Suikoden IVFrom Gensopedia
Suikoden IV (幻想水滸伝IV Gensō Suikoden Fō) is the fourth instalment of the Suikoden video game series, designed and released for the Sony Playstation 2. General OverviewThe announcement that work had begun on the fourth instalment of the series, Suikoden IV (Genso Suikoden IV in Japan), came quickly after the release of Suikoden III and with Murayama's resignation from Konami, changes were going to be made. Noritada Matsukawa, who took over as Senior Director of Suikoden III following Murayama's departure, was appointed as Senior Director of Suikoden IV but the title of Producer was given to Junko Kawano, who was the chief designer of the original Suikoden. The game was released in Japan in August 2004 and saw an early 2005 release in both Europe and the United States. However, for the first time, a major game in the series was not well-received by fans and critics alike. The change of the battle system to a standard-RPG style four-character party system did not garner much support among fans and nor did the complete removal of any form of skill system (which was introduced in Suikoden III to great acclaim). The rune system was also simplified and the characters, for the most part, were accused of being drab and lifeless. Set a staggering 150 years before Suikoden I, the game takes place in the ocean far south of the Scarlet Moon Empire, in the selection of island communities known as the Island Nations. The game told the story of Lazlo, a recent graduate of the Gaien Marine Knights Academy on the nation's colony of Razril. Soon caught, against his control, in events surrounding the dangerous Rune of Punishment, one of the 27 True Runes, Lazlo is wrongfully accused of murder and exiled. Later events lead Lazlo to the Kingdom of Obel where he works for the king, Lino En Kuldes, at a time when the Island Nations were being attacked by the aggressive Kooluk Empire, which bordered Scarlet Moon. With Kooluk being manipulated by those wishing to gain the Rune of Punishment for their own ends, Lazlo eventually rises to become the leader of a rebel navy. He manages to unite the quarrelling islands and together they eventually defeat the Kooluk and destroy its southern outpost, El-Eal, thus putting a stop to the Empire's plans for southern expansion. Following this victory, the Island Nations Federation is founded, in order to ensure lasting peace and a strong defense against more powerful nations. Suikdoden IV was the first game in the series to feature voice acting. The game's 3D graphics were decently designed but overshadowed by the range of flaws commented on by fans and reviewers. Many fans considered that the focus on naval exploration also hampered the game. Nevertheless, riding the wave of Suikoden III's success, the game went on to be one of the best-selling games in the series to date. Sales
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