Suikoden V [PS2]

After the last couple of Suikoden releases, we wouldn't blame anyone for writing off chapter five merely on principle. After an unnaturally strong debut, the series has slid into mediocrity, making nearly every mistake possible for an RPG. And while Suikoden V doesn't push the genre forward, it's a grand and sweeping story in the classic sense, with enough characters and variety to win back a disillusioned fanbase.

Every installment has been large, but the plot this time is truly huge, played out among royalty and a large assembled military force. Instead of casting players against the giant mechanized empire, the story drops them into the midst of the empire itself. As the young prince of a matriarchal land, players are quickly shown how power corrupts and that every political strategy may conceal a deeper motive.

The first few hours are very Phantom Menace, with a visit to the senate and loads of exposition to detail the conflicting factions within the queendom. Unlike most current console RPGs, however, most of the dialogue is well-written, and predicting the arc of any given character is frequently impossible. So all the game's exposition is important background as the trademark group of 108 playable characters is slowly introduced, and the scope soon zooms out to a level that's truly impressive.

The graphics follow suit, providing locales less steeped in anime than most RPGs. We hated not being able to rotate the camera to see every angle of the isometric lands, primarily because they're so dense with detail. The ability to zoom in partially alleviated our frustration, however, and the process of exploration was more engaging than in any other recent RPG.

Though there isn't the flash of a Square RPG, little expense has been spared with any given environment; everything in the game seems huge, from castles to towns and the actual world map. Some areas are so large and riddled with pathways of varying elevation that it's easy to get lost while running around town. The PS2 will sometimes struggle to keep up as the huge areas clog its processor.