Konami finally delivers the sequel to its early hit PlayStation RPG, Suikoden. For those gamers who have played the original, the sequel will seem very familiar. To those new to the story, the game delivers an exceptional RPG experience.

The story in Suikoden II takes place in the same world as the original game.  This time around, there are two all new rival powers in the midst of war: The City-States of Jowsten and the Highland Empire. After a decades-long war, the two sides have come to a peace treaty.  However, the evil Prince Luca Blight stages a surprise attack on his own troops in order to lay the blame on the States and continue the war to satisfy his ambitions for world conquest. The player takes control of a young boy who is a member of the Highland Army. Overhearing the traitorous plot of the Prince and his general, the hero and his life-long friend Jowry become hunted criminals and escape to the opposing side. What follows is a juicy tale of intrigue, betrayal, and murder, the likes of which are unparalleled in any other RPG.

The villain in this game is a truly evil character who enjoys killing just for the sake of killing.  This adds a great focal point for the heroes to rally against. The dark tone of the story is thankfully balanced by decently humorous characters.  The close friendship between Jowry, the Hero and his adopted sister, Nanami, really adds depth and humor to their story, putting the player directly into the emotional heart of their world. 

The connections to the previous saga are numerous and only serve to enhance the story. Viktor and Flik are back although considerably older then they were in the first game. Also many characters from the first game appear in different situations all aged appropriately. This seeming 'family' reunion style really makes this game special to players of the first and I applaud Konami for expanding this fascinating world to the level it deserves.

The graphics in Suikoden II are only slightly better then the first game. More colors and more detailed environments enhance the game somewhat, but in the end it's still basically a first-generation looking title. Characters are again sprite-based, but have more expressions in their dialogue portraits. If you're looking for a graphically spectacular game, this isn't it. However, I can see why Konami opted for the traditional RPG look since taking this course really feels like this is a direct continuation of the first game. As a bonus, certain dramatic scenes now have decent FMV sequences which again is an improvement to generate a stronger story. 

The music and sound are well done with each town having its own orchestral themes. Unfortunately, overall, the music is not as good as the original Suikoden, which does hurt the epic feel of the battles. Everything else, though, has been improved and that counterbalances the negatives.

The main point of the story is to build up your army and defeat the Highland Empire. To do this, the player must search the vast world to recruit as many of the 108 main characters as possible. Of course, the gameplay is a lot more than just search and recruit. Along the way, you get to develop an entire castle-town as a headquarters for your army.  Each character brings a certain addition to your town such as shops, baths, storage areas, and helps to add to the general population. The quest is divided between the traditional party exploration, strategic battles, and one-on-one fights. There can be up to six members in any battle party and it's always your choice who you take.  

Each character has their own weapons and special strengths. Armor is bought in shops and weapons are 'sharpened' to increase attack power. Each character can also carry up to 3 items. Thankfully, there's also a party bag, in which you can store up to 30 items - each of which is retrievable during battle. Some characters can combine with others for a 'Unite' attack which can do considerably more damage to a foe. Each Unite Attack is different depending on which characters are used, so there can be many combinations to experiment with.  Magic, like the first game, is handled through runes which are collected and can be attached to the body for magic based on the rune or attached to a weapon to give it elemental attributes.  This time around, a rune can be also attached to either the right hand, left hand, or forehead giving a wider variety of magic attacks per character.  Not only are there attack and defensive magic spells, but there is also summon magic, which provides a major addition to the fights. 

Besides the dungeon exploration quests, at some points in the game there are army battles. This is the game's biggest improvement over its prequel. Rather than a dull paper-rock-scissors strategy, the player can move several units around a battlefield much like a strategy-based RPG.  During each turn, the player can position their units and choose to either attack, wait, or use a rune special attack. Once commanded a scene of two charging armies appears where your troops and the enemies' charge at each other screaming their battle cries and clinking their weapons in displays of suicidal bravery. 

Finally, at specific points in the game, you can challenge an enemy to one-on-one combat. This consists of choosing to attack, defend, or wild attack your enemy trying to outguess their next move for success. A life meter shows the outcome of whether or not you gave the right command. All of these gameplay elements balance out nicely and strictly follow the political and personal story which is the heart of the game.

Konami proves once again that it can concoct a truly memorable yarn with plenty of twists and turns that will keep any player glued to their screen to find out what happens next.  Suikoden II takes what made the first game a success and improves on it in every way (except for the music). The main criticism of the first game had was its short length. This time around the story is bigger and twice as long so no complaints there. If you like a game with plenty of political intrigue, personal tragedy, and epic battles then this game is for you.