Suikoden Tierkreis In-depth Preview

Back when I was still, uh, gainfully employed, I made it a mission to track down Suikoden Tierkreis producer Masayuki Saruta to uncover just why Konami felt it necessary to discard so many familiar series elements -- the beloved game world, the True Runes, and one weapon per character -- in the franchise's first-ever DS entry. His take? Suikoden has its hardcore fans, but it's always been a niche series -- and with the massive DS install base on both sides of the Pacific, Saruta feels it's the perfect time for a user-friendly series reboot. Of course, with Japanese sales of just over 100,000 in its first few weeks of release -- about on par with Suikoden V in Japan -- one might come to the conclusion that in the process, Konami's alienated its loyal fan base. After all, many Japanese message board posters have made it clear they're boycotting this particular entry, and Tierkreis faces the same uphill battle in North ... (link)