Suikoden(R) IV Official Strategy Guide

Rating:
Summary: Lost in the Ocean
Review: As I sat down to write this review it occurred to me that it is very difficult for the Strategy Guide for a partially flawed RPG to be anything else but flawed. That some of the problems with the game will inevitably wash over into the guide. However, this guide has flaws of its own that should be addressed.

One upon a time, publishers took the creation of strategy guides very seriously. The idea was to produce something that had more depth than the normal walkthrough found online, and led the player into areas of the game that would normally get short shrift if one was simply to play for the ending. Lately though, the guide has become part of the marketing plan, and is often written before the game is even set in stone. That seems to be the case here.

Suikoden IV is a skimpy game. Thus it is no surprise that the 75 pages dedicated to the walkthrough are mostly charts and pictures with a very minimal amount of text. In addition, the writers have the modern knack of not always explaining things in logical order, so that one gets to the end of a sequence only to discover that something important got left out. Since Suikoden IV isn't a complicated game, the guide should have been much more player friendly. Following the walkthrough are 82 pages of short biographies and facts about each of the 108 'stars' of the game. Exactly the same information appears in the walkthrough, so the purpose of this section is to flesh out the guide to some respectable size. The net result is that this is more of a souvenir than a game guide.

There are mistakes in the text as well, although there is nothing so serious as to ruin the game, there are a couple places where the mystery of how to move the game forward is obscure, and Suikoden IV is not a game where being forced to wander unnecessarily is as much of a pleasure as it should be. Another thing that caused this reviewer to have a short fit of pique it is the complete lack of a map of the world ocean. Instead it resorts to vague or no directions. And wandering the waves may be something that Suikiden's creators think is the height of game play, but this player found it exorbitantly tedious. There are better ways to level up than killing a lot of hairballs (and deadly albino roosters).

I would recommend holding off until the regular online walkthrough sources get caught up with the game. Not only is that a cheap alternative, but there is nothing about the production of this guide that makes it particularly satisfying to own. Production and writing are mediocre at best. If it weren't for the fact that the game is just illogical enough to need a walkthrough (marketing ploy, no doubt) I would tell you this time it is better to work it out yourself.

Rating:
Summary: A complete guide, featuring all the necessary information.
Review: While not known for in depth guides akin to those offered by other publishers (Prima, to name just one) BradyGames has actualy done a fine job with the guide to Suikoden IV.

The guide is unusualy thick and easy to follow for a BradyGames strategy guide, and includes all of the information anyone would require in order to complete the game, recruit all 108 stars of destiny, find all of the game's secrets, understand all of the games excellent mini-games, and more.

Also included are a comprehensive guide to the trade system, recommendations for the best armor for each character, character-specific rune affinities (which there would be no other way to determine except through tiresome trial and error - multiplied by 108 - without this guide), and thorough maps of every area, including your ship headquarters.

I would have given it five stars if not for the only two flaws I was able to find. There are one or two very minor and very easy to figure out mix-ups with respect to where a certain character is recruited, and the guide lacks a comprehensive guide to the creation of armor, recipees, and accessories. However, that's not much of an inconvenience because the game tells you which materials are required to craft any specific item whenever you look in the available options while speaking to the appropriate craft character(s).

This is an underappreciated yet great guide which just happens to do some things a little differently, to go along with an equaly underappreciated yet great game.

I say of this guide what I said of the game: people simply need to be more patient and thorough. It's an RPG! Do some of the work yourselves! But this guide will make sure you don't have to do any of the work if you read it carefuly and thoroughly.

Thanks again to amazon.com for quick delivery. It arrived the same day as the game. ^_^