That’s probably one of the things that stood out the most in that game for me. I fucking hated that. I encountered a similar situation with Chris, I think.
I think a big problem too was the computer AI-controlled party members. There were a few different AI types outlined in the instruction manual, but the worst part is that all characters had one set AI that they performed all the time. So, if you like the character or their stats or whatever, you might be SOL because their AI is out and out retarded and you can’t change it.
One of the reasons I enjoyed II so much because it was an extension of the first game. I hadn’t seen that in an RPG before, so it was a very pleasant surprise. When Flik and Vik showed up it was one of the coolest RPG moments ever. Another reason was Jowy was one of the most complex villains in any game, and I can’t think of another that the player and hero would have more compassion for. II also captured the spirit of war with death and violence, a place most RPGs won’t go because they won’t dare offend the American audience.
III was the most disappointing game I ever played because it totally abandoned the themes that made II great, and gave us duck people instead. We go from a war epic with adult themes and characters to the standard JRPG formula of a stupid kid as the hero. And duck people. Fucking duck people. (I liked Chris and Geddoe, but hated Hugo and felt like he was intended to be the primary hero). How sweet would it have been if you had Pesmerga or Humphrey rolling through the game instead of Hugo and duck people? Or how awesome could III have been if Flik and Vik were there to kick some ass and offer some comic relief? Or Jowy, Nanami and Riou? Or Tir and Gremio? No, we get fucking Bucket returning instead.
When you have strong characters, you can run with them and keep a captive audience hanging on their every move. Suikoden is a unique RPG series in that the True Rune holders don’t change and can span time periods, so you can build continuity from title to title. II reused great characters, including the Hero from the first game. I don’t get why this formula obviously worked so well in the second game, but they abandoned it.
V reused some of the old characters, but no major ones. I don’t really remember anything about the story except there were a bunch of knights and everything else was pretty generic. Except Lorelai. The little story about her and the fact she was playable again was the highlight of the game for me. I used her all the time and she had the statues in the castle because she owns. I enjoyed playing through for sure, but it was very forgettable. I think they’re missing the point by not reusing the most popular characters.
Hey, Zerase was pretty cool if a little overpowered.
I really think you’re completely overblowing the importance of the returning characters, Yes, it’s cool. Yes, I felt III cheated like a motherfucker with the whole “Let’s not show any development whatsoever and instead just pop out generation xerox’ed children instead”. I still don’t think it’s anything but a likeable trait of the series, and definitely nothing remotely close to fundamental.
I thought Viktor and Flik were little else but fanservice in II, and frankly, redoing EXTREMELY copypasted quests from I felt just cheap. Neclord’s second attack in Tinto was cool and totally worth it. The FIRST fight in North Window was a fucking timesink that just cheapened the whole “I’m back” aspect, and I wasn’t really that fond of seeing Hix and Tengaar again only to just walk them through yet ANOTHER quest in which Hix tries to prove he’s got something resembling a pair and hasn’t actually grown much. Flik himself felt… superficial. Viktor at least made himself felt, Flik just hovered around like a second banana while dropping references to how he was still heartbroken over Odessa. It was nice seeing him grown from the reckless despairing dumbshit he was when he charged at the genociding poisonous rose, but still, he didn’t really offer much to the game besides being Viktor’s foil. The game was about Riou, Jowy, Nanami, Luca and Shu.
Comparatively, V did a whole lot more with Georg than the game he actually debuted in, which is considerable giving that he’s missing for half the game, gave Lorelai sufficient lines to make her into an actual character for once, same for Killey, finally offered a sliver of a hint about Jeane by having the plot acknowledge her and dropped a great other number of references while not cramming them down your throat and instead focusing on the very well done original cast.