PlayStation 2 Critic Reviews

At its best moments, Suikoden IV sits right up there with the most outstanding RPGs ever created. [Feb 2005, p.114]

I can’t honestly say the game disappointed me. While not really up to the standards of the rest of the series, Suikoden IV is most definitely entertaining in its own right.

I would highly suggest fans of the series to buy it even though the battle system is a little weak.

It may not be the best looking game out there, but its style (tropical setting, sailing on the ocean) really gives you a break from the normal RPG’s where you dungeon crawl and climb countless mountains looking or a few dragons to slay.

While the short number of flaws may be too noticeable to ignore, missing out on a game with great characters and an interesting story would be a shame.

Too stinking short. It's not just that it ends in half the time most newer RPG’s do. It's that the ending feels contrived and artificial, and leaves the players wanting so much more that even a second play through can't remedy the feeling of crushing disappointment that "that's all there is."

A good game, but it doesn’t even touch the greatness of any of the other Suikodens. The story simply falls short of the epics found in all its predecessors and is, for all intents and purposes, just a ball of clichés.

Not as innovative as "Suikoden III" was, but then again it does improve a number of weaker aspects such as combat control that held back the last release.

Not exactly a bad RPG but not a particularly good one, either. On the plus side, the story is OK and has a couple of interesting characters, but the overall atmosphere is bland and uninspired. [Apr. 05]

In its own right, Suikoden IV is a fine game. It has decent gameplay, it looks great, it sounds awesome, and it has a good story. But compared to the past games in the series, it’s flawed, and it’s a complete downgrade from the third installment.