Yeah that's fine too! I like trying to find the characters on my own because it's interesting when you talk with somebody about the game afterwards.
"Who did you use in your party?" "Did you find this character?" "Ah I missed that character!" Things like that. If I were to replay it I would use a guide to find them all fo sho.
If I were younger I agree it would be really fun to play the game all by myself but I agree with kash, I don't plan on replaying any of the suikodens sooooo I use a guide for the missables (which was small in Suiko 1 but I heard there are time sensitive ones in Suiko 2 so definitely need a guide for that).
But again if I had the time or if I was younger I could totally see the appeal.
Yeah, I'm not saying I'm absolutely going to replay the game yet either... I just don't like playing with my nose in a FAQ; for me it lessens the experience and makes the game planned, systematic and inorganic. To me it's like: I'm now playing the way the guide wants me to play, when I'd rather play it how I want to. (I did that with FFVIII and the game became much more structured and it took a chunk out of the overall impact).
But that's how I do things: beat the game on my own, then replay it if I want to to find all the collectibles - I'll then use a guide. If I eventually want to re-play Suiko II then I'll have an additional incentive to replay it other than just reliving the story. If I don't want to replay it, then I don't and I move on. The only games I go for the collectibles are the ones that I enjoy (or if the game is short
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But to each his own. I see where you're coming from.
On a separate note, my game made a really weird noise last night like the audio died or something. The screen will sometimes do minor flickering. I hope that won't become a problem down the line - I'd hate to lose my game
It must be because it's from PSN and it's digital and stuff.