A hundred and eight fates crossing paths, a war, a betrayal, and a castle that fills up as you go.

On gut feeling, when the community picks without thinking, Suikoden II lands right in the middle, to confirm on very few votes. But look at the detail and the game gains a whole other depth. Connection, ahead of 96% of titles. Desert island, ahead of 92%. The soundtrack, ahead of 90%. These are the emotional peaks, the ones about bond and memory. Art direction stays around average, and only controller feel really drops, near the bottom. There's the real tension: a game you don't necessarily pick on instinct, but one that anchors deep the moment you talk about heart and memory.

In the great lineage of Japanese RPGs from that era, Suikoden II is one you cite for its story and its music rather than its feel in hand, and that shows exactly.

So, for who? For you if you love a saga that carries you through its characters and its score, the kind of game you keep for years. A lot less if you're chasing modern, immediate sensations with a controller in hand.