Playing through this was my first time playing a Suikoden game. I enjoyed it despite some parts feeling like they dragged on, mainly because of the random encounters. The story is good, and the different mechanics offer a variety of ways to play. Not to mention, you're able to choose 108 different characters for your party. I just stuck with the same characters throughout the game, as I didn't like having to constantly level and gear new characters. Overall, Suikoden 1 is a great game, and I'm excited to see what Suikoden 2 has to offer.
My grandfather brought this back from a visit to Thailand in a small plastic wallet among 50 or so other dubiously sourced games. When I was still positively zygotic and hadn't developed my tastes, suikoden captured my imagination like no other game. Haters will say 2 is better, and they're right, but trust me when I say they're wrong. As a kid I found the Flik/Odessa stuff annoying, but I think that stuff has aged quite well, not just in 1 but further into 2. Lightning in a bottle.