Suikoden 3 coming to PSN Classics!

[Pumpkin]

The areas are actually pretty good, I thought. I don't remember a FF duck clan village!

ALSO YOU GET TO CAST THEM IN PLAYS AND IT IS ONE OF THE BEST MINI-GAMES EVER

[Vyk]

The "world map" (read, just a map, no overworld) is right out of any/all strategy rpg. Just dots on a map. I got to a new area, and there's dots interspersed that section things off where you have to run around as you would on a normal overworld where you get into random encounters. Not sure why they didn't just make the overworld traversable. It's ... different. But this is the first Suikoden I've fired up (I have the first two, but not really done anything with them), so maybe they're all that way. Just weird having something like that in a traditional JRPG, rather than a strategy rpg

[Pumpkin]

That's the only one with a map like that

[Wolf Kanno]

Yeah, the other four games have traditional JRPG world maps. S3 is also an early PS2 game, so things like FFXII and DQVIII were still pipe dreams. I guess they could have done it like FFX but some of the transitions would have felt awkward.

[Raistlin]

What improvements did S3 make over S2?

To echo/add on to WK: 3D, three distinct main characters with different perspectives, better developed castle (some of the theater plays are hilarious), new skill system (which adds a new level of development/customization for characters), and a better major battle system where leveling up your characters actually has an effect. It adds a treasure boss system to get some of the better items/armor. Another plus is that there are "optional" boss battles (or I should say "optionally-winnable" boss battles) where you can lose and the story continues, but are also possible to win; a couple of these were very difficult my first time through the game. It's very different from S1 and S2 -- including being substantially longer.

To be fair, it also has some detriments compared to S2, mostly due to the new transition to 3D with a team apparently inexperienced with 3D. A fixed camera is awkward in some areas until you get used to using the minimap, and your characters move very slow, or at least it seems like it at times (partially helped by a low encounter rate). You'll be quite happy to get the Blinking Mirror. The fire rune becomes mostly useless thanks to AoE spells damaging your own party, and the buddy system definitely takes some getting used to.