Product Description

Suikoden: Tierkreis is the latest iteration of the popular RPG franchise that was introduced more than 12 years ago. Suikoden: Tierkreis again follows the story of the 108 Stars of Destiny as they challenge the almighty One King, who intends to create chaos in the universe. As players progress through the story, many exotic locations and cultures will be discovered across the game’s universe of parallel worlds. To travel to the parallel worlds players will use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to send certain characters on quests which other players will then download and take along on their own adventure. Eventfully the characters will return to their original owners with new items and a great story to tell. This online gameplay will create a thriving community as players search riches in far off worlds.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3539 in Video Games
• Brand: Konami
• Model: 24153
• Published on: 2009-03
• Released on: 2009-03-17
• ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
• Platform: Nintendo DS
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .64" h x 5.16" w x 6.27" l, .25 pounds

Features

• First handheld Suikoden game and exclusive to the Nintendo DS
• Established gameplay system but also offers a rich online community experience using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
• Many cinematic events that will drive the grand storyline of the 108 Stars of Destiny as they battle to thwart the powerful One King
• Featuring a new storyline and new variety of characters
• A game that will take you to many cities and across parallel worlds

Amazon.com Product Description
The Million World universe lies under threat from the mighty One King, who harbors a plot to sow chaos throughout its vast expanse. The only ones who stand a chance of opposing the One King's plan and thwarting his evil machinations are the 108 Stars of Destiny, a group of magical warriors. When the members of the 108 Stars of Destiny come together, it will unleash a stunning battle of good vs. evil that will span the Million World universe's near-infinite parallel worlds.

Customize Your Character View larger. Suikoden Storyline View larger. Lush Environments View larger. Synopsis In Suikoden: Tierkries, the first handheld game in the enduring Suikoden RPG series, you'll use your DS to gather the members of the 108 Stars of Destiny and help put a stop to the One King's plan. Explore the vast Million World universe as you travel across parallel worlds to a variety of exciting cities, and experience a gripping, cinematic storyline that will immerse you fully in the battle to overcome the forces of evil. Send your warriors on exciting quests via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to level up your characters and savor the game's rich online community. Key Game Features: Experience the excitement of the first handheld game in the long-running Suikoden RPG series Gather the magical warriors who comprise the 108 Stars of Destiny to thwart the mighty One King's sinister plan to create chaos throughout the universe Travel across a universe of exciting parallel worlds in which you'll discover a variety of exotic locations and cultures Savor a cinematic gameplay experience complete with new characters, rich animation sequences and gripping dialogue with voiceover Send your characters on quests to be completed by other members of the Suikoden: Tierkreis community via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Suikoden goes online via Nintendo WiFi Connection! This all new, epic RPG in the long running Suikoden series incorporates many innovative features to the handheld RPG genre. An active online community experience is encouraged by allowing players to send their characters on quests that other members of the Suikoden: Tierkreis community will complete for them via Nintendo WiFi Connection. As your character travels around the community and completes quests he will eventually return to your party with new abilities and treasures. This provides a new way to level up characters your characters which helps create a sense of community and provides a new way to experience RPGs on handhelds.

Customer Reviews

This game is the reason I bought a DS
I want to start by saying that I am a huge Suikoden fan so this review may be a bit biased...but truthful none the less.

For starters there are certain elements of the series that they have taken out. You won't find the whole rune system that fans of the series such as myself enjoyed which kinda sucks. They basically replaced it with Magic Points...most characters have certain moves which when used depletes some of your magic points. No choosing what kind of magic they specialize in...it's random.

From what I understand there are no more huge army vs. army battles...

You still have the castle that you have to build up...108 characters to find (which I'm hoping still includes my own chef, bath guy, the gambling dude so I can make extra money, etc; haven't gotten far enough to tell yet)...2 or more party members can still team up on a move...no returning characters (so if you've never played a suikoden game before no worries, this is a completely different story)...trading system is still in place.

I'm a little disappointed with the game in some aspects. For example there is no roaming a town or map like you use to be able to do. Instead a menu pops up with different locations inside a town and when you click on one you just pop up in that area...no walking. Seems as tho this game is geared toward the younger crowd as some things have been dumbed down.

I do wish there was a guide out there for this game tho. Some caves and forests you enter are maze like and have some classic Suikoden traits where you can walk through walls and enter hidden areas to open chests and what not...hate missing out on stuff like that...Finding all 108 stars of destiny can be tricky too.. *EDIT Prima Games has an ebook/guide for this game on their website that you must download to your computer for 19.95. Why prima games...why?

There seems to be a Chrono Trigger element to it...with gateways to other worlds. I'll leave it at that so I dont spoil anything.

Story wise it's interesting. I haven't beaten the game yet but the story is good enough to keep me wanting to see what happens next. Its hard to tell what the story is about without adding any spoilers, but basically there is this organization called The Order recking havoc and you and the people you assemble are going to find out what their up to and try and put an end to it (insert evil laugh) There are also numerous side quests to go on.

Love the music. Very familiar soundtrack (which is a good thing) a few tunes seem to be remixed with some new ones added. Beautiful if you ask me. The game itself is beautiful. Nice background with lush environments and cutscenes. One minor annoyance is the voice acting. The main character seems to speed talk.

All in all I'd recommend this game. I'm having alot of fun with it. The battle system is the same as others in the series. The menu and controls are very intuitive. I know Suikoden has had a few misses *cough* (Suikoden IV/Tactics) *cough* but this game thus far seems to be worth my time. As long as I keep reminding myself that this isnt a full blown add on to the series but a spin-off it helps with any disappointment I may have. Just buy the damn game :)

Not classic Suikoden but a DS Gem
Just a short review of this game.. I've played Suikoden I,III and V so I am a casual Suik player. I am not all hung up on the story or remaining true to the core of the game, so this game worked for me. I've played a few DS RPG's and I have to say after playing this game for 30+ hours I'm still having fun. The game is pretty plot heavy but thanks to my friend Mr. Fast forward cut scene button the game is a little more bearable. Sometimes you talk to some plot less character that will bother you with no less than 100 lines of text. The game makes me scared to talk to people at times because they want to tell you their life story, and how when they were a kid an old man touched them on a bus. The other problem I have with the game is the waste of space main character..
Whisky Tango Foxtrot Japan.. What is it with making these no spine having androgynous plot useless main characters in games?? Your effeminate main character some how becomes the leader of an army and king of a castle at age 14 by saying the line "You never know unless you try!" over and over until you want to watch Richard Simmons dancing to Boy George to get your masculinity back. And what is with that kid and his damn book? Not really a spoiler, but the game is about magic books... And every time your hero meets some one new he is all about letting them touch his book. Then green stuff shoots out of it on the other character.. It just does not sit well with me its like librarian bukkake. *sigh* Japan.. Japan... Anyways...
WHAT I DO LIKE ABOUT THE GAME IS: It is one of the most beautiful DS games out there, the backgrounds and characters are all full of life. There are literally endless different kinds of monsters to fight. Each imaginative and beautiful to watch. Every time you buy a new weapon it will show up on your character and is rendered differently. Like Pokémon you spend lots of time searching for all the 108 possible characters and right now I have around 70 of them. And for a little DS game there is lots of dialogue, and it is a very long and thorough game. I definitely highly recommend this game. Just do not get stuck up on the classic Suikoden thing. This game is its own monster. Thanks for bearing with me. -Andrew

Amazing graphics and great turn based gameplay--interesting story too!
Frankly I'm a bit surprised with the low ratings. I actually think this game is really fun. I didn't pick it up at first as I thought it was more a tactical RPG--and although I like that type I have become burned out on them and am holding off playing for a while.

The graphics and music are very good. I love Anime type RPG. The controls work exceptionally well which is another plus. The turn based gameplay is quite fun. Enemy encounters are random sometimes--which I never mind in an RPG. They aren't as frequent as something like Final Fantasy I but you will encounter enough to level you up. You can use an "auto" fight feature which I found superb for regular enemies--and it cuts the amount of time choosing what you want your party to do. I would not call this title (I'm still fairly early in the game though) extremely difficult. This may change later but for now its fine.

The menu in game is only so-so. I found it hard to purchase equipment and really tell if I should or not. It is kind of difficult to know whether you should when you don't know when a Party Member is going to leave. I'm not finding it too complicated in terms of figuring out where to go and what to do--and the map works fine.

I actually like the story--its interesting. Now, for the voice acting. I would have to agree that this may be the worst VA I've ever heard. Actually it would be fair to say I've never heard anything like it. These actors talked so fast I seriously believe they paid them to have all the VA done in like an hour or something. It is unavoidably annoying and pulls this game down in rating for me. Although I didn't feel as strongly as some of the other reviewers the VA alone makes me consider removing one star. It is THAT BAD. Like nails on a chalkboard. Seriously.

Overall though fans of more traditional turn based RPG will like this game. I have never played any other Suikoden titles so I can't relate it to the series (but others already have done that for you anyway). As far as RPG's go I'd probably give it 4.5 stars--but I really like the graphics, music, and gameplay so in the end I don't feel justified to subtract one star for the terrible rushed voice acting which does detract enough to matter but did not ruin the title for me in any way. I am still thoroughly enjoying it!