The battles have been a sticking point for the past two main installments; Suikoden V also aims to address this by allowing you more customization and more members of your party in the fights: six characters, arranged in a variety of formations, can take part in the battles. The more traditional magical rune and combination attacks have also been retained.
By now you'll have surmised that Suikoden V isn't pitched to reinvent the genre or create a gaggle of new fans for the series. No, it won't. It's an extremely orthodox RPG, one that tells a tale and tells it well while letting you manage an army of characters and fiddle with battle tactics and an ever-changing home base. The only question is: after three lame-duck entries,can the series pull it off? Based on what we've seen and played so far, we feel like there's still a chance that things will finally turn around.
