Suikoden Tierkreis, Review by LoC

Title: Suikoden Tierkreis


Genre: Turn-based RPG

System: Nintendo DS

Publisher: Konami

Release Date: 2-17-2009

Review by LoC

When I first heard that Suikoden would be coming to the Nintendo DS, I was overjoyed, but when I found out that this game would be a spin-off with few if any ties to the main series, my expectations lowered considerably. That said I still considered the game to be a high enough priority, that I actually pre-ordered it, and how are the results? The answer is quite excellent, and possibly the best RPG to date for the Nintendo DS. When most other RPG's on the DS are either ports or remakes of older games, or simply games that settled for mediocrity, Suikoden DS has much higher goals, and it actually plays like a good RPG should, with an expansive world, a storyline that actually seems to serve more of a purpose than just background filler, and a sizable quest which may be the longest game for the whole system. Series fans will be pleased with the return of the 108 stars recruiting system, the upgradable castle, and team attacks, but other returning elements are few and far between. Prehaps the largest change is that the game takes place in a different world than the numerical Suikoden series, and the strategic battles and duels are also absent, as is the runes system. The magic is called marks of the stars, and seems to function more like traditional magic systems, with MP dictating how many times different skills/spells can be used. The battle system on the other hand is pretty much unchanged from the other games, with group attacks and different weapon ranges still featured, although you can only have 4 people in your party, with a 5th person who helps in a support role. Another big addition is the new jobs system, where you can take on various optional quests for a prize of money, items, or sometimes even recruitable characters. Despite all these changes and an entirely new cast and setting, the game still feels a lot more like a traditional Suikoden game than I expected. Also Suikoden DS is something of a technical marvel, with many anime cut-scenes and a lot of voice acting, which are things you don't really see too much of on the DS. All in all, this is an excellent game, and my early pick for DS game of the year, and I highly advise everyone pick this up. While I sincerely hope that the numbered Suikoden series continues as well, I wouldn't mind a sequel to this game at all either.  

Persona 3 Review(by The Liztress)

Persona 3 Review
by The Liztress

Quick Review-

Sound- A-
Graphics- B
Enjoyment Factor- A
Replay Factor- B
Battle System- B+
Overall- B+


Full Review-

Sound- Sure the music isn't as grand as you find in most RPGs like the Final Fantasy series or Zelda series but the music doesn't take away from this game. In fact, I feel like it adds to it. When something good is happening in the game, the music is upbeat. When you have a gloomy experience, the music has a soft sound and you can hear the sadness in it. Not many people are a fan of the JPOP genre, and this game has a few songs that are classified as such. But I think the songs fit it nicely.

Graphics- It's not very high end graphics and Altus doesn't try to make the people or anything look real. Instead, they try to stay faithful with the anime cutscenes that are in the game. And while I am fine with this choice, the anime isn't the best I have seen and the characters and enemies aren't as detailed as I might like. But I give credit to the Persona Compendium as it has the most detailed images. I'm not complaining about the lack of detail as I'm more for storylines and a decent battle system but I do feel that on some cases the anime cutscenes could have been done better.

Enjoyment Factor- As a fan of the Persona series and RPGs in general, I really enjoyed playing this game. There were times when I didn't want to put the controller down and turn the game off just so I could sleep. I think for anyone who enjoys a good RPG that isn't done like most out there, this one is worth trying. I've had my moments where I wanted to throw the controller down, mainly trying to get all the heart items from Messiah, but more often than not it continued to hold my interest. The characters weren't so outlandish and I admit a few I neglected using due to my inability to like them. But I did really get into the storyline and key moments made me sad. The social links add to mix with a sort of "dating sim" minigame. Your reward for choosing the right responses and spending time with your friends is a special item. One that allows you to create the highest level Persona of the Arcana.

Replay Factor- The only reasons, outside of just playing it for the fun of it, to replay this game would be to complete the Compendium, max out all of the social links, and of course... The Optional boss only available for the second playthrough. But, besides the optional boss, the rest can be done in the first playthrough. Granted if you do decide to complete all available requests and max out the social links your first time through, you might still want to pick this game back up and play it again. On your second cycle, you do keep your levels, max social link items, Yen, all the Personas you have registered in the Compendium, and equipment. But you lose all consumable items and your teammates start back on level one. But that don't mean you should fret. With the level you beat the game at, you'll have no problems with the shadows.

Battle System- Ok, this part, for me, makes or breaks if I truly want to play a game. Controls are simple and if you know the enemies weakness, you can exploit it so they never get the chance to attack. When you "knock down" an enemy, It means you either found the weakness or you did a critical hit. Also, if you knock down the whole enemy party, you can perform an "All Out Attack". Basically, you and your party members all gang up on the downed enemies and do a good deal of damage. But knocking down an enemy also grants you the ability to use another turn. Mind you, the "1 more turn" applies to the enemies as well. And if you meet special conditions during a fight, you are rewarded with the option to choose a card. You only know what kind of card you can get if you pay good attention to how they are shuffled. You get anyting from weapons to Persona, with bonus experience and getting healed as well. As for controlling your party, you are limited in that. You can command them to heal or go all out. Or you can have them conserve SP depending on your style.

Overall- Alright, here's my final opinion on Persona 3. I do feel like it was deserving of being in the running for 2007's Game of the Year. But since Atlus released Persona 3: FES at a cheaper price, I do advise buying it over this as you are getting the same gaming experience with a few bonuses. I do think some things could have been tweaked. And the different blocks were designed nicely, but one was too dark for to really noticed the monsters to do a surprise attack. But yeah, I think it was worth the 90+ hours I spent on the game.