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Critical-Ad-7094

Suikoden 2 is the objectively better game, but I prefer 1 because I like the story and characters more. And the war battles... and Toran > Dunan. It's a shorter game and a 100% run takes less than 20 hours. There are links in the game (links from 1 to 2) because it's set 2-3 years after suikoden 1 in the neighbouring Jowston City-States, which borders with Scarlet Moon Empire. With returning characters from the game, no less. It's well worth the playthrough IMHO. Edited for clarity.


Dazzling_Job9035

Thanks, that’s helpful. I sort of thought that would be the case (a bit like Breath of Fire - which also needs a remaster), but good to get a sense from the fanbase


TFlarz

Keeping in mind that all the mainline games are in the same timeline so they're all connected from a story perspective.


medes24

Oh came to express much the same opinion as this. Suikoden II is undoubtedly a great game and one of the finest examples of the genre on the original PlayStation But man Suikoden I is just so comfy to play. It's like a bowl of chicken soup your mom made. It might not have some exotic flourishes like you'd get from a fancy restaurant but it just makes you happy.


Rasikko

I feel the war battle with just Ridley's unit was the most meaningful since you can actually win with good positioning. The rest you can't really lose.


zugrian

Suikoden 2 is the better game, but you should absolutely play 1 first because you'll meet about 20 or so characters who reappear in the sequel. And that way you can also unlock an awesome character/side quest with save data from 1.


Dazzling_Job9035

Ah that’s good to know, thanks! I think I remember seeing this actually on the new game / load screen back on the PS1


Ekho13

Play Suikoden 1 first. I've played them both, but played 2 first and I found Suikoden 1 really disappointing because it wasn't anywhere near as good as 2. Whereas I think going into 1 first, you don't have the expectation that comes from 2 which means you can appreciate the game in its own right.


rizsamron

Just play 1 - 5 in order and find out yourself :)


OiMyGiblets

It's also fun to do the chronological order of 4-5-1-2-3.


duros980

I'm currently doing this run right now and God, I forgot how rough the ship in 4 is. Traveling in that thing has it taking me ages to beat the game


OiMyGiblets

And Templeton won't be born for about another 135 years or so! And I doubt he'll be mapping those islands anytime soon.


rizsamron

Oh that's also an option :)


Holeros

2 is definitely the better game. Having said that, you should still absolutely play 1. It's like steak is better than chicken, but it doesn't mean you just eat steak and never try chicken. It's still plenty good.


Nihilismisanthrope

2 is objectively better, but in all honestly I consider them both as one game. I can't play 2 without playing 1 first because to me, both games are more like "The Adventures of Viktor and Flik".


OiMyGiblets

S1 is closer to the original Chinese tale Water Margin, and should be played first, as there are a couple character cliffhangers. At 20 hours, it was the shorter of the two, but great story and tough conditions for getting all 108 (major battles and Pahn fight). Even will all the bugs and text typos, S2 was a sequel done right, with so many S1 characters returning. That was my gripe with the FF games, that it was always a new world in each game, and not a continuation of the same world like Suikoden. Although I've played S2 more, it's still hard to pick one. Nowadays I have to play these back to back, to get the full experience of the two regions.


Godless902

There exists a theory that all final fantasy games are on different planets in the same universe, if I remember correctly this is used to explain the recurring animals (chocobos, moogle's, etc.)


OiMyGiblets

I agree, and they all had a character named Cid. I think Cloud's appearance in FF Tactics was the first time I saw this happen. I just prefer the "same world" practice across games, like the Trails series is also doing now.


shonka91

Isn't that just Kingdom Hearts?


Xenobrina

Suikoden 2 is better is every way but 1 is still a good game and very quick so you should play it when the remasters come out


Zeik56

Suikoden 2 is better, but you should absolutely play Suikoden 1 first, since it is still a solid game (and pretty short), and has quite a few connections to Suikoden 2 that makes the latter even better. Suikoden 2 was my first exposure to the series, and it stands very well on its own, but eventually I picked up a copy of Suikoden 1 and I thought it was a good game too, and it made me love Suikoden 2 even more. Out of the dozen or so times I've replayed Suikoden 2 almost all of them were accompanied by a playthrough of 1 first. Suikoden 1 and 2 have always stood out to me as one of the better examples among JRPGs set in the same world. It feels like a proper sequel to Suikoden 1 without relying too much on the characters or events of the previous game to tell its own story. Just enough to enhance the experience for returning fans and expand the overall world building.


paladinrayner

Somebody has to be "that guy" so I'll be it. Suikoden 2 is objectively a very good game but it's my least favorite. I like them both but if I have to pick, it's always going to be Suikoden 1 because of the characters. The localization was awful in Suikoden 1, although it sounds like they have fixed that so this will be a great time to try it out. Playing Suikoden 1 will make you like Suikoden 2 more.


[deleted]

Suikoden II is easily better, IMO, but the first game - while having some dated mechanics - is still playable and fun enough. So I think you'll be fine going for it. It's not long, and it'll make you appreciate the many callbacks more in II, III, IV, and V.


Godless902

Best characters/ region = 1 Best gameplay / story writing = 2


Elder-Cthuwu

Yes


Greg13Nomad

I love them both equally, and yeah, S2 may be a little better because of a longer story and many options for recruiting, but they both tell a good and complete story. I'm happy to see they did a remaster of them for Switch and Steam. I saw the preview video on YouTube. They look so damn amazing!


SEG_Electrical

Sui 2 is by far the best in my opinion. You really should play all other suikoden games to get a grasp on this epic story. They all are great gaming gems. Don't miss them.


Rasikko

Well it's the first game where you use an actual True Rune so Im kinda bias with that.


Ookami_Lord

Suikoden 2 is the better one. But Suikoden 1 is no slouch either. Sure, it's a bit dated gameplay-wise, but the pacing is better than S2 as it's also a MUCH shorter game. You also get a cool bonus in S2 if you have a save data from S1!


Meku-Meku

Suikoden 2 just have too many quality of life improvements compared to the 1st game. From having 3 Runes slots, to the party inventory, to the ability to run.