite character: Lilly Best music theme: Opening Theme Most useful rune: Lightening rune Best team: Geddoe Defense Force Best Move: Defense Force combo Best advice: Play the lottery Question: What happened to McDohl? Bring him back. Also try: Suikoden 1 and 2 Up next: Skies of Arcadia Legends

STORY An above average storyline. The Legend of Flame Champion can be called The Legend of the Flame Chump. 7 CHARACTERS Good character developement on the key characters but they weren't appealing enough in terms of personalities. 8 GRAPHICS Great improvement over the previous 2D graphics from the Playstation system. 8 MUSIC/SOUND Bit of a disappointment. Didn't live up to the standard of past Suikoden music. 7 GAMEPLAY Pretty much a basic traditional rpg game. Nothing too cutting edge out there. 7 EXTRAS/REPLAY Good replay value with some decent side quest in terms of extra view points in the game. 8