Post by Bytor on May 1, 2011 21:55:46 GMT -5
Suikoden II (幻想水滸伝II Gensō Suikoden Tsū) the second installment in the series was released by Konami for the PlayStation in Japan on December 17, 1998, in North America on September 19, 1999, and in Europe in July of 2000. Then in 2003 it was re-released for MS Windows. The game was directed and produced by Yoshitaka Murayama who was also the lead writer. The music was composed by Miki Higashino and Keiko Fukami. The game initially received very mixed reviews from gamers although critics in general gave it relatively high scores. The game itself is, due to limited issues, a relatively rare game and somewhat hard to find, especially in the US.
The story takes place in the same setting as the first release but it has been many years since the events in the Scarlet Moon Empire took place. The City States of Jowston have been invaded by the Kingdom of Highland and you play as a adopted son of a famous military savior of Jowston who is in possession of one half of the Rune of the Beginning, which, being one of the 27 True Runes, is one of the most powerful sources of magic in the world. The story unfolds as you, and your best friend (who has the other half) attempt to halt the invasion and save your kingdom.
The game is very similar in style to the first release using basically the same type battle system which is melded in a typical quest and recruit allies RPG format. There are a few changes from the first game above and beyond improved graphics. The battle system is a tad more tactical and more use of the Runes is implemented as well as a version of traditional "fast travel".
While the first game was very popular this addition to the series suffered some with sales and popularity. Although the continued popularity of the series has done little but grow over the years and now many are re-evaluated Suikoden II.
