I admit to being a hardcore Suikoden fan, and I have been anxiously awaiting this title. I was giddy when I saw this at Konami's booth. Suikoden III finally takes the series to the third dimension, and to the PlayStation 2. The game demo begins by giving you a choice between three characters. When I asked the Konami representative about this, he explained that there were three main characters, and that you could play from each of their points of view, and their paths would cross and intertwine at many points in the game. Very, very cool.

The demo emphasized this point, as the three characters do meet up in the scenario that Konami had on the floor. Two of them have a very heated meeting, where one of their allies was slain by the other. While the game seemed a bit slow, it felt very much like the earlier Suikoden titles.

The gameplay is also intact, and even upgraded in many cases. The battles are still up to six on six, with combo attacks and various spells and runes. The one-on-one duels and army battles also return, although we did not see how they work in the PlayStation 2 incarnation. Finally, the headquarters system is back, but in the new incarnation, you will craft and entire town to go along with your castle. Konami is aiming to get this title out by November, so I can only think of one thing to say: "Merry Christmas, RPGamers!"