One would think it an unfair comparision, seeing as how BG2 is at least 5 years older that Suiko5. But BG2 holds up pretty well, I end having a mental coin toss as to which game I will play at any one time. They both have their merits.
Suiko5
Pros: Awesome story, lots of background and character depth.
Cons: Extremely narrow gameplay, heavily scripted. Hero looks girly.
Status: 12 hours in. Kicked out of home town? Check. Branded a rebel and thrust into leadership of one side of a civil war? Check. True Rune attaching itself to your hero? Check. Only thing we need now is a permanent HQ. I can’t imagine living on a boat would be very enticing for me in real life. On a side note, this is the first Suikoden where I’m actively using an FAQ to avoid missing Stars of Destiny. It was ok not to use an FAQ before, as I always had time to make a second pass to complete the 108 stars after the first play-through. But again, I’m a busy man. (On a side note to this side note, the closest I came to completing the 108 stars without using an FAQ was Suiko4 – I got 107!)
BG2:
Pros: Wide, open-ended gameplay options. Can build any type of character or party to suit your playing style.
Cons: Moderately-old-school graphics. Beholders and mind flayers are annoying.
Status: 40+ days of game time in, still in chapter 2. Gee, won’t Imoen be worried that I’ve left her in captivity for more than a month now? As mentioned, beholders and mind flayers are a pain, but Yoshino’s traps and summoned skellies help a lot. On a side note, I always play a female pally in D&D; games. This one is no different, except that I made the mistake of choosing the Cavalier kit which prevents me from using ranged weapons.
As always, the strength of console RPGs lies in their story focus. Console RPGs can be likened to traditional well-written books, whereas PC RPGs are more like Choose Your Own Adventures.
See Also