Suikoden Tierkreis

Yes, the reason I haven't done any of the promised posts on Suikoden 2 is that I haven't reached the section in Suikoden 2 that I've been so looking forward to.

Instead, Suikoden Tierkreis ate my brain.

The reviews say it's not as good as the other Suiko games, and they're right.  This isn't like with Suiko 3, where I looked up and wondered what the heck that everyone was talking about -- where Suiko 1, 2, and 3 are all tied for my "favorite" except when Suiko 2 makes me forget how to breathe.  Suikoden Tierkreis isn't nearly that level.  It's ... pretty, though.  I don't mean in a visual way.  I mean that the rhythm of unlocking new trade goods and then carrying them between towns is quite addictive.  There aren't any super compelling characters (either in a good or bad way), but there's still plenty of interesting puzzle-type combinations of characters, having only four instead of six helps in a very weird way, and there are at least a couple who I really care about.  And there's angst!  Okay, maybe not enough angst to keep me happy (but ... ummm ... that's kind of a tall order).  But there's been something significant to happen that results in a very real amount of grief with a number of characters, and I'm eating it up.  The bad guy is the One True Way, who ... well, it's kind of like all the stereotypes about the Protestant sects of predestination without any of the potential nuggets of truth.  Normally I don't like stereotyped religious characters being the bad guys (actually normally that's the easiest way to get me to quit playing entirely).  But this is different ... I think because the One True Way is so obviously ridiculous it doesn't have anything to do with the real world, and that gives me a villain who isn't the least bit sympathetic, and seeing the results of the ideas in the Way adds more angst.  Oh, and the bit between Chrodechild and Freudegund was my favorite part so far.  Ummm... without spoiling, Freudegund was left behind while Chrodechild escaped and Freudegund thought she was dead, so Freudegund turned to the One True Way for the comfort they do offer and had to be talked back from the Dark Side very dramatically.  Epic scene involved.

Anyway, I'll be back to Suiko 2 when I finish Tierkreis.  Might be a little while longer -- the walkthrough I have isn't in precise chronological order so I don't know where I'm at in terms of plot.